DAVIDE K-POP

Get ready to turn up the volume! ONE PACT is back with a vibrant explosion of energy, and their new mini-album “Pink Crush” is proof.

We sat down with the rising K-pop stars to dive deep into their lead track “100!”, the creative process behind the album, and what fans can expect from this exciting new chapter!

Prepare for an inside look at the passion and drive powering ONE PACT’s latest musical journey and get to know Jongwoo, Jay, Seongmin, TAG and Yedam a bit better!
BUT first, here a special message for all the &heart out there!

Davide: Hello ONE PACT! I’m Davide, thank you for taking the time for this interview. How are you all doing today? It must be busy with the new mini album out! Could you please introduce yourselves one by one to our readers? Including a fun fact or something unique about yourselves that &heart might not know yet.

ONE PACT:
Jongwoo: Hello! I’m ONE PACT’s leader, Jongwoo! Since our comeback, we’ve been busy with promotions and preparing for our concert.
Jay: Hello, I am ONE PACT’s main vocal, Jay!
Seongmin: Hi, I’m Seongmin from ONE PACT! I’m in charge of the visuals in the group.
TAG: Hello, I’m TAG from ONE PACT. I’m the producer of the team.
Yedam: Hi! I’m the youngest member of the team, Yedam, and I always put my all into everything I do! People might think I’m just the cute one, but actually, I have a lot of charisma, and I’m the most leader-like person in this group! Hahaha.

Davide: Your group name, ONE PACT, is very unique. Can you share the story behind the name and how it reflects the group’s identity? And how does that reflect on &heart?

ONE PACT:
Jongwoo: It means that although we are different individuals, we come together as one to create synergy. We strive to make sure that when our individual charms combine, they shine as ONE PACT’s unique appeal!
Jay: So the name ONE PACT is supposed to mean that we, as five strong individuals, come together as one team to create a huge impact. The importance that &hearts have on us is the fact that we take the love and support from &hearts as motivation to continue coming back stronger.
Seongmin: It means coming together as one to create a big impact! Just like our name suggests, I think we are also leaving a big impact on &heart.
TAG: I think ONE PACT is still in the process of finding its identity. Rather than having a fixed group concept or storyline, we focus on emphasising our artistic colours.
Yedam: The meaning behind our name is to come together as one and make an impact, and we are working hard to make that impact happen!

Davide: Your 3rd mini album, PINK CRUSH, has been highly anticipated, and I personally really like it! Can you tell us about the overall concept and message you convey through this album?

ONE PACT:
Jongwoo: The message of this album is love! It’s also a story that we wanted to share with &heart.
Jay: Our Pink Crush album is the first ONE PACT album that centres around the lovely parts of love. Up until this point, most of our songs have been about breakups or heartbreak, but this time, we’re coming back on Valentine’s Day to convey our real love to the listeners.
Seongmin: This album expresses ONE PACT’s version of love. It’s about confessing to someone you love.
TAG: The biggest theme is love. We wanted to share stories with &heart that we hadn’t explored before.
Yedam: This album is full of ONE PACT’s signature refreshing energy, excitement, and happiness!

Davide: “100!” is an energetic and cute track. What inspired the concept for this song, and what emotions do you hope to evoke in listeners?

ONE PACT:
Jongwoo: It expresses the feeling of approaching someone you like. I think we captured both the confusion and excitement really well.
Jay: We want to show &hearts a lot of different sides of us that they haven’t seen before. This time, we’re trying out a funky dance track to show a cuter and lovelier side, and we hope to convey those feelings of giddiness and love to the listeners.
Seongmin: We wanted to make listeners feel the thrill and excitement of falling in love.
TAG: I asked the producer to create a funky, easy-listening track with a fun beat. The melody and lyrics came to mind naturally, so it was an easy and smooth process.
Yedam: Just like the lyrics say, it’s about loving someone so much that you could list 100 reasons why! In a way, it’s a confession song from ONE PACT.

Davide: The music video for “100!” is very beautiful, with cute animations that make you smile. Can you elaborate on the symbolism behind the video and the overall aesthetic you were aiming for?

ONE PACT:
Jongwoo: It expresses the feeling of approaching someone you like. I think we captured both the confusion and excitement really well.
Jay: The music video is supposed to symbolize and portray the childishness and naivety that comes with falling in love with somebody.
Seongmin: ONE PACT’s unique style has been present since our debut, and I think this MV continues that trend! You can see it as a refreshing track full of our signature energy.
TAG: We wanted a free and intuitive style for the MV, and I think it turned out just as we hoped.
Yedam: We wanted to capture the nervousness of confessing to someone you like in a way that reflects ONE PACT’s style.

Davide: I really enjoyed other tracks too! For example, “& Heart” is my favourite after “100!”. Do you have any favourite songs from this mini album and why?

ONE PACT:
Jongwoo: I love “Confession”. I think it represents the concept of this album the best, and it’s my favourite song.
Jay: My favourite song is definitely “Never Stop”! My personal taste in music leans towards nostalgic, easy-listening sounds, and this song fits that perfectly.
Seongmin: I love “Never Stop” too! The lyrics and melody are beautiful, and since I really enjoy TAG’s emotional compositions, it’s right up my alley.
TAG: “Never Stop”! I wrote, composed, and arranged it all by myself, so I feel a strong connection to it.
Yedam: Lately, I’ve been loving “B2U”! The beat is so refreshing, and it just feels great to listen to.

Davide: With the release of PINK CRUSH, are there any plans for a world tour or any specific regions you’d like to visit to perform for your fans?

