Lucas talks reuniting with Filipino fans for V1BE Manila 2024 and realizations as solo artist
For K-pop artist Lucas, Filipinos have a special place in his heart, and he’ll make sure to prove this as he dishes out an exciting performance for his fans at the upcoming V1BE Manila 2024.
Lucas is one of the many talented musicians to grace the festival, which will be headlined by five-time Grammy nominee Akon. He’ll be joining the likes of Filipino-American rapper Ez Mil and other local hip-hop artists such as SB19’s Pablo, Flow G, and Gloc-9 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on December 3.
PhilSTAR L!fe had the chance to speak to the sensational rapper-singer ahead of his much-awaited V1BE appearance, where he gushed about his fond memories of the Philippines when he held a fan concert earlier in June.
“I’m actually looking forward to it very much,” Lucas said of the upcoming festival. “I had a lot of great memories when I actually visited the Philippines last time. The people were very hospitable, the food was really nice, so I have a lot of good memories with Manila. So I'm very looking forward to visiting there again.”
V1BE Manila, presented by L-Squared Productions, is a milestone for the Korean artist as this would be his first time performing at the “grandest hip-pop experience” of the year. While he isn’t “aware [of] the atmosphere or the vibe” of Philippine festivals, he is determined to make a splash on stage.
“K Pop is really, really famous for their performances, right? So I actually prepared to the point that the audience can actually enjoy my performance,” Lucas said.
Going his own way
After spending five years as a member of the K-pop group SuperM, NCT, and its Chinese sub-unit WayV, Lucas finally decided to spread his wings and pursue individual endeavors starting with his debut single album Renegade.
Released in April this year, the album symbolizes Lucas’ new journey, with lyrics about making “a change for the better and an ambition to walk his way without hesitation.”
When asked how things have changed for him since going solo, he said, “The current Lucas is very, very different from the past Lucas.”
“Since that was my first time to perform as a solo artist, there are a lot of things to consider about the positions when I'm performing, and if the parts that I'm actually doing are good,” he continued.
The Chinese-Thai rapper admitted, however, that he fostered some doubts about becoming independent, saying he was "afraid" to perform solo and would get anxious. However, interacting with his fans on the Bubble app has helped him gain confidence.
“Seeing those reactions and love from my fans... I was really, really happy thinking that with this love and support, maybe I could do it better. So now, I think life-wise, I'm more grown as a person, and I'm actually willing to do better each time, and I think that's one of the changes that I made,” he emphasized.
What the future holds
Fans are eagerly waiting for more captivating tunes from Lucas, and he is more than ready to give it his all, even exploring genres other than pop music.
“I'm actually trying or listening to different kinds of genres so I can try them out. There's one artistic side of me that I want to try, and of course, my company is very, very cooperative, and I want to try different things out," Lucas shared.
The music industry has a lot of talented singers, and recent years saw some back-to-back partnerships between K-pop artists and Western artists. A few noteworthy examples include Rosé and Bruno Mars, SEVENTEEN and DJ Khaled, Taeyeon and Sam Smith, and more.
For Lucas, the one artist who he wishes to share a song with is American singer Teddy Swims, who is known for blending music genres including R&B, soul, country, and pop.
"I actually listened to one of his music by coincidence. I was actually talking with my friend and my manager, and that music came out. And I was like, 'What is this?' So I searched for this album and wow. All of his songs were really nice to hear," Lucas gushed.
"Looking back to his previous albums, his voice style was different, and when I actually heard that different voice, I was like, 'Wow, he's really attractive from this style. He was able to change his form to this style, so there were a lot of points or key takeaways that I actually got while listening to his album," he shared, adding that if there's an opportunity, he would work with him.
Lessons learned
At 25 years old, Lucas still has a lot of things to experience—professionally and personally.
Lucas already has plenty of unexpected realizations since the start of his singing career, and one lesson that is stuck in his mind is how "there's no right answer in music."
"There were some moments that I kind of felt embarrassed or awkward when I was recording [my songs], but right after listening to the result, I was like, 'Wow, this is good,'" he recounted.
"That kind of realization gave me the reason why these different kind[s] of music artists have very good personalities, and they're very open-minded as well. I guess that's also one thing that they should keep," he continued.
Despite all the changes he's going to experience as a solo artist, his ultimate goal is to make songs that put a smile on his listeners' faces.
"The feeling that I actually want my people to have when they listen to the music is positive energy. I'm very into how music influences people," Lucas said, citing the USA for Africa artists' song We Are the World.
"I would like to try different kind[s] of music that actually gives peace to the society. So if there's an opportunity that I can record or try this kind of song with my fans, I guess that would be much better," he emphasized.
