Looking for something to help alleviate my post concert depression after seeing BTS two times this tour, I splurged on Day6 Tickets. The only problem? I am the newbiest of newbies when it comes to Day6. I know “Shoot Me” and I think I can pick out Jae, but I can’t properly fangirl without some help from an expert. So, I turned to @Dramadebussie, also known as half of the podcasting duo Drama Kandy. She graciously agreed to join me for this interview/tutorial. So, please join me as I interrogate, I mean “interview,” Drama Debussie.

 

Kdrama Jen: I am an avid listener of podcasts (not just the one I am part of), so I immediately thought of India from Drama Kandy when I looked down at my phone and realized I had tickets to a show for a group I barely know. I have heard her waxing poetic about them for the last year, so I knew she would be able to give me a crash course. Now, you may be wondering how I ended up with tickets for a group I know only a bit. Well… You know how back in your college days or maybe high school and some jerk breaks your heart, so you date somebody else on the rebound to try to fill the void (even though everyone warns you not to do that)?? No? Just me? Well, I kind of rebound concerted. Totally going with that as a verb. So, here we are. The good news is it isn’t like I just picked the first random guy, I mean group, that wandered past me. I like what I know of them. I just need a Day6 Sherpa to guide me a bit. So, welcome Drama Debussie!

Kdrama Jen: Hello! Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about you.

Drama Debussie: Hello! Before I introduce myself, let me just say WELCOME to the world of Day6! Get ready for ripped skinny jeans, boyfriend hair, emotional lyrics, and rocking harmonies! Funnily enough, half of Day6’s songs are about everything that leads to wanting a rebound, so you’re in the right place! As you mentioned, I go by @Dramadebussie on the interwebs where I spend half of my time unhealthily obsessing over the latest Asian dramas. The other half of my time is spent as a thoroughly invested Day6 fan aka My Day. You can also find me co-hosting the Hallyucast Drama Kandy (http://Dramakandy.com) where my friend, @Cherylfornia, and I discuss the latest K-pop and K-drama news with almost too much honesty.

Kdrama Jen: How did you discover Day6? How long have you been a fan?

Drama Debussie: I discovered Day6 much later than I’d like to admit, the beginning of 2017. I had seen them floating around my Twitter and Instagram timeline for quite a while, but they kinda got drowned out by the other K-pop bands that inundated these apps. Then I heard that they were going to release new music EVERY MONTH for a year. I was intrigued, so I did some digging and also discovered these songs are primarily written, composed and performed by the members. The pretentious hipster in me that goes weak in the knees for singer-songwriter-musicians fell down a Day6 YouTube hole and crawled out of it a full-fledged fan.

Kdrama Jen: What do you think are the must-listen songs on a Day6 playlist?

Drama Debussie: I don’t have children but I’m convinced that if I did, choosing a few must-listen Day6 songs would inspire the same agony involved with picking a favorite child. It’s especially hard when Day6 doesn’t have any bad songs. However, I will push the agony aside for the purposes of this interview/interrogation. I will also provide six songs because they’re Day6 and themes are important. I usually suggest people start where I started:

You Were Beautiful

With the fear of sounding redundant, everything about this song is, well, beautiful. It’s the quintessential Day6 song. The vocal and instrumental structure is the same structure they use for many of their songs, and it works like a dream. The lyrics about the bittersweetness of a breakup. The M/V with an aesthetic and emotional rollercoaster suitable for a tvN drama. It’s all there, and it’s all them.

Letting Go

Dem harmonies though! If there’s one thing Day6 excels at, it’s allowing a song to build. This is a perfect example.

Shoot Me

Sometime it’s easy to forget that Day6 can ROCK OUT. Here’s your reminder. This is also a great way to practice fan participation as you will surely be expected to join in on the BANG BANG and BULLET BULLET BULLET whenever you go to a live show.

Dance Dance

Day6 is frequently accused of releasing nothing but breakup songs. This My Day will simply offer this song as proof that the accusation is not entirely true. This is just pure fun and I dare you to stay still once it comes on. If carpe diem were a song, it would sound like this.

I Smile

In interest of full transparency, I’ve cried more listening to this song than I have watching an entire season of This Is Us. However, just as with This Is Us, they’re cleansing tears. If you know what it feels like to miss someone terribly but continue to put on a happy face in spite of the pain, you’ll feel this song just as much as I do every time I hear it.

