The KingDom

A day before I speak to The KingDom, I am reading about a king. More specifically - Zeus as described in “Old Greek Stories” by James Baldwin - and drawing parallels between heavenly rulers and their contemporary human counterparts: K-pop idols: modern-day kings and queens lording over dominions of devoted fans. Fan art and fan sites are the equivalents of royal portraits rendering them in ethereal glows. We lap up accounts of fan encounters on social media, our imaginations filling in the gaps where information fails. We congregate like loyal subjects for interludes at fan-signs, the contemporary equivalent of an audience with the king. The K-pop idol is a being beyond reproach and approach: they are to be admired from afar, impervious to changing trends, only contacted through micro-doses of social media and public appearances, but always a steady, uplifting presence in spirit: the figureheads of a kingdom of parasocial love and camaraderie.

“Will you marry me?” Dann’s voice comes out of nowhere, taking everyone by surprise. Perhaps not all “kings” are alike. Certainly not these ones, crammed as they are in front of a Zoom screen, wearing comfortable hoodies, and ready to throw out proposals at the prospect of getting a lifetime supply of Chicken Tikka - at the expense of their PR team, one would imagine. Despite their name - and lore, where each of the members is inspired by a famous king in history and mythology - The KingDom are about as far removed from their unapproachable throne as it gets.

In just under an hour, they manage to dismantle my esoteric theories about idols, unravelling them in spools of laughter, practicality, and some good ol’ self-reflection. I know that they love playing games and watching anime - “Rengoku [from Demon Slayer] is my husband,” as Mujin puts it - treat eating as a bonding ritual, are surprisingly clear-eyed about the pragmatic demands of being a K-pop idol, and are not prone to over-intellectualising things. “We were having searching problems [on search engines],” Arthur explains why they switched up their name from Kingdom to The KingDom. “You know? When people searched [for] Kingdom, so many Kingdoms would come up.” The group’s accompanying laughter truly drives in the idea of a modern monarchy. The tweak in the name wasn’t just a realignment of identities, but also a restructuring of the ethos of a K-pop idol - one far more honest, inviting, and relatable than the “legends” say.

What is the nicest thing that the member on the right side of you has ever said to you or about you?
Louis: Ivan once told me that everyone's having a hard time, so, you know, let's just put up [with it]. Let's just give more. Let's just put in more energy. And he was also the one who was [actually] putting in more energy. So that really helped me a lot.
Ivan: When I was nervous or having a hard time, Arthur told me, “You can do it!” That really helped me.
Arthur: Jahan told me that I am the cutest in the universe. [laughs]
Jahan: Sometimes Dann calls me his little bro. I really like that.
Dann: For me, I really like when Mujin comes up to me and starts up something, and he’s like, “You want to do this with me?” I really like it. I really like working [with him].

So you like being included?
Dann: Yes, with Mujin.
Mujin: For me, Louis and I play “League of Legends” together. Do you know that game? When Louis is losing, he always screams and I really like that. [laughs]
Louis: Oh, headache!

You went from just being called Kingdom to The KingDom. What does this new name represent for you as a group?
Arthur: We had searching problems [on the internet]. You know, when [people] searched Kingdom, so many Kingdoms came up [laughs]. But by changing the name to The KingDom, we became the only group that came up. That was the main reason we changed the name. And putting ‘the’ in front of it, [makes it] the one and only. The KingDom. Let's get it! Skrrt!

Your latest release also had a different vibe. A lot of fans were expecting a continuation of the very heavy world-building, but this latest release was very modern, young, and vibrant. So what was the reason behind this change in visuals?
Louis: We did not actually change the concept, but by moving on to the new chapter, we wanted to try something new. We wanted to make it more modernised, but we're not [going] away [from] our concept - we’re [staying] on point exactly. Season one was like our past lives in another parallel universe. Season two is more modernised. Before, we were all dressed up and our makeup was very strong, like kings. But we wanted to change it to [look] more like an idol group. [laughs] Most of our fans were like: “Oh, finally they became idols!”

Dann, you had expressed in a previous interview that you guys were a little apprehensive about this very sudden aesthetic change. What was it that helped you embrace it?
Dann: It was the music. These days, people are into easy listening, but most of our title songs are very heavy to hear, I’d say. By changing to the energy of ‘Flip That Coin’ or ‘ENERGY’ the song became easier to listen to. It was easier for the fans to hear for the first time - that’s why [I was able] to embrace this concept.

I’m actually from India, so I have to ask: you shot the music video for ‘Coup d’etat’ in Rajasthan, India. What was the trip like?
Dann: Wow! It was super hot! There were no shades, but it was really, really fun.
Mujin: It was a very new experience for us, like riding on a camel.
Louis: While we were dancing, our feet got stuck in the sand. You know, sand blowing all over! But it was still really fun.
Dann: Plus, we really, really loved Indian food!

