DAY6 member Wonpil returned with a markedly changed sensibility. It is Unpiltered, which bursts with emotion that brings relief and contains an unfiltered, honest heart.
Wonpil released his first mini album "Unpiltered" and made his solo comeback on the 30th. This album is his first solo release in four years since Filmography in 2022. It is a Wonpil-style "emotion archive" made by collecting the various changes of heart that have coexisted into music.
Through "Unpiltered," Wonpil focused on conveying an honest inner world and narrative without filters. He participated in writing and composing all tracks, including the title track "Love ward," "Toxic Love (Toxic)," "I became an adult," "Up All Night (Up All Night)," "Step by Step (Step by Step)," "Not a million flowers but," and "Piano."
"Love ward" is a song that contains a desperate cry of "save me" amid a life barely holding on after collapsing from the unwaning pain of love.
Ahead of "Unpiltered," we met Wonpil and heard about this album directly.
Q. How do you feel about making a solo comeback after four years?
It came out as "Unpiltered" four years after Filmography, and it's so strange — honestly, I still can't believe this version of me. There were many things I was thankful for while preparing, and although I knew an album can't come from one person's effort, I learned that even more.
I tried many new things while preparing. Musically and in many challenges from teaser photos to the music video. I wondered a bit, "can I pull this off?" but everyone by my side helped me, so I was really able to finish safely.
Q. What challenges did you take on?
I think there was always a kind of yearning in musical terms. Even while doing DAY6, I kept thinking about transformation. The public sees us as a band that sings about youth, an image of delivering bright messages. I wondered whether we should continue like this or approach with a different color, and this 10th anniversary album became the moment I made up my mind. After deciding, I worked on this album. I have a constant yearning for new music, and this "Unpiltered" seems to hit a middle point. I especially wanted to change things a bit with the title track. Of course I can't completely abandon DAY6's image, and we like messages about youth, so we couldn't avoid them. This time I think I experimented and tried things through the album.
Q. "Love ward" is a song with a wide range of change — did you want to go dark?
(laughs) Rather than wanting to go dark, it was actually one of the kinds of music I wanted to do. I wanted to untangle the knots in my heart. That became somewhat like going dark. As I age, I don't think I could write a song titled "so it can become a page," but I think I'll continue to deliver messages that our age group can feel. I think I'll keep singing youth songs that can only come at this age. I think I need to do something completely different from the existing songs.
Doing this was relieving. I expressed anger I hadn't shown and cried a lot. There was a concept film when shooting the teaser, and I cried so much then that I felt drained. I had no energy, but after doing it I felt very relieved. Thinking and imagining the sides I didn't want to show made me cry a lot.
Q. Did this come from DAY6 suddenly getting a lot of attention?
There was pressure, but it didn't greatly change my feelings. As I age and spend more time with fans, I increasingly wanted to show only my better side. I wanted to show a good image, smile, and give good energy, but when I'm personally in pain or upset I tend not to show it, and that was hard. Going forward it'll be the same, but the shoots allowed the things I had been holding back to burst out. It was relieving.
Q. Was there a reason or change of heart that made you want to release those emotions?
Actually, I'm not the type to always think positively. The biggest feeling was not wanting to betray fans' expectations and not wanting to show them my bad side. Because of that feeling I kept hiding things. I wanted to release it through music rather than words. If I release it through music, someone might listen because it's music.
Q. When making solo music, do you think differently than with DAY6?
I don't think they can be completely separated. I like pop and I like bands, and it's hard to precisely describe my color. DAY6's music has my color in it, and it's naturally DAY6's origins.
Q. How did the title track "Love ward" express inner pain, and what message did you imbue in it?
The album name was "Unpiltered," and the company and I had the same thought. When we asked, "what is the real thing I want to show?" I said I wanted to just create my current state. So from then I worked on "Love ward" early on.
There may be talk of my pain, but I wanted to express it ambiguously. "Love ward" is actually a ward that doesn't exist in this world. If such a place existed somewhere, I thought it would be good to have a place where you could scream and freely say you're struggling. I wrote it hoping there would be a channel where people could open up and speak frankly and feel relieved.
