Jay Chang balances 3 debuts and ‘Neighborhood’ in year of unstoppable growth
SEATTLE - Jay Chang’s last year has been busier than most in the K-pop industry.
He’s made his debut not once, but three times.
First, with his debut solo album, "LATE NIGHT", with the group ONE PACT, and most recently, with the K-pop group, B.D.U.
Even after competing on his third music competition show earlier this year, winning it, and then going on a world tour with B.D.U, Jay returned to his solo music with his latest album, ready to show fans even more.
"I knew I really wanted to do something sort of nostalgic to me, musically, but we also wanted to show something new. So it was kind of a difficult decision between doing something that I'm comfortable with, but also doing something that I haven't done before," he says.
His latest EP, "Neighborhood" may only feature four tracks, but shows different styles for fans to experience, and also features one track that means the most to Jay.
"My personal favorite song on the album is the song called ‘Four Seasons,’ and that song actually has a lot of sentimental value to me because there was a period of time where I actually almost gave up on being a singer, and that was five years ago. So I wrote ‘Four Seasons’ during that time period," he explains.
Luckily, Jay did not quit, and instead continued to show his talent on shows like "Boys Planet" and "Build Up," showcasing his skills and having numerous viral clips of his singing shared with fans across the world.
While his debut solo album talked about the dreams he had as a child growing up and becoming a rock star, now he has achieved that dream of stardom, even if that dream comes with a busy schedule.
"I've got really good people surrounding me. That's helped me organize the schedules and how to be the most efficient, while also having enough time for recovery. I think that when it comes to giving my 100% at all times, it's just like I'm very passionate about music and performing and everything that comes with doing this kind of artistry and being a musician. No matter if I get no sleep or sleep three hours, five hours, no hours, I'm always going to lock in and give 100%," he says.
While he has had to try to split time evenly between all of his activities, he wanted to merge his solo career with his group career by inviting TAG — of ONE PACT, who is responsible for producing the music of the group — to work on the track, ‘What You Need,’ on "Neighborhood."
"TAG was definitely someone that I've wanted to have as part of my solo activities, and he's also expressed interest in doing it before. Originally, the idea came because he also does a lot of songwriting, as well, and he also has a very unique vocal color that I think is really awesome," Jay says.
With Jay’s last year being full of opportunity after years of working to get to this point, and almost giving up, he has advice he wishes he could give to his younger self.
"A piece of advice that I would give myself is, no matter how tired or fatigued you get, never give up and always get through it… because at least you can say that you've done it, and it's better to regret something that you have done than regret something that you couldn't," he says.
And with that mentality as he wraps up this busy year, he looks back at his opportunities in a positive way, despite being so busy.
"I feel like this year has been great on me mentally and being able to go to new heights has definitely done a lot for my confidence," he says.
Now, he is already looking to 2025 as he just announced his first solo fansign tour, starting right here in Seattle next month on January 16.
The 10-show tour will give fans the opportunity to meet Jay and hear music from his latest album and more.
But as for his 2025 goals, Jay says, "I feel like, instead of any real material, tangible goal, I just really want to work as hard as I can and make a lot better music, improve as a performer and just hopefully get a lot more ears tuning into whatever I have to do next."
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