[Exclusive Interview]: ALL’N Talks New Single, Musical Influences, Life Advice and More

Photo: SKS Entertainment

Soloist ALL’N recently made his long-awaited return with his new single “Dream Higher.” For those unfamiliar, ALL’N debuted in 2018 with boy group Highting before going solo, where he made a DJ debut under the stage name ADAMII. With this official return in 2026, he sat down with The Kraze to discuss his return, the mind behind the new track, and more in an exclusive interview.

Q: 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: I’m ALL’N, a Korean American violin-driven K-Pop solo artist and also the founder and CEO of SKS Entertainment. I started playing violin when I was nine and originally grew up in a very classical music world, but over the years I went through idol training in China, producing, performing as a violin-driven DJ, and eventually came back to K-Pop by building my own company and debuting under it. The easiest way to describe what I’m trying to do now is violin-driven K-Pop. I sing, rap, dance, produce, and I want the violin to be the thread that connects everything I release, even if the genre changes every time.

Q: This new single “Dream Higher” marks your comeback, can you tell us a bit more in depth the meaning of this track and what you want to convey with it?

A: “Dream Higher” is probably the most personal song I’ve released so far. It tells the story of what happened between the dream I had when I was younger and finally being able to stand on a K-Pop stage years later. There were periods where my career completely changed because of things outside of my control, and I had to start over without really knowing if I would ever make it back. That’s where lines like “Lonely nights, long hours, no lights, just faith” came from. I didn’t want the song to sound like I was saying, “I made it.” It’s more like, “I’m still going.” I hope someone who is in a difficult chapter of their own life hears it and remembers that their current situation does not have to be the final version of their life.

Q: Can you tell us more about the decision behind the visual imagery used in the music video and what it’s meant to portray?

A: A lot of the visuals were built around the contrast between struggle and hope. The rain and water represent those periods where everything feels heavy and you’re just trying to keep moving, while the changes between darkness and light represent those moments when hope starts coming back. There are also a lot of scenes where I’m physically exhausted, falling, getting back up, or just alone in the frame. That was intentional because this was my first music video where I really wanted to carry the performance without relying on dancers. It was just me, the violin, and the story. I also ended up breaking my nose while filming, which was definitely not planned, but strangely it became one of the most accurate representations of what the song is about.

Q: How would you describe the music that you typically create?

A: I don’t really want to lock myself into one genre. A lot of artists have a very specific sonic lane, but I think for me the violin is the lane. I want to prove that the violin can exist naturally in different types of K-Pop, whether that is R&B, electronic music, hip-hop, rock-inspired production, something cinematic, or even a really fun dance song. “We Up” was more of a statement that this violin K-Pop guy exists. “Dream Higher” was much more emotional and cinematic. The songs I’m working on now are already going in completely different directions. That freedom is one of the most exciting parts for me.

Q: Who are your biggest musical influences?

A: My influences are kind of all over the place because my background is all over the place too. Classical violin obviously shaped the way I understand melody, dynamics, and emotion. Then I fell in love with K-Pop, R&B, hip-hop, and electronic music, and later I was producing music for festival-style performances myself. I also really admire artists who can do many things at a high level instead of only being known for one skill. Someone like Jungkook [of BTS] inspires me because of how complete he is as a performer, and Henry Lau [formerly of Super Junior-M] inspired me a lot when I was younger because he showed that an instrumentalist could exist naturally in pop and performance. I think all of those influences eventually get filtered through my own experiences.

Q: How do you define success and what has been your biggest accomplishment so far?

A: I think success changes as you grow. At one point, success for me was just getting another chance to make music. Then it became finding a way to debut. Now that I’ve done that, the goal has already moved again. I don’t think I’ll ever be the type of person who reaches one milestone and feels finished. My biggest accomplishment so far is probably building SKS Entertainment from nothing and then eventually walking onto stages like Music Bank and M!COUNTDOWN as an artist under the company I created. There was a period where I didn’t even know if I would ever return to K-Pop, so that moment meant a lot more to me than just performing on television.

Q: Has there been a particular moment as an artist that you’re most proud of?

A: I’m very proud of “Dream Higher” because I had to become much more involved than I expected. I co-directed parts of the music video and ended up editing the entire thing myself because I had such a specific idea of how I wanted the emotion of the song to come across. It was also my first solo music video where I was really carrying everything on camera without dancers. I learned an unbelievable amount through the process, and there were definitely moments where I questioned whether I had taken on too much. But when I started reading comments from people saying the video made them emotional or reminded them not to give up, that made all of it worth it.

Q: Do you have any advice for those who are passionate about music and wanting to pursue a career in it?

A: Focus as much as possible on the things you can control. It’s very easy to look at major artists and compare your beginning to someone else’s chapter twenty. At that level, there can be hundreds or even thousands of people helping make everything happen, but nobody starts there. Take baby steps. Learn one skill at a time. Get better at your craft, but also learn the business around your craft because unfortunately talent alone does not bring an idea to life. Learn how production works, how marketing works, how money works, how to build relationships, and how to work with people. There will always be luck, timing, algorithms, and opportunities you cannot control. I think the best thing you can do is prepare yourself so well that when one of those opportunities finally appears, you are ready for it.

Q: Do you have a life philosophy? If yes, what is it? If not, what do you think is a good one for you?

A: I think my philosophy is basically to go all in on the things I can control and try not to destroy myself worrying about the things I can’t. That’s actually part of why the name ALL’N means so much to me. I don’t really know how to chase something halfway. Of course, I’m still learning balance because sometimes that mentality can also make it difficult for me to stop working. But I would rather look back knowing I genuinely gave everything I could than spend the rest of my life wondering what would have happened if I had tried harder.

Q: Last question, is there anything specific you’d like to share with your fans and our readers?

A: First, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to discover me, especially because this is still such an early stage of the journey. And to N’CORE, thank you for believing in something that is still being built in real time. Every comment, stream, share, playlist add, and message genuinely helps more than people probably realize. I still have so much I want to improve as a singer, performer, producer, violinist, and even as a CEO, so I hope people can enjoy watching that growth happen instead of only seeing the finished result. I’m going to keep trying different things, making better music, and hopefully giving you a lot of reasons to be proud that you were here early.

Thank you again to ALL’N for taking the time to speak with us! Check out the music video for his new single below.