[Exclusive] Meet Eric Nam at Heaven’s Door
Knock, knock, K-popped! readers. Wanna meet Eric Nam at Heaven’s Door? Even with his extremely busy schedule, the 24-year-old set aside some precious time for our exclusive interview, so here it is!
Eric is signed to B2M Entertainment, home of artists such as Lee Hyori, Spica, SS501’s Heo Young Saeng and Kim Kyu Jong. He was a Top 5 Finalist on MBC Star Audition 2 in 2012. The singer then debuted in South Korea as a solo artist on Jan 23, 2013. His debut mini-album is entitled Cloud 9 and the first track off the album is Heaven’s Door.
Without further ado, let’s shine the limelight on the talent.
What were you doing prior to appearing on MBC Star Audition 2?
I graduated from Boston College in May of 2011. I had accepted a job offer at a management consulting firm, but asked for a year off before I started.
As such, I went to India where I worked in social enterprise consulting and while I was there, I got the contact to go to Korea and audition for MBC Star Audition! 🙂
Tell us how you got on the show.
I started uploading YouTube videos when I was in high school and the day before I left for India, I just figured, “Why not submit a video to MBC?”
So… without much thought, I submitted a video that I had already uploaded and then three months later, I got an email (saying) that I had made it. I honestly thought that it was fake, at first. I never imagined that I would make it through!
What / Who inspired you to do music and how would you describe your music?
I have been singing since I was a baby and started playing the piano and cello when I was younger. I also sang in a choir, and I guess I just kind of grew up with music. My family and friends were always telling me to be quiet because I was ALWAYS SINGING.. ALL THE TIME… EVERYWHERE! Haha
Growing up, I was influenced by a big variety of musicians…Ray Charles, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, and Adele are some of the bigger names that influence me today.
I guess right now, on Cloud 9 the style of music is a bit acoustic and bright, but I’m really hoping that I can dive into a wider variety of music. I’d be excited to work in rock, jazz and maybe even hip hop!
I think as an artist, my music should be influenced by my life – experiences, relationships, travels, reflections, etc. – and I don’t think that they should be confined to a singular genre. Rather, I’d like to show growth and development both musically and personally as I continue down this road as an artist.
Tell us about Cloud 9, your debut mini-album.
The mini album was musically-produced by the production team SweetTune. Generally, it has an acoustic, bright, positive sound and I think that’s something that was done intentionally to express the excitement and the happiness in debuting as a new artist.
Overall, I think it’s an album that’s very easy to listen to in almost any occasion… there are songs for when you’re sad, when you’re happy, when you’re in love, etc . and hopefully it’s something that you guys enjoy! 🙂
Please complete the following sentence: You should listen to Cloud 9 because…
Because you WILL like it! 😉
(No but seriously, I think there’s something in it for everybody, and if you don’t like it, don’t dismiss me or the album as hopefully I’ll be able to connect with you on a musical level in the near future.)
Check out the happy, cheery, Heaven’s Door below:
Can’t get enough of Eric? You can:
Like him: http://facebook.com/
Follow him: @ericnamofficial
Also, we’ve got more! Eric is in the midst of preparing something special for K-popped! readers. If you are really curious about Cloud 9, we suggest sticking by us because we will be giving away the mini-album really soon. 아싸!!
