After appearing at KCON LA earlier this summer, South Korean boy band ONE PACT returned to Los Angeles on Sept. 6 for the final U.S. stop of its OUTSHINE World Tour.
On the gray, rainy evening, the band’s five members brought a burst of energy to the Palace Theatre. Between group performances, fan interactions and shortened solo sections, the concert gave each member room to show a different side of himself. During a performance of the fresh, summery “U SO HOT,” each member brought his own energy to the same concept while still fitting naturally into the performance as a whole.
The balance between individual style and the group’s overall identity carried into the conversation after the show.
Yeom Tae-gyun, who goes by the stage name TAG, plays a major role in ONE PACT’s music production. For him, that process starts while a song is still being made.
“Someone has to lead this song,” TAG said. “It could be anyone.”
Who takes the leading role can shift from one release to the next.
“If someone was heavily spotlighted on the previous album, I try to think about the other members who weren’t at the center of that song, so they can shine on the next one too,” TAG said.
Jay Steven Kapossy, who goes by the stage name Jay Chang, had stepped away from ONE PACT’s group promotions while active with another boy band, B.D.U., before returning for the group’s third mini album, “PINK CRUSH.” His return was highlighted in the opening “VCR” at the Los Angeles show.
TAG pointed to “100!” as an example of how he thinks about giving a member a distinct moment within the group’s sound. Jay carries much of the song’s recurring main melody and is given the final refrain, bringing the track back to his voice at the end.
The members’ solo songs moved in noticeably different directions, but fit together naturally within the same set. Each felt distinct to the member behind it, while together they showed different sides of ONE PACT.
Jongwoo’s “PASSOUT” brought a harder, rap-driven energy, while Jay Chang’s “180928~” was more introspective. Seongmin’s “Signal” leaned dreamier, TAG’s “someone else” carried a more emotional tone, and Yedam’s bright, playful “Keyring” added a lighter contrast.
When producing the solo tracks, TAG said he began by asking what each member actually wanted to perform.
“I tried to ask my members before I produced a song, ‘What type of music do you want to perform as a solo song?’” TAG said. “They’ll give me their opinions, and I mix that into my own taste of music.”
Different tastes, growing trust and opportunities to try unfamiliar material have also pushed the members beyond what they were used to.
For Oh Seongmin, this has meant trying genres he had little experience with before.
“Since being in ONE PACT, I’ve been able to try some genres that were new to me,” Seongmin said. “I hadn’t really done much straight-up hip-hop before, but through those performances and touring, I’ve learned how to bring out that kind of vibe. I’ve become someone who can take on a wider range of genres, which has been a really good change for me.”
Jay described a similar change more simply.
“During these past three years of being in ONE PACT, my music spectrum has definitely gotten a lot wider,” Jay said.
Trust has also changed the way the group works offstage.
For leader Yoon Jongwoo, that has meant gradually stepping back as the other members became more confident in what they needed to do.
“At first, there were a lot of things I expected from each member, and I gave them a lot of feedback,” Jongwoo said. “But over time, they started figuring things out and putting in the effort on their own. Now, even if I don’t say anything, they know what to do and do it well. So I think as long as I can be an older brother they still like having around, they’ll keep following along with me.”
Long stretches of touring have tested those relationships under less predictable situations.
“Whenever we go on tour or have schedules overseas, things don’t always go according to plan or run smoothly,” Jongwoo said. “But the staff and the members work really hard to get through those situations and complete each performance one by one. I really respect that, and I think it’s really admirable.”
He said the difference is noticeable, especially compared with earlier tours.
“In the past, when things were difficult and exhausting, we would get more sensitive with each other, and it would show when we were tired,” Jongwoo said. “But now, you hardly see that anymore. Everyone makes an effort not to make things harder for anyone else. Seeing that was really impressive to me, and I think I learned a lot from it.”
TAG noticed the same change on the U.S. tour. He said the group felt much more relaxed this time. “This tour, we just chilling,” he said.
On their previous visit, unfamiliar situations often meant turning to Jay, who was raised in the U.S., for help.
“Last tour, if we didn’t know something, we asked JAY.”
JAY spent much of the interview moving between his own answers and translating for the other members. When asked which fictional character he saw himself in most, he chose Kuroko, from “Kuroko’s Basketball,” who describes himself as a “shadow” and supports the “light” by helping his teammates shine rather than seeking the spotlight himself.
“He’s really good at supporting and helping the rest of his teammates thrive,” Jay said. “I like to think that the members feel very safe with me around.”
Asked the same question, TAG chose Deadpool, a character he connected with for both his easygoing attitude and his ability to keep going through pain.
“I just try to always go with the flow,” TAG said. “Not taking anything too serious.”
He also pointed out that even though Deadpool can regenerate, he still has to feel the pain before recovering.
“He goes through all the pain, but he still ... goes on.”
Lee Yedam’s freestyle was one of the most infectious parts of the Los Angeles show. During the encore, he moved into an aisle among the audience and improvised only a few steps away from fans.
“The dancing itself is completely freestyle,” Yedam said. “But when it comes to what I should do in which parts of the performance and the timing, I talk it over with the members, and we decide that beforehand. So the dancing is freestyle, but the timing is usually planned out.”
That intense stage presence can give a very different impression from the way Yedam sees himself offstage.
He said he pours all of his energy into performing, and because his dancing is so strong, someone who only sees him onstage might find him intimidating. Offstage, though, he described himself as the group’s youngest member — very shy and relatively small.
That contrast carried into the character he chose for himself: Spider-Man.
Yedam first joked about his newly red hair, but said he related more to the story of an ordinary boy going through a difficult process before becoming someone admirable.
“I want to become someone like that too, a hero who brings people happiness,” Yedam said.
Los Angeles marked the end of ONE PACT’s U.S. run, but the OUTSHINE tour is still moving forward.
Looking further ahead, TAG said a full-length album feels like the group’s most realistic next step, and one that could happen soon.
“I’ve always wanted to release a full album, so I think that’s going to be the most realistic next step,” TAG said. “It could come true soon.”
For now, the group is still on the road. After Los Angeles, OUTSHINE continues in Mexico City on Sept. 11, São Paulo on Sept. 13, Santiago on Sept. 16 and Lima on Sept. 18, before wrapping its current run in Toronto on Sept. 20.
Edited by Justin Ha