Eric Nam's 'House on a Hill': An album and home for your heart and soul
They say a home refers to a place where you feel most loved and happy. This is also true for Eric Nam's upcoming album, House on a Hill. Eric's velvety vocals and thoughtfully curated tracks will transport you to a place of pure joy and contentment.
In a recent interview with PhilSTAR L!fe, the 34-year-old Korean-American artist shared his vision for the album, which he hopes will transcend boundaries and connect people through the universal language of music.
Finding happiness
House on a Hill was inspired by a life event that made him question the meaning of happiness. After failing to buy a house he really wanted, Eric began to think about what really makes people happy. He realized that there is no one answer to this question and that happiness is different for everyone.
"I think a big part of it was we’re told that we’d be happier if we have a house or a home, which might be true to some people," he told PhilSTAR L!fe. "But I think it made me think about all the different reasons why we are or are not happy. And like larger existential crisis questions like ‘What makes us happy?’ ‘What makes us live?’ ‘What makes us ambitious?’ ‘What makes us get up every day and do what we do?’"
Through this reflection, Eric wrote House on a Hill, a song about finding happiness and asking oneself what is "more than enough."
"This album, I was much more open in the thinking process, in the writing process,” he shared.
“Now, I think, I feel like most songs are love songs, and that’s, you know, 90% of the songs. But there’s always a few songs out there that really make you think, make you (ask) all these questions that we have about life, that gives us these existential crises kind of moments," he explained.
Emotions and experience as his secret ingredients
Undoubtedly, the kitchen delights our senses just like the album that infused heartfelt emotions and relatable experiences. Eric described his album as lyrically and, thought-process-wise, a bit deeper than other albums he has made.
"I’d like to think that this album is, probably, will get a lot of people thinking. It’s a lot deeper, it’s a lot more mature than previous albums.”
Eric’s songs Undefined, Exist, and Don't Leave Yet all encourage listeners to ask themselves difficult questions.
"I think we all have moments of self-doubt or self-hatred or dislike. We have a song in the album called Exist, and sometimes we question ‘What does it mean to exist?’” Eric said.
"I’d like to think that this album is, probably, will get a lot of people thinking. It’s a lot deeper, it’s a lot more mature than previous albums.”
The key to answering the door of 'what-ifs'
The singer also noted that besides the complexity and multifacetedness of the album, it all boils down to highlighting the greatest what-ifs in life
“What if he had started music earlier?” the Korean star said when asked what his what-ifs are.
According to Eric, there is this part of him that wishes he could have joined a boy group before becoming an idol, noting that there is something very special about being able to work in a group.
Eric also wondered what he would do if he didn’t enter the music industry.
"I would probably be working at some company doing strategy or finance or I don’t know, but that’s like a what-if that I don’t necessarily want to explore, but one that I have thought of whenever it gets really hard," Eric revealed.
Visiting the home of Pinoy Nam Nation
On Thursday, August 3, Nam signed with digital talent management agency NYMA in an effort to grow his Filipino fan base as well as to prepare for more projects in the Philippines in the next months.
He said during the press conference that he wants “to be as close, as friendly, as interactive with my fans here in the Philippines.”
Eric is deeply grateful for his Filipino fans, whom he calls the "Pinoy Nam Nation." He admires their enthusiasm, support, love, and fun-loving spirit. He also appreciates their love of singing.
“I just really, really appreciate them, all of them, and I just feel the love whenever I’m here and even when I’m not, over social media, on the internet, I can see and feel so much of it so, that is how I feel," the multifaceted singer-songwriter told L!fe.
It's been a decade since Eric become a singer, and to mark this milestone of his career, House on a Hill depicted what he has learned and experienced over the past 10 years of his career.
"All of my knowledge and experience is kind of being dumped into this one project," the singer shared to L!fe.
"But then also if I just took a step back and look at where we are right now. We’re touring over 80 shows with this next album and then we still have Dive Studios, I have film, and TV projects coming—just so many different things happening where it feels like everything is finally working together. Up until this point it was like everything kinda works out, I was just trying my best to make it all work," he continued.
