With his soft-spoken demeanor and smooth vocals, GEMINI has no problem charming the crowd as he performs at Le Poisson Rouge (LPR) in New York City on March 17. But make no mistake – GEMINI is an up-and-coming musical powerhouse. He hit the scene in 2020 with an appearance on the track “Champagne Diet” with Jay Park, 28AV, pH-1, and GroovyRoom. Shortly after, he signed with GroovyRoom’s label AT AREA and has since quickly garnered fans around the world with his sensual and experimental R&B sound. His growing popularity has led him to modeling gigs (including being one of the faces of Calvin Klein’s Fall/Winter 2022 APAC campaign), appearances at Paris Fashion Week, and of course, more music. The last year has seen GEMINI collaborate with JAMIE and MINHO, and release his dreamy EP, Still Blue.
Now on his first-ever North American tour of the same name, GEMINI is meeting new fans and soaring to new heights. For the New York stop, he was supported by Jinsol Woo, the designer behind idol-favorite jewelry brand OHTNYC, on his own debut live performance. Within LPR’s intimate setting, GEMINI treated fans to new songs like “Love is banned,” “Rollercoaster,” and “a place we used to go,” along with loved tracks like “UFO (feat. Seori)” and his debut single, “Going.”
Before the show, Kpopconcerts.com got to sit down with GEMINI one-to-one and talk about the Still Blue North American Tour, his artistic inspiration, and what fans can look forward to in the future.
KPC: How do you feel about embarking on your first-ever North American tour? How did you prepare?
GEMINI: I was very excited as I started to prepare for this tour, and I tried to think of ways to make the show more enjoyable for fans. I had my first show yesterday, and it was so much fun. It definitely lived up to my expectations. To prepare, I tried really hard to create a vibe that suited the subject “Still Blue.” I prepared with the intention of creating a show that would allow people to have fun and relieve stress.
KPC: How do you like New York City so far? Has anything stood out to you so far?
GEMINI: I think it’s a great city. Looking at the buildings reminded me that I was definitely in New York. I listened to a lot of New York-themed music, like Jay-Z’s song. It was great.
KPC: What are you looking forward to as you travel North America?
GEMINI: I am always excited to see my fans. It’s a little cliche, but that’s really what I looked forward to the most.
KPC: The tour is named after your album Still Blue. What kind of vibe should attendees expect from your concert?
GEMINI: I really wanted to give off “blue” vibes – cold, yet comforting. That’s what I wanted to portray the most. I hope those vibes will translate to the fans.
KPC: How has your musical style evolved since your debut in 2020?
GEMINI: Personally, I enjoy many different styles of music, including hip-hop, R&B, and pop. Because of this, I try to mix a lot of different genres into my own music, which creates a new style of its own. This has helped my music to grow and evolve.
KPC: What was it like working with MINHO for the song “Runaway?” How did the collaboration come about?
GEMINI: I had heard that MINHO was a fan of mine, and he actually reached out to me first through our agencies. He asked if he could feature on one of my songs, and I’ve been a fan of his for a long time, so I said yes, of course. That’s how we ended up collaborating.
KPC: Who or what is your biggest musical inspiration?
GEMINI: There are so many great artists out there, and I think the people that you surround yourself with are very important. I get a lot of inspiration from GroovyRoom – their work ethic and the way that they approach music.
KPC: Your career has been taking off in recent years. What do you hope to achieve in the future and what do you have in store for fans next?
GEMINI: In addition to the shows I am putting on now, I would like to do bigger, musical-like shows. I also want to release a lot of albums and make music that is comforting for many people.
Thank you to GEMINI and Unbound Entertainment for the interview opportunity, and to Nahri L. for translations.