The artist opens up about writing his own music, dealing with imposter syndrome, and what&rsquo;s next after his EP &ldquo;when the rain stopped following me&rdquo;.&nbsp;

PHOTOGRAPHY JV Rabano
STYLING Yanna Lopez
You&rsquo;d expect rockstars to have a certain candor when they walk into a room. Oftentimes, they carry this swag and unapologetic confidence that transcends over to their music. But with eaJ Park, there&rsquo;s that and a whole lot more vulnerability. The 32-year-old artist carries himself with heartfelt sincerity and meekness &mdash; no wonder his songs from his latest EP &ldquo;when the rain stopped following me&rdquo; feel so personal yet sublime.
Tracks like &ldquo;when the rain stops&rdquo; and &ldquo;i just want my &lsquo;20s back&rdquo; feel like love letters to himself that allow you to peer into eaJ&rsquo;s psyche a little. The lyrics are poignant and sometimes painful. But life isn&rsquo;t all sunshine and rainbows, so why should his songs be? Like a revealing memoir, eaJ allows himself to unravel his deepest thoughts and emotions through music that truly connects, whether that be feelings of love, grief, regret, or emptiness. But don&rsquo;t be mistaken, the former idol isn&rsquo;t glum company. He&rsquo;s rather sweet, introverted, and quite the conversationalist once he warms up to you.

In this photoshoot with L&rsquo;Officiel, the singer-songwriter moves languidly and relaxed. Smiling candidly and striking a pose like a model rather than a musician. It must be all those years of training as an idol, my instinct tells me. After all, he was part of the popular K-Pop band Day6 for almost six years and trained under JYP Entertainment, one of Korea&rsquo;s biggest entertainment companies. When it was finally time to sit down for a short chat, eaJ was the first to spark the conversation, giving way for us to talk a bit about the Asian music scene before I zeroed in on his story.

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&ldquo;You learn a lot, especially the work ethic idols need to succeed.&rdquo;

The &ldquo;story&rdquo;, many would assume, would be why he left Day6. But eaJ Park is far more than just the member who left to pursue a personal career. This isn&rsquo;t about soaking up fame or recognition, for eaJ, it was about finding himself again and speaking his truth through unadulterated lyrics and musicality. "I lost myself in the system, and I needed the transition to find myself again,&rdquo; he tells me and admits to prioritizing his mental well-being to fully discover his own sound and produce songs that truly reflect his narrative.
But that&rsquo;s not to say that his time as an idol was not worth it. He notes his time in Day6 as &ldquo;amazing&rdquo; and something he wouldn&rsquo;t write off. &ldquo;You learn a lot, especially the work ethic idols need to succeed,&rdquo; he says. With the grueling schedules and constant pressure to look and act a certain way, it&rsquo;s a tougher life than one would realize despite it being romanticized by fans. Not to mention, the constant scrutiny on and offline that takes a toll on one&rsquo;s mental health.

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&ldquo;I have imposter syndrome, too,&rdquo; eaJ reveals. For those unaware, it&rsquo;s a phenomenon that makes a person feel as if they&rsquo;re not worth all their accomplishments or talents; making them think that they&rsquo;re a phony or fraud. More often than not, it&rsquo;s a feeling that comes alongside anxiety and depression. He talks more about dealing with the condition in an interview with Zach Sang, where eaJ shares the difficulties of avoiding self-negativity and self-doubt. These themes seep into his songs, allowing both the artist and his audience to process these complex thoughts and emotions through music. &ldquo;If you feel like you're not enough, you're not alone.&rdquo;

The pursuit of positivity and honesty is what ultimately fuels eaJ to write the way he writes and sing melodies the way he does. When asked where he gets inspiration for his music he simply says, &ldquo;Everything. Recently, I&rsquo;ve tapped into my true experiences, which has been enlightening.&rdquo; If that&rsquo;s any indication, we can expect more expressive tracks from the artist moving forward. But what does the future hold for eaJ Park? &ldquo;My next EP is called 'One Out of Nine,&rsquo;&rdquo; he reveals with a smile. Guess we all know what we&rsquo;ll be putting on repeat when it drops.

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CREATIVE DIRECTION Maura Rodriguez
PRODUCERS Loris Pe&ntilde;a and Maura Rodriguez
GROOMING Lilian Yeung
VIDEO DIRECTION Kevin Redder
STYLIST'S ASSISTANT Dainnie Lopez
LOCATION Marco Polo Ortigas

eaJ Park Is a Quiet Unstoppable Force

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