As K-Pop continues to broaden its horizons, more and more talented artists who blend their individuality with the addictive genre come to the surface.
Recently, talented violinist and artist ALL’N has made a comeback with “Dream Higher,” a song with a melodic instrumental accompanied by an ethereal violin and chilling tone. ALL’N is someone who possesses a unique style that shines further on K-Pop’s limitless musicality and expresses just what makes his music feel so special in Korea’s ever-expanding music scene.
ALL’N sat down with ZAPZEE to share an exclusive video message and also reveal personal stories from his time in China to his fresh debut. See more from this multi-faceted artist in ZAPZEE’s exclusive interview.
Q. Tell us about your April debut with “We Up” – what thoughts went through your mind when working on this track and what concepts are expressed with this song?
ALL’N: “We Up” is my introduction to the world, so I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure the song immediately communicated who I was. I wanted people to hear the violin and understand that it was not going to be a one-time concept or a gimmick. It was going to be part of ALL’N.
ALL’N: The title also had a double meaning for me. Of course, it is about ambition and going upward, but I was also thinking about the people who might discover me at the very beginning. The message was almost like, ‘If you believe in me now, hopefully we can go up together.’ I was starting without an established fanbase, so that idea felt very real to me. Musically, I wanted the song to feel confident, energetic, and performance-driven. At the same time, I needed the violin to have enough space to show that I was not simply a singer who happens to play violin. I wanted the music, choreography, and violin performance to all feel like one identity.
Q. When first working on choreography for “We Up,” were there other ways you thought of incorporating the violin?
ALL’N: Definitely. A violin is physically very different from a microphone. You need space for the bow, your posture changes, and if the dancers are moving around you, everyone has to be very aware of where the instrument is. So a lot of the thinking was about transitions: when I should pick it up, how the dancers should frame the moment, when the energy should shift, and how to make the entrance of the violin feel earned. The final goal was always to make people feel like the violin belonged on a K-pop stage, not like we were trying to prove a point every second.
Q. You are now making a comeback with “Dream Higher.” Were there any challenges or stories you can share from your time making this song?
ALL’N: “Dream Higher” started from a much quieter place than “We Up.” Chasing a dream can be very lonely before there is any proof that it is going to work. That feeling became lines like “Lonely nights, long hours. No lights, just faith. Unseen, unheard.” Almost everything outside of the chorus comes from some part of my real journey. I did not want the song to become depressing. I wanted the verses to be honest, but I also wanted the chorus to turn all of that into something people could shout together. That is why the lyrics “Dream, dream, dream higher” are so simple and repetitive.
Q. What was an unforgettable moment from this current comeback so far?
The most unexpected story happened during the music video. I had learned a backflip only about two weeks before filming because I wanted to show another physical side of the story. On set my clothes and shoes were heavier, it was dark and foggy, and I did not rotate enough. I landed badly and broke my nose. There were so many people, locations, schedules, and months of preparation involved that I kept filming as much as I could. I would never recommend getting injured for a music video, but there was something almost symbolic about literally falling down while filming a song about perseverance and then getting back up to finish it.
Q. What made you independently start SKS Entertainment? What is something you think K-Pop music is missing?
ALL’N: By the time I returned seriously to K-pop, I was a very different person from the trainee I had been years earlier. I realized I had this unusual combination of experiences. I knew what it felt like to audition, train, and be evaluated as an artist, but I also understood the business side enough to know how to begin building a company. That was when I started thinking, instead of waiting for another company to decide whether I get another chance, maybe I can create the structure myself. K-pop is successful because there are already so many different artists and creative directions inside it. What I hope I can add is my own lane: violin-driven K-pop.
Q. Do you feel more comfortable creating, singing and performing in Korea and for K-Pop audiences?
ALL’N: I actually do not think of K-pop as music made only for a Korean audience anymore. One of the reasons I love K-pop is that it is Korean at its core, but the audience is completely global. When I make a song, I am thinking about someone in Seoul, but also someone hearing me for the first time anywhere else. Performing on Korean music shows definitely makes me nervous, though. Singing in Korean also requires more preparation from me than singing in English because English is still my strongest language.
Q. Tell us about your experience in China. Is there something significantly different about the Chinese music industry compared to Korea and K-Pop?
ALL’N: China was where I trained there for years and participated in Youth With You. The biggest difference for me personally is the structure around promotions. In Korea, the comeback cycle is extremely concentrated. There are weekly music shows, rehearsals, broadcast schedules, fan content, choreography, and a very established system that artists move through when releasing a song. My experience in China felt more centered around large entertainment platforms, variety programs, digital attention, and very large fan communities. The scale can feel enormous very quickly. I think both experiences are part of why I approach ALL’N the way I do now.
Q. Is there any group you would want to work with in the future? Would you ever consider working with the talented violinist JuNCurryAhn?
ALL’N: There are a lot of artists I would love to work with, but if we are talking about groups, TXT would be really interesting to me. I like how emotional and performance-driven their music can be, and I think a violin could fit naturally into that kind of energy without feeling forced. Also, I have gone viral for meeting TXT in an elevator so there is some lore there too! And yes, I would absolutely be open to doing something with JuNCurryAhn. Two violinists can also create something very different from a normal feature because you can have harmony, call-and-response, or even almost a battle between the instruments.
ALL’N didn’t miss a beat nor shied away from sharing every intimate detail about his past experiences, time cultivating himself as an artist up till now and his deep love for his fans N’CORE. See ALL’N’s final message for fans after wrapping up his interview with ZAPZEE.
ALL’N: To N’CORE, thank you for believing in me this early.
I know I am only on my second single, so there is still a huge distance between where I am now and where I hope ALL’N can eventually go. That is actually what makes this period special to me. We do not know the ending yet. “Dream Higher” came from the parts of my life where I could not see the ending either. I had to keep working with faith before there was proof that any of it would lead somewhere. If you are going through your own version of that right now, I hope this song gives you a little more energy to continue.
And for anyone discovering me through this interview, I am a violin-driven K-pop soloist trying to build my own path one release at a time. If that journey sounds interesting to you, I hope you stay and see where we can take it together. Thank you, and let’s keep dreaming higher.
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What did you think of ALL’N’s charming message to his fans? Are you ready to become an N’CORE yourself? Don’t forget to follow ALL’N’s incredible music journey by subscribing to his social media. Find more exclusive K-Pop interviews with ZAPZEE and don’t forget to watch the most trending K-Dramas for FREE on amasian.tv.
