With ‘J.’, JACOB of THE BOYZ Finally Feels Like He’s Reaching His Potential

JACOB’s debut album is independently released and self-created. In a new interview, he reflects on why it was important to have creative control and why he refuses to limit himself.

Last week, JACOB BAE, a vocalist in THE BOYZ, released his debut digital album j. The album is entirely created by JACOB, who wrote, produced, and self-released it.

​“I wanted it to be simple because I am a simple character,” he told me recently about the reintroduction in an interview. “I feel like I am introducing my sound officially for the first time.” Often, when working with THE BOYZ, he felt his voice had to be molded to fit a specific production “for the sake of the group.” It’s something he loved to do, “but with this release I feel like I’m getting to show what I have wanted to do.”

He was inspired by artists like keshi, a force in the Asian American community, and Ed Sheeran. Both artists value simplicity and straightforward lyrics, which JACOB uses in songs like “Slow Dancing” and “Off the Record”. “All of them,” he says of the artists, “just make really great music, and I like how easy they are to get into and listen to.” The goal, he said, was  to create an album that was simple and accessible, something that could be light listening. “So they definitely inspired me on that,” he added.

JACOB had already completed four of the seven songs when he decided to fully invest in the project. His time with THE BOYZ had been helpful, not just for instilling in him a good work ethic but also for the connections the industry provided him. His time with the group “taught me that it's definitely not easy.” But the period “also allowed me to get to know people in the industry who have helped me become who I am today.”

Perhaps because of his work ethic and the connections he made, the album came together quickly in just two months. But JACOB had ideas for j. long before he began creating the music. The singer grew up in Toronto, Canada, where he first received K-pop training at a Korean dance academy. At home, he said, “I used to get inspired watching vocal survival shows because it would show me that maybe I could do it too.” Often when watching the YouTube videos, he’d wonder, “Could I do that too?”

At the dance academy, JACOB would eventually recall to Eric Nam on The Daebak Show that Korean entertainment companies would come to audition dancers for trainee slots. Initially, when he was asked whether he’d like to audition for LOEN, the company that would eventually debut THE BOYZ, he said no. “But then I wound up going.”

He passed and eventually debuted in 2017. The group has been together for nearly a decade, and in April they sold out two dates at the Inspire Arena in Incheon. This accomplishment is something that JACOB doesn’t take for granted. “Just being with the members is precious to me, and being able to be around the members is something I don't take lightly,” he said.

Recording j., though, felt like a necessary step in understanding himself as an artist. I have always listened to acoustic music or pop music back in Canada and felt that it was what would be right for me,” he said.

The album is a win for JACOB: It shows real self-assurance in tracks like the breezy and mellow opener “Off the Record”, about waiting for a girl to be ready for love,  or the funky “Misunderstood,” where communication isn’t working with a partner despite his best efforts. On “Back & Forth”, he muses, “I got it easy when I’m with you cuz you and I always work it out.” The realities and hard work of a relationship are a constant theme of the album. “I was hoping that this album would make people more curious about what love is, and want to find love as well,” he said with a laugh.

Above all, JACOB is proud to have an album he saw through from start to finish. “I think being able to independently come out with an album where I contributed to all the songs gives me the confidence to think I can do even more in the future,” he said. “It was definitely fun being able to have everything go according to my taste.” It is important with this music to show fans an authentic side of him. That’s why, he said, “I feel like it was important to have control this time.”

Now, with j. released, JACOB feels like there are more genres to explore, more stories he wants to share. He is not, by any means, limiting himself.  “I am still searching for what would be the best sound for me,” he exclaimed, “and am excited for that journey!”