This month, Hallyu Entertainment brought their immensely successful tour “Kpop All Night” to the USA once more. This time, the featured guests were Eden Park, former member of idol group LC9, and Melo Lv, R&B singer and president of MMP Entertainment.
Fans were thrilled to see Eden and Melo perform in various venues across the USA, and What The Kpop was present at the show in Orlando for an exclusive interview and behind-the-scenes look at the event!
From Eden’s past experience as an idol to how well they work together as singers, the duo (and real-life couple) sat down with WTK to share their music and what the future holds for them both!
First, could I have you introduce yourselves?
E: Hey, what’s goin’ on, you guys? My name is Eden.
M: I’m Melo. We’re from Vancouver [in] BC, Canada.
E: Not Washington (laughs).
How long have you been making music and performing?
M: (turns to Eden) You first.
E: Well, I’ve been making music and performing since (pauses) 2010. I think? 11? [It was] 10 or 11, but like—that’s like when I started to do music, when I REALLY started doing music actually—like performing in front of other people. [As far as] commercialized stuff, it was probably like 2013, so it’s been a while for me.
M: That’s when you debuted, right?
E: Yeah, that’s when I debuted.
M: For me, I started doing music like ever since I was a kid, I guess. I started playing piano when I was five and started writing songs when I was in grade five and then really started to do more music production probably two years ago.
How would you describe your individual styles vs. your style together?
E: Oh, we’re very different!
M: Very different.
E: She’s very detailed in terms of production and in terms of doing music, and I’m more like—I go off with the first thing that comes to my head. She’ll edit it a bunch of times. (To Melo) But I think that also comes with what kind of genre you like and the type of genre you try to go for and the type of music you try to do as well.
M: (To Eden) For you, it’s more [of a] North American hip-hop style. For me, it’s more [of an] Asian R&B.
E: Yeah. In terms of working together, it’s pretty difficult. It’s easy but difficult at the same time.
M: Yeah.
E: Because I’m still not used to the stuff that she does.
M: Like music-wise, singing style, or– I would write a bunch of [melodies] and flows that he doesn’t understand how to do, or he will come up with flows that I don’t understand how it works. [For example], he likes to put a lot of like auto-tune effects [since] that’s very trendy these days. And then for me, we sometimes have like conflicts about how to do it.
E: Like there are certain parts that she’ll [be] like “Hey, what do you think about this?” and then I’ll be like, “Uhhhh, I think this can be changed” and she’s like “Really?” (both laugh). Like she thought it was perfect, and she wanted me to say, “Oh, it’s great.”
M: And then I just walk back very [quietly]. I’m the type that’s always fixing stuff. He’s always coming up with ideas.
What is your energy like working together? Do you come up with everything separately or at the same time?
M: Separately, then we come together
E: The thing is that she likes to do it together, but I like to do it separately.
M: (nods) True. Then when we do the actual song together…
E: …we learn to adapt to each other.
What is your favorite song to perform?
E: To me, my favorite one is “Where You At?” The main reason is because… (laughs)
M: …. it’s easy (laughs).
E: No, no, no. It’s because it’s relevant to us. And also because a lot of the songs I have been doing [are] old right now. If it gets [to be] one year old, it doesn’t really make me feel that motivated.
M: For me, I also like “Where You At?” and also “16 hours.” I would really like to perform the songs that I’ve written these days- the future R&B album that I haven’t released yet. I think I would really love to perform them. It’s a really nice style.
You said you are coming out with a new a new song that will have choreography?
M: Yeah, coming up with an EP [and] probably releasing it before April. It’s very different. We are trying a very different instrumental style, and it’s going to be my first dance video…. Ever [laughs]. We are trying to work with several, local, Vancouver artists as well. So it’s going to be something that’s different for sure.
Outside of artists in Vancouver, who else would you like to collaborate with—whether they’re Korean, American or otherwise?
