Breaking the idol mold, Zelo on a path to find his own sound

Former B.A.P rapper says the biggest challenge hasn't been changing genres — it's learning how to be himself

Former B.A.P member Zelo is still figuring out exactly what “Zelo” should sound like.

But after years of questioning habits and formulas he absorbed as a K-pop idol, the rapper-turned-solo artist says that picture is finally beginning to take shape.

His latest single “Ela,” released late July, continues the direction he first introduced with “Cola Comigo” in March. Blending Latin-inspired rhythms with R&B and pop influences, the two releases mark what Zelo describes as the foundation of his new musical identity.

“I’m still in the process of building a musical feel that people will associate with Zelo,” Zelo said in an interview with The Korea Herald. “If ‘Cola Comigo’ was a work that introduced a new, artistic version of myself since being discharged from the military, I think ‘Ela’ is an extension of that, showing a slightly more mature and uninhibited side of me.”

For now, he plans to continue exploring pop music rooted in Latin sounds, a style he got into as a teenager during the South American leg of B.A.P’s world tour.

Becoming a vocalist

The change represents a considerable departure from the artist many listeners first came to know more than a decade ago. Zelo debuted in 2012 as the youngest member and the rapper and dancer of B.A.P. He left the group in 2018 to pursue a solo career the following year.

Rap had long been central to his musical identity, but Zelo said years spent working on music eventually led him to question whether hip-hop alone could fully express who he was.

“At some point, I started wondering, ‘I love hip-hop and want to keep doing this, but am I really enjoying it?’” he said.

“There were times when I felt very isolated, and I also wondered whether I could continue to build an identity that was completely my own within this hip-hop culture.”

Revisiting videos of Michael Jackson and rediscovering his own love of singing and dancing gradually pulled him toward R&B and soul. These days, Zelo says he sees himself as “in the process of becoming a vocalist.”

However, the shift in sound goes deeper than simply exchanging rap for vocals: He began to unlearn the approach to music and performance taught during his years in an idol group.

“In a K-pop group, the song keeps changing because there needs to be sections where each member can stand out,” he said. “After doing that for such a long time, I eventually grew a little tired of it. I wanted to do something more fun.”

After his activities ended with B.A.P, time spent in clubs and traveling abroad pushed him toward music built more around groove and movement.

“I watched how people had fun and what kind of music made them go wild,” he said. “I started thinking, ‘I want to make music that people can dance to. I want to make music that people can vibe to.’”

Breaking the mold

Ironically, while the music he wanted to make was structurally simpler than the multi-part songs typically performed by K-pop groups, it was much harder for him to create.

“After spending years as an idol, I had unconsciously developed certain ways of making music that suit that industry,” he added. “It took me a really long time to break away from those habits.”

The search for a new artistic identity also forced Zelo to reconsider what it meant to be himself as an artist.

“I wanted to show a version of myself that was different and distinctive (from idol Zelo), but I kept asking, ‘How do I become myself?’ It felt like I was constantly climbing a mountain.”

He said he is still searching for that answer years after leaving group life, but has grown more confident in showing a freer, more authentic side of himself.

The process also reshaped how he views his own strengths.

“I started thinking that rather than trying to become a musician, maybe I could shine more as an artist — or even as a star — through performance,” he said. “That’s how I came to think, ‘I’m a performer.’”

His new artistic direction was tested on a larger stage this summer when he performed at Waterbomb Seoul — one of the biggest summer festival stages in Korea — and introduced “Ela” before its official release.

For Zelo, the festival marked one of the first times in years that he stood in front of a large audience where many were likely unfamiliar with him. While he spotted longtime fans whom he remembered from past events, he also had the opportunity to watch listeners who didn’t know him respond to his new songs.

“(Waterbomb) helped me learn that I was going in the right musical direction,” said Zelo. “Even while I was performing, I was still wondering whether this was the music I should keep doing. But seeing the crowd’s reactions also reassured me that I was doing well.”

The experience, he added, inspired him not only on how he should build his new sound, but also about the kind of performer he wants to become at festivals and on larger stages.

Looking ahead, Zelo hopes to continue expanding his presence overseas. Building on the direction of “Cola Comigo” and “Ela,” both of which feature predominantly English lyrics, he said he hopes to connect with a broader global audience, particularly in Latin and North America. Brazil, in particular, is a destination he hopes to reach one day, with the country’s Carnival stage being his dream stage.

Musically, his ambitions remain equally broad. Beyond the Latin-pop foundation he is currently exploring, Zelo said he wants to try R&B soul, trap soul and Brazilian phonk, among other sounds.

Yet whatever genre comes next, his ultimate goal is to be remembered for the sincerity behind what he does.

“Making music, doing music and standing onstage through music are all work in a way,” Zelo said. “But I want to be seen as someone who does it because he genuinely loves it — an artist who does it out of love.”

Rather than manufacturing that energy for an audience, he hopes it will simply spill over.

“I want it to come out of me naturally and give fans good energy,” he said. “Instead of creating something artificial, I hope that feeling can naturally overflow from me and reach them.”