April 16, 2025 • 33 mins
In the premiere episode, Beomhan dives into the latest K-pop news and gossip, sharing his unfiltered takes on everything happening in the industry. Then, hit songwriter Sebastian Garcia—also known as Rufio Hooks and one of the masterminds behind BTS's chart-topping hit Butter—joins Beomhan for an in-depth interview on The K Factor. They talk about music, the creative process, and what it's like to write for K-pop's biggest names.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, everybody, Welcome to the first episode, the grand opening
of The K Factor, Everything k Pop, hosted by Bomhan.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
I am your host, Boomhan, and I am excited and
a little bit nervous. We have been working on this
podcast months now and I'm so happy to be able
to bring it to you guys on this huge platform
that is iHeartRadio. You guys can listen to this podcast
on iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. This
podcast The K Factor, Everything k Pop. It's about everything
(00:44):
k pop. We're gonna be going behind the scenes. We're
gonna be talking to songwriters, choreographers, idols, and artists who
kind of just exist in the space. And we're also
going to be bringing you K pop news, kpop gossip,
album reviews. We're gonna be letting you know who's touring
at the moment, the news releases, and just kind of
what to be excited for in the world of kpop.
(01:05):
This is your one stop shop for everybody who is
a lover a fan of kpop. So thank you, and uh,
let's get right into it. Actually no, let's not get
right into it. I want to shout out you guys.
You guys are the ones who kind of made this
all happen, and to kind of give back to this idea,
(01:26):
we have made you guys a huge part of this show.
So you guys can call in when we're doing these
exclusive interviews. If we're talking to your favorite idol, there's
gonna be a moment where you can come in and
call and ask them some questions. We're also gonna be
doing live tours around the country, so you guys can
come in and kind of participate, be on camera and
just do this whole thing live. This show is for
you guys, all right. So now let's get into it.
(01:50):
K Pop News with Bomhan. What's happening. Let's talk the
latest kpop comebacks, tours and gossip. The tours that we're
paying attention to right now is TXC that's embarking on
their promised world tour twenty twenty five starting from May three.
Eighties is also announcing a new world tour and I
cannot be more excited. It is called in Your Fantasy
(02:12):
and I remember some of my best memories in life
ever is going to an eighties concert and going to
a BTS concert, and I feel like the energy that
they bring with their dances is just so electrifying and
I can feel it in like my veins and like
in my heart when I go, and I feel like
they make music specifically for concerts, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
So I am very excited.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
I'm probably gonna find a way to get into these
stadiums and I think you should too. Grab your tickets
for TXT, grab your tickets for ATS, and these are
all happening very very soon, so don't miss out. And
speaking of TXT, TXT in the month of April has
released their mini album on the first, Baby Monster has
(02:58):
made their comeback with their EPA Monster on April first
as well, and Boy next Door has made their comeback
with their second EP, How on April fifteenth. April is
a great month for kpop. May is gonna be even
better because TXD is going on tour, So get your
tickets and uh now, let's talk some of the trending stories.
(03:18):
This has been a crazy month and I think if
you guys have been on the internet, you guys have
seen the YG leaks. Well that's a little bit of
background and context for these YG leaks is that there
was a YG employee who was fired and he wasn't happy,
so he went and made like a discord, like an
(03:39):
anonymous discord account, and he goes to a random discord
server and he goes crashing out. He just dropped a
bunch of information. He like confirmed some dating rumors and
then all this stuff, but none of this is confirmed.
You're like, We're like, oh, okay, buddy, right, And then
he goes and he releases these training footage, unreleased training
(04:00):
footage of girls from Black Pink, girls from two any
One and just to all these trainees that are like ten, twenty.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Years old, and we're like, oh my god, wait, this
guy's real.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Still none of the other stuff that he sells confirmed,
but the video is real, right, And and this has
stirred a bunch of controversy because in these videos has
these these idols who are very, very crazy successful right now,
and now we have footage of them saying and singing
(04:31):
the N word.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh, what is going on? Girl?
Get up? Girl, get up?
Speaker 4 (04:38):
You know.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
And then that's not even the craziest part. All these
leaks happened one day before Kim Suhun's press conference. Kim
Suhun is the highest paid k drama actor in South Korea.
He is like Jason Tatum in the NBA. He makes
the most money in the NBA. This guy makes the
most money acting, Okay, and his has come crashing down
(05:02):
because of the controversy where he allegedly allegedly Because none
of this is confirmed yet, and I am just simply
delivering the information I am I, I am just a messenger, Okay.
He allegedly groomed a minor and it has led to
her doing something very drastic that I will not kind
of describe here. And you guys can look more into it,
but be warned of the of it possibly being triggering.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
But it is a very serious situation, okay.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
And he holds a press conference with a bunch of
news outlets and he's crying in this press conference. He's
talking about all these serious things and he denies some claims.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
It's a whole big thing.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
And the league happens one day before this, so people
are like, oh, like, is there a correlation? You know?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
And this whole kimsu Filon thing is.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
It's kind of, I think, in my opinion, deeper than
just gossip, just deeper than God than te you know,
all these things so if you guys want to look
more into it, I'm not going to say too much
about the situation. I think it's very sensitive prayers and
thoughts to the family of the victims, and everything is
still alleged and not confirmed. So I'm like delivering concrete
(06:11):
information on this topic.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
That's it.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
You know, we have we have an Aties tour to
look forward to, a TXT tour to look forward to.
There's there's brighter things ahead.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Just kidding, Boom, Kiss of Life.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Julie has a birthday party and then they decide to
do a fun little life you know, engage with the
fans and then do something fun. You know, like they
have their company, they produce like a little concept. You know,
they're like, oh hey, like you know, like sometimes idols.
They go like, oh hey, let's do like a QT
concept for this birthday live Kiss of Life. They decide
to go, you know what, let's.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Do hip hop.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Yeah, let's do a hip hop two thousands concept, right,
and it went so south. They dressed up as a
bunch of stereotypes. They had bandanas on, they had they
have these oversized T shirts. They were They're playing into
a bunch of stereotypes. That were a little distasteful, you know,
(07:08):
I say a little, but to me personally, it was
very distasteful, right, and it showed that they were very
unaware of what these kind of things mean, and they're
just kind of playing into that concept. And this is
the tea, this is the gossip, this is what has
happened this month, and and.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
I I hope these concerts are good.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Atis please save please save us, txty, please save us.
Moving on for our first episode, we have a very
special and decorated guest and who has kind of graced
us with his presence and to me, he is so amazing.
Please everybody welcome Sebastian Garcia.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Fo foks, what's up man? How's it going? Brother?
Speaker 3 (07:56):
What's up man?
Speaker 2 (07:57):
I'm so excited to introduce you, and I'm going to
tell the people a little bit about what you do
because I'm kind of like reading this too, and I
did not know you were this freaking awesome dude. So
I'm going to read off this crazy list of accomplishments. So.
Sebastian Garcia aka Ruphaiel Hooks is a Nashville based top
liner that writes lyrics, melodies, and sings. His first major
(08:20):
label hit was Butter with Bts, which spent ten weeks
at number one on Billboard Hot one hundred charts and
has over one billion.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Streams on Spotify.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Sebastian has also worked with artists including Miyabi Atlas, Cravity,
Pit Bull, Minho, Bailey, Zimmerman, CRFW, Brelan, Big Time Rush, Stephlan, Don,
Chris Brown and Gray and Bowman and Bama.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Let's go.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Well, thank you for joining me today and thank you
for gracing us with your time. And I wanted to
tell everyone kind of like what it was like to
work with you and kind of just bring the behind
the scenes to.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
The front and kind of just tell everybody your story,
you know.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
Man, Thank you brother. I mean, I appreciate you having me.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
It's an awesome experience, you know, to be able to
get in the studio with artists and you know, and
to be able to like kind of open up with them.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
So I appreciate you having me so i'd be able
to talk about it a little bit.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
You know, how long have you been doing this, man?
