Getting to Know KIGGEN
Surely, you must have heard of the iconic “Oh Little Girl” or “U GOT IT” before. Doesn’t ring a bell? Aside from being known as one of the songwriters of Produce 101 Season 2 and Season 4, KIGGEN first made his appearance in the music scene as the leader of K-Pop group PHANTOM. Now, diving into his career as a producer, the artist has brought about some of the greatest hit tracks to the world. The Kraze got a special opportunity to have a quick talk with the rising songwriter about the behind-the-scenes of a music producer’s life.
Q1: For our readers who are getting the chance to know you for the first time, can you please give a little introduction about yourself?
A: My name is KIGGEN, and I’m a K-Pop producer. I’ve made a lot of your favorite idols’ songs such as TWICE, WANNA ONE, NU’EST, MXM, Chungha, and more. I’ve made a lot of songs to the point where I can’t remember all of them. Currently, I am working my best as a K-Pop artist and producer.
Q2: What made you decide to go into music and producing?
A: I’ve loved music since I was young. At a young age, my family forced me to play the piano, and I really didn’t like it. I learned how to play Chopin and Beethoven on the classic piano, but it was so boring. Instead, I played K-Pop songs, and it was so much fun. By [playing K-Pop songs], my love for music grew and, somehow, I ended up pursuing it.
Q3: So far, you’ve worked with a lot of artists during your music career. Do you have any favorite groups to work with?
A: I’ve worked with some great people. First, I really like NU’EST, and I’ve worked on some songs with them. For idols, I first send a demo and if they like the song, they practice it and come [to meet me]. We then meet at a recording studio, have a recording session, and the song is later released to the world. But there are a lot of artists who show up to the studio without practicing the song. Then, the song wouldn’t come out as good as the demo. Also, I wouldn’t be in a good mood because I worked hard on producing the track, but they didn’t put in much effort to practice it. But NU’EST really gives their best when practicing and understands the song well. As a result, the recording turns out nice and they’re really good, so I really like the group.
Q4: What is the creative process in terms of producing a song? Where do you get your inspiration?
A: I’m continuously getting inspired even at this moment. We met each other for the first time today and as I’m doing this interview with you, I’m thinking of new things. When I came here, I rode a taxi and in there, new ideas popped into my head. I’m not the type to try hard to make a song, but things don’t work out when I’m just sitting at home. So I think I tend to get the energy to produce songs when I watch or listen to something.
Q5: How long does it usually take for you to create a song?
A: I think it depends on the artist I make the song for. For artists who have many members, there are times when it takes longer because there’s more to calculate. For solo artists or groups with less members, it takes less time. I’m usually fast at making ballads, but dance genre songs take some time. Actually, I don’t think the number of members in a team matter; it depends on what type of music I’m requested to make. Also, it may take longer if I’m asked to make a bright and hype song when I’m kind of down. There’s a song of mine called “Oh Little Girl,” and I made that song pretty quickly because I was in a good mood when I was producing it.
Q6: After you spend time working on songs with artists, how does it feel to see your music come to life when you see the concept of the album and/or music video?
A: Even though there’s a lot of great music from other countries, I really think K-Pop is an outstanding genre. Honestly, you can only listen to the music I make with your ears, but when it becomes a music video and is released on platforms like YouTube, it’s very hard to explain the feeling I get. Like “Wow, I didn’t make a great song like this,” but the song sounds so great and often sounds very cool. Surely, there’s a lot of good songs that are not title tracks and don’t have a music video, but the power of music videos is very big. I feel weird like, “Wow.”
Q7: Was there a music video in particular that left a strong impression?
A: Oh, there’s a lot. Hm, which song should I think of… Out of the songs I recently produced, there’s an artist named Jeong Sewoon. I made a track for him titled “Baby It’s You,” and he filmed his music video in Hawaii or some island. That track includes guitar strums and has a very summer song vibe. He really understood the [concept] well and filmed it at a really cool island, and when I saw the music video, it was really cool.
Q8: What are you thoughts on KCON and being here to experience a convention all dedicated to K-Pop?
A: What should I say... I didn’t know that there was a really big event like this here. I’ve been doing music for a very long time and I’m pretty old, so when I first started doing music, no one was really interested in K-Pop except for Japan and China. But now, there are a lot of people other than Asians visiting [KCON] because of their love for K-Pop. Earlier today, I participated in a conference-like event, and many foreigners asked me a lot of questions which made me think that KCON is very global and not just a Korean festival. A Korean company, Mnet, started KCON, but it’s not just a festival for Korea, and I felt that KCON is spreading its positive vibe on a global scale.
Q9: What was your experience like working on Produce 101?
A: I think Produce 101 is a very good program. It’s so fun, and when I’m watching it for 2 hours a week, I get into it because it’s so entertaining. I think I was super lucky to be a part of such a fun and positive program twice. When you watch the program, it also gives off a very good vibe. Korea especially has very intense competition not only in music, but in every aspect. It’s very dreary because one starts competing at a young age, but Produce 101 is doing a very good competition. The producers join after the program starts and make the songs. But when I was first asked to participate in Produce 101 Season 2, I thought in the car that the atmosphere would be really unpleasant on my way. Even though 7 trainees sing that one song “Oh Little Girl,” only 2 or 3 of them make it to the semi-finals. So I thought they would argue about line distributions or fight for the chorus part, but everyone was very supportive of each other despite participating in a competition. That made me feel that there are positive competitions in the world, and many people really liked the song after it was released which I am very thankful for.
Q10: Is there a particular favorite among the songs you produced for the program?
A: I like “U GOT IT,” but I’m really attached to “Oh Little Girl.” First of all, I received a lot of love through that song and many people, along with Mnet, contacted me for requests to make good tracks like that. And as I mentioned before, there’s a lot going on in the process of a song from its demo stage to its final release, and I think the song came out nicely. I’m glad that the song came out better than the demo.
Q11: For the aspiring musicians and producers out there, what is some advice that you can give to those who are wanting to pursue a career in this field?
A: Well, I’m not sure if I’m living life correctly, so I don’t know if I should be giving advice. But as I mentioned earlier, it’s difficult to write a hit song or become a good artist if you’re constantly competing because everyone is doing that. So it’s important to have a positive attitude everyday and think like, “Today was a fun day,” or, “Even if this song doesn’t top the charts, I tried hard and it was fun.” It’s hard to live in this world if you only think about the results. Just enjoy every moment!
On behalf of The Kraze, thank you to KIGGEN for giving us an amazing opportunity to explore the life of a K-Pop music producer. Make sure to keep up with his new releases in the future!