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Raehwan was excited to meet Wumuti in person. He had heard many good things about Wumuti's group and all they were doing to push the boundaries within K-pop. Raehwan hoped his music was also doing the same in his own way. When he heard to bring tea and a snack to the interview, Raehwan knew he had to pay homage to his hometown. He was excited to share a taste of local cuisine with Wumuti today. Raehwan wore a basic outfit today: a red football jersey and jeans. He had on some golden chains and bracelets to accentuate the outfit.
Raehwan knocked on the door to Wumuti's office. Wumuti answered the door and bowed. Wumuti wore a school uniform to match the school theme between them. Raehwan looked like a jock while Wumuti aimed for a preppy look. “Raehwan sunbaenim, it's nice to meet you. Please come in.” Wumuti guided Raehwan to the podcast studio room. Raehwan set his snacks down on the table between the chairs. Raehwan took a seat first, followed by Wumuti. Wumuti guided him to his seat. “How are you doing today?”
“Oh, I'm doing well. It's nice to finally meet you. We should've done this a while ago,” Raehwan greeted him warmly. Wumuti waved it off.
“Oh, I know all sunbaenims are so busy with what they do. I know you're even one of the CEOs at your own label, right?” Wumuti asked him curiously.
“Yes, that's correct,” Raehwan confirmed. “I juggle many hats at where I work. I love it though. The freedom I get from running my own label makes it worth it. All of that extra work allows me to be truly authentic in how I express myself and music.”
“I can't wait to talk more about it during our interview,” Wumuti turned to Raehwan. “Let me know when you're ready.”
“Let's go for it,” Raehwan told him. Wumuti went up to the camera and started recording the session. Wumuti got into interviewer mode once the cameras began to roll.
“Hello! Welcome everybody to Tea Time with Wumuti. I am your host, Wumuti. Today, we are joined by one of the CEOs of Waybetter Entertainment, from20 sunbaenim!” Wumuti clapped his hands, and Raehwan blushed at his enthusiasm. “from20 sunbaenim has been in the K-pop Industry for over 14 years, making his debut as a member of Bigstar. He would be part of Bigstar until their disbandment in 2019. Then in 2021, from20 sunbaenim made his solo debut. From20 has slowly been gaining notoriety over his solo career with hits such as 'Eye Candy' and 'Social', and now he is coming back bolder than ever with Big Boy. His latest music is big and for everybody.” Wumuti took a breath.
“But first, before we talk about the music, we have to talk about the 'tea' you brought for us today. What did you bring? I read you were from Gangneung, which is known for its traditional tea ceremonies, right?” Wumuti signaled for Raehwan to talk.
“Yes, I wanted to honor my hometown during this interview by bringing balhyocha produced in the area, which is a semi-oxidized tea. You will find the taste similar to an oolong tea from China. I also grabbed local gangjeong from my province, which is traditionally served with the tea during darye ceremonies. Please enjoy it,” Raehwan had two cups of balhyocha prepared. They each grabbed a cup and started to sip the tea. The tea cooled enough during Raehwan's walk that the tea did not burn the mouth as soon as it was consumed.
“The flavor is pretty complex,” Wumuti started after the first sip. Wumuti took another sip. “I'm getting notes that I can taste typically in both green and black tea. It's nutty, but not overly nutty. But it still has a fresher taste like a green tea would. I'm really enjoying this tea. Thank you for bringing it.” Wumuti grabbed the gangjeong. The gangjeong consisted of sunflower seeds, peanuts, puffed rice, and dried fruits pressed into blocks. Wumuti tried a small block of gangjeong. “This is a real old-school snack. Honestly, I love these old snacks though. They're a classic for a reason.”
Raehwan ate a piece of gangjeong. “Yes, so this snack is very traditional. They serve this to accompany tea where I live. I remember growing up eating this as a kid in my grandparents' house. I don't remember kids ever liking this, but I came to love it as I grew older.”
“Oh yeah, this would be way too savory for me when I was a kid. I would need more sugar,” Wumuti agreed. “Thank you so much for sharing a part of local Gangneung culture with us today. I hope our EVOLs and other podcast listeners will take a trip to have a Darye in Gangneung to enjoy these flavors we had today.”
“Thank you, yes, I hope they do. There is more to Korea than just Seoul, Busan, and Jeju Island. I hope visitors come to other great parts of Korea as well. Most foreign tourists do not come to areas such as Gangneung, and I think they are really missing out on some great history, scenery, and food.” Raehwan added.