Speaker 5 (09:25):
I think, like professionally on like the Scape, probably maybe
four or five years now. But I mean I think
everything I did beforehand is kind of what prepared me
for the opportunities that I have now. So I mean
that's a tough I would say professionally four or five years,
but before that, I mean probably fifteen years, my whole
(09:46):
life been chasing it.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
I guess you've been writing your whole life.
Speaker 5 (09:51):
Yeah, man, I think most most writers and songwriters, they
kind of go from being artists to then becoming songwriter
as well.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
So it's like I've been writing and being an.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
Artist and expressing myself creatively probably since I was like
ten or twelve.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Mans as beautiful.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
I feel like everybody has like their art, everyone has
like their passion, and I think for you to be
able to kind of like pursue that professionally and like
kind of come to like a kind of be able
to get to like a level where you can like
just do it as such like a grand scale, you know,
means awesome.
Speaker 5 (10:25):
So yeah, man, I appreciate it, and I mean I'm
beyond grateful you know that people have. You know, I've
been able to work with so many people and it's
like the fact that they want to even open up
and share a side of their life that we get
to talk about and put into a song is like unrealized.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
I pinched myself every day about it.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Yeah, so you right closely with artists, right, Yeah, And
I remember when we were in the studio, you were
talking something about like, oh, it's like something that something
that makes you happy is being able to see an
artist like bring their vision to life through you and
you kind of assisting in.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
That, Like can you tell me about that?
Speaker 5 (11:05):
Like like yeah, man, I mean I personally think like
you know, like when we were in the studio, Yeah,
as I was saying, like when people gravitate towards a
song and they kind of like feel a certain type
of way as we're building it up, we're creating it
from scratch, Like it's really awesome to be able to
(11:26):
be just kind of a little bit of a tool
for the artists to say, hey, I want to say this,
and then maybe I have the opportunity to say, well,
what does that mean to you? And then sometimes making
the way they see it and then me putting my
perspective to it is like it helps them be like
oh wow, I never looked at it that way, And that,
(11:47):
to me is my favorite part.
Speaker 4 (11:48):
Is like we both can look at a chair or
a painting.
Speaker 5 (11:53):
The painting hits you differently than it hits me, and
it's our job in the studio to be able to
find a synergy between both of those in order to
make like an awesome painting or an awesome song.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
You know.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Do you think that's something like uniquely to you or
like kind of shared between all songwriters? Oh?
Speaker 4 (12:11):
No, that's that's tough, Tokay.
Speaker 5 (12:15):
I don't I definitely, I mean it could be, and
maybe not. I don't know, maybe everybody else feels the
same way. But like, I think people look at songwriting
and approach their careers in songwriting all in different ways.
You know, some people look at some people look at
it as you know, I go in from sometimes if
you're in Nashville, maybe eleven o'clock till four o'clock, and
(12:38):
then they clock out and you know, and they become
someone else.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
Some people it is twenty four to seven.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
You know, it's going in writing and then leaving and
listening to that song five hundred times and being like, dang,
this could have been better. So I think sometimes when
people approach people approach creativity differently. And I'm and I'm
just lucky enough that for me, it's it's I think
it's twenty four to seven for me pretty much.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
The reason I asked this is because, like I think
personally you are super like personable, you know, Like first
time I met you, I remember, I felt like I
was just hanging out with one of my friends from
high school.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
You know, we're kicking it.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
You know, you're you're like drinking like a red Bull
and like all this stuff, Like you were dressed exactly
like this in like the studio, and then I remember Damon,
he pulled me aside, was like, dude, like this guy
is a big deal. Like this guy like like you're
You're in the presence of something great right now.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
I'm like, oh, the guard drinking the ribble.
Speaker 5 (13:42):
And I think, like I probably was definitely drinking the
red Bull and probably in a sandwich or something because.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
I really normally that food when I'm walking in the studio.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Yeah, So I was like, I was like, I think
like that comes through in your art, you know, and
I think you're able to show that and like channel
that energy through people and like.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
The songs and all this stuff. So I think that's awesome.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Thank you, man.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
I mean I think again, I kind of go back to, uh,
I kind of go back to the fact that like, uh,
you know, to me, I'm grateful that I'm doing this
every day, and so like when I get to be
in the room with somebody, like you're getting one hundred
and fifty percent of everything that.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
I am when we're there. Wow, but thank you man.
I appreciate those words.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Okay, have you had a moment where you felt like
starstruck by someone that you've been in the studio with,
where you like you haven't been able to be yourself
you know?
Speaker 5 (14:34):
Well, I mean I would say one was like my
homie'es Grey, because they they're they're both two amazing songwriters producers,
and I mean they wrote one of my favorite songs
of all time called meet Me in the Middle. And
I remember like kind of telling them like, hey, like,
(14:54):
my starstruckness is not so much in the artist as
much as it is in like songwriters and produce.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
I really nerd out on that, like.
Speaker 5 (15:01):
Oh wow, yeah, I'm like yo, that person wrote freaking
one of my favorite songs. That person wrote for Chris Brown,
that person wrote for Justin Bieber, And those types of things,
to me are the ones that affect me, so probably
like Grey, Yeah, because they just wrote Meet Me in
the Middle with Maren and Zed and it won Song
(15:21):
of the Year for the Grammys, and that's the biggest
award you can get as a song right now, you know.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
So yeah, going over their house.
Speaker 5 (15:28):
Before I went over there, I gave myself a little
pep talk in the car and I was just like, hey,
why not be nervous And luckily they were such professionals
that they helped me also like feel comfortable. And maybe
that's why I feel like I always want to try
to do that to everybody else, because the more you
make people feel comfortable, the more people are willing to
(15:49):
try to make mistakes. And I think mistakes always become
learning lessons if you approach them that way, you know.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
And you know this is a k pop podcast, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
And I feel like one of the biggest differences I
felt like when I was recording in America here like
with you, rather than like recording in Korea and like
no knock on Like Korea, like they have like their
own standard and their own own culture of like how
they do stuff.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
But it's very like.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Like like okay, like like like it's very strict you know, yeah,
and it's like I think they work hard.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
It's just a culture that really really works hard, man,
And it's and I honestly like I did a lot
of like studying when.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
I went to Korea. A buddy of mine named Ryan.
Speaker 5 (16:32):
June, he was putting on a camp out there and
I was fortunate enough to be a part of it.
A shout out to Ryan for you know, having me
a part of that, and I got to meet such
amazing people. But one thing I really immersed myself was
in learning that like the Korean culture, like they really
work hard, and it's almost normalized. You know, like six
days a week is like normalized. Like that's not hard,
(16:54):
that is just standard there. And so that's why I
think sometimes it's like I remember going out there and
we were working every day. We were like it wasn't
some people think like we just go in the studio
and just like party or like you know, let loose
like what they think it is. But no, man's it
was every day all day from morning till till night time.
But when it's your passion, it's not really it doesn't
(17:16):
feel like work, you know, It's just it feels like dang,
like we could be anywhere else in the world, but
we're right here magic, you know.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Well, so you went to Korea to like do this
camp and all this stuff, Like, can you tell me
about that?
