On March 1, Dream Perfect Regime (DPR) artist DPR LIVE released his single “Know Me” featuring DEAN. Read our exclusive interview with LIVE, who unfolds his story about how he became an artist, describes his relationship with DPR, and provides us with exclusive information on his upcoming EP.
Thank you for doing this interview with us! Please introduce yourself to the international Korean hip-hop listeners!
Hello everyone. My name is Dabin Hong, better known as LIVE, and I’m grateful to have this opportunity with you in sharing who I am and what I’m about so shout out to all the fans out there and all the viewers reading this interview right now!
Part I: Past
What made you pursue music as your career?
I’ve always been a listener when it comes to music and the artists I like: as I tend to get a lot of inspiration off of various artists’ respective stories/experiences. With that said, I didn’t take music seriously until I released my first song on YouTube titled “Till I Die.” After that had dropped, I remember it being almost a declaration to both my fans and myself that I’d really pursue a career in music, and that I’d do my best to give off the same lasting, meaningful impression a lot of artists (that I admired) had on me. This kind of reflects hand-in-hand to why I ultimately chose my artist name to be LIVE.
Just on the daily, you wouldn’t imagine the amount of comments I get from people telling me to change my name… mainly because it’s so damn hard to search or look up (and that understandably so). However, I came up with the name LIVE in order to continually remind myself of two very important motives. One being to always “LIVE LIFE” in the present — meaning through BOTH the ups & downs and successes & failures (very cliche I know but still a good reminder!). The second being to always remain honest and true to one’s self and one’s craft (which is why my tagline is “Coming to you Live!” much like a live broadcaster reporting at the scene of a weather event to the viewers in real-time). In this case, I try and make music that is most relatable to me, that directly reflects who I am and how I feel because in the long run, I know someone out there will feel the same exact way and be able to connect with me 100% on that level… and that’s what it’s all about, you know?
Which artists have inspired you musically? What artists do you listen to for personal enjoyment?
There’s legit too many to name when it comes to artists that have inspired me, or currently inspire me even to this day. I really get inspired by artists that have created their own sound and color, almost to a point where as soon as you turn on the song, you just know who it is instantly. However, I’ll let the viewers try and guess who those artists are for me. ;)
How did you start working with Dream Perfect Regime (DPR)?
DPR is my family, first and foremost. We all got together about 2 years ago. We are just a collective of individuals that all have a special role in this group, and together, try and push out the most unique, innovative, and imaginative content we can possibly create. More than half of the team is from all different parts of the world, so when we get together, you can only imagine the abundance of ideas/visions we have for any upcoming projects/plans. We do both music and visuals now so make sure to stay tuned with out YouTube channel as we will be going full force starting this year.
Part II: Present
Tell us about your single “Know Me” featuring DEAN. How did this track come about?
I’ve always looked forward to working with DEAN on something. I really admire his artistry and so when I made a guide for the track “Know Me,” I got together with him and started telling him my idea behind the song. And within just a few weeks, I get a message saying he sent over a guide for his part and wanted to know what I think of it… and so just like that, we made “Know Me” come about.
So far you’ve collaborated with two Club Eskimo members: Punchnello and DEAN (plus a photo with Crush in the studio). Do you have a close relationship with the crew?
Given the fact that I myself am in a team/crew where we are all like-minded and passionate, I respect other crews that have similar mentalities. Club Eskimo is definitely one of those groups that have lots of talent on their team and seem to have that same state of mind that I share with my team, thus I can definitely relate to them on a deeper sense. Also, just more generally speaking, they’re all talented artists to begin with, and being someone that is pretty much new to this whole music scene, I have so much to learn from the likes of them.
The visuals in your music videos are always unique and engaging, and fits well with your music thematically. Are you involved in the creative process of these music videos, or do you leave that to the video group at DPR?
Like I stated before, we are a family. We literally are always together (especially nowadays that we are really pushing our music more and more out to the public). That being said, we can’t help but continually discuss ideas, share concepts, give suggestions, etc. So when it comes to the videos, there’s a lot of feedback and collaboration going on amongst all of us in the pre-production stages. In terms of the execution and post-production stages, my team is the best. Literally. There is no other team I’d trust more than the team I currently have behind me. FACTS.
Part III: Future
On social media, you’ve hinted at releasing your first album in the near future. Can you tell us anything about your upcoming album or related projects?
YES. I am dropping my FIRST OFFICIAL debut EP on March 15 titled [Coming To You Live]. It will have SEVERAL songs on there and will be available on all major music platforms so definitely look out for that since it’s dropping SOON! REAL soon. And obviously because my team is also a video production group, we’re going to come out with some crazy visuals in the next coming weeks as well. Let me say again, CRAAZY.
Are there any artists you want to work with in the future?
There are so many artists I’d like to work with in the future, but to be honest, rather than stating it here, I’d like to just ride it out and trust that eventually if it is meant to be, it will happen. I’m a firm believer in the fact that everything happens for a reason, so just like all of you guys out there, I’m going to just live life day-by-day and see what ends up happening!
What are your goals as an artist for 2017?
My goal is simple: to keep true to the two virtues I stated above and to always be gracious and thankful of doing what I love and WITH the people I love. As I stated above, I believe everything happens for a reason, so even if I plan extensively and make all these arrangements and expectations for what I want to happen in 2017, I know it would change IMMENSELY. So rather than wasting my energy on that, I’m just going to make the best music I can make, with the team that backs me and supports me 100%, and together, just strive to put out as much content and material as we possibly can.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOsEty1AdsJ/?taken-by=__livelive
Once again, thank you for answering our questions! Is there anything you would like to say to your international fans?
I just want to say, first and foremost thank you for even taking the time to read this and learn more about who I am and what I represent with my team. My team and I started DPR from the bottom, with NO major backing NOR any financial support — just each other and one collective dream. So just to put things into perspective for y’all, this amount of support we get from you all means a lot to us already. I remember the days when we’d be so excited that our video got even 100 views, so even making it to this point is an incredible milestone for my whole team and myself.
Although we may take some time with our releases, or may take a few breaks in between to plan out further projects, one thing I can promise you is that when we DO decide to release something, you can most definitely look forward to it.
Once again, thank you for everything, and I hope to see everyone in person one day! #COMINGTOYOULIVE #DPR #LETSGETIT
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIUNtrmgjUT/?taken-by=__livelive
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great interview~~~!! he’s so genuine and humble