Jay Park has never played by the industry’s rules.
Whether he’s headlining global festivals, founding groundbreaking some of South Korea’s leading hip-hop labels, or releasing the viral hits, the multi-hyphenate has carved out a lane that’s entirely his own. With a career that spans over a decade — from a hitmaker to a trailblazer for Asian hip-hop in the international scene — Park has consistently defied expectations.
Even with an impressive list of accomplishments already under his belt, he has eyes set on doing so much more. From launching a global tour to producing a new idol group, it’s clear that he’s far from slowing down. Ahead of his Manila concert last June, presented by Live Nation Philippines, Billboard Philippines caught up with Jay Park to talk about his artistic evolution, his label MORE VISION, and his return to Manila.
Billboard Philippines: This is your first time back in Manila after six years, and in that time, your Filipino fanbase has only grown stronger. What is it like receiving so much support from this side of the world?
Jay Park: I’m very appreciative, very, very appreciative. And you know, sorry, it took me so long to come back.
How has the preparation for this tour been different from your previous ones? How do you mentally and physically prepare yourself for a tour of this scale?
I’m a little bit older, but also I’m more seasoned. I have more experience. I have more catalog. I have six years [worth] of music, and [I’ve been] going all around and performing it everywhere at festivals. I think I’m much more polished on stage now, and I think I could put on a much better show than six years ago. I don’t tour that often, but when I do do something, I do put my best effort into it, and so hopefully, you guys can see that.
There’s no denying how impressive your career has been, from being an artist to starting several business ventures — and we’re sure you’re nowhere near done. In your own words, how would you describe this era of Jay Park?
I don’t know… It’s weird because I feel like I need to start taking a step back and you know, let other people [take over]. But the more I do that, the more people want me to be me, an artist, to be Jay Park on stage. They want the “MOMMAE” thing with the shirt off, and all that.
I think for me, personally, we’re producing groups, idol groups at MORE VISION, and so I’m very excited for that. [I just want] to contribute something different and new to the Korean music scene, as I always do.
Through the years, you’ve released a myriad of albums and worked on so many singles and collaborations. Which song or album would you say defines your evolution as an artist the most?
Probably the most recent album, THE ONE YOU WANTED. It wasn’t the most commercially successful, numbers wise, but it’s just a good body of work that I feel like is high quality — from the lyrics and the mixing and the master, the beat production and my vocal delivery and also the features that we have on there as well. I think it’s a good body of work where really you could see just who I am as an artist.
You’ve accomplished so much already, but what’s still on your bucket list in terms of career goals or personal milestones?
For me, it’s just to debut these groups and then [for myself], just kind of coast and do what I feel like doing.
Listen to Jay Park’s THE ONE YOU WANTED here.