Speaker 4 (17:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (17:31):
Man, it's I feel like a lot of the K
pop labels and k pop publishing companies do that a
good bit, you know. They they they put on camps
out there. You know, some people go out there for
a week, some people go out there for two weeks,
and you know, it's every day. You're getting to work
with new people from all walks of life, from from Norway,
(17:51):
from Sweden. Some of the best writers are from Sweden.
Some of my favorite writers are from Norway and Sweden, honestly,
And so you get to meet all those types of
people and then you know, they give you ideas of
where these are the labels that are looking, these are
the artists that are looking, and you kind of dive
in and you hopefully try to write something that they
(18:11):
will like and they can start making it into their
own magic as well.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
You know.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Wow, and you congregate in Korea like yes.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
Yes, I think I think that.
Speaker 5 (18:23):
South Korea is the mecca brok. Yeah, but yeah, man,
we all just uh they normally some of the camps
are out there. I mean some of them don't. They
all don't have to be in Soul Korea. Like some
of the camps they hold them in Germany. I've seen
something held in Switzerland. The good thing about music industry
(18:43):
right now is it's after after COVID, it's become more
It's become more, I guess, socially acceptable to like write
with people from across like from from across the pond.
You know, you can write with people in Europe while
we're out here in Nashville. Before that, I never really
ever did that. And now it's kind of normal, like
(19:04):
we like it's not a problem. Before it used to
feel a little weird. Now it huh, it's it's a
little more normal.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
I guess so because this, to me, this is so cool,
Like I've never like explored this songwriting side, you know,
like I'm more in tune with like the dancing stuff,
like how people put together like these choreographies and all
this stuff. Like so you're telling me, okay, this decision
from how I understand it, You're telling me someone gets
a camp together, right and they tell you who's looking
(19:31):
for music right now? Like for example, like oh, like
like maybe a company or like a group, like, oh
like let's say NCT is looking for music. Yeah, and
you guys are in this camp kind of like workshopping
stuff and then trying to be like, okay, uh, let's
write this song for n CT and you kind of
pitch it to them. If they like it, they'll take it.
If they don't like it, they won't take it.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
Yeah, And it's and and it's almost to the point
where it's like if they like it, they'll take it,
but they always come back with you know, ediots Okay,
they because at the end of the day, when you
write a song, you want to you wanted to make
it be relatable to them, but if they're not always
from the start, if they're not in.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
The room, they have to hear.
Speaker 5 (20:13):
It and then be like, Okay, now this is the
way I would say it, and this is maybe something
that is more personable to me. And then that that
kind of goes into another rewrite process. Okay, well, let's
rewrite it the way you would say it. And that's
what becomes very unique and interesting. So the cancer to
start the ideas and then the artist gets to put
their expression behind it, and then we work back and
(20:36):
forth to make sure that it cohesively works together.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
How long does this process usually take if it's from
like from camp to like like boom, see you hear
it on radio?
Speaker 4 (20:47):
Oh that see that? Now?
Speaker 5 (20:48):
That just depends, man, I mean it can be different
many times. I'm I know when it was with Butter
and BTS, that was a faster process that one. They
also work so ridiculously hard like BTS, Like those guys
were in the studio them playing shows, then practicing rehearsal
(21:09):
like filming, like filming content like, so they work at
a very high face, a fast paced like workflow, but
not saying that other people do not.
Speaker 4 (21:20):
They also do as well.
Speaker 5 (21:21):
So sometimes it can be like a song can take
three years to come to life. Sometimes it could take
six months.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Oh wow, Okay, So I think like the.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
Key is really just trying to write.
Speaker 5 (21:33):
At least for me, I try to write quality songs,
but as well, like the workflow is like I want
to keep writing because you never know. Sometimes the song
you think is a hit now, maybe it's in a
hit right now, but.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
In two years, yes, when it comes out, yeah.
Speaker 5 (21:49):
It could be the smash everything the hardest thing to
do in this music industry is time things. You just
kind of have to let it happen and see if
the universe and the world wants to hear it or not.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
You know, yeah, wow.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
It's kind of like writing ahead of the current time
a little bit, because you know it's going to come
out later.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
One hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Man.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
So every time I get in the room with like
an artist that I've never had like the privilege of
working with, I always I don't ever say, hey, play
me what you have out. I just say, play me
what you think is exciting to.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
You right now, okay?
Speaker 5 (22:19):
Because whatever if I'm working with somebody, whatever they have out,
most times they're already moved on and they want to
do something, something new and something fresh. So everything's always
about I think, writing ahead of the curve, writing what you.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
Think, and also just trusting your gut. You know.
Speaker 5 (22:37):
I try a lot to just write what I also
believe to be cool, like, and I think that that's
very important because a lot of the times people want
to write what they think other people will think is cool.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
I just try to write what I think would be cool.
Speaker 5 (22:51):
And hopefully I can live with that and instead of
just chasing trying to be cool, just hopefully, hopefully what
I think is cool hopefully resonates with other people.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Uh huh.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
I think it's cool how passionate and involved you are
in your own art and how seriously you take the
art aspect of it and making it feel good, you know.
Like for example, like I think there's a like a
difference with K pop in that I see K pop
as a vessel for all these different creatives to come through,
(23:22):
and K pop is the platform that kind of elevates it,
you know. Yeah, So like for example, like like uh,
like you you mentioned that BTS they work super hard
on their promotions, their content and like all these things,
and like also their own music, and it's like like
they developed this fan base that whereas like oh once
once they have like an engine where you guys are
the engine, like the songwriters, the choreographers and like all
(23:43):
these things. Like once the engine starts running is like
it's like a it's like a big it's like a
big machine. Like for example, like when you were writing
butter right, yes, and then you saw it take off
with like the choreography, the big music videos. Uh, like
all the streams that were coming in. It's different from
working with like a Western artist.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
Right, yeah, I mean it definitely is.
Speaker 5 (24:07):
I mean, I think the levels, you know, they're there
are different styles of music.
Speaker 4 (24:11):
The level of choreography is, you know, it depends.
Speaker 5 (24:15):
So if you're writing with a pop like a pop
like TAKEM create, there's a lot of choreography and her stuff,
But the choreo, I mean, to me, I've just found
the dancers out there.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
The choreography is on it.
Speaker 5 (24:25):
It's intense, man, Like they've really they really know how
to dance, like.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
Really really amazing. And then you know the level of content.
Speaker 5 (24:34):
The level of how many people were listening to me
was like it blew me away, man, it blew me away.
I've never seen anything like that before in my life.
So it was definitely on a whole other level.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
Honestly, How did it feel seeing like, like seeing that
complete project for the first time on that scale.
Speaker 4 (24:53):
Very very very emotional.
Speaker 5 (24:55):
Oh yeah, beyond grateful, thankful that I was ever like
I was able to be like a small piece of
such a big journey like to me means something, and yeah,
very emotional, you know, just like.
Speaker 4 (25:11):
I definitely cried a good bit for sure, because I mean,
you just don't know, like you don't know when you're
ever gonna get.
Speaker 5 (25:17):
An opportunity like that again, and it's very few people
on this earth ever get a chance to do that.
So for me, it's like maybe some of the overwhelmingness
came from like kind of me just wondering.
Speaker 4 (25:29):
I always ask this question, like why me? There's millions
of people.
Speaker 5 (25:33):
On this earth, billions of people on this earth, and
I was one of the ones that got the honor
and the privilege to experience.
