Behind the Scenes with Zamgolbers
The group’s producer, Jeong Ilho, describes his deep passion for musical storytelling.
Please introduce Zamgolbers and share what traits or skills each member adds to the group!
Hello, I'm Jeong Ilho, the producer of Zamgolbers. Zamgolbers consists of four male artists: Ahn Junheon, who has a husky voice, Jung Yoon Seop, who is in charge of vocal techniques, Kim Yong, the pillar of the team, and [me].
For those who have not heard your music before, how would you describe it to them? How would you finish the sentence “Zamgolbers is ___” or “Zamgolbers’ music is ___”?
“Zamgolbers is healing,” “As a YouTube creator, Zamgolbers provides fun with various artists and music,” and “Zamgolbers’ music contains deep messages.”
How has Zamgolbers changed over the years?
Zamgolbers [was] started by Ahn Junheon in 2018. Thinking he needed a team as he grew his YouTube channel, he started to gather members who each had their own abilities. Over time, I began to feel the need for [releasing more original] music and started making albums. I made various attempts to melt [different] voices into one piece of music. Over time, Zamgolbers divided roles: [I] completely focus on Zamgolbers' music, [and the others focus on] YouTube. In a way, Zamgolbers can be viewed as a YouTube channel name, artist name, and team name.
Please describe your newest single, “Flower Seed”!
“Flower Seed” contains a message in the rock band sound that says, “We can all bloom like pretty flowers.” Life is not easy, come to think of it. We live by facing various events and unexpected accidents. I saw a dandelion flower blooming on the rooftop [and thought,] “That flower [came] from somewhere… We must have all started [as] the seeds of flowers!” I wanted to give a message of hope to all the flower seeds.
Please talk about each of these songs:
“The first farewell”: It's my personal favorite. Human beings go through [all kinds of] farewells. When a dog that I raised for a long time dies, when I lose my favorite doll… I wanted to capture in music the original image of when human beings first encounter the feeling of “farewell.”
“All is well”: Korean society can't afford it. Busy studying, busy finding a job, busy getting married, [too] busy to live. So many people are getting tired. I just wanted to say, “You're doing great.”
“Lalala”: On a weekend morning, I imagined a fairy with wings flying through the window and grabbing me by the wrists: “Come on out. Let's go!” How exciting [would] a trip like that be? How happy [would it be to get] away from daily routine? Traveling takes time and money, so courage is needed to go on a trip. I wanted to convey the courage to go on a trip to people.
“bring you happiness”: Zamgolbers are YouTube creators and artists, Zamgolbers’s videos bring laughter and fun to many people, and Zamgolbers conveys various emotions to many people through music. What is the ultimate goal of all this? It is to lead you to happiness. That is what we are doing in many ways. So we wanted to tell our fans, “Zamgolbers will bring you happiness.”
Do you ever have creative disagreements? If so, how do you handle them?
We've been together for too long. That's why I can tell what [they’re] thinking just by looking [into their] eyes. And we respect and understand each other; we make decisions by having enough conversations [with a] mediator at the center - that's me. I think [I was] born with this ability. I deal with issues so coldly that people around me are afraid.
What are some of the proudest moments of your career so far?
It is good when I make a lot of money. Of course, it is also good when many people listen to my music. But the best is when I hold a concert. I am most proud of the moments when I see fans who cheer for me offline. I am really happy to see music that I make in the corner of my room actually [be sung] along to in front of my eyes.
What is next for Zamgolbers?
[We] aim to reach one million [YouTube subscribers]. I thought 100,000 would be great, 200,000 would be the best… And now I think I have to hit one million. And Zamgolbers' music has a lot of work to do. I'm going to make many albums and [have many] concerts. My goal is to get more people to listen to Zamgolbers' music.
What are your longer-term career goals?
Many people love my music. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. In fact, [that is] enough. But I always have a goal in my heart: [become] Korea's Number 1 Billboard Artist. Now, raising my daughter, I spend a little less time on music, but I live thinking about becoming the best one day.
Lastly, is there anything else you want to say about yourself or your music?
I love music so much. As an engineering student, I dropped out of college and started studying music just because I wanted to do music. More than ten years have passed. My [love of] music is that desperate. I plan to make good music for the rest of my life. There are so many messages I want to express in music, so I plan to make them one by one. I make music with delicate emotions and techniques, [and] I hope you listen to my music a lot.
Check out Zamgolbers’ newest single here!
Answers have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. Photos courtesy of Zamgolbers.