In the good kind of chaos and bustle at KCON 2013 in Los Angeles, a bespectacled man dressed in summer shorts and a jean vest comes in to the panel tent quite unassumingly yet also unabashed. Cool and serene, Heejun Han enters the room as though he was just a normal person. But ‘normal’ is not the best way to describe him, not when he has landed into the Top 10 and finishing up 9th in the premiere talent show that is American Idol.

Yet, we saw the Heejun Han everyone has come to love that day, when we randomly asked him (and his manager) if we could do a spot interview. Even with their hectic, and sometimes uncertain, schedule at KCON, they graciously obliged. And that’s how we learn and prove to ourselves that Heejun has remained to be who is—generally friendly, most times humble, and just always positive, even amid his unstoppable rise to success.

Getting to chat with him later that day, we get to see a side of him that many of his new listeners and long time fans will be inspired with and hopefully wish to emulate. What’s generally touching is how appreciative he is of K-pop fans, from the perspective of a Korean proud of his country’s own culture and rise to global recognition. While in the interview, he candidly reminisces the difficult road to being a star in the industry he loves, he also acknowledges and is for the most part very grateful for the breaks he encountered – both because of K-pop’s significance and also through American Idol.

Now back on the music scene with his newest track and video, ‘Bring the Love Back’, Heejun collaborated with rapper Pusha-T in the track produced by Kadis & Sean (Grammy-winning producers who worked with Bruno Mars, Jesse McCartney, JoJo, 50Cent, among many others).  

This KpopStarz Exclusive hopes to bring you a quick yet meaningful look at Heejun Han.

The transcript to the video is below:

HH: Hi KpopStarz! My name is HeeJun and I was Top 9 on American Idol last season and I’m here in KCON.

Q: What has been the most exciting part about participating at KCON?

HH: Just to be part of KCON is just an amazing opportunity for me to reach out to the fans of K-pop even though I’m not a K-pop singer. I’m a Korean, so it’s good to see the fans and friends here.

Q: Which K-pop celebs are you most excited to meet here?

HH: I am performing with Yoo Seung Woo, the guy from Superstar K, so I’m really excited about that. And, lots of great artists are coming in and I think everyone’s special so I am really excited to meet every and each one of them.

Q: What was it like to collaborate with Pusha-T?

HH: My first single ‘Bring the Love Back’ we are featuring a rapper Pusha-T, and I’ve been a huge fan of him since the longest time. And the fact that he is on my music video scene and the track itself was amazing. Just to hear his voice on my track was amazing.

Q: Are there any other artists you would like to work with in the future?

HH: In the future, there should be another artist that we would collaborate with. But, for now, we want to concentrate on this single. And after, this, yea why not? Let’s have fun and try to collaborate with as many as we can.

 

Q: What K-pop artists do you look up to and why?

HH: Even though I am a Korean, it was my first or a couple of first time to get to actually hear the real K-pop recently, and I am friends with Sunye and Lim from the Wonder Girls. And Peniel from BTOB and Jun.K from 2PM. I don’t know if I actually look up to them, but they’re my friends so I know them pretty well.

 

Q: How has your life changed since American Idol? What has been the most significant change?

HH: American Idol was a big platform for me and it changed my life eventually with people recognizing me in the streets. But, more than that I skipped so many ladders to release an original single internationally. So, that’s been the biggest change I guess.

Q: What has your experience been like with Polaris? How have they helped with your creative process?

HH: Polaris, I think, they are very family oriented entertainment company in Korea. I got to know them better as the time goes by. All the artists there, the staff are amazing. Creatively, they gave me a full responsibility on it. For a full project, they actually listen to me a lot. Since we are not releasing our stuff in Korea but in the States, so they gave me most of the authority over this project, so I was really fortunate for the fact that they believe in it.

Q: What can fans expect to hear from you? Do you have any new projects in the works?

HH: Next week, we’re dropping our first music video. It’s really well shot, so I’m really happy about it. And a couple of weeks later, we’re releasing our single, and we’re going to radio, and we’re just trying to let the people hear my song as many as we can and pushing for it, and after that maybe going back to Korea for a couple of days and do some shows there. Here and there. So, we’re very excited about this project.

Q: What should the fans expect from Heejun Han?

HH: From the show (American Idol), I actually was the one who sang like slow ballad, soul and R&B. But for this one, we decided to go radio-friendly pop which I guess to show the pop side of me. We’re very fortunate to have a great producer behind us. This is just starting. Even though I’m Korean, I was never a K-pop singer. But the fact that, K-pop’s fans is being behind me is very supportive. And so just get ready to see the revolution of K-pop crossing over the mainstream in the United States I guess.

Q: What advice do you have for other aspiring musicians? And, what was the best advice you received when you decided to pursue music full time?

HH:The good advice I would give to aspiring singers is to just really be yourself, and accept the fact that this is a really hard and long long long road and you’ll find and stumble and you’ll definitely find it really really not easy. But at the end of the day, if you really love music, I think it’s worth it. So, keep on pushing it, until the shiny day comes to you.

Q: What role has your faith been playing in your music?

HH: For me, before me being a singer and entertainer, being in the industry or entertainment, I have always been a guy who was going after God’s own heart. That’s been my motto for, I don’t know how many, years. And, all of the stuff I’m doing right now, here and there, it’s really not for me, but for a greater purpose. For me to send a message to the world. Just like the song, “Bring the Love Back”, we actually need our love back into society. And I just want to shout it out to the world that we’re missing something and that’s love. And, I think, being faithful, as a Christian, helps a lot.

Q: Do you have any pre-stage rituals?

HH: I pray all the time normally, so that’s not really a ritual. But, before I go on stage, I always try to appreciate every step I take towards the stage and that’s been really helpful.

Coming back, slightly with a more pop image than we probably are used to seeing him with from his American Idol days, there’s one thing Heejun Han didn’t change. And that’s the positivity he brings with his every project and encounter. With every meeting an opportunity, with every step a chance to be grateful, Heejun leads the way in encouraging people to bring the love back into the world. In an industry, mired with distorted imagery, Heejun’s brand of pop music is a breath of fresh air.

Will you be like me and hit Replay on this MV more than once to support the happy virus that is Heejun? Let’s love him now and don’t hold back.

The single is set to release on iTunes on September 17th. Until then, just keep playing the MV!

Segment Producer/Reporter: Dorothy A | Video: Ricky L | Segment Writer: Annie S | Editorial Assistant: Allyza U