[FEATURE] GOT7 Solo Adventures: Flying High and Free

Derived from the fandom name ‘AHGASE’ (literal translation: baby bird), birds are a symbol of GOT7’s fandom. Yet, this symbolisation has never been more accurate of GOT7’s growth and freedom to fly high and free, after they left their original company JYP Entertainment. After seven years with JYP Entertainment, the members of GOT7, JAY B, Mark, Jackson, Jinyoung, Youngjae, BamBam and Yugyeom decided not to re-contract with the company. This marked the start of their solo careers showing their creativity and passion for music, as well as other forms of artistry.

Prior to embarking on their solo adventures, the boys released a sentimental R&B track Encore just for their fans. Written by king of fan songs Jinyoung, the song put disbandment rumours to rest and assured AHGASEs that GOT7 is here to stay.

Encore not only showcased the powerful vocal and rap from the members, but also had a deeper meaning which made fans listening to it feel bitter-sweet and emotional. GOT7 explained that they produced the song picturing the moment fans chant “encore” at the end of the performance at their shows, and then coming back to the stage to perform.

“GOT7 will come together and be back as we did this time. The most important thing is that all the members are very close, so the fans shouldn’t worry too much.”

“Nothing is coming to an end, just the beginning” – Mark Tuan

With such a special bond between the members, the artistes and the fans, AHGASEs are definitely proud and certain that GOT7 would become one of the K-pop groups with the strongest bonds despite having their contracts expired and them going separate ways. They have proven that boy groups may not just be business after all, as they exemplify through their actions that defy typical industry standards.

Now, let’s take a look at some of the members’ growth and activities the past six months since they carved out their solo careers.

T/N: We apologise if we were not able to include all the members’ solo activities. All opinions are solely based on the opinions of the writer and are not in any way representative of the fandom.

JAY B

When we think of a leader, we think of a person with charisma, the pillar of the group and the one that holds the group together. For AHGASEs, the person that comes to our mind is our leader JAY B.

While most of the GOT7 members announced their new career path shortly after deciding not to re-contract with JYP Entertainment, there was barely any news surrounding leader JAY B. Eventually, he revealed that he had been studying business so he could handle GOT7’s legal rights, distribution and trademark transfer, so that the group can release music as soon as possible under the name ‘GOT7’. With the sheer amount of paperwork one can imagine, it was without a doubt that JAY B was under a lot of stress as he once uploaded an Instagram story with the caption ‘My head is going to explode’.

Without our leader JAY B, everything may have been much more difficult and the group might have taken a longer time to release Encore, which might leave AHGASEs feeling nervous. With fans in mind, JAY B sacrificed his time for his solo career to deal with paperwork, so that the rest of the members could carry on with their solo activities with a peace of mind. And all this is only possible because of JAY B’s love for GOT7 and AHGASEs.

Apart from dealing with legalities and paperwork, JAY B also opened his own YouTube channel, and took part in various magazine shoots.

In May, he officially signed with H1GHR Music, and released a new single Switch It Up featuring sokodomo. AHGASEs were excited for this release especially because JAY B’s music colour was highly restricted while in JYP Entertainment. Now under a hip-hop R&B label, JAY B is given much more freedom to explore his own style of music, which fans have always been waiting for, but were only given the limited songs on his Soundcloud. Have a listen to Switch It Up below!

With greater freedom of expression, we cannot wait for more releases from JAY B in the future!

Mark

The only American member, Mark Tuan, made the decision to return home to Los Angeles after being away from his family for the past 10 years. AHGASEs are well aware that despite having best friends throughout his career, he has always deeply missed his family back home, and has been spending special festivals away from home.

Before flying home with his pet dog Milo, Mark opened his own YouTube channel in January and earned the YouTube Silver Play Button without any videos. Nine days later, it hit one million subscribers. After returning home in February, he released the single One in a Million featuring producer Sanjoy.

Mark has not only shown his versatility in producing songs, he has also been uploading videos on his YouTube channel showcasing himself in photoshoots, music, and journey as a YouTuber. He also does regular live broadcasts to communicate with fans, adding a personal touch to fan interactions.

Perhaps the best news that AHGASEs received and are really proud of is that Mark signed with one of US’s largest talent agencies Creative Artists Agency, the home to artistes like Dua Lipa and Harry Styles.

For Mark, we are expecting a range of various activities — more releases from his clothing line and music releases in the near future. As he is just getting started to carve his own path and grow as a solo artiste, we cannot wait to see what the future brings for Mark.

Jackson

Jackson has been serving solo works in China while promoting as a GOT7 member, starting his own label Team Wang and releasing various singles on YouTube. Now that he has left JYP Entertainment, AHGASEs can look forward to not just solo activities in China, but also in South Korea.

