Black Eyed Pilseung’s path to becoming today’s hitmaker began with Rado’s dream of being a singer, which lasted until the age of 20. But while he was working on an album with a four-person vocal team called Someday, he had to face up to a harsh reality: famous composers don’t write songs for unknown singers. But instead of getting frustrated, he doubled down on the study of music with the goal of making his own music.

Rado had only practiced vocals until then, so composition was no walk in the park. Then one day, he took great encouragement from something that famous singer Remy Shand once said about songwriting. “I don’t remember exactly, but he said something like, ‘The source of my musical inspiration is the music of the artists I’ve listened to so far.’ A lightbulb went off in my head. That was it! I felt that what I needed to make music wasn’t theory, but a sharp ear and receptive heart.” It was at that point that Rado’s musical career really took off.

After that, Rado kept writing songs while performing with Someday, but the members weren’t making enough money to support themselves. Then on a friend’s recommendation, he got a spot on the production team for Beast’s song “Breath,” which served as a natural springboard to a career in songwriting. He often collaborated with Choi Kyu-sung, which led to regular tiffs over the order of their names in the credits. “When I think about it now, it’s something I could just laugh off. But back then, we really got into it about whose name would go first. Then Kyu-sung suggested that we stop arguing and just make a group and put our group name in the credits. That’s how Black Eyed Pilseung was formed.”

In 2014, a year after Black Eyed Pilseung was formed, the group started to gain a following when SISTAR’s song “Touch My Body” became a huge hit. The decade since then has been one of continuing success for the producer duo, who have helped produce albums for some of K-pop’s best-known acts, including Twice and Apink. It can’t be easy to keep popping off one hit after another, but that’s exactly what Black Eyed Pilseung has managed to do. So, what’s the secret to their success? What do they keep in mind while they’re writing songs? Their answer came as a bit of a surprise. “Kyu-sung and I made a promise not to churn songs out to cash in on our talents. We agreed to give our all to the songs we feel confident about. When making music, I still follow my heart, not my head.” Even now, Rado approaches music with the same pure heart and passion he had a decade ago. And that’s what has brought him where he is today.

Seven years ago, Black Eyed Pilseung established High Up Entertainment, a label for managing celebrities like the girl group STAYC, which debuted in 2020. While Rado has been in the popular music industry for some time now, producing a girl group presented challenges that were entirely different from singing or songwriting.

“Songwriting isn’t like directing a girl group. With songwriting, once you’ve given the singer a suitable tune, your job is done. But with directing a group, it’s important to maintain an objective view on the project. On top of that, K-pop has become a genre that’s listened to by people around the world, and not just in Korea. That creates all sorts of headaches and challenges.”

But Rado’s experience as a singer and song writer has paid off along the way. His memories of being tied to an entertainment company throughout his 20s with just one album under his belt, of all his calls for help being ignored by his managers, made him resolve to never act that way. “I know quite well what artists are worried about and what they need. So I try to be the best friend they’ll ever have. I also try to look after their mental health so that they can be their best selves.”

10 years have passed now since Black Eyed Pilseung made it big with SISTAR’s “Touch My Body.” While there’s no telling what the future may hold, Rado plans to stay busy, focusing on each day as it comes.

“The phrase I use the most these days is ‘just do it.’ I’m trying to set aside all my worries and doubts and just go with the flow. Nobody can predict the future, so I just want to be happy today. I want to be here in the moment with our enthusiastic employees and the members of STAYC who are working each and every day to achieve their dreams!”

As Rado said, that “just do it” mindset is what has enabled him to overcome the challenges life has thrown his way. That’s how he transitioned from a singer to a songwriter and from songwriter to director of a girl group. What remains to be seen is where that mindset will carry him next. It’s exciting just to imagine what surprising pleasures he’ll come up with next and what STAYC will bring to the table in their next outing.