“As they should,” Wumuti concurred. “Now we're ready to get to the real 'tea' today of your latest album: Rated R. The title track of 'Rated R' is 'Big Boy,' which many are calling a bisexual anthem for its inclusion of everyone being a person a 'big boy' likes. The music video for the title track included you being kissed by men and women as well as a mouth-to-mouth kiss with a plus-size woman that caused a huge buzz around your release. Can you explain more about the creative decisions for making the music video?”
“So, first off, I am the CEO of our label, Waybetter, not to brag,” Raehwan teased. Wumuti laughed lightly at his statement. “I'm my own boss now, so I can do what I want to do. I can tell the stories I want to tell and not have to worry about the pushback that I will get.”
“That must be so nice,” Wumuti thought wistfully.
“But the main reason I picked the visuals for the 'Big Boy' music video is that I really wanted it to be truly inclusive. I wanted to show a variety of body shapes, drag queens, and disabled actors so all of my fans hopefully feel represented. It doesn't matter what you look like. A 'Big Boy' will love you no matter what. I love all of my fans: men, women, and non-binary pals.” Raehwan winked for the camera.
“What does being a 'Big Boy' mean to you? You keep referencing that every time you mention yourself,” Wumuti asked for clarification. Raehwan was struck by the simplicity in how he asked the question.
“First off, anyone can be a 'Big Boy'. It's not exclusive to any body size or gender. 'Big Boy' for me is a state of mind. It's standing up to the world with love and compassion. It's being confident in who you are and carrying that swagger in your daily life. You love everyone around you. That's what being a 'Big Boy' means to me,” Raehwan answered truthfully.
“I love that,” Wumuti flicked his hand at Raehwan. “I was watching your music videos, and I noticed 'Big Boy' felt like a continuation almost from 'Eye Candy'. Both music videos have an American High School theme that reminds me of movies like 'High School Musical', 'Dirty Dancing', and 'Grease'. What drew you to use this aesthetic for these music videos?”
“Oh, I love that question,” Raehwan replied as he thought about his answer. “I think I had always been drawn to that culture even if I never lived in it or grew up in it. A major theme of both 'High School Musical' and 'Grease' is about coming together. In High School Musical, the jock, Troy, goes on to star in a musical and proves that you can do both. Being into music is for everyone; it doesn't matter what your background is. So from those musicals, I got inspiration for Eye Candy to portray a jock who knows how good he looks, and that music video was one of my first solo music videos to go viral. In fact, it's still my most watched music video to date.”
“No wonder you continued it,” Wumuti joked. Raehwan smiled and giggled.
“Right, anything to keep the viral train going, you know?” Raehwan took a deep breath and calmed down. “But it really was great to see the reception to 'Eye Candy'. It was really my first time referencing bisexuality loosely, and to see it getting so much love made me so happy. I hope I can continue to show support to the LGBTQ+ community.”
“Personally, I think the 'Eye Candy' music video was pretty blunt with symbolism. It was hard not to notice all of the phallic items like the suckers and bananas. It was really obvious that not only were the girls eating the bananas, but the men were sucking on suckers too. I was reading you even directed the music video yourself,” Wumuti looked at Raehwan to answer.
“I did. As I said, I wear many hats at WayBetter,” Raehwan confirmed. “Being able to express my art completely and own it has been the greatest blessing of going independent. Under a traditional K-pop label, never in a million years would they have let me make a music video like 'Eye Candy' or 'Big Boy'. It would've been seen as too provocative, too lustful, and too mature. I don't have to beat around the bush with my music. I can clearly express how I truly feel.”
“Having that much freedom does come with a lot of responsibility, but you have seemed to have handled it really well,” Wumuti complimented him. “But indeed, from a music video perspective, 'Eye Candy' walked so 'Big Boy' could run in terms of how bisexuality is referenced. From using more symbols in 'Eye Candy' to now having actors openly kiss you in the music video 'Big Boy' was a big jump. Was this mostly for shock value or were there other reasons behind this decision?”
“A little shock value certainly doesn't hurt,” Raehwan started lightheartedly. “But I didn't make this album explicitly for controversy. I wanted to show the world who I was, and the world will have to deal with it. They can't knock me out. If anyone was dense with 'Eye Candy', I made sure to make it very clear with 'Big Boy'. In this household, everyone is hot, and I love all of my fans who are attracted to me. I'm here to sell a product; that product is me, and I don't care who buys it.”
“Period,” Wumuti clicked his nails. “I saw in your music video that Hong Seokcheon makes a guest appearance as a teacher that reminded me of 'Mean Girls'. How did you get him to agree to come star in your music video?”