After leaving JYP Entertainment, Jackson signed a business partnership with Sublime Artist Agency to embark on a global business. Having been restricted from promoting in South Korea when he was still under JYP Entertainment, this is a further step for Jackson to connect with fans from Korea, a special group of people he is especially grateful for as it is the country where he began his singing career. Since then, he has collaborated with Rain on the latter’s new album PIECES by RAIN, for the B-side track Magnetic. He has also taken part in numerous photoshoots, and released a single Leave Me Loving You. As part of his solo promotions, Jackson also performed on The Late Late Show With James Corden.

AHGASEs know that Jackson is an extremely hardworking and down-to-earth idol, who puts in extra effort to write his own songs and direct his own music videos. As he can now focus on solo activities, Jackson has also shared that he intends to release English, Chinese and Korean albums. With proper promotion and a great team, Jackson will only continue to rise in fame and become an even more successful global idol.

Jinyoung

When AHGASEs think of Jinyoung, we think of a talented singer, rapper, dancer and actor. Landing a few leading roles while active as a GOT7 member, Jinyoung has proven that he has the quality and skills to be a top-notch actor. After his departure from JYP Entertainment, it is not surprising that Jinyoung decided to focus more on his acting career.

Prior to departing from JYP Entertainment, there were rumours that Jinyoung would be signing with BH Entertainment, home to artistes like Kim Go Eun and Park Bo Young. These rumours were confirmed when Jinyoung officially signed with the entertainment company, which promised to support his diverse career as an actor and musician.

Having been part of a boy group the past seven years, and knowing that Jinyoung has a flair and interest in acting, AHGASEs are really excited for Jinyoung’s upcoming drama projects. Indeed, he was booked and busy as he landed one of the leading roles in upcoming tvN drama The Devil Judge. AHGASEs have been swooning over the still cuts of Jinyoung’s character, Kim Ga On, who plays an associate trial judge who shines as the one ray of hope in an imaginary dystopian Korea.

The drama premieres this coming Saturday, July 3. Don’t miss it!

Apart from The Devil Judge, Jinyoung has also been casted in Yumi’s Cells, and will be acting alongside Kim Go Eun if confirmed. Now that Jinyoung has officially signed with an acting company, AHGASEs look forward to seeing more of Jinyoung on television, and perhaps also on the big screen.

Once in a while, Jinyoung would also turn on Instagram live to communicate with fans. On the live broadcast, he shared while playing the guitar that he has been composing, learning English, and hitting the gym.

With Jinyoung’s boyish first-love looks, eyes that tell a story, and his acting abilities that can tug the heartstrings of all men and women alike, we hope that Jinyoung will be able to venture into different genres of drama and different kinds of characters.

Youngjae

Youngjae was one of the few members who announced early that they will be signing with a new company. He signed to Sublime Artist Agency and has been active under the label. Sublime Artist Agency provided regular updates of Youngjae turning up at the office (thank you, SAA) and Youngjae even held a VLIVE broadcast with his pet dog, Coco. Youngjae seemed to have been much brighter with a new environment, and looked extremely elated for a fresh start in his career.

At the end of 2020, it was confirmed that Youngjae would be appearing in Netflix sitcom So Not Worth It. The 12-episode sitcom, which was released on Netflix on June 18, depicts the love and friendship of international students living in a college dormitory. Youngjae plays the role of Sam, a Korean-Australian, who has a habit of lying waaaay too exaggeratedly. Have a watch at a preview of the sitcom below!

Considering how this was Youngjae’s first attempt at acting, we were impressed with the way he portrayed his innocence. Given a love line with (G)I-DLE’s Minnie in the sitcom, Youngjae brought laughter to many of us watching it. I personally really enjoyed the entire sitcom, mainly due to Youngjae’s character but also because it was extremely light-hearted and easy to watch. If you have time, catch an episode or two on Netflix at the end of the day — you are sure to enjoy it!

Apart from acting in dramas, Youngjae also took on the challenge of playing the lead role, Ha Ram, in the musical Midnight Sun. Ha Ram is a boy as shining as the midday sun, and the musical is an adaptation of the Japanese movie A Song to the Sun. Youngjae’s smile that reaches his eyes are what makes Youngjae the sunshine of the group, and hence AHGASEs thought that the character was apt for him.

Apart from embarking on his acting career, Youngjae has also been active as a singer, releasing Meet Me When The Sun Goes Down and Good-bye Days featuring Lovelyz Kei as part of the musical Midnight Sun. He also sang the OST for the Netflix sitcom, and released the soundtrack Pop Star for web series So I Married the Anti-fan. Apart from OST releases, Youngjae also performed his self-written song Lonely, Sole’s Ride and Christopher‘s Bad at Levi’s 501® Day Music Concert. Until today, we are still not able to get over how amazing he sounds, have a listen below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1WDXw5NgkQ

AHGASEs can expect a lot more from Youngjae as he mentioned that he was interested in opening his own YouTube channel where he intends to upload song covers and songs that he created, as well as film and post a vlog of himself composing.

