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Interviews

Explore a featured selection of my interview work below.

Sweety High Blog •

Xdinary Heroes on Their Impulsive Side and 'IMPULSE' EP

To Xdinary Heroes, youth is a part of them that they still carry around years after their debut. The members associate youth with excitement, fear, uncertainty and emotions that they continue to experience before going on stage. 
Ahead of the Oct. 12 release of their seven-track ninth mini-album, IMPULSE, Sweety High sat down with the group over Zoom to discuss their impulsive decisions, including surprising answers like joining the band.
We touched base over the course of our conversation, refl...
Sweety High Blog •

BOYNEXTDOOR on 'HOME: DELUXE' and Growing Up

When BOYNEXTDOOR first stepped into the training room, the dream was as simple as debuting.
With the release of HOME: DELUXE, the members have realized that their goals have leveled up, and getting there takes effort. Growth, they explain, has turned out to be far less about being comfortable and far more about embracing new experiences and pushing through discomfort. 
So Sweety High took the opportunity to speak with the group about how they expanded their original concept of HOME, and how grow...
Sweety High Blog •

CLOSE YOUR EYES Talks New Album '256th Note'

CLOSE YOUR EYES is back at it again.
With their new album, 256th Note, the seven-member group jumped right in to explore brand new sides of themselves, featuring real, raw, honest emotions.
In their latest chat with Sweety High, the members opened up about stepping out of their comfort zones, making room to experiment with new vocal styles and letting us see how they react when emotions take over. They also shared how they’ve grown over time, and how their bond with CLOSER has become what they c...
Sweety High Blog •

ASTRO's MJ Talks First Solo Album 'Right..?' in New Interview

10 years into ASTRO, MJ is still finding new ways to surprise us—this time with his first-ever solo single album, Right..?, which released on Aug. 19.
Naturally, you start to wonder about the title: Is it a question? A statement? A little bit of both? To better understand what all the punctuations might mean, we caught up with MJ over email before the release.
Not only that, we even talked about writing and composing his own tracks, the muscle soreness that came with new choreography, the experi...
Sweety High Blog •

Ryan Curtis on Writing K-Pop by Instinct and Breaking the Rules

If you’ve streamed K-pop at all, there’s a fair chance you might have heard something Ryan Curtis played an important role in.
The Scotland-raised, Los Angeles-based songwriter has racked up an impressive range of credits across the Western pop and K-pop worlds. Recently, he co-wrote ENHYPEN’s title track “Bloody Paradise” and B-side “STUCK” on their new mini-album, THE SIN : BLISS, plus ALPHA DRIVE ONE’s catchy single “OMG!”
 
Also read about: A First Look Inside ENHYPEN’s Exclusive THE SIN : B...
Genius •

[INTERVIEW] Colde Embodies Youth’s Emotional Extremes on Fifth EP ‘ICY BABY’ | Genius

Ten years after debuting, Colde’s back with his fifth EP, ICY BABY, a project that sits right in the messy middle of growing up: cold and reckless on the outside, warm as hell underneath.

Composed of eight tracks, the entire album directly depicts youth as a time of setbacks: you stumble, you break, you shake, but the only way out is to move forward. That tension is what makes it feel like living.


“ICY” opens the album, and the jazzy music accentuates the atmosphere right out of the gate. It...
Sweety High Blog •

ALL’N on New Single 'Dream Higher' and Bringing Violin to K-Pop

ALL’N is back with his new single, “Dream Higher,” out Aug. 14, blending electronic R&B and K-pop with his signature violin. It’s uplifting. It’s personal. It’s a tribute to his own story—from years of training, to a vanishing dream, to the decision to rebuild. He hopes this track can offer someone facing uncertainty a little something to lean on.
Sweety High had the pleasure of catching up with ALL’N ahead of the release to discuss all about this new single and what “trust” really means as a le...
Sweety High Blog •

idntt on Becoming a 20-Member Family and Staying Fearless

July was indeed a blockbuster month for idntt, as they revealed their current 20-member lineup across three subunits (unevermet, yesweare and itsnotover), dropped their third mini-album itsnotover and still have four more members to join the family.
This group is the definition of energy, drive, determination, fearlessness—you name it, just everything you can think of—when it comes to taking on challenges. They blend hip-hop, trap and EDM seamlessly, creating this aura of complete freedom that f...
Sweety High Blog •