Speaker 4 (25:40):
A moment like that. So when I asked why me?
Speaker 5 (25:42):
I always wonder how I can give back to the
songwriting community that changed my life, and like, so maybe
that's where a lot of the emotions came from. It's
like now I feel almost a pressure of like how
can I help somebody else try to achieve or feel
that moment that dream for.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
A little bit, like for at least once in their life,
you know.
Speaker 5 (25:59):
And if I can do that to somebody else, now,
that'll probably mean more to me than than this hit
could ever mean to me.
Speaker 4 (26:05):
Honestly.
Speaker 5 (26:06):
Oh wow, That's that's probably where a lot of the
passion comes from.
Speaker 4 (26:10):
For sure.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
Is there is there? Like is there like a like a.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Particular like hardship you remember as like a songwriter like
kind of coming up that like kind of like helped
shape that mindset.
Speaker 4 (26:21):
Yeah, man, uh, one hundred percent.
Speaker 5 (26:24):
I think like you know, just growing up in general,
and like you're seeing that this is something you want
to do, but like there's being a songwriter like it was.
It was such a weird like there's no blueprint.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
You know.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
It's like, hey, yeah, figure it out, you can do this,
you can do that, but like nobody knows just sure
fire right way to do it, Like and uh, I
think it was very scary, and it was very like
lonely knowing that you go into these rooms and you're
technically in a way like pimping yourself out kind of
like it's hopefully I'm.
Speaker 4 (27:01):
Cool enough for you to want to write with me again.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
And and and then at the same time, you know
you're it's also a very vulnerable spot, like you're opening
up sometimes writing really deep songs about personal things, and
also you're opening yourself up to like you could say
a line and people and you could be like, dang,
they probably thought that was really stupid, And that's vulnerable
to being allowing yourself to be silly or being awkward
(27:27):
in the room, but sometimes that's silly.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
Awkwardness is the magic that is needed in a song.
Speaker 5 (27:33):
And so yeah, like it's you know, growing up, I
think I noticed a lot of like sometimes like loneliness
of just like dang it. I wish people would understand
like how much I want this, And I think a
lot of people do want it that bad. And I
think that's kind of the driving force. Like I never
had a backup plan.
Speaker 4 (27:50):
Dude. It was like this or nothing. Nothing. I wasn't
gonna take anything else.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
And and that's why I'm again grateful that I had
this opportunity and I just want to I mean, I
want to keep it going and hopefully change other people's
lives doing it.
Speaker 4 (28:03):
Uh huh.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
I s freaking beautiful, dude, Thank you, bro.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
I wrote it down, So, like what advice would you give,
Like a young songwriter is someone who like looks at
this and goes like I want to write songs, but
I have no blueprint, Like I don't know what to do.
You know, someone who wants to write for K pop
or like wants to just be a songwriter like anything,
Like maybe you when you were like seventeen.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
What would you say to that person?
Speaker 5 (28:31):
I would say, keep keep writing, like find people, find
people you really want to work with, work on your
work on your social skills. I really think social skills
is something that songwriters like don't focus on a lot.
More like, sure, you can be an amazing songwriter, but
I've also been in the room with some amazing songwriters
(28:53):
that when I left, I didn't feel like there was
a connection to or like I didn't feel like almost
even a way like respected in some ways.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
And some of those people you don't want to write with.
Speaker 5 (29:03):
Again, I've found that it's not just how talented you are,
it's how you make people feel in the room when
you're done.
Speaker 4 (29:12):
Like I think that's more important.
Speaker 5 (29:14):
How people remember you is so much more important than talent,
And I would tell them.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
To focus on that, really focus.
Speaker 5 (29:22):
Songwriting should be like brushing your teeth, Like you don't
have to think about it, you just do it. That's
what you do every day because that is your medicine.
That is your drug of choice, you know, like being
obsessed with being obsessed with something in some weird way
is is almost like not really a drug, but you know,
it's something that you need in your body. It's something
(29:44):
that you want, and so I think songwriting should that
should be natural to you. Now what you need to
focus on is in the room, how you can make
them feel like be really like be really locked in,
Like don't be on your phone, like scrolling through Instagram
while you're writing with people, like like, you know, definitely
(30:06):
give them everything you got and people will sense that.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
As the artist, we sense that if you're scrolling on
the phone and you know, I'll like I'll I'm like, oh,
like really, you know.
Speaker 5 (30:17):
Just think about the message that that portrays, like hey,
I'm scrolling through Instagram or I'm scrolling through TikTok while
I should really be locked in. And then you know
that can throw somebody off, you know, like and be like,
oh man, maybe this person doesn't like what we're doing.
And that probably isn't the case. Maybe they do like
what they're doing. But you know, a d D is
a real thing.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
You don't got to tell me, yeah, man, yeah, And uh,
I remember like you were asking, like when you were
kind of like talking about like coming up and all
these things you were and though and finding that big
hit you were talking about like oh, like why me,
or like what did I do to deserve this, like
this wonderful grand thing. And I remember after we finished
(31:00):
recording go in the studio, Yeah, I drove you home.
I drove you back to your hotel, and then you
gave me a talk in the car and you're like, oh, hey,
this whole thing is about mindset, Like yeah, you have
to believe that no matter what you do, you deserve
what you're doing, and you have to be to star
in every single room that you walk in.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
And that's stuck with me. Dude, thank you.
Speaker 4 (31:22):
Man.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
I'm just like, yeah, that's ads. Like so excited to
have this conversation today. I was like, yo, like spassions
has some nuggets, you know.
Speaker 5 (31:31):
So it's like you're like, man, I mean, I mean,
I believe it, Like I really think. I mean, not
even just as a songwriter, I mean and more so
as an artist, you know, because I really think a
lot a lot of songwriters were also artists in their
own way, you know, and some of them are just
people that like ended up just get having success in songwriting.
I mean, Julian Michael is one of the most biggest
(31:53):
songwriters to ever live, and she also wrote issues and
she she released that song and that song did huge
for her, So it was like, was she just a songwriter?
Speaker 4 (32:05):
No, she was a creative the whole time.
Speaker 5 (32:07):
And so I feel like every time I would say that,
like when I did say that to you, like I
meant it like, you gotta really believe and trust what
you do, because if you don't believe and trust what
you do, then why should anybody else do it?
Speaker 3 (32:19):
Thank you, man, brother, no problem, Bron.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
Appreciate you, man.
Speaker 5 (32:23):
This has been an awesome freaking time. I mean, and
you know, I'm glad that I got to share time
with you in the studio man, And I love the
platform that you're getting on, you know, expressing showing people
insight into K pop, Like it's such a huge industry
and you know the world needs more just love and
sharing the way you're doing it.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
So I appreciate you for doing that, man.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Man.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
This whole podcast is about opening.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
The hood of the car and just kind of checking
out what's the engine behind K pop?
Speaker 3 (32:51):
And thank you for being such a wonderful engine. Thank
you for making this whole industry work.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
Thank you for everything that you've contributed, and thank you
for your art and thank you for being with us
here today.
Speaker 4 (33:02):
All right, my man, I'll talk to you lady there.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
Man.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
I love you, Broat love you see it.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
Wow, what a first interview, what a first episode. Thank
you Sabashian Garcia for your time today and shining light
on the artistry that makes up K pop.
Speaker 3 (33:18):
And this is what the show is about. I think
I always cried.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
During this interview, and you know that's what That's what
we do around here.
