K-pop artist and member of boy group GOT7, Kim Yugyeom, said a lot has changed in the K-pop industry in an artist spotlight talk at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The event was co-hosted by Billboard Korea, Annenberg and the Korean Studies Institute.

When he first promoted his work, he would have had photos of himself printed in newspapers. Now, he has to make, at most, five TikToks a day to promote his album, he said. 

“There are so many [TikTok] challenges that I feel like my life is a challenge,” Kim jokingly said. 

Kim is currently on his solo North America tour entitled “TRUSTY,” where he is promoting his latest single “Sweet Like” alongside the rest of his discography. In the talk, he discussed his transition from Jin Young Park Entertainment, where he debuted with GOT7, to signing with hip-hop-centric label Above Ordinary Music Group as a solo artist. 

Akpezi Ogbaudu, a sophomore majoring in law, history and culture, said she liked how USC was able to bring in guest speakers who are actually relevant to the student body. 

“I really appreciated the fact that they did bring an artist from a different country, who participated in a different industry, as soon as it was interesting to get to those perspectives,” said Leila Clinton, a freshman majoring in astronautical engineering.

While Kim still loves and still is performing with GOT7, he said it is natural for artists to want to pursue solo careers, citing Michael Jackson leaving The Jackson 5 and Beyoncé leaving Destiny’s Child. Rewatching his solo performances, however, he said he is still amazed seeing himself sing on his own stage. 

He said he believes people should grow in their careers as they age to keep up with the many “shining” newcomers.

“I was also the youngest among [my group] and so I felt like I had to prove myself here as well, because also I’m older, I wanted to show that I have grown and can grow,” Kim said. “[My solo career] is the first time in six years that I’m performing and doing all of this stuff. I felt like this was the time to prove myself.”

Kim said when he first signed under AOMG, he felt like a trainee again, with how often his work was critiqued. Now, he realizes how lucky he is to have the opportunity to improve.

Kim said his songwriting inspiration comes from his travels, where he has no connection to the internet and is stuck with his thoughts. While on planes, he can make songs about anything that crosses his mind — from mundane things like how nice the weather is, to more difficult memories like his time growing up financially unstable. 

While he has been songwriting since his time with GOT7, Kim said it was his time as a solo artist that taught him to produce songs under pressure. Because he is now on his own, he said he has no one else to rely on to help him in his career. 

“When it comes to growth, when I think of my ideal future self, I think I’m around 75% there right now,” Kim said. “There are a lot of famous artists. I’m not as famous, but I’m really proud of how I’ve come to be where I am right now.” 

He described his solo songs as reliant on “808 beats” — strong percussion usually used in hip-hop — to make “powerful” songs rather than the “easy-listening” tracks produced with GOT7. In choosing what songs to produce, Kim said he is now able to think of his career as a whole, instead of focusing on what songs would be good for other members to sing. 

“When I was living in the GOT7 dorm … we would put on the song, “The Truth Is” by Jay Park. And this [would] almost be like a lullaby to us, because we would listen to it every night,” Kim said. “I would imagine that I want to be amongst these artists, on stage with them … I practiced so hard again and again, and now I’m kind of here, and kind of manifested it.”

During the coronavirus pandemic, Kim said he did not have as many opportunities to perform, and worried about how much money he was losing for his family. When he realized how much time he wasted worrying, he decided to use the time to practice his craft once more. He said it was his choreography during the pandemic that got him into AOMG.

“Just know that if you give your 200% to everything, even if you fail, you will end up not regretting it,” Kim said.