Exclusive Interview With RUSUR (Updated!)

Exclusive Interview With RUSUR
(Photo by Jordon Chatten Media)
We talked with Rusur, an award-winning singer and songwriter and the first black Kpop male idol. He talks about future plans, his musical inspirations and more! [Date: March 4, 2024]
You can view Rusur’s profile here.

It’s great to talk to you again! Before we get started, congratulations on your latest comeback “ROUGIES Club, Vol. 1”! What kind of thoughts ran through your head as you prepared for this comeback?
It’s great to be back on K-Profiles showing love to people who helped me solidify my legacy! This comeback meant so much more to me because I brought my team this time around; it’s only lonely at the top if you bring yourself, so I wanted to make sure that I can celebrate with my family and friends that I’ve made along the way. There was so much that I wanted to prove in this project, and I feel like we were all really well represented. It’s finally time to party now that the project is out!

What has been the biggest challenge in preparing for this release?
Creating a group project when you’re spread out across the world carries many unique challenges! One of the main challenges I experienced while working on the album was mixing the vocals of all the members since the quality of the microphones varied DRASTICALLY, but after mixing vocals professionally for about 5 years, I can say that I’m very happy with how it turned out! I’m so grateful to have a team trust me with their voices and helping enhance their ideas. This is just the beginning!

What makes this album different from your previous releases?
This is the very first group album that I created with my team, Young Minnie, JADÉ, Romeo, Sofia Bella, and our new member LEOO! Creating Korean versions of our songs is never easy, so I am so happy to say that we have Rita Kim, our Korean translator and artist, on the team to bring my ideas all the way to Korea! You might also notice that in both “MVP” as well as “I Love Ice Cream” I chose to make the hook partly in Mandarin! I’m so passionate about culture and languages, so finding ways that I can show my love through the music is truly a pleasure.

(Photo by Jordon Chatten Media)

What are the main sources of inspiration for the creation of your music, videos, and performances?
I’m constantly listening to all genres of music, heavily studying the direction that K-Pop is moving, and obsessively watching music videos to find where our voice fits in the intricate tapestry of the music industry. I wish I could give you a source, but my brain is a mixing pot that takes in everything I find interesting and creates a wonderful stew of perspectives! What I can tell you is that I really love DIY aesthetic when it comes to visuals (e.g. “Broken Melodies” by NCT DREAM) because they feel more authentic, so I would say visually, that’s where you would find differences between ROUGIES Club and K-Pop as a whole.

What do you hope listeners take away from “Count Me In?”
I hope the singles (both in English AND Korean) give you a feeling of celebration, community, and togetherness! Especially directing/filming the music video, it felt important to focus on the energy of the group and the journey it took for us to come together; you’ll see that in the video, it’s a journey of bringing everyone to the same place so that we can celebrate as a team!

What’s next for you? Can you give a little spoiler for Kprofiles readers exclusively?
To be completely honest, up until now, I have been laser focused on proving myself in all the ways that I thought was necessary to be the leader I saw within myself. With the release of ROUGIES Club, Vol. 1 I feel so much freedom because it feels like I no longer have to prove myself in any way. Right now, a big focus of mine is my acting career actually, and I’m so excited to say that my series debut is in a K-pop TV Show called GANGNAM Project on BBC iPlayer and CBC Gem! A little spoiler might be that I’m looking to expand the ROUGIES Club to different countries and involve more people who speak different languages… Stay tuned <3

(Photo by Jordon Chatten Media)

Where did your love of music come from?
The moment I saw how powerful music was, I was hooked; my goal in music is to use it as a platform to inspire growth for the people that are curious enough to listen! Building my team, and creating ROUGIES Club, Vol. 1, is the result of my pursuit to develop a creative community. Music, film, and fashion are the three pillars of entertainment, and I have a mission to be heavily involved in each industry… music is just the start!

“ROUGIES Club, Vol. 1” wasn’t the only major release that has happened for you recently, you also had your series debut on a brand new K-Pop TV Show! What are some highlights of being on GANGNAM Project?
It has been such an exciting start of the year, and I’m so excited to see what happens because of this show! The first big surprise was when I found out that August Rigo, the producer of “Blackswan” by BTS, and “Super” by SEVENTEEN was creating the original soundtrack that we got to perform! I knew from then on that this was a true show, and a moment that no one would expect coming. Another highlight was all the time that I spent on set; I absolutely love being an actor and being surrounded by so many creative people, so every day on set, even if we were filming for 14 hours, I was truly living out my dreams!

I had the chance to watch episode 2 of GANGNAM Project, and I must say, you did a really good job! Okay – what was your most challenging situation during filming?
Since this was the first series that I was ever a part of, there were a lot of new things for me, but the thing that stood out the most was how fast things moved; sometimes we would learn a choreography the same day we would be filming it, but through it all, I was so AMAZED by how quickly the entire cast picked up their performances, especially since some of them didn’t have a dance background! To say that I’m proud to be a part of GANGNAM Project is an understatement – I think this show could become the next GLEE! Fingers crossed!

(Photo by Jordon Chatten Media)

You seem so sure of yourself whenever we talk! Is there any advice that you could give to the fans who are struggling with their own confidence?
Every move that I’ve made in my career so far has been documented to create a very clear blueprint for how to make your dreams a reality. I was focused on documenting the process for people who struggle with their confidence or are unsure about if they can really make the life they prefer happen. I went from recording K-Pop covers in my bedroom to debuting on the main cast of a K-Pop TV series, and every step is documented. Focus on taking things one step at a time, and one day, you’ll look back and see just how far you’ve come!

Every artist – be it in the K-pop, J-pop or anything else – is known for something. How do you want people to remember the name “RUSUR”?
Here’s a little secret… the name RUSUR is actually an acronym that is a different way to say the famous quote “I think, therefore I am”: RUSUR = R U ? ¿ U R = Are You? ¿ You Are. If you look closely, the “S” in my logo is actually two question marks combined and mirrored. The name represents the awareness of being alive, and making the life you want happen! If I’m being completely honest…
I want to become the most interesting man in the world, and I won’t stop until it is so.

What would you like to say to your fans who have been waiting for your comeback and supporting you for a long time?
You know who you are, I know who you are, and I hope that you know how much I appreciate each and every one of you. With everything I do, I want to make you feel proud to be around. We are building a strong community because we are all Curious and Creative, and that’s what makes us ROUGIES! I hope you can all stay ROUGIE with me <3

(Photo by Jordon Chatten Media)