“I actually met him recently. He knew how I referenced both boys and girls admiring my 'eye candy' in 'Eye Candy'. He was happy with the representation that both I and Hello Gloom, my co-CEO, have done. Hello Gloom has used drag queens in his music videos before. He let me know if he could help out; he wanted to, so when the time came to film the 'Big Boy' music video, I reached out to him naturally like that.”
“He's so nice, isn't he?” Wumuti sidestepped. “Rui and Hyun could not stop complimenting him after they went on his show, Jewel Box. I'm glad you had an opportunity to work with him. He's always been so supportive of our music.”
“I hope I can go on that show one day,” Raehwan wished.
“With 'Big Boy', you pushed the limits of what inclusivity could look like in the K-pop sphere. What does allyship look like to you?” Wumuti paused.
“I hope through this music video, I'm more than just an ally. I want to be a safe space for all of my fans who can find comfort in my music. I want them to feel that they are included and seen as attractive no matter where they are in life. I think K-pop has a long way to go to be truly inclusive, but I hope I am pushing the envelope for more inclusivity and diversity. No one should have to feel different for who they love and how they see their gender. I think it is always important to keep learning and growing. When people point out what you did wrong, reach out to them to understand where they are coming from. I think that is also a crucial point of being an ally with any community: to be in communication with them to make sure you're not misrepresenting them or stereotyping them in any way.”
“Even with our genderless concept, I am still learning too on how to be a better voice for the community as well. I want to make sure all of my fans feel safe with me too,” Wumuti added. “When examining the 'Rated R' album, there is a clear narrative across the songs about taking online criticism and learning to rise above it. Where did you come up with the idea to take the online criticism thrown at you and turn it back to your listeners in your first skit?”
“I mean, honestly....the haters were so creative. It was hard to pass up on good material to make for killer lines.” Wumuti laughed at his remarks. “I was just so amused with the comments that were coming out about me due to the rise of 'Eye Candy'. All I could do was laugh at them and use them as source material for future work. Haters keep me in the game.”
“Speaking of the album, the story played out in the album talks about an artist who dances with a girl at the club and then over the night, he and the girl sleep together, which leads to a scandal. What attracted you to using this type of story to tell the message you wanted to tell?” Raehwan remained calm even with the deeper questions.
“I think people are just naturally drawn to a scandal. It doesn't matter what culture you come from. Everyone loves a story where a little mischief plays out. Though what is considered mischief can vary from culture to culture. I felt it served a great background to my ultimate story of rising above the haters and being a 'Big Boy'. It's important to be proud of who you are and carry your swag like you run the place.” Wumuti clicked her nails in approval.
“Honestly, that is a great message to leave on. Any last things you want to say or ask before we wrap it up?” Wumuti asked Raehwan.
“It was such a great time to be here. I loved the artistic questions. Thank you so much for having me and letting me share my creative process. If you ever want to learn how to direct your own music videos and own your artistry, don't hesitate to reach out, Wumuti.” Raehwan concluded. Wumuti smiled nervously. Wumuti felt the last sentence could not be included in the official podcast, but he will always keep it to himself.
“Thank you so much for the kind offer, from20 sunbaenim. That's all the time we have for today. Thank you so much, EVOLs and our other loyal listeners for tuning in every month to 'Tea Time With Wumuti'. Without your support, we would never be able to bring in these artists and hear their stories. We'll see you next time!” Wumuti and Raehwan waved to the cameras. Wumuti then got up and turned off the camera. Wumuti went to sit back down and relaxed into his chair.
“Thank you again for coming, Raehwan sunbaenim,” Wumuti told him. “I think we taped a great podcast episode today. I hope you feel good about the episode too.”
“Yeah, thanks for having me. You are a great interviewer,” Raehwan cheered him on.
“Oh, thank you. I try my best. I always try to ask questions that I would want to be asked. I love asking how art is created and its meaning. Those are the interviews which excite me the most,” Wumuti admitted.
“I appreciate you coming up with such thoughtful questions. I feel like sometimes people write off an artist as simple without digging deeper into the lyrics and visuals. It's nice when someone wants to dig deeper and appreciate the thought I put into what I do,” Both of them rose from their seats. They shook hands and left the podcast studio. They walked to the entrance of Wumuti's label.
“Let's work together again when we have the chance,” Raehwan told Wumuti.
“Absolutely, I'll be sure to keep in touch. I would love to talk to you more about how you manage to run your label. I'm really curious about that,” Wumuti offered.
“Anytime, just reach out,” Raehwan told him. They got to the entrance, and Wumuti opened the door for Raehwan. “I'll see you around, “ Raehwan waved as he headed off to his next stop. Raehwan saw Wumuti wave back at him. It was a wonderful feeling that his music was reaching more and more people. Raehwan left the interview in a good mood.