"We get to do what we want to do," from20 and HELLO GLOOM dish on 2023 singles, building their own company, and more

THE FAKER CLUB, comprising artists with multifaceted talents: from20, a singer-songwriter and video director, and HELLO GLOOM, an artist and producer, is a collective of artists bringing together individuals from fields like music, fashion, and video production.

Coming from K-Pop companies, from20 and HELLO GLOOM decided to build their own company based on their past experiences as there were limitations that prevented them from doing their work freely. With this, the aim of THE FAKER CLUB is to generate creative output without any restrictions or boundaries.

Taking inspiration from their experiences as both creatives and idols, from20 and HELLO GLOOM have a shared ambition to showcase their artistic talents while establishing connections and communicating directly with their fans, taking the lead in producing their music, from writing the lyrics and directing their music videos.

"Bad Revenge" is from20's first single of 2023, and it's a retro synth-pop song with an intense pop sound, serving as the final track of the 'Revenge' trilogy which comprises two other singles — "WEOL" and "Chemical," both released last year. The song inspired by from20's own experiences, includes the lyrics meaning, "I feel blessed being ableto fill up my discographywith great tracks," which the artist wrote after breaking up with his ex-girlfriend.

On July 21, from20 just released his newest single, titled "Beat It." It is a disco/retro synth-pop song that showcases the artist’s strong spirit and sexiness, focusing on the fortitude he has acquired while working as an idol, independent musician, and a record label owner in the South Korean music industry for more than a decade.

HELLO GLOOM's latest release, "EYES ON ME," focuses more on house music, with the artist offering a new take on the genre. The song intends to evoke the atmosphere of a cool summer day and convey HELLO GLOOM's dreamy and sexy sensibility. 

THE FAKER CLUB members talked to allkpop about their 2023 releases, their experiences being in the industry for several years, and much more.

allkpop: Tell us more about THE FAKER CLUB. How would you introduce yourselves and describe yourselves to someone who hasn't heard it before? What is it that inspired you to form THE FAKER CLUB?

HELLO GLOOM: It's a label that does the most trendy music genres in South Korea currently. Our group has come to this world with our hopes and dreams.

allkpop: You joined forces to create a company, and it's been 2 years. How was the experience, and what factors motivated you to take on this opportunity? Could you share with us your feelings on this journey and about the company's growth so far, successfully releasing several projects?

from20: Our experience forming a company is really hard. There are a lot of hardships along the way. We're enjoying it more now because we get to do what we want to do as independent artists. What really motivated us to create our own company is our past experiences from our previous company, the K-pop company that kind of restrained us from doing whatever we wanted.

HELLO GLOOM: The first year we started our company, we really didn't know what to do basically because we didn't know anything. It was just pure passion. However, every year, we attract more fans for THE FAKER FLUB. People are starting to get to know what kind of message we want to convey through our music. That motivates us to keep moving. At first, we had doubts about our path to creating our own company, in going independent. But now, we are certain that this is the right way.

allkpop: Could you share with us the inspiration and concept behind from20's "Bad Revenge" and HELLO GLOOM's "EYES ON ME"?

from20: "Bad Revenge" is a fast retro/disco genre song. You will be able to see a more strong, powerful, and kind of spicy side of me. I have the ambition to become the hottest artist in the K-Pop scene, so I really tried hard to express my urges.

HELLO GLOOM: Through the song "EYES ON ME," I wanted to show and make a sound I haven't heard in a normal K-Pop song, so I chose a house genre, and I really researched it hard. The concept of the music video and the song itself shows my characteristics between being a youthful boy and being a sexy man. I wanted to show those sides of me. The message I want to convey through the song is that youth is beautiful. 

allkpop: We're wondering how the creative process for these songs went. Did you try anything new or different while making these tracks? How did you make sure that these songs matched with something that filled your expectations?

from20: I think that my song, "Bad Revenge," is a song that went through the most adjustments among all of my songs. I really tried hard to get the best possible results. So I'm really satisfied with my current work.

HELLO GLOOM: While working on my single "EYES ON ME," I did a lot of research, and experimented a lot on the sounds of the instruments. I also wanted to pursue the essence of the sound and melody rather than just imitating the most popular genres or instruments. I tried my best to come up with the most original sound and melody.

allkpop: As a songwriter, producer, and video director, what do you believe are the key elements for creating a song that resonates with the general public? What considerations do you take into account before releasing a new track?

HELLO GLOOM: The key element for creating music that people want is delivering the message that we want to convey through the melodies and instruments that the audience likes. So we try to write the messages and lyrics more from the artist's perspective. However, for the melodies and instruments, we focus more on the audience's perspective. Visually, we still need to have eye-opening or attention-drawing features and visuals so we put a lot of stimulating factors within our visuals. Melody-wise, we try not to make it so difficult since that is what the audience wants. We just want to give joy and create easy-listening music for the audience.

allkpop: For HELLO GLOOM, it's been over 7 years since you made your first appearance in the music industry. 6 years later, you made your solo debut with the EP 'Because I Was A Young Boy,' under THE FAKER CLUB. What steps have you taken to develop your work and improve yourself as a singer?

HELLO GLOOM: What I do to develop more as an artist and develop my music is just to stay in my studio, brainstorm, and do a lot of research about the sound and melody. I do that repeatedly every time I go to my studio. I believe that that development is what makes a perfect result possible out of brainstorming. I really try to perfect whatever comes into my mind.

allkpop: For from20, you've been on the scene for more than a decade now! For you, what has been the most rewarding aspect of your career so far? Has there been a significant realization you've gained, either about yourself or the industry, along the way?

from20: The reason why I'm so proud of myself is the fact that I stayed in this music industry for over 10 years. I'm so proud of myself for staying that long. The thing that I've learned during the process, during the 10 years is to always stay near people who are younger than you to get that young energy and young vibes. And that's why I chose HELLO GLOOM as my partner.

allkpop: Are there any artists on your list, whether within or outside of the K-Pop industry, whom you would love to collaborate with in the future?

HELLO GLOOM: I want to collaborate with various DJs from abroad such as Skrillex, DJ Snake, and Sera because I have been inspired and affected by their music genres, so I want to meet them in person.

from20: I want to collaborate with Sunmi and have a duet with her!

allkpop: Looking ahead to the future, do you have any specific goals, either related to music or your personal life, that you would like to achieve this year? Are there any long-term goals that you're currently working on right now?

from20: The goal I have long-term and short-term is to work out hard and become the hot, sexy icon in the K-Pop industry.

HELLO GLOOM: My goal for this year is to be able to perform our music to a lot of our fans from abroad, for our international fans. I would like to go on a tour as THE FAKER CLUB. In the long-term, just like climbing the mountain: it's important to reach the top, but it's also important to just enjoy the view. I want to reach the top while having fun and keeping all the important people around me.

allkpop: Please leave a message to everyone reading this article as well as to your fans!

HELLO GLOOM and from20: We want to thank all the allkpop readers who read our interview! We want to emphasize that HELLO GLOOM and from20 are very talented people. We are doing our best to give great performances, so please give your love and support! I love you, our fans!