ROCKY Discusses UNSAID Emotions on His Third Mini Album

K-pop soloist and corporate director ROCKY began his journey with ROCKYST and BLANK, introducing listeners to see various sides of himself and inviting them to fill in their own stories to his music. The track list of UNSAID takes that intention further, drawing inspiration from the thoughts and feelings he once struggled to put into words.
Ahead of the album’s release, Sweety High caught up with ROCKY to discuss all about UNSAID. Read the full interview below to figure out how the exceptionally...
Sweety High Blog •

ZELO on New Latin Pop Single 'ELA' & WATERBOMB Show

A South Korean rapper, songwriter and performer, ZELO is hooked on Latin pop-style music following the successful single “Cola Comigo,” and shows no signs of stopping his growth as an independent artist in this genre.
Back in March, ZELO dropped his first Latin pop single and performed live after its release at his fan concert “COMIGO: Next Chapter.” However, that was not the case for “ELA.” Before its official release, he premiered “ELA” live for the first time on the WATERBOMB stage, one of Ko...
Sweety High Blog •

AtHeart Talks ‘90s Nostalgia and Teases iHeartKPOP

AtHeart is set to put their own twist on the past by bringing it into the present.
Ahead of their first live performance with all seven members (Arin, Michi, Seohyeon, Aurora, Nayhyun, Kaetlyn and Bome) at iHeartKPOP with JoJo LIVE, the rising K-pop girl group opened up to Sweety High about their individual charms and the nostalgic inspiration behind the TIME TRAVEL PROJECT. Read the full interview below to discover a sneak peek at what to expect from their upcoming stage and the project’s next...
Sweety High Blog •

LUN8 on Breaking Free With New Album Off the Grid

After 10 months of preparation and hard work, another wave of LUN8 has arrived, ushering in Off the Grid.
Making an impressive comeback nearly a week ago with their upbeat, refreshing title track, “SNEAKERS,” and three additional songs, they undeniably entered their freest and most confident era yet. Though nervous, the members were even more excited to reunite with LUV8 and share the music and memories that they created along the way. Sweety High had the opportunity to sit down and catch up wit...
Genius •

[INTERVIEW] D.I. of RE:GUYS Is “Unlocking” a New Solo Chapter | Genius

Even before RE:GUYS reunited, Unlocking had already begun to develop in D.I.’s creative mind. On June 23, his five-track solo debut EP was officially released, capturing his past experiences, self-reflection, and a desire to continue growing as a soloist.

As D.I. himself explains, Unlocking envisions a protagonist who overcomes problems to eventually reach success. Across the EP, each song blends emotions with dynamic vocal styles, building that emotional story arc which replicates his personal...
Sweety High Blog •

Rookie K-Pop Boy Group VAYONN on 1st EP, Youth Today

Get to know VAYONN, a six-member group that made its highly anticipated debut on July 6 with the release of its first EP, Youth Today.
Made up of SEN, MASATO, AYANG, JINYU, TERU and MANO, the group introduces listeners to their bright, youthful energy rooted in the question, “How is your youth today?” Through the lens of weather, the EP explores the many emotions and seasons of youth, preserving every rainy and sunny moment as the rookie group lives through their youth in real time.
Following th...
Sweety High Blog •

MONSTA X's KIHYUN on 'BORDERLINE' EP & Embracing Uncertainty

Returning to the stage as a solo artist, KIHYUN was all about trusting his own instincts and growing more comfortable in his own skin.
Capturing the imagery of standing among debris and ruins, BORDERLINE feels like a new chapter in the story that began with YOUTH. Through its quiet tension of loss and moments of confusion, KIHYUN reflects on the internal questions that surface as he navigates his place in life and finds his way amid uncertainty.
To celebrate the release of BORDERLINE, Sweety Hig...
Sweety High Blog •

CHOI YOOJUNG Talks Growth and Cuteness in 'Perfect Target'

For anyone who finds it difficult to love themselves from time to time, CHOI YOOJUNG offers to share a different perspective: being hard on yourself can actually come from a place of deep care.
About four years after her solo debut with “Sunflower,” YOOJUNG finally returns with her second bright, retro-inspired solo single album, Perfect Target, emphasizing a much deeper period of personal discovery and self-love. As she approached her 10th anniversary in the industry, she began thinking more se...
KpopWise | Kpop News and Exclusives •

[Exclusive Interview] Dailog on Cantabile: “What do I want to say?”

