Zico is the star of a new photoshoot for ARENA HOMME+ magazine!
In the new edition of the magazine, Zico is seen sporting a unique look of high-fashion meets street. Chic brands and luxurious fabrics combine with edgy styles and youthful silhouettes to make for an aesthetic that is both fierce and fashionable, a perfect combination for the rapper-turned-CEO.
In the interview, Zico speaks candidly about the recent success of his track “Any Song,” admitting that the massive success also took him by surprise. When asked what the secret was, he said after great consideration, he believed it was due to the music, the timing, and the marketing. He said that although he has had big hits before, this is the first time that he has ever had a truly viral hit. He approached the marketing for the song seriously and created the “Any Song” challenge with Hwasa of MAMAMOO and Chungha as his main marketing tactic. However, he didn’t expect the challenge to take off quite like it did.
When asked about his music tastes and how he has expressed an interest in classic music in the past, Zico responded, “Music itself seems to make time travel possible at any time. For example, humans are given a limited time of life. Even now, I’m disappearing each second. However, music has been waiting for the future since its birth and goes beyond the present… Music is an eternal existence. Ironically, it is humans who create that immortal existence. So, I think music is the closest path to eternal life that humans can enjoy. Of course, it can be art, but art must be well preserved to survive long. However, music doesn’t need to be preserved well at first. Rather, as technology develops, it can be reborn with better sound quality. It’s remastered so you can listen to it through a better sound source.”
However attractive vinyl records are to Zico, who says that the entire act of listening to a record— from taking the album from its cover to lowering the needle to play it— is an attractive experience, he won’t be releasing a vinyl version of his own music any time soon. “If I plan to release my album on vinyl, I think I should be more serious about music first. You have to be confident that it will be better when you listen to it on an LP. Honestly, I don’t really buy vinyl from artists who haven’t built that perfect analog sound. Instead, the sound of many artists’ music is more suited for streaming or digital. The sound of my own music is more like that too in a way. When my music has a more analog sound and will sound better on vinyl, that’s when I would be willing to release it that way.”
Zico also went on to talk about his label KOZ Entertainment and what he hopes for its future. He said that although he thinks it’s easiest to consider himself a rapper, he doesn’t want to be confined to one genre. Equally, he doesn’t want KOZ Entertainment to be considered a hip-hop label and has stated that it wasn’t from the beginning. “I would like to make KOZ a company that can continue to work in many ways without being limited to one field,” Zico stated. Just as Zico himself has worked in multiple activities and genres, he hopes that the company can also have a similar spirit and disposition.
Check out some of the photos from the photoshoot below, then click here to see the full shoot and interview on the ARENA HOMME+ website!
Media: ARENA HOMME+