BAEKHO was in the habit of using the word “all” whenever he talked about the things that are most important to him—like when he said he likes “all” of the group’s lyrics because they were written with the other members so he can’t choose one, or that “all” of their activities as NU’EST are influenced by L.O.Λ.E. BAEKHO’s sincerity cannot be captured by the word “all” alone—his sincerity seemed to transcend the word.

I heard you were working until late last night. Aren’t you tired?

BAEKHO: Nope, I’m fine. (laughs)

A little while ago you shared a photo with your fans of you freediving.

BAEKHO: I went there again recently. Freediving is a kind of release for me. It’s quiet and peaceful when you’re in the water. And unlike other exercises, it’s important that you lower your heart rate. I have fun going there since it’s so different from my everyday life.

You’ve been showing off different aspects of your daily life lately, like when you went for a ride in a classic car on your “Nu’lo9.”

BAEKHO: I find car maintenance fun. If you fix everything all at once then it doesn’t take so much time that it makes it a pain to drive. It just takes a little effort. (laughs) And I’m able to treat driving as a hobby, seeing how my busy schedule doesn’t leave me a lot of opportunities to drive myself. I always like to try new things, but there are also things I try once and never end up doing again. But I ended up sticking with car maintenance.

You also got a call from BUMZU about the album while you were driving your car. What was it like preparing for this album, Romanticize?

BAEKHO: It’s been about a year since we released the last album, so we spent a long time getting it ready and wrote a whole lot of songs. We also edited it a lot. There were some songs I wrote and said I liked but when I listened to them later I didn’t like them anymore. (laughs) We went through so many songs before we got to “INSIDE OUT,” the lead single. And all us members went through a lot to get our solo songs just right. So we all worked together to make this album.

“INSIDE OUT” ’s lyrics are very straightforward.

BAEKHO: Yes, they are. In the past I often said what I wanted to in a roundabout way, but for this album I wanted to write lyrics that were very direct. I wanted people to be able to imagine exactly what I’m talking about as soon as they hear the lyrics, so I drew inspiration from everyday life. Lots of people are familiar with entering a door code when they come home. That’s how I ended up writing the lyrics, “Entering my passcode, your birthday.”

“INSIDE OUT” felt somewhat complex to me when I heard it. It’s energetic, but also lyrical.

BAEKHO: The track itself is bright, so at first I thought maybe I should write bright lyrics. But the melody was a little different, so I wrote dark lyrics instead. If you want to bring out emotion in a song, you have to have a catchy melody somewhere in the middle and parts where you emphasize what you’re trying to say. I tried to keep those parts in the mind while weaving them into the flow of the song. It’s fun to pay attention to those details.

“DRESS” made me think of “Shadow” and “BASS.” I feel like there are a lot of exciting EDM songs in NU’EST’s catalog.

BAEKHO: I hope we can include songs like “DRESS” on every album. That’s just my preference. It’s my favorite genre and I think this song makes you felt good when you listen to it. I feel like that kind of song can show the brilliance that NU’EST is capable of.

I feel like each member of NU’EST is playing a different character in the group’s music. For example, often if your role is to heighten emotions, then JR shows quiet self-reflection or emotional restraint.

BAEKHO: I like to pay attention to each member’s unique voice. So when I’m working on a song, I try to consider who would sound best for each part as I write it. So when I wrote certain parts and thought about who could do them best—when they really did suit the part well, I felt good. But the members always express themselves well no matter what part they’re singing. 

You helped write the lyrics for ARON’s solo song, “I’M NOT.” You two have worked together on songs like “WI-FI” and “GOOD LOVE.” Can you tell me about your collaborative process with ARON?

BAEKHO: ARON always tells me what he’s thinking, so this was a process of getting to know him better as we worked together. I already know him well (laughs) but I could say, “Oh, so that’s how ARON sees this situation.” I just tidied up his thoughts for the lyrics.

You must trade ideas with the other members a lot while working on an album.

BAEKHO: We decide all together when we choose which songs to include or what the lead single should be. We also write the lyrics together. Even if I’m the one writing the lyrics, I need them to be able to relate to them for when they sing. I don’t think we could put out an album without getting every piece of feedback from every member. We made this album together from start to finish.

Your solo song, “NEED IT,” is fantastic, too. The lyrics sound like they’re about change: “In the end, the only end to the pain is me”; “Make it and break it / Build it up and tear it down.”

BAEKHO: I wanted to write lyrics that apply to as many situations as possible. The lyrics make it sound like something serious happened, but I don’t see it as serious. Whatever it is, that process of making something, tearing it down, building it up again—it’s so universal. These days, that kind of process is okay with me. If something goes wrong and I have to start all over again, of course I’m going to get annoyed and angry—at first. But as time goes by, I learn to enjoy it. (laughs)

The vocals in “NEED IT” are also dramatic and center stage. What effect were you going for?

BAEKHO: I wanted to make a song that would work whether I danced to it or not. “NEED IT” has almost no chorus and I didn’t even do double tracking. I tried to use as many different vocal styles as possible in one song instead. Since the vocals were so important, it took a long time to record. After me and the members finished recording, I went back to the recording studio late at night to practice more and record it again. (laughs) Although there were some songs that didn’t take as long to record as I expected.

There are reviews about your vocals saying, “He blows the roof off Gocheok Sky Dome”; “His voice makes up for the poor sound equipment.” (laughs)

BAEKHO: (laughs) I don’t know about that. It wasn’t like that when we debuted but, you know, that’s what you get from working on it every day. I think it piled up bit by bit. I pay attention to the way my breathing sounds and how I end my parts when I sing or record. And I think it’s very important the way a song begins and how it ends. I’m always thinking about how to start a bar or end the song.

