iKON’s Bobby shared insights into the creation of his new solo album!

On January 25, an online conference was held to celebrate the release of the artist’s second full-length solo album “LUCKY MAN,” which features the title track “U MAD.” Bobby took part as a lyricist, composer, and producer for all the tracks in the album. This is also Bobby’s first solo album in three years and four months, since the 2017 album “LOVE AND FALL.”

At the conference, Bobby commented, “I feel good to be able to showcase new songs. I’ve been working on music constantly. I’m nervous and excited to finally reveal them.” He added that he’d used songs he’d written in the past as well as wrote new tracks, saying, “The most important thing was to have a story that people could find relatable. For the track list and lyrics, I paid attention to making it as ‘Bobby-like’ as possible with a focus on making listeners curious about the next song while listening to all the tracks.”

Bobby further explained the album by saying, “I used the phrase ‘LUCKY MAN’ to express the fact that I can go through various emotions my 20s, such as sadness and joy. I tried to express the joy and sorrow that young people can feel in their lives. In order to represent a wider spectrum, the album has both a powerful and strong side but also a softer side than the previous album.” When asked about his own “luckiest moment,” Bobby answered with a smile, “I think being born as my mom and dad’s son has been the luckiest thing. I hope they are proud.”

The title track “U MAD” was written with the hope that anyone that listens to the song can receive a lot of energy. The addictive chorus uses a melody that is easy on the ear. The song serves as a criticism of those who follow materialism and opportunism, but it is also based on an anger towards his weakened self.

Bobby stated, “I wrote this song to a weak me. Anyone who listens to it will say it’s an energetic song. But it also kind of feels like it’s making fun of you by jokingly asking, ‘Hey, are you crying?’ I didn’t write it thinking it would be the title track, but it ended up becoming the title track because it overflows with energy and is powerful.” He also said, “My image is intense and charismatic and I think ‘U MAD’ reveals that well. My rap style is rough and I have a yelling rap style. I think the song brings out those elements well.”

The titles of the songs are also interesting. Bobby explained, “I put together titles that would catch your curiosity. It’s a mixture of capital and lower-cased letters. For ‘Ur SOUL Ur BodY,’ I thought ‘soul’ was more important than ‘body’ so decided to emphasize it with capitalization.”

Bobby’s fellow bandmates participated in the album as well. iKON’s Donghyuk featured on “Ur SOUL Ur BodY” and Junhoe featured on “RaiNinG.”

He shared, “The members often helped review my work while I was working on the album. I felt grateful when they would relate to things without me having to explain. The song Junhoe featured on is one I worked on when I was feeling down. Even when I listen to it now, I look back on those times and get emotional. Junhoe sympathized with me a lot. The chemistry with Donghyuk was great so working with him was a fun process.”

Back in 2014, Bobby won season 3 of Mnet’s “Show Me The Money.” Seven years have passed, and Bobby commented, “I was very confident in myself after winning the title at such a young age. I was certain that I could do anything. But as time passed and I went through different situations, I learned that it is important to be humble. That realization has been keeping me going.”

Bobby also explained that Bobby as a member of iKON is different from Bobby as a solo artist. He stated, “In the group, I feel cozy and comfortable. The members also help fill up the music. But as a solo artist, I have to fill up three minutes on my own. I end up thinking deeper into how I should fill that time up.”

Bobby also commented, “Because I write music with the hopes that others will listen to it, I do consider the element of being ‘mainstream.’ But I also contemplate how to deliver my thoughts well. So I think it ends up being somewhere in between.” He said, “I am never fully satisfied with my work. I keep thinking of improvements regarding this and that each time I listen to it. I’m looking for a middle ground.”

As a final remark, Bobby added, “I try to live with the attitude of giving my 100 percent every day because hard work will never betray you.”

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