Expanding its profile in the beating heart of KL City Centre, Coach opened its door at The Exchange TRX mall. South Korean singer-songwriter Yugyeom and Thai star Nanon walked down the red carpet amidst the flashing lights to officiate the ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside local celebrities such as Daiyan Trisha, Eyka Farhana and more. Inspired by its New York heritage, the sizeable space is inviting, and the lounge adorned with plush seats is the crowd-favourite.
Before the ceremony, we caught up with the global stars on their recent updates. Yugyeom has been teasing us with his first solo full-length album Trust Me, releasing on the February 21st, explaining that the album is something he’s always wanted to try. “The album is packed with a variety of genres and stories my friends and even my fans shared with me,” he enthused.
Everything about the album, down to the name of it, is close to his heart. He even got a matching tattoo that spells “Trust Me” on his left upper arm. “I always tell my fans to trust me, but it’s also something I tell myself too,” the artist revealed. Although he emanated a laid-back energy throughout our conversation, Yugyeom confessed that he too, has doubts when it comes to work-related matters.
The singer jokingly described his schedule as “like a freelancer” and this 14-track album is a compilation of pieces and bits he churned out in these little pockets of time. The singer also suggested that since the keyword is storytelling, it’s best if everyone can play the album chronologically: “I put a lot of effort and time into crafting the flow and the sequence of the tracks.”
Meanwhile, Nanon, known for his impressive acting in popular Thai series like The Gifted or Bad Buddy, recently ventured into the realm of music. His first full-length album, The Secret of the Universe encapsulated the multifaceted star we’ve seen on screen, or even beyond that. Among the galaxy-themed tracklists, “Why Always Me” stood out to our ears.
“Do you know about the Supernova theory?” he asked, explaining that the song is inspired by the idea of how a planet self-destructs once it’s expired. “I see the similarity in a toxic relationship. Even if it ended, you’d ask yourself, ‘Why is it always me who suffers from the sadness, why am I always crying, why me?’” Despite being the performer of the emotional number, Nanon is a bubbly character whose face lit up when fried rice—a dish he’d like to try in Malaysia—was brought up in the conversation.
The singer also stated that his concert “Born To เบียว (Beo)” is named after an Internet slang. Beo is a wordplay on a Japanese term that means “delusional” or “sickness among the teens” but Nanon explained that it’s a concept he relates to. “I was barely three months old when I was put in front of the camera, following my father’s footsteps. I think I’m born for that; I’m equipped with all the skills, from singing to composing, directing, and acting. I was born for this.”
When asked if there was anything else the well-rounded artist would like to challenge himself with, he replied without hesitation: “I want to work on a psychological thriller. Maybe not as the protagonist but the villain,” he said as he laughed.