In ‘FEELM’, 82MAJOR embraces a sexier, more mature side
In an interview, the K-pop group discusses its desire to keep reinventing themselves through music
(Photo credit: GREAT M ENTERTAINMENT)
82MAJOR isn’t immune to switching things up.
The K-pop group has often been associated with a more hip-hop centric sound coupled with high energy dance and rap performances. But in its latest EP FEELM, 82MAJOR is embracing a sexier, more experimental sound, showcasing the group’s maturity.
“When most people think of 82MAJOR, they usually picture a really intense, powerful image, so we wanted to switch up the vibe this time,” says Nam Seong-mo in an interview with bunni pop.
“We worked hard to show a more emotional and mature side of us.”
FEELM, which is a combination of the words “feel” and “film”, is an album focused on the emotion of love, adds Hwang Seongbin. Yoon Yechan, who hails from Markham, Ontario, says FEELM is also a project that challenged the group to take on new genres.
“You’ll definitely be able to feel how much our musical spectrum has expanded,” Yechan says.
82MAJOR, composed of members Yoon Yechan, Park Seokjoon, Cho Seongil, Hwang Seongbin, Kim Dogyun and Nam Seongmo, debuted in 2023 under the company Great M Entertainment. The group has found steady success over the years. The band’s 2024 EP X-82 hit multiple Billboard Charts including World Sales, Current Album Sales and Emerging Artist.
FEELM is the most sonically diverse project 82MAJOR has put out, and members of the group pride themselves in being heavily involved in the process of composing each of the tracks.
Opening number “W.T.F” begins with a jazzy piano melody and then transitions into a high energy rap track, showcasing the bravado and unapologetic confidence of 82MAJOR as a group. “CIRCLES” delves into ‘90s grunge rock territory, while house music also plays a major influence in tracks like “CAGE” and “YESSIR!”—genres Yechan says he’s been gravitating towards recently.
According to Seokjoon, the ability to bounce ideas off of each other in the studio helps him and his bandmates transfer that same energy to live performances.
“Even on stage, rather than looking overly manufactured, we always try to show our raw, natural charm.”
While it makes sense for any artist to want to experiment with different melodies and genres, members of 82MAJOR admit there were some worries over how their fans—82DE—might respond to the switch-up in sound.
“We tend to experiment a lot, both musically and on stage, and thankfully our fans always love and support whatever we do,” says Seong-mo. “Thanks to their cheers, even when we hesitate about trying something new, we can push forward with confidence.”
Artistry doesn’t just lie in the music, however. 82MAJOR has often been known to take on new characters and deliver cinematic music videos that play out like standalone short films. 2024’s “Stuck” saw the group portray secret agents in a kung-fu style music video. While 2025s “Takeover” had 82MAJOR taking on the role of vigilantes wreaking havoc around town.
The video for the band’s latest single “Sign” was directed by Lee Su-ho from the Korean music collective Balming Tiger.
(Photo credit: GREAT M ENTERTAINMENT)
In it, the 82MAJOR members are placed in a dystopian society where people have been brainwashed into losing true love. It’s up to the group to save the day and turn people back to their original selves.
“The message is that people who recover their ability to love will go on to change others, and ultimately, true love will spread across all relationships,” says Seongil.
Over the span of 82MAJOR’s short career thus far, bunni pop has been able to catch up with the group numerous times throughout its various musical comebacks, including a headline North American tour that saw Yechan play in front of a hometown crowd in Toronto last June.
“I think our biggest growth is that we’re now truly able to enjoy ourselves and connect with our fans through our free-spirited vibe and the music we’ve created ourselves,” says Seokjoon.
The group considers going on tours and meeting fans face-to-face as particular highlights of their career so far, and hope to one day get opportunities to attend and perform at awards shows.
With the release of FEELM, the members of 82MAJOR say they want to keep exploring new musical genres, but also play a role in showcasing the unique sonic identity of K-pop as a whole.
“There are so many groups with incredibly diverse colours in the K-pop scene, but within that, we want to be the team that shows off 82MAJOR’s signature style in the most distinct and unrivaled way,” Dogyun says.
Seongbin adds: “Since our team name includes Korea’s country code ‘82,’ we want to be a group that spreads the charm of South Korea and K-pop to even more people around the world.”
FEELM is out now! Follow 82MAJOR on Instagram!
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