Kcrush Interview with 2Z

 

2Z is a five-member South Korean band under GOGO2020.

The members consist of Hojin, Jiseob, Junghyun, Bumjun, and ZUNON. 2Z made its debut on January 14th, 2020 with the release of EP We Tuz:.

We’d like to massively thank the members of 2Z and their management for the great interview and wish them all the best in the future.

 

Hello, thank you very much for your time.  Please start the interview by introducing yourselves to our readers.

HoJin: Hello. I am HoJin. I’m the vocalist of 2Z.

JiSeob: I am JiSeob, the red-haired guitarist of 2Z.

JungHyun: I’m JungHyun, the bassist and maknae of the group.

BumJun: Hello. My name’s BumJun and I’m 22 years old. I am the leader and drummer of 2Z.

ZUNON: Hi, I am ZUNON and do this and that in the band, aka the multiplayer of the group.

 

What does 2Z refer to and how did it come about?

Bumjun: First, 투지(Pronounced Tu Ji) means “to set a firm mind to fight” in Korean. The Z in 2Z refers to “to Z” meaning that we’ll fight til the end. Since we’re a band that was formed not just for Korea but for the rest of the world, we wanted something that could work for both Korean and English. We did have a lot of names that came up during the meeting with our company’s producers, CEO and the band members, but 2Z had both the same pronunciation for Korean and English which had a great meaning, so we went for 2Z.

That’s how we came up with the name.

 

 

Please explain how you all got to join the band.

HoJin: I’ve been friends with JiSeob since I was younger. He introduced me to rock music all throughout middle school. He later asked me to join him for an audition and I got in and became a member of the band. I worked hard to become a great vocalist and now I’m a proud vocalist of 2Z.

JiSeob: I always felt that it was so amazing and cool that one could become happy or tearful just through music. I also wanted to become a person that could be a hope for others that they can relate to.

JungHyun: I was a fashion model at the time when I was recommended by the agency to take an audition for the band by luck. When I got to the audition, all I could show was my passion and I expressed strongly that I really wanted to join. I was really lucky to become a member with the rest of the group members.

BumJun: I worked as a model before I started doing music. As a model, I was at a number of fashion shows including Seoul Fashion Week and did various photoshoots for magazines and commercials.
The CEO at the agency I was signed under at the time, recommended that I should take an audition to join a band. So that’s how I became a drummer of 2Z.

ZUNON: I actually wanted to become an actor at first. I was working as a model when I came across the band’s audition. Since music and acting were all forms of art, I took the audition and became a member of 2Z.

 

 

What makes 2Z’s music appealing in your opinion? And which one of your songs are you the most attached to?

HoJin: Our music has a distinctively strong sound compared to other bands currently existing in Korea. The lyrics that we convey are beautiful with clear messages and melody. Our tracks sound all different but they share the same theme. You can discover diverse sounds in our album. Also, 2Z’s music has a lot of parts where the audience can sing along with us.
All I Need would be the song that I’m the most attached to. It’s the first time that I sang as the vocalist to express emotions like that into a song. The song is kind of heart-wrenching and complicates your mind a little bit.

JiSeob: The song that I am the most attached to has to be Keep the Promise. This always brings back different emotions, scent and memories each time I hear it. Whenever we play and sing this song, the feelings I get are always different. But the funny thing is, I can never erase that feeling I felt when I sang it for the first time.

JungHyun: Turn My Camera. When other people hear the song, they would probably say, “Oh, the bass sounds nice in this song.”
We spent long hours in the studio to produce the great groovy sound. I learned a lot about bass the day we recorded this song. Actually, I learned and felt a lot of things while recording our latest album recently.

BumJun: It’s “Keep The Promise” for me too. Whenever I play or listen to this song, I think back to the past memories I have had since starting music, which makes me tear up. When I’m down and fatigued, I get consolation when I listen to the song. To be honest, I feel attached to it the most because it was the first song that featured my voice.

ZUNON: “Keep the Promise.” I think the emotions of the song go really well with 2Z and musically it’s pure and truthful.

 

Due to the pandemic, your activities must be limited. How are you spending your time these days?

HoJin: We’re very frustrated that our activities are currently limited, but we get to spend more time on making new music or at practice, so we’re actually enjoying ourselves in the studio nowadays.
Before the pandemic occurred, we used to go out to have a drink after practice, but we don’t get to do that anymore. So that’s a pity.

 

 

Please introduce to our readers any music that you’re listening to frequently.

HoJin: LANY – Malibu Nights. The song expresses emotions after a breakup, and I really relate to the lyrics “I got way too much time to be this hurt.” I don’t normally listen to songs about love but when I listened to this at dawn, I couldn’t really get to sleep due to the strange feeling I got.

JISEOB: I listen to 347aidan – Dancing In My Room the most often.
The song has this vibe that only boys can express. The bright and innocent vibe of the song is what makes people feel good when they hear the song. I love the unique beat, witty lyrics, and casually-shot music video.

JungHyun: Mötley Crüe – Take Me To The Top.
“Mötley Crüe” is a band that I liked when I first started doing music.
I used to imitate the bassist and “Take Me To The Top” was my favorite song. I recently looked up all the songs that I used to listen to when I joined the band, and I find myself getting re-energized after hearing it again. I’m listening to it a lot these days.