You used a handheld microphone for several songs when you performed for 2021 NEW YEAR’S EVE LIVE, but you were the only one. Was there a special reason you did that?

BAEKHO: Most people are good at using any kind of microphone but I personally prefer a handheld mic. That way, I can control the distance between myself and the mic. And it can be annoying when the headset mic blocks my view when I’m dancing. So when I use a handheld mic, I think ahead of time about which hand I’ll hold it in during which parts.

It was impressive the way you could dance and sing so well even while holding a microphone. Recently, you were cast in the musical Midnight Sun. I can’t wait to see you on a different kind of stage.

BAEKHO: Practicing in a field I know nothing about makes me feel like a trainee all over again. (laughs) In the past, the idea of taking on new challenges scared me a little. But this time I thought, Ah, whatever—let’s do it! So far I’m still feeling anxious, and there’s a bit of pressure, but I’m having fun. I usually only have to express the emotions of one song at a time, but now that I have to express so many detailed emotions throughout different songs and scenes in one much longer play, I’m learning that those details are important.

You’re writing lyrics and music, and do a good amount of exercise, and now you’re taking on a musical. It’s amazing you can do so many things simultaneously when your time is so limited.

BAEKHO: It wasn’t always like this. It happened over time while we’ve been working as a group. Obviously my body feels exhausted. If I said I’m not exhausted, I’d be lying. (laughs) But, no matter what, I really love making music. I feel good whenever I see how L.O.Λ.E are listening to the music we made. I feel connected to them. And the more we work on our music, the more I want to keep doing this with my life. There are people who like us and look forward to seeing us, and I want to give those people something new to enjoy. I think they’ll see how we’ve changed a bit and how we’re trying something different.

Last September, you showed off new performances in ON-CLIP UNBOXING, like a jazz version of “FEELS” and an acoustic version of “Dejavu.”

BAEKHO: I was worried because it was my first time doing an online concert. I had no idea what the stage would look like, either. But anyway, I enjoyed getting ready for it. I was performing live there, but the place felt like the set of a music video. It was fascinating to be able to watch my own performance in real time. (laughs) But I hope this whole situation ends soon. I hope we could perform offline too, instead of just online.

You must miss L.O.Λ.E. In 2018 and 2019, you did surprise busking performances for your birthday, and for your birthday last year you booked a room with a view of a digital billboard put together by L.O.Λ.E and did a V LIVE.

BAEKHO: I feel happy whenever I get to see L.O.Λ.E. It’s a really unique experience to be able to see that many people feeling the same and smiling together. So I enjoy preparing that kind of event. I wanted to see that billboard in person. I was just as amazed when it showed my face. (laughs) Since so many L.O.Λ.E were sending me birthday wishes, all I really wanted was to spend that time together.

Is that how you got the nickname Kang Nice Guy? Because you take such good care of your fans? (laughs)

BAEKHO: (very self-conscious) L.O.Λ.E are really good at making nicknames. Some of the nicknames they come up with are so good that I have to look away when I hear them. (laughs) They make me blush but they’re fun, too.

Your sensitive side is peeking through. You cried in ON-CLIP while talking with ARON about old times.

BAEKHO: I cry easily. L.O.Λ.E also cry easily. (laughs) In that instance, I’m not sure why I was crying. I wasn’t sad, I wasn’t sick or stressed—I just cried because I felt overwhelmingly happy.

Now that it’s been nearly 10 years since you started, you must feel a deep affection for the other members. When I saw how you played a little prank with the shoe rack at MINHYUN’s house, I thought, That’s what real friends look like. (laughs)

BAEKHO: It makes me happy, working with the other members. It’s fun. And, I’m grateful. (laughs) I watched a performance from the early days after our debut when I went out for jokbal with MINHYUN a little while back. He said there’s a fan video of our old performance with comments that people left on top, so we watched it and couldn’t stop laughing. (laughs) L.O.Λ.E write the best comments.

You also leave a lot of fun comments on L.O.Λ.E’s posts on Weverse.

BAEKHO: It feels like we’re all hanging out and having fun together. If I comment on L.O.Λ.E’s posts, they leave even funnier comments. (laughs) They leave a lot of interesting questions, too. I hope that they laugh when they see my replies, because I laugh when I read what L.O.Λ.E wrote.

I got the impression that you know L.O.Λ.E well when you said “L.O.Λ.E cry easily” a moment ago.

BAEKHO: L.O.Λ.E express so much about themselves—how they feel, what they’re thinking. So of course I know. I can see them. And even when L.O.Λ.E say just one thing—for example, that they like us—they each say it differently. I’m learning as I go along. “Oh, that’s an interesting way to say it.” Like that.

That makes me think of how you said in ON-CLIP UNBOXING that fan letters can be a source of inspiration when you write music.

BAEKHO: L.O.Λ.E have had an effect on all the songs we’ve ever made. And we’re seeing it more and more. In fact, L.O.Λ.E probably influenced this album the most. It’ll show even more on the next album. I mean it—it’s because of L.O.Λ.E that we can make albums at all.

The title of this album is Romanticize. So what does romance mean to you?

BAEKHO: You’ll find it in your daily life if you go looking for it, and won’t find it if you don’t. I think that’s what romance is. There are 10 songs on this album. I hope we can give 10 different kinds of romance to the listeners.