Speaker 3 (33:25):
Okay, we get real.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
This is the K Factor, everything k pop hosted by
Bohan Me And speaking of me, I have a single
coming out, dum Dancing under Moonlight coming out this month,
so please check it out. And you never know where
we might pop out next.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
Awsome you guys.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
Exp
Hello, everybody, Welcome to the first episode, the grand opening
of The K Factor, Everything k Pop, hosted by Bomhan.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
I am your host, Boomhan, and I am excited and
a little bit nervous. We have been working on this
podcast months now and I'm so happy to be able
to bring it to you guys on this huge platform
that is iHeartRadio. You guys can listen to this podcast
on iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. This
podcast The K Factor, Everything k Pop. It's about everything
(00:44):
k pop. We're gonna be going behind the scenes. We're
gonna be talking to songwriters, choreographers, idols, and artists who
kind of just exist in the space. And we're also
going to be bringing you K pop news, kpop gossip,
album reviews. We're gonna be letting you know who's touring
at the moment, the news releases, and just kind of
what to be excited for in the world of kpop.
(01:05):
This is your one stop shop for everybody who is
a lover a fan of kpop. So thank you, and uh,
let's get right into it. Actually no, let's not get
right into it. I want to shout out you guys.
You guys are the ones who kind of made this
all happen, and to kind of give back to this idea,
(01:26):
we have made you guys a huge part of this show.
So you guys can call in when we're doing these
exclusive interviews. If we're talking to your favorite idol, there's
gonna be a moment where you can come in and
call and ask them some questions. We're also gonna be
doing live tours around the country, so you guys can
come in and kind of participate, be on camera and
just do this whole thing live. This show is for
you guys, all right. So now let's get into it.
(01:50):
K Pop News with Bomhan. What's happening. Let's talk the
latest kpop comebacks, tours and gossip. The tours that we're
paying attention to right now is TXC that's embarking on
their promised world tour twenty twenty five starting from May three.
Eighties is also announcing a new world tour and I
cannot be more excited. It is called in Your Fantasy
(02:12):
and I remember some of my best memories in life
ever is going to an eighties concert and going to
a BTS concert, and I feel like the energy that
they bring with their dances is just so electrifying and
I can feel it in like my veins and like
in my heart when I go, and I feel like
they make music specifically for concerts, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
So I am very excited.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
I'm probably gonna find a way to get into these
stadiums and I think you should too. Grab your tickets
for TXT, grab your tickets for ATS, and these are
all happening very very soon, so don't miss out. And
speaking of TXT, TXT in the month of April has
released their mini album on the first, Baby Monster has
(02:58):
made their comeback with their EPA Monster on April first
as well, and Boy next Door has made their comeback
with their second EP, How on April fifteenth. April is
a great month for kpop. May is gonna be even
better because TXD is going on tour, So get your
tickets and uh now, let's talk some of the trending stories.
(03:18):
This has been a crazy month and I think if
you guys have been on the internet, you guys have
seen the YG leaks. Well that's a little bit of
background and context for these YG leaks is that there
was a YG employee who was fired and he wasn't happy,
so he went and made like a discord, like an
(03:39):
anonymous discord account, and he goes to a random discord
server and he goes crashing out. He just dropped a
bunch of information. He like confirmed some dating rumors and
then all this stuff, but none of this is confirmed.
You're like, We're like, oh, okay, buddy, right, And then
he goes and he releases these training footage, unreleased training
(04:00):
footage of girls from Black Pink, girls from two any
One and just to all these trainees that are like ten, twenty.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Years old, and we're like, oh my god, wait, this
guy's real.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Still none of the other stuff that he sells confirmed,
but the video is real, right, And and this has
stirred a bunch of controversy because in these videos has
these these idols who are very, very crazy successful right now,
and now we have footage of them saying and singing
(04:31):
the N word.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh, what is going on? Girl?
Get up? Girl, get up?
Speaker 4 (04:38):
You know.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
And then that's not even the craziest part. All these
leaks happened one day before Kim Suhun's press conference. Kim
Suhun is the highest paid k drama actor in South Korea.
He is like Jason Tatum in the NBA. He makes
the most money in the NBA. This guy makes the
most money acting, Okay, and his has come crashing down
(05:02):
because of the controversy where he allegedly allegedly Because none
of this is confirmed yet, and I am just simply
delivering the information I am I, I am just a messenger, Okay.
He allegedly groomed a minor and it has led to
her doing something very drastic that I will not kind
of describe here. And you guys can look more into it,
but be warned of the of it possibly being triggering.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
But it is a very serious situation, okay.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
And he holds a press conference with a bunch of
news outlets and he's crying in this press conference. He's
talking about all these serious things and he denies some claims.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
It's a whole big thing.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
And the league happens one day before this, so people
are like, oh, like, is there a correlation? You know?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
And this whole kimsu Filon thing is.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
It's kind of, I think, in my opinion, deeper than
just gossip, just deeper than God than te you know,
all these things so if you guys want to look
more into it, I'm not going to say too much
about the situation. I think it's very sensitive prayers and
thoughts to the family of the victims, and everything is
still alleged and not confirmed. So I'm like delivering concrete
(06:11):
information on this topic.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
That's it.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
You know, we have we have an Aties tour to
look forward to, a TXT tour to look forward to.
There's there's brighter things ahead.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Just kidding, Boom, Kiss of Life.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Julie has a birthday party and then they decide to
do a fun little life you know, engage with the
fans and then do something fun. You know, like they
have their company, they produce like a little concept. You know,
they're like, oh hey, like you know, like sometimes idols.
They go like, oh hey, let's do like a QT
concept for this birthday live Kiss of Life. They decide
to go, you know what, let's.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Do hip hop.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Yeah, let's do a hip hop two thousands concept, right,
and it went so south. They dressed up as a
bunch of stereotypes. They had bandanas on, they had they
have these oversized T shirts. They were They're playing into
a bunch of stereotypes. That were a little distasteful, you know,
(07:08):
I say a little, but to me personally, it was
very distasteful, right, and it showed that they were very
unaware of what these kind of things mean, and they're
just kind of playing into that concept. And this is
the tea, this is the gossip, this is what has
happened this month, and and.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
I I hope these concerts are good.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Atis please save please save us, txty, please save us.
Moving on for our first episode, we have a very
special and decorated guest and who has kind of graced
us with his presence and to me, he is so amazing.
Please everybody welcome Sebastian Garcia.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Fo foks, what's up man? How's it going? Brother?
Speaker 3 (07:56):
What's up man?
Speaker 2 (07:57):
I'm so excited to introduce you, and I'm going to
tell the people a little bit about what you do
because I'm kind of like reading this too, and I
did not know you were this freaking awesome dude. So
I'm going to read off this crazy list of accomplishments. So.
Sebastian Garcia aka Ruphaiel Hooks is a Nashville based top
liner that writes lyrics, melodies, and sings. His first major
(08:20):
label hit was Butter with Bts, which spent ten weeks
at number one on Billboard Hot one hundred charts and
has over one billion.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Streams on Spotify.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Sebastian has also worked with artists including Miyabi Atlas, Cravity,
Pit Bull, Minho, Bailey, Zimmerman, CRFW, Brelan, Big Time Rush, Stephlan, Don,
Chris Brown and Gray and Bowman and Bama.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Let's go.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Well, thank you for joining me today and thank you
for gracing us with your time. And I wanted to
tell everyone kind of like what it was like to
work with you and kind of just bring the behind
the scenes to.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
The front and kind of just tell everybody your story,
you know.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
Man, Thank you brother. I mean, I appreciate you having me.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
It's an awesome experience, you know, to be able to
get in the studio with artists and you know, and
to be able to like kind of open up with them.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
So I appreciate you having me so i'd be able
to talk about it a little bit.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
You know, how long have you been doing this, man?
