If you’re watching the independent K-Pop scene, you know from20 is one to watch. The former BIGSTAR member has consistently proved that his solo career is about more than just singing—it’s about having 100% creative control.
I was there when he dropped his powerful single “Demon,” and now, we’re back for his latest era with the ultra-smooth new single, “social.” I had a chat with from20 to discuss everything: from the raw inspiration behind “Social” and how it ties into his past work, to the highlights of his recent tour with his partner in crime, HELLO GLOOM. Spoiler alert: there are some exciting news coming up from WAY BETTER!
Davide: Hi from20, it’s so great to see you again! Thank you for taking the time for this interview. Congratulations on your new single, ‘social.’ It’s really nice to reconnect with you since we last spoke for the ‘Demon’ promotions. How are you doing today? Keeping well?
from20: Hello, I’m from20, talk to you in a long time. In the meantime, I’ve been busy running a company, and I’ve got nice artists like Sejun, Yuchan, and YYJ, and I’ve also released a single, “Eye Candy”.
Oh, for your information, I’m in Brazil for a tour! I’m very happy to meet my Brazilian fans immediately with the release of ‘Social’.
Davide: Speaking of our last interview, I want to ask how the European tour went. We had a great time taking photos of you and HELLO GLOOM, and I’m so happy it was a success. How did the European tour go, and what was the most memorable moment for you?
from20: I finished two European tours, one in 2024 and and one in 2025. Performing in Europe has always been a dream stage for me. I can’t believe I’ve achieved it twice already.
In particular, this was my first concert in the UK and as a Harry Potter lover, it was very exciting to be able to perform in London.
Davide: Let’s dive into ‘Social.’ The song has an R&B sound and a super cool vibe. What was your inspiration for this track, and what message do you hope listeners will take away from it?
from20: “Social” is an R&B song, I didn’t release an R&B song in a long time. I’ve always loved hip-hop and R&B sounds, and I practiced a lot when I was young. If “Eye Candy” had an hip-hop vibe, I wanted to appeal to you all that I’m a strong vocalist for R&B.
These days, I’m actively appealing to the provocative topic and the body that I worked out. I thought there would be a need to appeal, “I have a good body, but I’m good at singing this much, too.” Also, speaking about the theme, I wanted to make a song of “love online” and tell a very likely story in 2025 to listeners.
Davide: The R&B genre is a core part of this song. Which R&B artists or sounds did you draw inspiration from for ‘Social’?
from20: I was inspired by Michael Jackson, Usher, and many other artists that I used to listen to a lot when I was young. The most exciting thing is that the music from the time I grew up listening to is back in trend under the name Y2K. They are the music that I am more confident than any other genre, because I have sung like that a lot and I am proud of myself for doing the type of music that’s becoming a trend again.
Davide: The music video is fun! You’re a video director yourself, so what was it like to work on this one? Was there a favourite part or a challenge you faced during the filming?
from20: As always, I was in charge of directing and editing the music video. When I first thought of making the song, “Social”, this kind of storyboard came to my mind. It’s been in my head from the beginning, including directing like video chatting, screen composition, and screen design. The filming itself was easy, but since editing and later design work were important for the storyboard, I focused on these later tasks.
Davide: If you need to compare your previous work, like ‘Eye Candy’, how do you compare both songs? Are they connected somehow?
from20: I can say that the two songs are definitely connected. In the first place, I worked on both songs thinking that they would be the lead singles for my second full-length album (You can really look forward to it), which I was aiming to release in the first half of next year. These are songs that are going to be on one album, so I worked on them with a certain degree of unity.
From the topic of telling interesting stories, the sound also worked in connection as a point. It would be nice if you think of it as a representative hip-hop song and representative R&B song in my 2nd full album that contains the music and genre that I loved.
Davide: You’ve been exploring different genres and concepts. Is there another music genre or style you would like to explore in the future?
from20: First of all, as I mentioned before, I want to focus on the second full-length album that will be released next year. I think the album will be trendy based on ’90s hip-hop and R&B sound. Like “Social”, if you look forward to R&B’s from20, it will be a satisfying album to you all.
Davide: Your fans are all so excited because you have mentioned an upcoming album a few times! Do you have any news on that, like how many songs it will have or what we can expect from it?
from20: Many things are still a secret, but I believe this album will be a big issue and a big hit. Since “Eye Candy” and “Social” said they are lead singles, wouldn’t it be a very hot album? Please look forward to it.
Davide: Since the European tour was such a success, you, along with HELLO GLOOM,
have now announced to go to Brazil. What are you most excited about for your next live performances?
from20: Actually, I’m currently in Brazil right now, doing this interview. This is the second time for from20 X HELLO GLOOM and the first time for a nationwide tour in Brazil. Personally, I’m very excited to be performing a new song in Brazil for the first time. I also want to create a hotter and hotter stage with HELLO GLOOM, than anyone else.
Davide: The dynamic between the artists at WAY BETTER is so special. Could we ever expect a full WAY BETTER artists tour with other members? I remember you mentioning a few times.
from20: We are planning a world tour of WAY BETTER in 2026. I think it will be a performance that has never been done before, each and every one of us. I hope it will be a great performance that will change the game of K-POP beyond just an omnibus performance.
To live up to the slogan “Hot People Listen to WAY BETTER,” we will create a truly hot performance. It will also be a performance that shows both individuality and harmony among our artists.
Davide: That’s all for today! Thank you so much, from20, it was a pleasure to speak with you again. ‘Social’ is absolutely amazing, and I wish you all the best with the promotions and the South America tour. I hope to see you soon!
from20: Thank you. I was also happy to talk to you about this new song. I’ll be back to you soon!
Make sure to stream Social on all your digital platforms and support from20!
DAVIDE K-POP 