BumJun: ESEGYE – RomanceYouthLove is one of my favorites which I listen to quite frequently. Back when I was tired and going through a hard time, a good friend of mine shared the song and recommended that I should hear it. My mind becomes calm whenever I listen to it while I’m fatigued and not doing well.

ZUNON: Leellamarz X The Quiett – Another Body is what I listen to a lot. The melody is beautiful and I relate to most of the lyrics.

 

Tell us what your favourite food or beverage is. And what kind of food or beverages do you dislike?

HoJin: I find eating kind of bothersome. I don’t really like eating…^^
I hate all kinds of vegetables – kimchi the most.

JiSeob: I love Maltesers chocolate. I always have them when I have a headache or need to refresh my mood. Ha ha. I hate rice with peas. Since childhood, I’ve always tried not to eat rice containing peas. Apart from that, I eat almost anything quite well.

JungHyun: My favorite food is hoe. I don’t get to eat it too often but I had some on my father’s birthday recently, and it was really delicious since I hadn’t had any for so long. I’ve made up my mind to have hoe more often from now on when I eat out. 😂

For beverages, I like green tea latte. I recently had green tea mixed with cold brew coffee, and I really loved it! I don’t really have any food or beverages that I dislike. 👍🏻

BumJun: I enjoy eating chicken with sweet powdered flakes on top, cheese balls, and fries a lot. Energy drinks are what I love to drink the most. The calories are low and you lose sleep due to the caffeine.
I don’t have foods I dislike but what I don’t like is coconut drinks.

ZUNON: I drink iced americano often because I love coffee so much. At times, I drink up to 6 cups a day.

 

 

What kind of person are you attracted to?

HoJin: My ideal kind of person is someone who doesn’t change their mind easily. A change of heart is the scariest thing in a relationship.

JiSeob: A cute puppy-like facial features, medium height with a good fashion sense. My ideal person is someone who is artistic, considerate for others that I have a lot of things in common with.

JungHyun: I don’t have a specific type in mind. I think the most crucial thing for me is whether our minds can get connected. I also like someone who is always positive and active.

BumJun: I like someone with a catlike or foxy facial features, who dresses well and emits a positive vibe.

ZUNON: Someone who loves and respects me. And has a great sense of fashion.
Other than anything music-related, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

HoJin: I really love webtoons!! It’s usually just a 30-second long cartoon but it really gives me joy, philosophical messages and excitement. One time, I was smitten by a leading female webtoon character. LOL.

JiSeob: You could say that I like to zone out. Since every day has the same routine, I don’t get to have that much free time anymore. So I like to stay numb for my pastime. I often zone out then I start imagining things…

JungHyun: I go for walks at dawn. My old hobbies used to be billiards, bowling, soccer, going to cafes and so on. But I can’t really do those things frequently due to the present circumstances.
There’s no one in the dorms after practice, so I like going to the stream to organize my thoughts which is kind of like a healing process for me. Sometimes, I get scared since it’s so calm and quiet at dawn. 😂

BumJun: I meet up with friends to go shopping or play basketball and soccer. I also love to visit well-known eateries.

ZUNON: I like taking walks and watching movies or dramas via Netflix.

 

Which country or venue would you most love to perform at?

HoJin: I’d like to perform in England the most. Especially at Glastonbury Festival. The bands that I love the most have performed in front of the huge crowd there. So I also really would love to go on that stage. Not as part of the audience, but as a musician.

JiSeob: Jamsil Sports Complex. Back when I was younger, I used to often think to myself, “What if I became a singer…” Then later I visited the stadium at school and thought that I wanted to perform there one day. I still have that wish, as I work hard each day to fulfill that.

JungHyun: Right now, we would be happy to perform anywhere, even if it means just busking. It’s not easy to go abroad during this time due to covid but if we get the opportunity to perform overseas, I’d love to busk in well-known parks there.

BumJun: There isn’t a specific location where I want to perform at. I just want to perform wherever FromA are at.

ZUNON: I want to perform and communicate with the audience at the rooftop in Itaewon while the sun is setting.

 

Let us know your plans and wishes this year and beyond. Would you add a nice comment or two for the fans as well?

HoJin: Our goal for this year is to make people hear my singing sound like I’m talking to them. Someone that I really respect told me that music should be heard like a language. As I got to learn what that really means, my goal is to sing naturally so it conveys into words.

FromA!!!!!!!!!! You’ll all be coming to our second concert [ACT1] on May 22nd, right? Can you fly over to Korea?? I’ll buy you dinner!

JisSob: I hope this year will be the year that we can make more music that speaks our mind more honestly and have more people listen to our songs. FromA !! We’re always so thankful that we have such great loyal fans like yourselves. You sing along with us and share all our troubles…
What we can do for you is to bring you more music that is truthful and sincere. Please watch this space!

JungHyun: This year, we’re going to stay healthy and do our best to carry out our plans until the coronavirus is exterminated. Then we’re going ahead with what we held up when the pandemic’s over, so let’s all hang in there.

BumJun: I feel that 2Z is at a standstill. We don’t like to be that way…
But since we are at a standstill, we also believe that this is our time to evolve and grow. We won’t give up because we promised our fans that we will be with them until the end.

ZUNON: We want to show how diverse we are musically and through our activities. We’ll do our utmost to communicate more with FromA. Thank you all for your support and for believing in us ~

 

 

–J.Chung.

 

#2z #Kpop #Interview #Tuzi