Stop the Rain

Have I mentioned that the guys have made their Japanese debut? I haven’t? Oh well, come on in from the cold, my friend! Now, I’m not sure where they found the time to learn enough Japanese to create multiple Japanese songs that sound this great, but thank goodness they have grasped multitasking better than I ever will.

Kdrama Jen: I tend to enjoy the music and MVs more when I feel like I know the members. Do you have any resources to recommend for learning more about them? Vlive? Twitter? Instagram?

Drama Debussie: Absolutely! V Lives are definitely Day6’s preferred way to communicate with fans outside the live shows. If they’re not doing a live together, then they are doing them individually and at sometimes random times. Most of the band members shut down their individual social media accounts in 2016, but the band has a Twitter (https://twitter.com/day6official) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/day6kilogram/) The only member that still uses his Twitter is Jae (https://twitter.com/Jae_Day6) and it’s worth the follow if only so you don’t miss a minute of his witty tweets. He also has a YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrOUYIN9rbYaWFs68vAtaZA) that is pretty fun to watch.

I highly recommend relying heavily on YouTube for videos of their interviews and live performances. Their personalities are so different and it’s fun to see those personalities come out the longer they’re in front of a camera. I’m also a huge proponent of those fun compilation videos in where fans edit clips of members teasing each other or those “unhelpful” guide videos. In spite of their titles, they are actually quite helpful and funny.

Kdrama Jen: So, first…. who are the members? What are they like?

Drama Debussie: Aw man. Where do I start? Sung Jin – Aigoo..our Busan-born leader, main vocalist and guitarist who is simply a dad trying to take care of his four kids even though one of those kids (Jae) is older than him. A Day6 OG as he has been a part of the band’s original formation when they were called 5LIVE which also included Jae, Young K, Junhyeok (left the group in 2016), and Wonpil. Responsible, dances on command, pleasantly gritty vocals and even learned how to play the guitar when 5LIVE was changed to Day6. He’s also frequently referred to as the mosquito head hunter (thanks, Young K), Bob the Builder (thanks, Jae) or a bear (thanks, Wonpil).

Jae – So *claps hands* say hello to our bundle of personality, Park Jae Hyung a.k.a. Chicken Little and Young K’s Nightmare. California-raised vocalist, main guitarist, and part-time rapper when Young K doesn’t feel like doing it. He’s usually the one doling out the lightening fast quips and the harsh truths about the members. That’s why we love him. The smoothest of vocals and an even more smooth way with a guitar, you will gladly forget how silly he can be off stage.

Young K – Main rapper, vocalist, bassist (even though he prefers to play the guitar), and Mr. Steal-Ya-Fans (thanks, Jae). He’s always been involved in music even before he was scouted by JYPE, so he’s always been a superstar in the making. Charismatic, smart, sexy, slightly annoying, and Day6’s main lyricist which means he’s REALLY good with words. They don’t call him a fox for nothing. It may be tempting but whatever you do, DON’T CALL HIM BRIAN!! Sure, that was the English name he used when he lived in Toronto for his four years of high school, BUT HIS NAME IS YOUNG K. If you call him Brian, the only response you’ll get is, “Who is Brian?”

Wonpil – If you like aegyo and ugly pink sweaters (that cost $790), Kim Wonpil is for you! He may be the second youngest, but he’s the mom of the group no matter how much the other members try to act like they hate it. Vocalist, keyboardist, synthesizer, and frequently contributes lyrics alongside Young K. A little gullible which makes him an easy target for the guys, but has moments of wisdom that will knock you off your feet which explains his ability to join the songwriting process. I highly suggest you check out the music our Wonpil bunny has recommended on his V Lives (https://twitter.com/day6kilobyte/status/945971755964801024) because they are so good it hurts!

Dowoon – Last but certainly not least, red-eared Jindo puppy of a maknae, Yoon Do Woon. As he likes to say, he like drum, he love drum and he is drum. He is always the cutest of the cute with the deepest of the deep voice while being the awkwardest of the awkward. Brought on at the inception of Day6 as it transitioned from 5LIVE, this other Busan-born member has been described by Jae as the most normal of the band members and I would have to agree seeing that no one can deny how genuine he comes off. What he lacks in singing ability, he makes up for by working hard and doing his best, even when he’s accidentally cracking glasses. He’s also one half of the bromantic love team Dopil and I fully support it.