Speaker 5 (09:25):
I think, like professionally on like the Scape, probably maybe
four or five years now. But I mean I think
everything I did beforehand is kind of what prepared me
for the opportunities that I have now. So I mean
that's a tough I would say professionally four or five years,
but before that, I mean probably fifteen years, my whole
(09:46):
life been chasing it.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
I guess you've been writing your whole life.
Speaker 5 (09:51):
Yeah, man, I think most most writers and songwriters, they
kind of go from being artists to then becoming songwriter
as well.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
So it's like I've been writing and being an.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
Artist and expressing myself creatively probably since I was like
ten or twelve.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Mans as beautiful.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
I feel like everybody has like their art, everyone has
like their passion, and I think for you to be
able to kind of like pursue that professionally and like
kind of come to like a kind of be able
to get to like a level where you can like
just do it as such like a grand scale, you know,
means awesome.
Speaker 5 (10:25):
So yeah, man, I appreciate it, and I mean I'm
beyond grateful you know that people have. You know, I've
been able to work with so many people and it's
like the fact that they want to even open up
and share a side of their life that we get
to talk about and put into a song is like unrealized.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
I pinched myself every day about it.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Yeah, so you right closely with artists, right, Yeah, And
I remember when we were in the studio, you were
talking something about like, oh, it's like something that something
that makes you happy is being able to see an
artist like bring their vision to life through you and
you kind of assisting in.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
That, Like can you tell me about that?
Speaker 5 (11:05):
Like like yeah, man, I mean I personally think like
you know, like when we were in the studio, Yeah,
as I was saying, like when people gravitate towards a
song and they kind of like feel a certain type
of way as we're building it up, we're creating it
from scratch, Like it's really awesome to be able to
(11:26):
be just kind of a little bit of a tool
for the artists to say, hey, I want to say this,
and then maybe I have the opportunity to say, well,
what does that mean to you? And then sometimes making
the way they see it and then me putting my
perspective to it is like it helps them be like
oh wow, I never looked at it that way, And that,
(11:47):
to me is my favorite part.
Speaker 4 (11:48):
Is like we both can look at a chair or
a painting.
Speaker 5 (11:53):
The painting hits you differently than it hits me, and
it's our job in the studio to be able to
find a synergy between both of those in order to
make like an awesome painting or an awesome song.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
You know.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Do you think that's something like uniquely to you or
like kind of shared between all songwriters? Oh?
Speaker 4 (12:11):
No, that's that's tough, Tokay.
Speaker 5 (12:15):
I don't I definitely, I mean it could be, and
maybe not. I don't know, maybe everybody else feels the
same way. But like, I think people look at songwriting
and approach their careers in songwriting all in different ways.
You know, some people look at some people look at
it as you know, I go in from sometimes if
you're in Nashville, maybe eleven o'clock till four o'clock, and
(12:38):
then they clock out and you know, and they become
someone else.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
Some people it is twenty four to seven.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
You know, it's going in writing and then leaving and
listening to that song five hundred times and being like, dang,
this could have been better. So I think sometimes when
people approach people approach creativity differently. And I'm and I'm
just lucky enough that for me, it's it's I think
it's twenty four to seven for me pretty much.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
The reason I asked this is because, like I think
personally you are super like personable, you know, Like first
time I met you, I remember, I felt like I
was just hanging out with one of my friends from
high school.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
You know, we're kicking it.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
You know, you're you're like drinking like a red Bull
and like all this stuff, Like you were dressed exactly
like this in like the studio, and then I remember Damon,
he pulled me aside, was like, dude, like this guy
is a big deal. Like this guy like like you're
You're in the presence of something great right now.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
I'm like, oh, the guard drinking the ribble.
Speaker 5 (13:42):
And I think, like I probably was definitely drinking the
red Bull and probably in a sandwich or something because.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
I really normally that food when I'm walking in the studio.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Yeah, So I was like, I was like, I think
like that comes through in your art, you know, and
I think you're able to show that and like channel
that energy through people and like.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
The songs and all this stuff. So I think that's awesome.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Thank you, man.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
I mean I think again, I kind of go back to, uh,
I kind of go back to the fact that like, uh,
you know, to me, I'm grateful that I'm doing this
every day, and so like when I get to be
in the room with somebody, like you're getting one hundred
and fifty percent of everything that.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
I am when we're there. Wow, but thank you man.
I appreciate those words.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Okay, have you had a moment where you felt like
starstruck by someone that you've been in the studio with,
where you like you haven't been able to be yourself
you know?
Speaker 5 (14:34):
Well, I mean I would say one was like my
homie'es Grey, because they they're they're both two amazing songwriters producers,
and I mean they wrote one of my favorite songs
of all time called meet Me in the Middle. And
I remember like kind of telling them like, hey, like,
(14:54):
my starstruckness is not so much in the artist as
much as it is in like songwriters and produce.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
I really nerd out on that, like.
Speaker 5 (15:01):
Oh wow, yeah, I'm like yo, that person wrote freaking
one of my favorite songs. That person wrote for Chris Brown,
that person wrote for Justin Bieber, And those types of things,
to me are the ones that affect me, so probably
like Grey, Yeah, because they just wrote Meet Me in
the Middle with Maren and Zed and it won Song
(15:21):
of the Year for the Grammys, and that's the biggest
award you can get as a song right now, you know.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
So yeah, going over their house.
Speaker 5 (15:28):
Before I went over there, I gave myself a little
pep talk in the car and I was just like, hey,
why not be nervous And luckily they were such professionals
that they helped me also like feel comfortable. And maybe
that's why I feel like I always want to try
to do that to everybody else, because the more you
make people feel comfortable, the more people are willing to
(15:49):
try to make mistakes. And I think mistakes always become
learning lessons if you approach them that way, you know.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
And you know this is a k pop podcast, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
And I feel like one of the biggest differences I
felt like when I was recording in America here like
with you, rather than like recording in Korea and like
no knock on Like Korea, like they have like their
own standard and their own own culture of like how
they do stuff.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
But it's very like.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Like like okay, like like like it's very strict you know, yeah,
and it's like I think they work hard.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
It's just a culture that really really works hard, man,
And it's and I honestly like I did a lot
of like studying when.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
I went to Korea. A buddy of mine named Ryan.
Speaker 5 (16:32):
June, he was putting on a camp out there and
I was fortunate enough to be a part of it.
A shout out to Ryan for you know, having me
a part of that, and I got to meet such
amazing people. But one thing I really immersed myself was
in learning that like the Korean culture, like they really
work hard, and it's almost normalized. You know, like six
days a week is like normalized. Like that's not hard,
(16:54):
that is just standard there. And so that's why I
think sometimes it's like I remember going out there and
we were working every day. We were like it wasn't
some people think like we just go in the studio
and just like party or like you know, let loose
like what they think it is. But no, man's it
was every day all day from morning till till night time.
But when it's your passion, it's not really it doesn't
(17:16):
feel like work, you know, It's just it feels like dang,
like we could be anywhere else in the world, but
we're right here magic, you know.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Well, so you went to Korea to like do this
camp and all this stuff, Like, can you tell me
about that?
