In the world of pop and R&B, you'll find Justin Park charging his way to the forefront.
Justin Park debuted in 2017 and is already making waves in the music industry.
From his stint as Jay Park's teammate on Show Me the Money all the way to his recent hit song, "Gold Rocky", this Korean-American music maven is busy blazing a trail to the top.
Aside from crooning with the power of his glossy vocals, Justin Park has written songs for bands like B.A.P. and gained recognition from industry powerhouses like BTS' Jungkook.
PopMachine had the chance to chat with Justin Park to know more about bis recent L.A. show, upcoming music, and what his weapon of choice would be in case of a zombie attack.
All in all, Justin's talent is out of the ballpark.
★ POPMACHINE: Hi, Justin! Congrats on your new collaboration with G2, Junoflo, and Year of the Ox. Can you talk to us about the L.A. show? What was the best part?
JUSTIN PARK: The best part of the LA show was seeing all of what we worked so hard on for a good portion of a year, come to life. Having such different sounds, and coming from different backgrounds, I think helped us in formulating the art behind the music and a certain signature sound that would have never existed if all of us had never come together. I was just so overjoyed to see
how our fans and our friends reacted to the music.
★ POPMACHINE: Your new single, "Gold Rocky", is such a bop. The synergy between all the artists featured on it really clicked. What was it like working with equally talented musicians?
JUSTIN PARK: For my whole career, I had known about JunoFlo, G2, and Year of the Ox. To be able to finally work together, but in this collaborative fashion, was something so fun and so educating, that I think I'd definitely want to do this again. I've honestly learned so much from these guys, and just listening to their craftsman-like bars is just so mind-blowing to me every time. I wouldn't mind just kicking it with these guys my whole life.
★ POPMACHINE: What is the one lyric from "Gold Rocky" that truly represents the essence of the song?
JUSTIN PARK: "Wake up in the morning and do it again", without a doubt. I cannot exaggerate to you how many times people have either texted me or commented on one of my posts that very line, signifying how much it means to them. Not only is it a catchy line, but I think if we lived our lives in this sort of carefree/stress-free manner, I think all of us would be happy a little more often. To me, life is a literal party, and it should be lived up every day.
★ POPMACHINE: Can you walk us through the musts of your song writing process?
JUSTIN PARK: When I write, I usually have a beat that I've chosen ready for me to write on. After I've taken a couple of listens to the beat, I'd think about how it makes me feel, and then I’d sit or walk around my rooms for hours formulating a story. The story always has to invoke feeling through diction and metaphors just like any other type of writing. But the gold is really found in the imagination. One thing that sucks about writing though, is that you won't be perfect or even good every day. You've just got to keep cracking at it.
★ POPMACHINE: Fans must have been excited to see "Gold Rocky" live and in person. What was it like performing the song live for the first time at the L.A. show?
JUSTIN PARK: Performing Gold Rocky live was a dream and, I swear to God, I would do it all over again.
★ POPMACHINE: Can you give us spoilers about any upcoming live shows or concerts?
JUSTIN PARK: Um, I'll just say very exciting things coming very soon! Maybe, quite possibly another couple of shows in California?
★ POPMACHINE: What is your ultimate goal for 2023?
JUSTIN PARK: My ultimate goal for 2023 is to get all of my streaming numbers up, gain a lot more traction on my YouTube, and accomplish something that will land me on the Coachella/Rolling loud stages for next year!
★ POPMACHINE: You have received so much love from your fans over the span of your career, so far. What is the most memorable fan comment you've read or the best fan interaction you've experienced?
JUSTIN PARK: This is a good question because I've signed a baby's forehead before. The worst/funniest thing about it was that this mother wouldn't let me leave until I signed this baby's forehead. Whomever you are baby, I hope you're growing up well, and I really hope your mother washed your forehead for you, and I'm sorry!
★ POPMACHINE: Speaking of fans, you've got tons of people listening to your music everyday. That includes BTS' Jungkook, as he shared "On the Low" (great song) in his Instagram stories about a year ago. What was your initial reaction?
JUSTIN PARK: My initial reaction was to call my mom and all of my best friends, cause I really felt like my life was about to change. Shout out to Jung Kook and everyone else in BTS, I love y’all!
★ POPMACHINE: We know it's nearly impossible to pick favorites, but if you had to crown one of your songs as the "most loop-worthy" for a fan to listen to, which one would it be?
JUSTIN PARK: Honestly, I'd probably say I'm really proud of my song, "Shady" because not only is it sitting at the 3rd most listened to song on my Spotify, but it’s also a song on my own when I felt really in tune with my emotions about this topic. “Shady” is an important song to me, and it's a song I wrote to stand with my female fans, showing them love and showing them that they are more than what the world/people often make them out to be.
★ POPMACHINE: Your existing collabs are all amazing. Do you have any other dream collaborations?
JUSTIN PARK: My #1 dream collab is Chris Brown, and at a close second is Ty Dolla Sign.
★ POPMACHINE: Do you have any hidden talents that would surprise your fans?
JUSTIN PARK: I'd like to say that I'm pretty good at cooking. I've been adventurous and trying new dishes every weekend.
★ POPMACHINE: What is the most recent thing you added to cart?
JUSTIN PARK: Hmm, probably some food from Door Dash.
★ POPMACHINE: What is the craziest thing you added to cart?
JUSTIN PARK: Craziest? I'm not too sure because I don't really shop online.
★ POPMACHINE: What does an ideal day off in Justin Park's life look like?
JUSTIN PARK: An ideal day for me has some sort of exercise, some friend activity, definitely some deep work, and then a creative release towards the end of the day.
★ POPMACHINE: In case of a zombie attack, the closest object to your left is your weapon. What is it?
JUSTIN PARK: Probably a rifle. Just like my cooking, I've taken on some hobbies, maybe 2 years ago, and shooting has been one of them. I just think it'd be the quickest and safest way to handle a zombie. Trust me, I've thought about this so much in my free time!
★ POPMACHINE: If you were to go on a world tour, which country would you want to visit first?
JUSTIN PARK: I'd say Mexico, South America, Europe, or South East Asia.
★ POPMACHINE: What's your advice for aspiring artists?
JUSTIN PARK: Take care of yourselves, and be kind to yourself because if you aren’t then the world won't be either! Learn to love your art and work at it every day. There will be times you hate who you are, so become someone you can love. I struggle with all of these things daily so you are not alone.
★ POPMACHINE: Thanks for chatting with us! Before we cap things off, do you have a message for your fans and PopMachine readers?
JUSTIN PARK: I just hope everyone can stay positive, and stay lovely. I wish to see all of my followers succeed, and I love you guys. Take care Pop Machine Gang!
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SPECIAL THANKS TO 5A LABEL AND MRMG FOR FACILITATING THE INTERVIEW