Kdrama Jen: Do you have a bias? If so, who? What do you like about him?

Drama Debussie: Hands down, Young K. Not only can he write the heck out of a song, but the way he plays bass is…let’s not talk about it. Did I mention he finished his degree in Business Administration while he was VERY active with Day6? Yeah. NBD.

Sometimes he just casually raps on songs when the spirit leads him to do so. Like that’s a normal thing that anyone can do. He’s an only child (like me) which means he’s highly independent and an overachiever. Yep, even when he openly admits that his favorite things to do are eat and sleep (like me), he still figures out a way to be really good at everything he does (not like me).

Kdrama Jen: Which MVs are your favorites?

Drama Debussie: It may sound weird but this is my favorite Day6 topic. The M/Vs. Most of their M/Vs are standalones, but some of them have a storyline and those just happen to be my favorite. The M/Vs for “Congratulations” and “You Were Beautiful” star the same actors with the former concentrating on the heartbroken hero running into his ex-girlfriend who is with a new boyfriend. The latter song’s M/V focuses on the hero reminiscing on their relationship with less bitterness which served a great way to provide closure. Being a drama fan obviously made this approach more palatable for me, but there is something special about connecting these songs so that they tell a story. It spotlights what Day6 excels at which is using their music to tell a story which makes their music even more personal for everyone. It doesn’t hurt that the editing and cinematography read like an actual movie.

 

The other M/V series they did was for “What Can I Do”, “I Loved You”, and “When You Love Someone”. The guys did the acting this time, doling out all the high school angst that is usually reserved for a drama. The fun part about this series lies in the many fanfics that could easily be written on one or all of these M/Vs. As far as standalones are concerned, I prefer the videos where the they look like they’ve found a space to have fun and be themselves. “I’m Serious” comes to mind.

Kdrama Jen: If you were going to cast one of the members in a Kdrama, who would be the one most likely to have an angsty shower scene? Why?

Drama Debussie: We’ve officially hit the golden question, folks! Surprisingly enough, I’m going to give it Dowoon. Understand that this decision is mainly based on naked body potential than angst ability. However, if we’re looking at angst more than body, I’ll give it to Young K. I know there are more than a few My Days shaking the table right now but I stand by my choices. Kdrama Jen: And what about the plucky candy girl working three jobs and just begging for a wrist grab? Drama Debussie: LOL Wonpil all the way. He’s the only one that would enjoy the wrist grab.

 

Kdrama Jen: If you could hang out with Day6 for the day, what would you do?

Drama Debussie: I’ve thought about this longer than one semi-sane person should and I’m sure I would just want to hang out with them in a random Korean BBQ at 2am just talking about life. A boring answer but honest.

Kdrama Jen: Why should others Stan Day6?

Drama Debussie: People should stan Day6 because everyone should stan pure musical talent. We live in a world where labels distract us with catchy tunes, even catchier dance routines and strategic appearances on music shows where we hear an overly produced track more than the talent. Day6 could have easily plotted to simply be famous for being part of a well-established label. However, they’re musicians who want to be known as musicians. They’re not an act, they’re a band. Nothing about them is filtered, so when you see them perform, you’re seeing THEM perform.

There’s something so authentic and assuring about Day6’s dedication to their music and the experience they want to give all of us with that music. I say all this not to say that other bands don’t work hard, but not having the safety nets that other pop artists have has meant that they’re climbing up the musical mountain with full knowledge that they could fall anytime. I implore everyone to be the kind of fan that’s willing to catch these guys for the simple fact that they’re willing to work so hard in order to offer their true selves to us.

Kdrama Jen: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Drama Debussie: Believe it or not, I COULD keep going about Day6, but I won’t. I’m gushed more than enough. Thanks for having me and have fun at the concert!

Kdrama Jen: Thank you VERY much for sharing your My Day expertise.  I think I need to go buy a lightstick!  I am officially THRILLED with my rebound concert choice.  And, readers, if you enjoyed this K-entertainment cross-post/collaboration and want to see more, please let us know in the comments!

Until the next new discovery…

Kdrama Jen

Dramas with a Side of Kimchi