Speaker 4 (17:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (17:31):
Man, it's I feel like a lot of the K
pop labels and k pop publishing companies do that a
good bit, you know. They they they put on camps
out there. You know, some people go out there for
a week, some people go out there for two weeks,
and you know, it's every day. You're getting to work
with new people from all walks of life, from from Norway,
(17:51):
from Sweden. Some of the best writers are from Sweden.
Some of my favorite writers are from Norway and Sweden, honestly,
And so you get to meet all those types of
people and then you know, they give you ideas of
where these are the labels that are looking, these are
the artists that are looking, and you kind of dive
in and you hopefully try to write something that they
(18:11):
will like and they can start making it into their
own magic as well.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
You know.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Wow, and you congregate in Korea like yes.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
Yes, I think I think that.
Speaker 5 (18:23):
South Korea is the mecca brok. Yeah, but yeah, man,
we all just uh they normally some of the camps
are out there. I mean some of them don't. They
all don't have to be in Soul Korea. Like some
of the camps they hold them in Germany. I've seen
something held in Switzerland. The good thing about music industry
(18:43):
right now is it's after after COVID, it's become more
It's become more, I guess, socially acceptable to like write
with people from across like from from across the pond.
You know, you can write with people in Europe while
we're out here in Nashville. Before that, I never really
ever did that. And now it's kind of normal, like
(19:04):
we like it's not a problem. Before it used to
feel a little weird. Now it huh, it's it's a
little more normal.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
I guess so because this, to me, this is so cool,
Like I've never like explored this songwriting side, you know,
like I'm more in tune with like the dancing stuff,
like how people put together like these choreographies and all
this stuff. Like so you're telling me, okay, this decision
from how I understand it, You're telling me someone gets
a camp together, right and they tell you who's looking
(19:31):
for music right now? Like for example, like oh, like
like maybe a company or like a group, like, oh
like let's say NCT is looking for music. Yeah, and
you guys are in this camp kind of like workshopping
stuff and then trying to be like, okay, uh, let's
write this song for n CT and you kind of
pitch it to them. If they like it, they'll take it.
If they don't like it, they won't take it.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
Yeah, And it's and and it's almost to the point
where it's like if they like it, they'll take it,
but they always come back with you know, ediots Okay,
they because at the end of the day, when you
write a song, you want to you wanted to make
it be relatable to them, but if they're not always
from the start, if they're not in.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
The room, they have to hear.
Speaker 5 (20:13):
It and then be like, Okay, now this is the
way I would say it, and this is maybe something
that is more personable to me. And then that that
kind of goes into another rewrite process. Okay, well, let's
rewrite it the way you would say it. And that's
what becomes very unique and interesting. So the cancer to
start the ideas and then the artist gets to put
their expression behind it, and then we work back and
(20:36):
forth to make sure that it cohesively works together.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
How long does this process usually take if it's from
like from camp to like like boom, see you hear
it on radio?
Speaker 4 (20:47):
Oh that see that? Now?
Speaker 5 (20:48):
That just depends, man, I mean it can be different
many times. I'm I know when it was with Butter
and BTS, that was a faster process that one. They
also work so ridiculously hard like BTS, Like those guys
were in the studio them playing shows, then practicing rehearsal
(21:09):
like filming, like filming content like, so they work at
a very high face, a fast paced like workflow, but
not saying that other people do not.
Speaker 4 (21:20):
They also do as well.
Speaker 5 (21:21):
So sometimes it can be like a song can take
three years to come to life. Sometimes it could take
six months.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Oh wow, Okay, So I think like the.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
Key is really just trying to write.
Speaker 5 (21:33):
At least for me, I try to write quality songs,
but as well, like the workflow is like I want
to keep writing because you never know. Sometimes the song
you think is a hit now, maybe it's in a
hit right now, but.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
In two years, yes, when it comes out, yeah.
Speaker 5 (21:49):
It could be the smash everything the hardest thing to
do in this music industry is time things. You just
kind of have to let it happen and see if
the universe and the world wants to hear it or not.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
You know, yeah, wow.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
It's kind of like writing ahead of the current time
a little bit, because you know it's going to come
out later.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
One hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Man.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
So every time I get in the room with like
an artist that I've never had like the privilege of
working with, I always I don't ever say, hey, play
me what you have out. I just say, play me
what you think is exciting to.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
You right now, okay?
Speaker 5 (22:19):
Because whatever if I'm working with somebody, whatever they have out,
most times they're already moved on and they want to
do something, something new and something fresh. So everything's always
about I think, writing ahead of the curve, writing what you.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
Think, and also just trusting your gut. You know.
Speaker 5 (22:37):
I try a lot to just write what I also
believe to be cool, like, and I think that that's
very important because a lot of the times people want
to write what they think other people will think is cool.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
I just try to write what I think would be cool.
Speaker 5 (22:51):
And hopefully I can live with that and instead of
just chasing trying to be cool, just hopefully, hopefully what
I think is cool hopefully resonates with other people.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Uh huh.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
I think it's cool how passionate and involved you are
in your own art and how seriously you take the
art aspect of it and making it feel good, you know.
Like for example, like I think there's a like a
difference with K pop in that I see K pop
as a vessel for all these different creatives to come through,
(23:22):
and K pop is the platform that kind of elevates it,
you know. Yeah, So like for example, like like uh,
like you you mentioned that BTS they work super hard
on their promotions, their content and like all these things,
and like also their own music, and it's like like
they developed this fan base that whereas like oh once
once they have like an engine where you guys are
the engine, like the songwriters, the choreographers and like all
(23:43):
these things. Like once the engine starts running is like
it's like a it's like a big it's like a
big machine. Like for example, like when you were writing
butter right, yes, and then you saw it take off
with like the choreography, the big music videos. Uh, like
all the streams that were coming in. It's different from
working with like a Western artist.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
Right, yeah, I mean it definitely is.
Speaker 5 (24:07):
I mean, I think the levels, you know, they're there
are different styles of music.
Speaker 4 (24:11):
The level of choreography is, you know, it depends.
Speaker 5 (24:15):
So if you're writing with a pop like a pop
like TAKEM create, there's a lot of choreography and her stuff,
But the choreo, I mean, to me, I've just found
the dancers out there.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
The choreography is on it.
Speaker 5 (24:25):
It's intense, man, Like they've really they really know how
to dance, like.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
Really really amazing. And then you know the level of content.
Speaker 5 (24:34):
The level of how many people were listening to me
was like it blew me away, man, it blew me away.
I've never seen anything like that before in my life.
So it was definitely on a whole other level.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
Honestly, How did it feel seeing like, like seeing that
complete project for the first time on that scale.
Speaker 4 (24:53):
Very very very emotional.
Speaker 5 (24:55):
Oh yeah, beyond grateful, thankful that I was ever like
I was able to be like a small piece of
such a big journey like to me means something, and yeah,
very emotional, you know, just like.
Speaker 4 (25:11):
I definitely cried a good bit for sure, because I mean,
you just don't know, like you don't know when you're
ever gonna get.
Speaker 5 (25:17):
An opportunity like that again, and it's very few people
on this earth ever get a chance to do that.
So for me, it's like maybe some of the overwhelmingness
came from like kind of me just wondering.
Speaker 4 (25:29):
I always ask this question, like why me? There's millions
of people.
Speaker 5 (25:33):
On this earth, billions of people on this earth, and
I was one of the ones that got the honor
and the privilege to experience.
Speaker 4 (25:40):
A moment like that. So when I asked why me?
Speaker 5 (25:42):
I always wonder how I can give back to the
songwriting community that changed my life, and like, so maybe
that's where a lot of the emotions came from. It's
like now I feel almost a pressure of like how
can I help somebody else try to achieve or feel
that moment that dream for.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
A little bit, like for at least once in their life,
you know.