E: I’ll say one Korean and one North American. [For a] North American, I would say Travis Scott for sure. And then Drake! And then [for a] Korean, I would say…. It’s so hard to say! I’d probably say…. I’ll say Rain. At the time when I was doing stuff, he was like the top guy hip-hop and rap wise. [However], I think that’s just very different [from what I do]. It’s not bad- it’s just that what I want is more here [in North America] and more suitable to here. It would be forcing myself to do something different. But if I collaborated with Rain or something, it would be something [even more] different, so it would be very funny at the same time.
M: That’s true. For me, Post Malone, Ariana Grande, Trey Songz [are] probably [my choices] for North America. And Korean, I would say Heize. I like Heize. She’s my style. I think we would have good chemistry. She’s coming to Vancouver! I don’t think I [will] have a chance to meet her, but that would be great. And who else? I think a lot of Korean producers are very, very great. A lot of them are underground, [so] I don’t know if a lot of people would know them. I listen to a lot of the Korean producers on SoundCloud. So I would really love to collaborate with them if there is a chance.
As of right now, where do you see the future of your music going?
E: The future of my music is very unstable, I think, because of the fact that I’m [turning] 26 next week. That means I’m closer to 30 than 20, and I’m getting to the point [where] I love doing music but it’s really… for me, for fun. I never really thought that I wanted a career in music; I never planned anything like that. I just do what I like and then if things work out, it works out. And if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. That’s why it’s so uncertain for me because I just let it roll, I just let it be. And it’s turned out pretty decent so far for me— in my eyes— so I just keep on letting it roll. But if I do music, I think I will always focus on the people around me and myself instead of trying to collaborate with people far away or something like that.
M: That’s great. For me it’s kind of hard, because I’ve always been trying to challenge myself with making different kinds of music [because] in the beginning [I was] doing mainly instrumental— just pure piano [with] vocal. And then I started to do more, like, using computer programs to make beats, plus instrumentals and singing. I’m the type of person that would really like to challenge myself with doing different genres and styles. I would say that in terms of my vision, I will become more [of a] behind-the-scenes [person]. I care about the whole production process rather than just singing.
To finish up, what is your biggest advice for aspiring artists?
E: My number one advice is [to] do whatever you want and do it by yourself. Don’t let other people control what you do. Don’t do something because someone else is trying to make you do something. Bottom line? Do it by yourself. Don’t get into anything that you don’t want to get into.
M: (To Eden) That’s something that you’ve been saying for a very long time.
E: I also have one other thing— for kids that are trying to do music and Korean music specifically— about companies. You should try to make something of yourself before you get into it. Their attitude towards you will be totally different. If you are nothing from the beginning, they will treat you like garbage. But if they discover you after you’ve made something of yourself, they will treat you like a king and [like] they need you. It’s a totally different aspect and it’s very important.
M: I agree. Overall, just join [our company] MMP (everyone laughs). My advice for people who want to do music in Asia? In general, it’s very, very different. For all the North American kids who want to do music in Asia, it’s completely different how it runs here and how it runs in Asia. Here [in North America], when someone has talent, a company will respect you. [Even] when you perform, organizers all respect you. But in Asia, it’s completely different. Like Eden said, unless you have something that is different from everyone else, they just view all the kids like kids. They think about it, like, how much they invest in you, and how much you will turn out to be. And it’s nothing [similar to] the way that North America respects artists. That’s the downside of the Asian market. But the good thing is that once you stand out, you can have way more exposure— it’s faster, it’s more direct, and it’s more certain.
E: Bottom line is that North America is still the biggest market [though], and Asian people always envy North American artists.
M: Always.
E: If you can make it in the North American market by yourself and get some sort of wave going, the treatment is totally different.
M: You’ll stand on a higher platform than the normal Asian kids who are trying to become a trainee. So for all the North American kids who want to be singers…
E: …be happy with what you have—with the advantages and the [opportunities] that you have.
Many thanks to Eden and Melo for the interview, as well as Hallyu Entertainment for the exclusive opportunity to sit down with these amazing artists!
Check out one of Melo and Eden’s most famous songs below or click HERE to visit the official YouTube channel of MMP Entertainment and listen to more great music.
Media: MMP Entertainment