Q. Did your feelings change before and after preparing and singing "Love ward"?
After writing everything, I felt worried. Is it too intense? I wondered if it was right for someone like me, Wonpil of DAY6, who used to wish people luck, to send a message that I couldn't hold on. After the time of worrying passed, I became more resolute. I wanted to show this this time, and I felt very relieved. Watching it made my heart ache, and after writing everything I recorded and it felt a bit strange. While filming the music video I got so immersed that I thought, "if I were really finished, if what I'm seeing is the end," and I went deep into it. I immersed myself in myself and went very deep.
Q. You participated in writing and composing all tracks — which song was completed first?
The first completed song seems to be "Love ward." It was a song worked on very early. I worked with composer Lee Woo-min after a long time. So "Love ward" came out the fastest, and it was also the song that took the longest. I revised it a lot. I wanted it to come out with completeness, so I made corrections little by little. The song whose lyrics came out fastest was "Piano."
Q. What was the process of working on "Unpiltered" like?
Even now, when I finish my schedule each night and am alone at home, I keep repeating listening. I keep repeating the seven tracks that will be on this album. Listening while comparing it to the album Filmography, I think, "can I overcome this? Is this better than that? Which is right? I wish the release day would come."
Back then it was like a record. It was like a diary I recorded, music I liked back then. If I were asked to work on an album now, I don't think I'd use those songs. I worked with songs I like now. I want to write something else now. I want to keep doing it. I feel like I can write well again.
Q. What kind of reactions do you want to hear when "Unpiltered" is released?
Of course I want to hear that it's very good. Even if some reactions say, "it's a pity," I want to see every kind of reaction. I'm just imagining alone, so I want to face this wave soon and let it go. I want to quickly send away the emotions I've been suffering through alone. I'm dying to know.
Q. How did DAY6 members react?
They really said they liked it. They said it was very good and new. They said they wanted to do DAY6 soon. They wanted the four of us to work on songs together quickly and gave me many comments that it was new. During Filmography, the hyungs were in the military so I couldn't properly show it to them.
Q. The album lyrics show Wonpil without a filter and can be strong.
Even within "Love ward," I moderated the intensity to some extent. I kept cutting it down, but I didn't want to cut the final lyrics. Other songs are healing tracks, so I hope they aren't listened to too sadly.
Everyone goes through social life and faces many difficulties because of people, and they can't honestly express or say those things, so they can rot inside. I hope people like that feel relieved when they listen, and I hope it feels like I'm speaking for them. There's no particular incident. I just amplified what was inside me and wrote it. I made it hoping that borrowing someone's words, this song could make listeners feel relieved.
Q. Four years have passed since your first solo album — what growth and changes are reflected?
Four years have passed since my first solo album, and I'm not sure exactly how I've grown musically. The music I liked then and the music I like now are different. I think I like bad music. I like songs with kindness in them too, but I also like Imagine Dragons and I'm really into them lately. I think the style of music I like has changed a lot. What I felt a lot while working this time is that after working on songs for over 10 years, there are melody lines that are comfortable and pleasing to me. I wanted to make those a little different.
Composer Hong Ji-sang is like a mentor and teacher, and I talked a lot while working this time. He said, "People like the tracks you've made so far, but now you should go beyond that and persuade them to like a different approach." It became a turning point, and from there I worked.
Q. What was Park Jin-Young's reaction?
He gave feedback that it was clearly different from the Wonpil shown in DAY6 up to now, and by showing a new side of Wonpil he felt expansiveness. He listened favorably. When I first said I was preparing a solo project, he told me I could do well, not to be too burdened, but to make good music. I was glad he felt exactly what I intended.
Q. You said DAY6 is a band that sings about youth — how would you define Wonpil?
It's hard.. what is it.. I think the band that sings about youth was something fans defined. I just hope it's obvious, that listening brings comfort. I hope people keep living. I hope they don't give up on life!
[photo] Provided by JYP Entertainment.
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