Speaker 5 (25:59):
And if I can do that to somebody else, now,
that'll probably mean more to me than than this hit
could ever mean to me.
Speaker 4 (26:05):
Honestly.
Speaker 5 (26:06):
Oh wow, That's that's probably where a lot of the
passion comes from.
Speaker 4 (26:10):
For sure.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
Is there is there? Like is there like a like a.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Particular like hardship you remember as like a songwriter like
kind of coming up that like kind of like helped
shape that mindset.
Speaker 4 (26:21):
Yeah, man, uh, one hundred percent.
Speaker 5 (26:24):
I think like you know, just growing up in general,
and like you're seeing that this is something you want
to do, but like there's being a songwriter like it was.
It was such a weird like there's no blueprint.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
You know.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
It's like, hey, yeah, figure it out, you can do this,
you can do that, but like nobody knows just sure
fire right way to do it, Like and uh, I
think it was very scary, and it was very like
lonely knowing that you go into these rooms and you're
technically in a way like pimping yourself out kind of
like it's hopefully I'm.
Speaker 4 (27:01):
Cool enough for you to want to write with me again.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
And and and then at the same time, you know
you're it's also a very vulnerable spot, like you're opening
up sometimes writing really deep songs about personal things, and
also you're opening yourself up to like you could say
a line and people and you could be like, dang,
they probably thought that was really stupid, And that's vulnerable
to being allowing yourself to be silly or being awkward
(27:27):
in the room, but sometimes that's silly.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
Awkwardness is the magic that is needed in a song.
Speaker 5 (27:33):
And so yeah, like it's you know, growing up, I
think I noticed a lot of like sometimes like loneliness
of just like dang it. I wish people would understand
like how much I want this, And I think a
lot of people do want it that bad. And I
think that's kind of the driving force. Like I never
had a backup plan.
Speaker 4 (27:50):
Dude. It was like this or nothing. Nothing. I wasn't
gonna take anything else.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
And and that's why I'm again grateful that I had
this opportunity and I just want to I mean, I
want to keep it going and hopefully change other people's
lives doing it.
Speaker 4 (28:03):
Uh huh.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
I s freaking beautiful, dude, Thank you, bro.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
I wrote it down, So, like what advice would you give,
Like a young songwriter is someone who like looks at
this and goes like I want to write songs, but
I have no blueprint, Like I don't know what to do.
You know, someone who wants to write for K pop
or like wants to just be a songwriter like anything,
Like maybe you when you were like seventeen.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
What would you say to that person?
Speaker 5 (28:31):
I would say, keep keep writing, like find people, find
people you really want to work with, work on your
work on your social skills. I really think social skills
is something that songwriters like don't focus on a lot.
More like, sure, you can be an amazing songwriter, but
I've also been in the room with some amazing songwriters
(28:53):
that when I left, I didn't feel like there was
a connection to or like I didn't feel like almost
even a way like respected in some ways.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
And some of those people you don't want to write with.
Speaker 5 (29:03):
Again, I've found that it's not just how talented you are,
it's how you make people feel in the room when
you're done.
Speaker 4 (29:12):
Like I think that's more important.
Speaker 5 (29:14):
How people remember you is so much more important than talent,
And I would tell them.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
To focus on that, really focus.
Speaker 5 (29:22):
Songwriting should be like brushing your teeth, Like you don't
have to think about it, you just do it. That's
what you do every day because that is your medicine.
That is your drug of choice, you know, like being
obsessed with being obsessed with something in some weird way
is is almost like not really a drug, but you know,
it's something that you need in your body. It's something
(29:44):
that you want, and so I think songwriting should that
should be natural to you. Now what you need to
focus on is in the room, how you can make
them feel like be really like be really locked in,
Like don't be on your phone, like scrolling through Instagram
while you're writing with people, like like, you know, definitely
(30:06):
give them everything you got and people will sense that.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
As the artist, we sense that if you're scrolling on
the phone and you know, I'll like I'll I'm like, oh,
like really, you know.
Speaker 5 (30:17):
Just think about the message that that portrays, like hey,
I'm scrolling through Instagram or I'm scrolling through TikTok while
I should really be locked in. And then you know
that can throw somebody off, you know, like and be like,
oh man, maybe this person doesn't like what we're doing.
And that probably isn't the case. Maybe they do like
what they're doing. But you know, a d D is
a real thing.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
You don't got to tell me, yeah, man, yeah, And uh,
I remember like you were asking, like when you were
kind of like talking about like coming up and all
these things you were and though and finding that big
hit you were talking about like oh, like why me,
or like what did I do to deserve this, like
this wonderful grand thing. And I remember after we finished
(31:00):
recording go in the studio, Yeah, I drove you home.
I drove you back to your hotel, and then you
gave me a talk in the car and you're like, oh, hey,
this whole thing is about mindset, Like yeah, you have
to believe that no matter what you do, you deserve
what you're doing, and you have to be to star
in every single room that you walk in.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
And that's stuck with me. Dude, thank you.
Speaker 4 (31:22):
Man.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
I'm just like, yeah, that's ads. Like so excited to
have this conversation today. I was like, yo, like spassions
has some nuggets, you know.
Speaker 5 (31:31):
So it's like you're like, man, I mean, I mean,
I believe it, Like I really think. I mean, not
even just as a songwriter, I mean and more so
as an artist, you know, because I really think a
lot a lot of songwriters were also artists in their
own way, you know, and some of them are just
people that like ended up just get having success in songwriting.
I mean, Julian Michael is one of the most biggest
(31:53):
songwriters to ever live, and she also wrote issues and
she she released that song and that song did huge
for her, So it was like, was she just a songwriter?
Speaker 4 (32:05):
No, she was a creative the whole time.
Speaker 5 (32:07):
And so I feel like every time I would say that,
like when I did say that to you, like I
meant it like, you gotta really believe and trust what
you do, because if you don't believe and trust what
you do, then why should anybody else do it?
Speaker 3 (32:19):
Thank you, man, brother, no problem, Bron.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
Appreciate you, man.
Speaker 5 (32:23):
This has been an awesome freaking time. I mean, and
you know, I'm glad that I got to share time
with you in the studio man, And I love the
platform that you're getting on, you know, expressing showing people
insight into K pop, Like it's such a huge industry
and you know the world needs more just love and
sharing the way you're doing it.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
So I appreciate you for doing that, man.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Man.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
This whole podcast is about opening.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
The hood of the car and just kind of checking
out what's the engine behind K pop?
Speaker 3 (32:51):
And thank you for being such a wonderful engine. Thank
you for making this whole industry work.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
Thank you for everything that you've contributed, and thank you
for your art and thank you for being with us
here today.
Speaker 4 (33:02):
All right, my man, I'll talk to you lady there.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
Man.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
I love you, Broat love you see it.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
Wow, what a first interview, what a first episode. Thank
you Sabashian Garcia for your time today and shining light
on the artistry that makes up K pop.
Speaker 3 (33:18):
And this is what the show is about. I think
I always cried.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
During this interview, and you know that's what That's what
we do around here.
Speaker 3 (33:25):
Okay, we get real.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
This is the K Factor, everything k pop hosted by
Bohan Me And speaking of me, I have a single
coming out, dum Dancing under Moonlight coming out this month,
so please check it out. And you never know where
we might pop out next.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
Awsome you guys.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
Exp
Host
Beomhan
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