ONE PACT:
Jongwoo: We always want to do a world tour. If the opportunity comes, we’d love to visit &heart all over the world!
Jay: Right now, we have fan meetings planned in Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. We’d love to have the chance to perform in even more places and meet &hearts globally.
Seongmin: We don’t have a full world tour planned yet, but we do have concerts in Taiwan and Japan! If we do a tour, I’d love to go to Europe.
TAG: Of course! Since I grew up in Thailand and my family is there, I’d love to perform in Thailand. But I also want to visit Europe, Africa, Asia, the U.S., and Australia!
Yedam: I want to go to the U.S.! I think it’d be fun to experience the American vibe with my members and enjoy the tour.

Davide: Looking back on your journey from debut to now, what are the most significant milestones and challenges you’ve encountered?

ONE PACT:
Jongwoo: I think the most important thing has been consistency. Since our debut, we’ve been running non-stop, and I believe that continuing to push forward itself is a challenge.
Jay: I’d say that being able to debut with my friends that I made on Boys Planet is enough of an accomplishment in itself, but we’re still growing, and we’re gonna make sure to keep working hard and make &hearts proud.
Sungmin: From the moment of our debut, my biggest milestone has been the unity of our members and bringing our fans together as one! Since we didn’t train together for a long period before debuting, we had to adjust to each other’s personalities while working through our schedules, and in the process, we truly became one—just like our name, ONE PACT! Thanks to that, our fans were also able to come together as a single fandom, &heart.
TAG: Our debut album. Finding synergy with the members was the hardest challenge, and I believe the debut song was the most important part, which also made it difficult.
Yedam: The most important thing was pushing through until the end, continuing to work hard without giving up, and constantly taking on challenges. I believe that’s what made everything possible. And in the future, I’ll keep challenging myself even more!

Davide: Who are some of the artists, both in and outside of K-pop, who inspire you and your music?

ONE PACT:
Jongwoo: The artists I’ve loved the most from childhood until now are BTS and BIGBANG. During my school days, I even performed their songs on stage, and I still admire them and want to follow in their footsteps.
Jay: There are a lot of different artists musically and vocally that inspire me. For example, my father, Bruno Mars, John Legend, Daniel Caesar, Park Hyo-shin, Kim Jae-hwan, and other great artists have definitely shaped my artistry.
Sungmin: I grew up listening to EXO’s music, so I really respect them as artists and love their songs.
TAG: AKMU’s Lee Chan-hyuk. Rather than being limited to a specific genre, he excels in all of them, which is why I personally admire him.
Yedam: Whenever I get this question, I always mention BIGBANG’s Taeyang sunbaenim. Not only is he incredibly talented, but despite being at the peak of his career as an artist, he continuously strives to show the public an even better version of himself. That’s something I’ve always looked up to.

Davide: If given the opportunity, which artist would you dream of collaborating with, both Korean or internationally?

ONE PACT:
Jongwoo: I’d love to collaborate with the artists I mentioned earlier.
Jay: I would love to collaborate with Bruno Mars!
Sungmin: I’d like to collaborate on a stage with other 5th-generation boy groups.
TAG: I’ll collaborate with whoever contacts me first. LOL
Yedam: I want to stand on stage with my role models, BIGBANG sunbaenim!

Davide: If you could go back in time and give advice to your pre-debut self, what would you say?

ONE PACT:
Jongwoo: Since I still feel like I have a long way to go and haven’t accomplished much yet, my mindset is the same as back then. So for now, I don’t think there’s anything I can say.
Jay: I’d tell him to just trust in himself and his abilities and try not to overthink things.
Sungmin: Be a better person to those around you!
TAG: Just do what you want to do.
Yedam: Don’t be impatient. Keep working hard, just like you always have!

Davide: Do you have any special hobbies or activities you like to do in your spare time?

ONE PACT:
Jongwoo: I don’t really have much free time, but when I do get a little break, I either exercise or practice individually. If I’m really exhausted, I play games for a bit and then sleep.
Jay: I really love to play video games and basketball. I don’t really have time to play games anymore these days, but I love watching live basketball streams in the green room while waiting at music shows.
Sungmin: These days, I started playing a mobile game. It helps clear my mind, so I play a round or two whenever I have time.
TAG: Bowling, computer games, and travelling.
Yedam: I enjoy riding my bicycle!

Davide: Do you have a special message for your fans, &heart?

ONE PACT:
Jongwoo: Thank you for always waiting for us and supporting us silently. We love you. Even though we still have a lot to improve, we’ll keep working hard!
Jay: Thank you to all of the fans that have been supporting us and continue to support us for over a year now. We’re gonna keep working hard to make &hearts all around the world proud and become artists that you can look up to. Thank you, and we love you!
Sungmin: Just like how &heart loves and supports me and expresses their love, I also love &heart very, very much! Never forget that!
TAG: Thank you so much! This album was born thanks to &heart, so I really appreciate you for being our inspiration.
Yedam: &heart, you are always our strength. We will keep running for you and for ourselves. Love you!

Davide: That’s all for today! Thank you so much! You are doing a great job and should be proud of yourself! You’re rockin’ it! Very well done! I hope to see you live soon! Keep well and speak soon!

ONE PACT:
Jongwoo: Thank you! I hope we can meet in person someday!
Jay: Thank you so much! Hope to see you sometime soon.
Sungmin: Thank you! I hope to see you at a live show!
TAG: Thank you for all the love for this album. Our next album will be even more surprising, so please look forward to it!
Yedam: Thank you! I’ll work even harder so we can meet in person next time!

That was all! I hope you enjoy the interview and make sure to share it to all the &heart you know!

Stream “Pink Crush” now and follow One Pact on social media for all the news and updates!

All Images courtesy of ARMADA Ent.
Do not copy or use the interview withouth credit Davide K-pop.