With so many comebacks happening here and there, it may be hard to keep up with the trends! However, ZAPZEE has you covered with yet another exclusive interview. This time the spies of 82MAJOR don their pink jumpsuits and spring into action with their latest comeback “STUCK.”
With a flamboyant and energetic title song to match, 82MAJOR members Seong Il, Ye Chan, Seong Mo, Seong Bin, Seok Jun, and Do Gyun have released their second mini-album [X-82] and it includes four heavily rap-influenced tracks: “Stuck,” ”Thorns,” “Face Time,” and Gossip.” The blends of hip-hop instrumentals and familiar K-Pop styled melodies alongside the group’s unified vocals make it a fun-sized package with a big impact. The sound and style are familiar to 82MAJOR’s hip-hop coded theme yet the album carries a refreshingly fun and new vibe across the board. Just check out the highlight medley for yourself and say you’re not interested – it’s addictive from the start.
Now, 82MAJOR met with ZAPZEE again to discuss the differences in their new albums, share their contributions to working on two tracks in the [X-82] album, plus which K-Dramas are their favorites. If you’re not a 82DE (82MAJOR fandom name) then it is time to learn more about the group. See our exclusive video shout out below and see what more the members had to say in our exclusive interview.
Q1. Can 82MAJOR tell us about the album [X-82] theme. What is different from the first album ON?
YOON YE CHAN: The six members of 82MAJOR transformed into secret agents, in order to carry out the important mission of conquering the hearts of listeners around the world with our music. We are determined to take over the world with 82MAJOR’s music! If you want to see how we accomplish this mission, please watch the ‘Stuck’ music video~
KIM DO GYUN: The biggest difference between this album and our previous album is that all members rap in the title track. The vocal members have rapped before, but it’s the first time we’re showing off our rap skills to a wider audience with the title track. We wanted to clearly showcase 82MAJOR’s unique musical style and diversity in this album.
Q2. There are four unique tracks on the album. Which track was the most interesting or difficult to prepare? Any fun stories during the making of the album?
HWANG SEONG BIN: I’m thinking of the time we spent working on the songs. The most fun moment was when we put on the two songs that all members worked on together, “Face Time” and “Gossip,” and danced to the songs while editing. Just like the songs themselves, we felt very relaxed and true to ourselves. We really felt the music while working on this album.
PARK SEOK JOON: Filming the music video was the most memorable because it was so much fun. There were a lot of interesting scenes in the video, and it was very entertaining to see everyone acting while disguised as secret agents. There were a lot of comical points in the video, so we couldn’t stop laughing during the filming.
CHO SEONG IL: The choreography for “Stuck” is quite difficult, so I remember how fun yet hard it was during dance practice. The members gave each other feedback and support while practicing, so we were able to push through and master the choreography.
Q3. The members participated in composing and writing “FaceTime” and “Gossip” for the album. How is the group dynamic of w82MAJOR when making these songs? Did anything inspire the lyrics or style in particular?
NAM SEONG MO: All six members came together and discussed the songs. At first, we took turns coming up with keywords and then we decided on a theme that could best represent all six members. Then we started working on the songs, and we kept giving each other feedback in the process.
HWANG SEONG BIN: In our discussions, we considered the overall direction of the songs, and what kind of lyrics we would use to tell the story. The theme of both songs is ‘things that happen in daily life,’ with an underlying base of confidence and freedom. Naturally, ‘daily life’ itself became the inspiration for the songs. While working on the songs, we considered multiple elements such as what kind of things we think about in daily life and what we do when we feel confident or relaxed.
Q4. The “Stuck” MV starts with the members being kidnapped and appearing in green jumpsuits. Is this theme influenced by Squid Games or is there another reason this theme was used for the MV?
YOON YE CHAN: The overlying concept of the album was being ‘secret agents.’ Members of 82MAJOR became secret agents to carry out the mission of delivering 82MAJOR’s music to listeners all over the world. This concept carries over to the physical album design and the music video as well. In the music video, we focused on showing both our humorous side and our cool side. Specifically, we utilized Korean color schemes and elements in order to convey our unique Korean style, befitting the name ‘82MAJOR’ with 82 representing Korea’s national calling code.
Q5. There is a scene where the members perform in pink Martial Art uniforms. Do any of the members actually do martial arts or have experience in intense sports?
KIM DO GYUN: Not exactly traditional martial arts, but I did train in some combat sports. I learned how to use my body when I trained in combat sports as a child. Thanks to that experience, it wasn’t too unfamiliar to wear a martial arts uniform and perform martial arts in the filming of the music video.
PARK SEOK JOON: All six members practiced sports when we were young. Everyone played a different sport, including basketball, badminton, soccer, and bowling. I think that athleticism helped us act out all the intense action scenes in the music video.
Q6. Why is pink a recurring color in the theme as well? Is there more than meets the eye?
HWANG SEONG BIN: In the music video, our hair, make-up, and styles were all rather subtle. We wanted to express our masculinity in a natural way. But we juxtapose that masculinity with the color pink, which is not usually considered a ‘masculine’ color, in order to create a humorous tone. Both stylishness and humor coexist in the music video.
Q7. The choreography for “Stuck” is quite fun and intense. Is “Stuck’ the hardest choreography so far or is there another song that has more difficult dance moves?
NAM SEONG MO: The choreography for “Stuck”’ is the most difficult. “First Class” and “Choke” dances were pretty exhausting as well, but “Stuck” really knocked us out. So it took some time for us to get used to that level of difficulty while practicing the choreography for “Stuck.” We practiced hard every day so we would have no problems performing “Stuck” live.
Q8. Do you have a favorite K-Drama or show you have enjoyed lately that our fans can enjoy too?
CHO SEONG IL: During our promotional period, we’re pretty busy with our schedules and practices so we haven’t been able to watch any dramas lately. However, my favorite K-drama is still ‘Hospital Playlist.’
After discussing the joys of creating their second album, the six members of 82MAJOR decided to share a final message for their lovely fans 82DE.
CHO SEONG IL: Dear 82DE! Thank you for all the love and support for our new album [X-82]. Just as we did in our previous albums, we really wanted to show you our cool sides with this album. All six members came together to practice every day till late at night, in order to show our growth since our last album. Your support gives us the energy to keep going. Thank you!
KIM DO GYUN: Yo, 82DE – Are you enjoying “Stuck” so far? We’re having a blast these days, thanks to 82DE. Your support is so loud that we can hear it through our in-ear monitors and we feel fully charged right after performing. I hope you will continue to support us until the end of this promotional period. Let’s make some wonderful memories together! We love you.
One year after their debut, 82MAJOR really made a name for themselves in 2024 as they completely dominated with each and every release. The memorable group will continue to solidify themselves as rappers in the K-scene at an international level by the end of 2025!
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