So who is Eric Nam, you ask? THIS GUY.
1. Eric Nam's not your typical K-pop star. He was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and attended Boston College, where he graduated from in 2011 and thereafter accepted a job in management consulting.
2. This cover of 2NE1's song "Lonely" (original here) earned him a spot on MBC's Star Audition (think Korean version of American Idol), where he finished in the top five.
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Eric was doing nonprofit work in India when he heard back about the in-person audition, having deferred his start date at his post-grad job. In an unexpected turn of events, he competed on Star Audition for eight months and subsequently signed with B2M Entertainment as a solo artist in September 2012. He released his first mini-album titled Cloud 9 in January 2013 with the lead single "Heaven's Door."
3. Singles you can't get out of your head like: "Ooh Ooh," which features major jazz vibes and guest raps from Infinite's Hoya.
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🎺 Ooh ooh, oh pretty baby 🎺
4. This recent collaboration with Red Velvet's Wendy on a track titled "Spring Love" that'll make your heart do a few flips.
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🎶 "Maybe it’s crazy / Can I call you my baby?" 🎶
5. This soothing and uplifting song, "Good for You," which feels like a big 'ol hug from Eric.
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"Good For You" is the title track off of Interview, which was released this past March and is Eric's first mini album (EP) in three years. He tells BuzzFeed, "A lot of people came to know me as the guy who was interviewing a lot of top stars. Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx, Amanda Seyfried, Chloe Moretz, etc. Those interviews, though they really got my name out to the general public, overshadowed my work as a new singer trying to get my music out there. This latest album was my chance to brand the term 'interview' as a new start musically and to tell my own story."
English version of this song here.
🎵 "I’m your sun that’ll shine through the rain / And I’ll be your coffee that gets you through your day, yeah"🎵
6. His covers of popular English songs, like JBieb's "Love Yourself."
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So swanky. Here's another cover — Shawn Mendes' "Stitches."
7. Aside from being a singer, he also hosted a live web series for three years called "After School Club," which allows K-pop idols to connect with their international fans.
8. He's tight with lots of fellow Americans in the K-pop biz, like Ailee, f(x)'s Amber, GOT7's Mark, and BTOB's Peniel. And Ken Jeong!*
*Ken Jeong is not in fact a K-pop star. Had you fooled, huh.
9. He takes enviable selfies with some of Hollywood's brightest stars.
Selfie game strong. 📷
10. But he's also not immune to the wonders of Snapchat filters.
His Snapchat is ericnam if you're so inclined.
11. He's a good sport when it comes to photo shoots.
12. He's always relatable.
13. And of course, incredibly intelligent.
14. He reminds us to take time in life to ~smell the flowers.~
15. And to never take yourself too seriously.
16. He also just released his first official English single, a collaboration with LA-based electronic duo KOLAJ called "Into You."
On why he chose to work with KOLAJ: "I came across their song 'The Touch' and immediately was a fan. They're doing something that's different, but not too different that it throws people off. Their stuff is GREAT. Teesa and Mike are both incredible musicians and talents. Teesa has a beautiful voice and I think her delivery is really unique. Mike's production really just blows me out of the water."
Fallen in love with Eric?
