Nearly 11 months after the release of his second mini-album, ‘THE COLORS OF LOVE,’ singer-songwriter Bang Yong Guk ignites anticipation of his upcoming record, ‘3.’ “I would say that this album is filled with music that you can listen to all day long and not get tired of it,” said the artist revealing that the album is going to be a lot different from his previous ones.

Bang Yong Guk is heading to Melbourne and Sydney on March 15 and 17, respectively. Tickets to his shows in Australia are still available on BoxLiveAu’s website. In April, the artist will embark on a US tour spanning 11 cities, including Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and more.

Having fulfilled his dream of performing on stages around the globe with the music he has created, Bang Yong Guk now seeks to empower others chasing similar goals. “I want to help make the dreams of others come true,” he shared.

Ahead of his new album release and Australian tour, Bang Yong Guk caught up with allkpop to talk about his musical journey, love for music, strong sense of self, and more. Keep reading to learn more about the all-rounder artist!

Check out our exclusive interview with Bang Yong Guk last year in this link!

allkpop: In an interview last year, you said you’re still the same person with the same values. But if we would compare you, yourself right now to yourself 5 years ago, what do you believe is the biggest difference? If you look back on the past, do you think you’re absolutely better and more confident now?

Bang Yong Guk: I’m aging like everyone else. (laughs) My values and morals have not changed. I don't think the other things that I think make life worth living haven't changed. They remain the same. I’m still just a normal person who’s doing music. I’ve been having a lot of quiet days. I’m currently enjoying my life breathing on this Earth like everyone else.

allkpop: I asked you that question because, in another interview in the past, you said Yong Guk is someone who never changes. People say it’s not good if you’re not changing as a person. So I was wondering how you approach that mindset of yours and what “Yong Guk is someone who never changes” means to you. Can you elaborate more on that?

Bang Yong Guk: I think some people might believe that I’m a good person, but to some people, I could also be a bad person. However, rather than care about or pay a lot of attention to what other people say about me, I’m just the type of person who tries to focus more on myself and my values, at least for now. Of course, I'm always trying to be a better person as I get older. And I think the fact that I don't change is just because I have a certain stubbornness or something when it comes to my music or career. But I’m always trying to show you a better version of myself.

allkpop: You’re going to release an album soon! Tell us how you prepared for it, and how would you describe your participation or involvement in the album in terms of the creative side? What can we expect from this new album of yours?

Bang Yong Guk: For my upcoming album, it’s going to be different. I changed the genre and style of the music I used to do. I think that the usual music genre I was doing tended to be difficult for my fans to listen to for a long time in their daily lives. So, I would say that this album is filled with music that you can listen to all day long and not get tired of it.

allkpop: Since you’ve been participating in the creative process of your songs. Could you give us an instance where you didn’t like your work and you weren’t satisfied enough with it? How did you overcome that?

Bang Yong Guk: Personally, I think that I was a little bit disappointed with my last album. I wasn’t really totally satisfied with it. So, I tried to improve that as much as possible on my new album. I feel like I can release this album with a little bit of confidence, and I'm looking forward to it because it's so fresh for me. Usually, if I don't like something, I just work on it a lot on my own. I solve it by fixing the things I don't like.

allkpop: You said that when you’re working on new music in your studio, you imagine yourself performing those songs on stage. And that’s when you realize why you’re doing music. Could you describe your relationship with music now? Has your goal been the same since the beginning? And what exact goal is it?

Bang Yong Guk: First of all, I think that I've been making music since I was very young, and I still love music so much that even now, at my age, I still feel the same way that I did when I first started. My love for music hasn't changed. I still love creating music and being on stage with the music I’ve created. I actually had a big goal in my life when I was younger, doing music. That is to be able to travel around the world with the music that I made and have it heard by a lot of people and be able to sing it myself on stage. I'm so fortunate to be living that goal right now. I'm already in a happy situation. I don't know when this will happen, but I think one of my goals in the future is to be able to be the person who can be of help to others who have a similar goal as me. I want to help make the dreams of others, who have dreams like I did when I was younger, come true.

allkpop: You said in an interview that when you work with other artists, you try to understand their identity. How about for yourself? Do you think you have a better understanding of yourself and what you want? Do you think you already know yourself on a personal and deeper level?

Bang Yong Guk: I think my flaw is that I'm too objective about myself rather than being subjective about myself, so I think that's why I'm so harsh on myself too. I’m not really a person who has a lot of interests, so I think I just go through life giving myself the most attention. So to answer that question, yes. I think I know myself better than anyone else. That's kind of hard sometimes, and that's my flaw. But I think I've got that under control and I think I'll continue to do that until I die.

allkpop: You’ve held successful solo tours. What makes this year’s tour different from your previous ones? What kind of development in terms of your stage presence or ability to sing and dance simultaneously live do you feel the most?

Bang Yong Guk: When I was younger, I used to be on bigger stages and I couldn't really feel the energy of being up close and personal with the audience. From my solo tours, one of the differences is that I now can feel the energy and love of my fans very well. I love sharing the moment where my presence and my fans’ presence are there at the same time and place. That’s what I love about my solo tour. This Australian tour is just kind of an extension of the last world tour that I did, and it just happens to coincide with the season where my new album is coming out. So, I promise you that if you come and see me, you're going to have a great experience!

allkpop: I was wondering if artists like you who have gone through numerous shows ever get fed up performing the same songs over and over again? I’m curious how you approach this.

Bang Yong Guk: First of all, I only tour once a year at most, so I don't think I can compare myself to such big artists. But what I would potentially do is focus on the setlist of the concert, and sometimes, I alter the songs slightly. However, I know that there are songs that my fans love and that are popular with them, so I try to sing as many of those songs as possible while keeping the feel of the original songs.

allkpop: Lastly, please leave a message to our readers and invite everyone to attend your shows in March!

Bang Yong Guk: First of all, I would like to thank allkpop readers for still loving and liking K-Pop! And now that my Australian tour is coming up soon, so I hope you will come and see me! I would like to ask for a lot of interest and love for my new album as well. Thank you!