Eric Nam

“I am so excited for where and what K-pop is doing and how it's growing. In the music industry it's not a trend, it's not a quick 'oh this is cool for a minute,' this is a full genre, which is exciting and cool.”

“What works in the States doesn't easily translate to the Korean market.”

“I view myself as a musician and I focus on music - other people may try to focus on the music, but the emphasis is heavily on visuals and performance. They're both equally valid, but different.”

“We recognize that there have been acts in the past that are Asian or Korean who tried to go, 'Hey, I'm a huge star in Korea, I'm a huge star in Asia so you guys need to respect me for being a huge star there.' But I don't know. As much as we may be big, we have to be very humble and start from the ground up in the States.”

“Korean-Americans, Asian-Americans are so unbelievably underrepresented in the U.S. entertainment and media industries and I don't think we are given a real shot.”

“I actually received a lot of messages from Central and South American artists who complimented my songs and showed interest in collaborating with me.”

“I think I'm just doing me, my music, my shows, and my stories.”

“I know people are going to be like, 'why do you have so many songs with the word 'you' in it? 'Idea Of You,' 'Into You,' 'Like You,' 'You-Who'... Well, sorry, but it just works out that way.”

“When I first toured North America, everyone was saying that it was working because there is such as a solid Korean fan base here. The truth is, that is less than five per cent of the audience, which is mixed of all backgrounds.”

“I'm just looking for that one song that I know everybody's going to be like, 'Damn, that's a good song.'”

“My actual goal when marrying in real life is to live like friends even after marriage.”

“So the first thing I do when I get out of bed, I will check my phone real quick because I live in Korea, but my stuff is split between L.A. and Korea.”

“I have a very complicated relationship with my skin. It is sensitive, I think, to just changes in water, particularly because I travel so much.”

“Yes, I speak English 'cause I'm American.”

“I was born and raised in the suburbs of Atlanta, which as you can imagine, was not the most diverse place to grow up in as a Korean American.”

“Even throughout college and post-college, I've always been incredibly hyperactive. Even at Boston College, I was involved in so many different organizations and initiatives.”

“I thought it would be so cool to be a musician, but I always thought it was impossible, because I would never be accepted in mainstream media. The fact that I'm able to tour North America and around the world is an incredible blessing, and I am thankful every time I do it.”

“Even within K-pop, there should be more representation. It's not just groups, and it's not just incredibly produced, highly choreographed pieces. There are vocalists, there's R&B, there's hip-hop, there are other types of people and voices. There's space for all of that to be shared and to be appreciated.”

“I know people love Supreme. I never got on the wagon.”

“Traveling has been a really big part of my upbringing and I've been fortunate enough to travel for different reasons. I'd like to think that it has had an impact on my character and personality, which ultimately affects my music.”