Favorite collab project
One of his favorite collaborations is the one with Epik High's Tablo and American singer-songwriter Gallant for the hip-hop/RnB single "Cave Me In" in 2016.
"It was so cool to take part in a collaboration because Tablo is a legend himself and somebody that I respect as musician," he says. "Gallant…that year was like a massive year for him. I think he was a Grammy nominated for Best New Artist that year and hit an album and his song, 'Weight in Gold' in particular, was just so incredible. And so to be able to work with them on that song, and at that time, I was still very new.
"This is scary," he whispers, recalling what he thought and how he felt working with the aforementioned musicians, who told him to let go of his self-doubt and that he was doing great, boosting his confidence.
From choir boy to YouTube personality, to talent show contestant, to recording artist, to songwriter; Nam's transition was a long and rewarding journey, but not an easy one. Learning to write songs, for one, took a lot of time, effort, patience, and perseverance.
PHOTO: BORGY ANGELES
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Songwriting vs. performing
"It's scary to song-write because anything and everything you do, at least for me, sounded so lame and cheesy and cringey and it's like, 'How do I write more poetically? How do I create melodies that are so expected and like, typical? I think that's the thing about being creative—if you want to make something that's new, that people hear and like, 'Oh, it's different, or that's an interesting lyric or that's a crazy melody.' But that takes a lot of time.
"The first few years of writing were like, really painful. And there's a lot of self-doubt and questioning that goes into it."
Nam's songwriting process flows differently on separate occasions and has evolved over the years. When he first started, he would often work with a producer on creating rhythm and beats, and then hum melodies and eventually, sing lyrics over the music.
"Moving beyond that now, I'm always looking out for interesting thoughts or phrases, or something interesting that people are saying in culture or in everyday life. And that to me becomes like a tagline. Like, this is a theme, or this is the main lyric that we want to build upon. And then sometimes, when I'm in songwriting mode, I'm always humming or thinking of melodies constantly.
"The songs that I feel like really resonate and the ones that ended up making the album usually really come from my personal experiences," he adds.
While he's fully immersed in creating his own music, Nam says nothing compares to the satisfaction of performing on stage.
"There's nothing as exhilarating and adrenaline-rushing as singing on a stage for thousands of people who are singing your songs back, who are screaming, crying, jumping, and just reacting with you in real time," he says quite enthusiastically. "Like I almost feel like I black out on stage, because I'm just I'm having so much fun!"