It is definitely heartwarming to see Youngjae growing into a versatile artist and we cannot wait to see what other surprises he will bring us.

BamBam

In March, BamBam announced that he would be joining Abyss Company, home to artistes Sunmi and Urban Zakapa. Two months later, BamBam shared that he would be making his solo debut under Abyss Company, with a mini album titled riBBon — the double B’s capitalised to accentuate his name BamBam. After dropping teaser images and videos for a few weeks, BamBam finally released his album on June 15. Consisting of six tracks, BamBam claimed writing credits for five songs, adding his own music colour to it, making it an album that really symbolised himself.

The title track riBBon talked about how BamBam feels like a feather now, feeling light and starting anew after untying the ribbon. The best part of the song is perhaps BamBam adding in skrrt skrrt into his lyrics, a phrase that is extremely BamBam-ish, as AHGASEs know that it is his favourite phrase. Combined with his fanchant, the entire song is a joy to listen to and shows how much fun an artiste can have on stage while performing. BamBam also made sure he had fun by trying out various ending poses, and if you know BamBam, he is way too active on social media that he even imitated the ending pose of a famous TikTok star. Have a watch at his live stage below and his amusing ending pose!

Our second favourite song from the album is Under The Sky. While BamBam has never directly shared that it is a song written for his fans, AHGASEs felt touched listening to the song and understanding the lyrics.

All the happy memories we had
Remember all those days
We know that this is not the end
It’s a new beginning

With the release of riBBon, BamBam proved his popularity even as a solo artiste. Within hours of the release, the title track reached No. 1 on iTunes Top songs charts in at least 29 different regions, and the album topped iTunes charts in numerous countries. His song also reached No. 1 on various Korean music sites, and gained 10 million views within 24 hours of his music video release.

Apart from an album release, BamBam has also been active in magazine photoshoots. Showing gratitude towards Korea and calling it his second home, he is thankful to be given the chance to advance as a singer in Korea, and to be able to show his own unique colour that belongs to him alone. He also mentioned that rather than feeling the pressure of doing well, he focused on enjoying himself which really helped him in upgrading himself as a singer.

“For the past seven years, I had a wall in front of me, that wall is gone now—so I’m now able to sing the kind of songs I’ve always wanted to sing, but wasn’t able to.”

Known for his street fashion and hip-hop looks, GOT7 BamBam usually showed an on-stage persona with charisma. Despite originally being a rapper, soloist BamBam has been performing flawlessly live, showing his bright personality through his songs and instilling energy, happiness and joy.

We hope that BamBam reaches greater heights during his solo career, and as we see the many improvements he has made in not just singing but also writing and composing songs, we are certain that his growth will be exponential as the years go by.

Yugyeom

Yugyeom was the first to share that he would be signing with hip-hop label AOMG. He shared that his reasons for signing include having a similar musical direction as them, and being able to create songs that are unique to him, while becoming an all-rounder in performance and music. Understanding that achieving his own dreams contributes to the success of GOT7, Yugyeom has been working diligently, taking part in photoshoots and recently released his first mini album Point of View : U.

Choosing the dates June 11 and June 17 to symbolise his birthday (November 17), he pre-released I Want U Around featuring DeVita on June 11, followed by his title track All Your Fault featuring GRAY. The maknae of the group soared high with I Want U Around taking the No. 1 spot on Korean music site Genie.

The song is definitely fit for Yugyeom’s persona and music colour, and we are glad he chose AOMG. AOMG founder Jay Park promised to help Yugyeom grow even more as an artiste, giving him freedom to explore various genres.

Our favourite B-side track from this album is When U Fall, which showcases Yugyeom’s sweet vocals and his tone absolutely matches the ballad. It is a song that gives the listener strength, saying that although it is not easy, Yugyeom will be walking together with us, and even if we fall, he is always there.

As the main dancer of the group, we are also looking forward to more dance productions by Yugyeom alongside his singing career. Perhaps some modelling as well to make really good use of his visuals and height.

It is with great relief that the boys managed to find companies that support their dreams, while giving them the flexibility to come together for group schedules. Upon hearing the good news of GOT7 finding new nests for themselves, AHGASEs showered them with bouquets of flowers and wreaths, hoping that from now on, GOT7 will only be walking on the flowery path. Just like how a bird learns to fly, it may be difficult to fly high at first, but we know nothing comes easy and their hard work will definitely pay off. AHGASEs will always be there to support them, and hope for their return as seven whenever they are ready.

We are so proud of GOT7 and the path they carved for themselves. With seven solo artistes, we now have seven times the joy. Nevertheless, GOT7 will always remain as one. Seven or nothing, seven or never.