Speaking of kings, each of your individual “kingdoms” is quite different. Jahan is from the Kingdom of the Sun, Louis from the Kingdom of Beauty, and so on. How do you personally relate to each of the kingdoms that you guys are from?
Dann: We had the names of our kingdoms [decided] before we debuted. Like, Ivan is from the Kingdom of the Snow. And he's very - I’m not trying to say this in like… he’s very white, like his skin. [laughs] He is very gorgeous. So that's why he was given the snow. And of course Jahan's like the most…man.
Jahan: No, stop it, stop it!
Mujin: Very manly. [laughs]

Let’s talk a little bit about ‘Flip That Coin’. The concept of flipping a coin is really interesting to me because people say that if you’re torn between two things and you flip a coin, you've already made the decision when the coin is in the air. So it kind of exposes your true desires and gives you clarity. Have you ever had a moment where you had a choice and the decision-making process made you realise who you are and what you wanted?
Dann: When I was around nine or ten, I had a chance to perform in front of my friends, you know, just singing and rapping. And while doing that, I realised, Oh, I'm going to be an idol. Is this how I should answer this question?
Louis: For me, when it comes to making decisions, I just don’t think that much. I always feel like I am a very selfish person. [laughs] I realised I need to do something [about it]. I am trying not to be selfish and, you know, try to make a wise decision.
Mujin: You’re [a] really good man!
Louis: You too. [laughs]

Louis, are you the kind of person who's like, “I will make a decision and whatever I do, I will stick to it. I won't regret it?”
Louis: I make the decision, but I think I need someone next to me to actually hold me to that plan.

Like a buddy.
Dann: Right, right. Like a buddy. And we're the buddies, you know, he has five buddies over here!

Let us talk about your process. People really appreciate the amount of detail that goes into your albums. What are the first few weeks of conceptualisation like?
Dann: Oh, this is easy to answer, because we have our steps. First, we have to pick our title song. But before picking the title song, we tell the writers, composers, and producers that we want specific concepts. So when the songs come out, we start building [them] up and plan for the music video. We record all six songs before shooting the music video. Other than the title songs, we just vote [on the rest]. So the ones with the most votes [become part of the] album.

Are you also involved in planning your outfits? Do you give input on what you want to wear?
Dann: Yes, we do. Like Louis and Mujin - and most of the members actually - if we want something, we tell the company. For example, [our characters] have tattoos, right? That was Louis’ idea. He wanted to put a tattoo on his face, right on his neck. He gives [input] on designing as well. We do this all together.

This question is kind of related to the parallel worlds you mentioned earlier. Part of your concept deals with being trapped in an illusion. Speaking very realistically, have you ever thought of life as an idol as an illusion?
Louis: It does feel like an illusion. If I draw a parallel, it’s like a [game] of bow and arrow, because you cannot predict the future. Whenever you make the target, you can get like ten points, but then sometimes you fail with a zero.

So trial and error.
Dann: Yes, some things hit, some things miss out. We can't guarantee [anything] all the time.

So how do you bring yourself back to reality?
Louis: It is easier for me to separate [the two lives] actually by realising that they’re different: my real life and idol life. I can actually live my real life and not fall too deep inside idol life, because I [already] know that this is like an illusion.

Can you think of one moment or interaction with any member of the group right now that made you think, Oh, this guy is definitely going to make it?
Louis: I want to speak as a team here. When we were on tour, our health wasn't that good. We were all sick and everyone got the flu, but up on the stages, everybody was putting in more energy and giving it their best shot. [That is when] I felt like, Oh, we're going to succeed.

So basically, you’re gonna make it because you guys are together.
Dann: Yes.

You train in a certain way and develop some habits and approaches that stay with you. Now that you guys are full-fledged idols, do you still find yourselves approaching the stage or a performance in the same way that you used to do back when you were rookies?
Dann: I want to answer this as a team. We always try to be like rookies. What I mean by that is…[as you get] more and more experience, all the stages become less [nerve-wracking]. But we try our best to pay attention and be a little bit nervous to give it our best shot. Being rookies, we always have to be on our toes, and always be more polite. I think that's what we're trying to do right now. On every stage, if you're like a rookie, you're going to give your best shot, right?

As rookies, there is always a drive to prove yourselves. Like, “I deserve to be here.” Do you all still feel like you are proving yourselves?
Dann: We always feel like that, and there are two reasons. One, our company is not that famous in South Korea. Compared to [others] we're kind of newly born. So, we have to work harder than other companies. The second is: we aimed to be at the top. We did not aim to be in the middle or at the bottom. If you want to be at the top, you have to work harder and prove yourself.

What kind of things do you guys do to get closer to each other once the group had been formed and you guys were starting activities formally?
Dann: Having been living together for four years, we know each other now. Just by looking at someone’s facial expression, we can think, Oh, that guy is not in a good mood today. That guy's in a good mood today, or he is hiding something. We know each other. I think playing football together sometimes, going out to a cafe together, or eating together is very important. In Korea, you call your family Sik-gu, and if you write that down in Chinese, [it means] people that you eat together with. That is what you call a family. I think eating together really helps us a lot in relating to each other.