In recent years, Dailog has slowly begun to rewrite its own story. As he continued releasing music under his own name, the questions guiding his creative process also changed subtly: he started to pay closer attention to what he wanted to say and how his own daily experiences could become the foundation of “Dailog.”

In this special interview, Dailog opens up about his thought process behind creating the yearning melody of romantic songs and his recent EP, Cantabile, which echoes the question, “...
Sweety High Blog •

Interview: YOON SAN-HA Shares Story Behind 'NO REASON'

YOON SAN-HA has spent the last few years stepping into new versions of himself.
Since his solo career began in 2024 with his first mini-album, DUSK, he has continued to explore his artistic identity through a series of solo releases and acting projects, each adding a different perspective on his personal growth.
Nearly a year after CHAMELEON, YOON SAN-HA returned on May 20 with NO REASON, an album that helped him pinpoint what it means to grow as an artist and realize the importance of accepting...
Sweety High Blog •

Interview: Billlie Discuss Their Debut Album and Evolution

Returning with the mission of leaving the past behind can take artists a huge amount of courage.
As Billlie continues to value that fearless energy in their music, the collective soul and unconsciousness: chapter two guides the group one step closer toward embracing growth. As they told Sweety High over Zoom, “all answers have been within us all this time.” Following the release of their dreamy pre-release track “cloud palace ~ false awakening” in January, we reconnected with Billlie to share th...
Genius •

[INTERVIEW] ZELO Returns With “Cola Comigo” - A New Era Into ‘NEXT CHAPTER’

ZELO returned from the military with his latest single, “Cola Comigo” on March 31. The track holds deep emotions of longing, initiated by his desire to greet his fans through music. Built around many breakthroughs of reflection, ZELO came back with a South American rhythmic flow, carrying with it the meaning of trust.


Through the words that ZELO put down on paper, a clear sense of appreciation for the person he has become and the artist he continues to grow into surfaces. He takes us behind t...
KpopWise | Kpop News and Exclusives •

[Exclusive Interview] KEYVITUP Sets Sights on “The Rookie of the Year” and Discusses Their Debut EP

Comprised of five members: Taehwan, Hyunmin, Sena, Jaein, and Rukia, KEYVITUP officially debuted on April 8 with their self-titled debut EP, “KEYVITUP.” As a relatively young group stepping into the industry, they’ve set out to boost their confidence and prepare to open the next doors that follow happiness. All while having their eyes set on “The Rookie of the Year.”

Over Zoom, the members spoke about their debut EP and their future ambitions for the “connected doors” ahead.

Hello KEYVITUP! To...
KpopWise | Kpop News and Exclusives •

[Exclusive Interview] XEN on “F KILLER”: “I Wanted to Show the Process of Finding Your Own Honest Answer”

“F: KILLER” captures a reflection of emotional maturity – For XEN, that choice comes from the ambition of valuing himself. In conversation with KpopWise, XEN opens up about his growth as a solo artist, staying honest to his silky vocals and building a musical path that feels fully his own.

"F: KILLER" Audio

XEN: Thank you so much for loving “F: KILLER” and congratulating me on the release. It actually made me think that I need to keep moving forward and work even harder. While preparing for th...
KpopWise | Kpop News and Exclusives •

[Exclusive Interview] Meet Emmy-Nominated Journalist Clint Edwards in a K-Pop Conversation

People who want to start in the journalism industry often imagine a very structured career path. However, Washington-based Emmy-nominated video journalist and FOX 13 Seattle “K-Pop Catch Up” host Clint Edwards proves otherwise.

The creator of the YouTube series “Fan Service” has a background in film and photography. Edwards reflected on his unexpected path into journalism – transitioning between fandom to professional reporting and developing his own storytelling voice. Through self-produced in...
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