Bumzu Talks About The “Pressure” in the K-Pop Industry

Bumzu, best known for producing singles for SEVENTEEN and BTS, has spoken out against the “pressure” of working in the K-pop industry.

Bumzu discussed working on songs for some of K- pop’s most prominent performers, including BTS’s Jin (on ‘Super Tuna,’) SEVENTEEN, NU’EST, and others, in a new interview with The Guardian, and how his line of work can be particularly demanding.

“Frankly, I feel a lot of pressure. There are many times when that pressure gnaws away at me,” he admitted, however adds that this emotion allowed him to grow as a songwriter over the years. “But it’s also true that this feeling drives me to become stronger again.”

Despite the pressure, the producer ascribed his success to a dependable support system of fellow musicians. “We live in an era of collaboration and open communication, and nobody can accomplish everything or shine alone,” he added. “I have a team to strengthen my expertise, and I always consult professionals in other areas.”

During the interview, he mentioned SEVENTEEN’s Woozi and Hoshi as collaborators, the former of whom he regarded as “a very talented artist and songwriter”. He also said that the pair often “share ideas, discuss a lot and complement each other’s techniques” whenever they work on new content together.

He also elaborated on how he collaborates with Hoshi, who frequently choreographs for the boyband, on dance routines. “I once asked SEVENTEEN member Hoshi to think of the choreography first. We then worked on the rhythm from it and then the melody after that,” he stated, before adding that he and the band “don’t have a fixed order” when it comes to working on new songs and projects.

In other SEVENTEEN news, Charli XCX teased a new remix of ‘Beg For You,’ which will feature Vernon. Rina Sawayama, as well as PC Music’s head and producer A.G. Cook, are expected to join the duet on vocals.

—Aditi Manjunath