photography. Jack Waterlot
fashion. Willyum Beck
words. Odyssia Houstis
issue 5 – the unexpected
Many bands have a unique origin story. How did The Rose come together?
Dojoon – I met Hajoon and Jaehyeong while we were busking on the streets of Hongdae, where we created Windfall. We met Woosung later, and after one rehearsal, we knew we had something special. Six years later, we’re still going strong.
What’s the most unexpected thing fans might not know about the behind-the-scenes life of The Rose?
Hajoon – We try to find Korean food in every city that we perform in. We miss it when we’re on the road, so we try to eat it as much as we can when we’re not in Korea. Some cities have better Korean food than others, but we still have to find out for ourselves.
What unexpected instruments or musical techniques have you experimented with in your recent tracks?
Dojoon – The electronic side of this album is something we’ve been experimenting with this year, and I think it brings a different side out of us that the fans will love. We’ve played a lot of festivals all over the world this year and have been inspired by incredible producers every stop.
Can you share a lyric or a song concept that took your fans by surprise or perhaps revealed an unexpected side of The Rose?
Woosung – I think the duality concept of this album shows a side of The Rose that our fans have never seen before. On songs like Alive and Cosmo, we wanted to show a different side of ourselves and get ourselves out of our comfort zone which I think our Black Roses will enjoy.
What’s the most unexpected moment you’ve ever experienced on stage, and how did you handle it?
Jaehyeong – The most unexpected moment was hearing the whole crowd sing “Back To Me” with us after the first time we performed it in Europe. By the next festival, everyone knew all the words and was singing it so loud with us, we were so surprised and so happy that everyone liked it.
On a personal level, how has being a part of The Rose led to unexpected growth or change for each member?
Woosung – I don’t think I would’ve gotten to this point of my career without my fellow members. Growing up in LA, I always dreamed about playing at The Forum and now, alongside my bandmates, we get to do something really special.
Dojoon – Since our busking days, we have really put the work in to grow and improve. I don’t think this was unexpected at all because we’ve all worked hard to get to this point and we plan to work harder to play even bigger shows, festivals, and more. Getting to play in festivals all over the world was a dream come true. Playing in Lollapalooza, Life is Beautiful, and the Montreux Jazz Festival in Europe were all amazing experiences. I can’t wait for what’s next! I think staying together for six years has led to much growth. We are constantly challenging each other to come up with new, fresh, and exciting ideas for our projects even though it’s the same team.
Are there unexpected fan interactions or stories that have deeply touched or influenced the band?
Jaehyeong – Our last album, HEAL, was inspired by our Black Roses who wrote us letters and told us their very heartfelt stories. We used their emotions and shaped them into our album. We weren’t expecting so many people to write us, but we are very grateful that they did. So for this album, we brought our Black Roses together to jam with us and shoot our video for “Wonder” together.
Given the theme, are there any unexpected artists – either within or outside the rock genre – you’d love to collaborate with?
Dojoon – We love to collaborate with artists, especially in an organic and personal setting. All artists have their own stories, so when you sit with them and work on music, it brings out its color.
As you look forward to the next chapter of The Rose, what unexpected paths or adventures do you hope to embark on, musically or otherwise?
Woosung – We hope to meet more Black Roses through our music and to reach new cities and countries that we haven’t played for yet. We want everyone to be a part of this journey with us. We go where the music takes us, so it’s hard to say what unexpected paths we hope to embark on, but we just hope to continue making music that we love and the fans love, and that it will continue to take us all over the world.
photography. Jack Waterlot
fashion. Willyum Beck
talent. The Rose
hair. Sooyeon Park
make up. Sungeun Kim
art direction. Odie Senesh
editor-in-chief. Odyssia Houstis
production. Jenn Kang @ Production Production
photography assistant. Timothy Kwon & Walker Lewis
fashion assistant. Cassidy Jane Hill
production assistant. Jacqueline Benedicto
location. The Dream Factory LA
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