The mornings when he didn’t feel like getting up to go to school. The sixth hour that seemed to never end. The canteen lunches he complained about and the songs he secretly listened to during lessons. If you ask him what he misses about life before fame, BIG Naughty it doesn’t mention a special place or an extraordinary experience. Remember the most ordinary things. Those that, when they happen, seem destined to be forgotten and which instead, years later, become impossible to recover.
It is precisely around this awareness that it revolves Nostalgiathe single released on August 31, 2026 by the South Korean artist, one of the most interesting names of a generation that has learned to move between hip-hop, R&B and pop without considering the musical genres separate territories.
Born Seo Dong-hyun, BIG Naughty made himself known in 2019 through Show Me the Money 8when he was still a teenager. Since then he has built a career that has led him to collaborate with some of the protagonists of the Korean music scene, from Jay Park to Dynamicduo, through Crush, Loco and pH-1. Yet, behind an increasingly recognizable musical production, there remains a boy who tries to understand how much success can transform the relationship with oneself.
In Nostalgia this question takes on a particularly personal dimension. His mother also appears in the video clip. An experience which, he says, made him perceive the value of a moment even before it became a memory.
In the exclusive interview with PanoramaBIG Naughty talks about his own identity, the expectations that accompany a career that began very young, the experiences transformed into songs and the relationship between happiness and creativity. Without looking for reassuring answers at all costs.
Your new single is titled Nostalgia. I find it fascinating how we can spend years regretting an ordinary moment that we didn’t pay much attention to while we were experiencing it. When you think about your life before music became a profession, what is the seemingly insignificant thing you miss the most?
«I would definitely say the school years. I’m sure it’s not just my feeling, but that many people feel nostalgic for that period. Strangely enough, I even miss the mornings when I didn’t want to get up, the sixth period when I couldn’t wait to get home, and the canteen lunches that I always complained about. And also the music I secretly listened to during lessons.”
You became famous thanks to Show Me the Money 8 when you were still very young. Most people can grow up without strangers constantly making judgments about every stage of their life. Is there a version of BIG Naughty that audiences still recognize, but that you no longer identify with?
«I think growing up in the public eye is a special experience, for better or for worse. I tried not to think too much about how others saw me, because I was afraid of losing who I really was. Maybe this is also why there isn’t a big difference between the person the public knows and the person I am in real life. Although, in person, I’m a little more playful.”
In your hip-hop music, R&B and pop coexist naturally, even if they are often considered separate worlds. Is it a conscious choice to challenge the boundaries imposed by the music industry or, as a musician, have these distinctions never made much sense to you?
«I was once quite rigid in separating musical genres too. Hip-hop was my favorite genre and, knowing that it had its own rules, I tried to respect them especially when rapping. But can anyone really still draw such clear lines in 2026? I wouldn’t say that the distinctions are completely meaningless, but today I’m mostly interested in making good music.”
Throughout your career you have collaborated with artists from different generations and creative worlds, including Jay Park, Dynamicduo, Crush, Loco and pH-1. Beyond the technical aspects and studio work, what is the most important lesson you have received from another artist?
«Working with artists I listened to while growing up means much more to me than creating music together. It’s like establishing a connection with the past. Through them I can perceive eras that I have not personally experienced. Living in the present, which was built on those eras, is like watching a pyramid take shape before your eyes. It’s a kind of time travel.”
When a singer-songwriter transforms an intimate experience into music something paradoxical happens: a story that belongs to just one person suddenly becomes significant for thousands of strangers. Have you ever written something deeply personal and found that audiences had interpreted it in a way you hadn’t anticipated?
«Most of my songs come from experiences I’ve had personally, so it continues to amaze me how deeply people can relate to my stories. Vancouverin particular, is a very personal song and it was fascinating to see how much the audience loved it and connected it to their own experiences. Some people even took a trip to Vancouver after hearing it. For an artist it’s something really exciting and I’m sincerely grateful for it.”
Your generation grew up with the ability to immediately turn almost any experience into something to share publicly. For an artist who draws on his own emotions and memories, is there a part of your private life that you consciously decided to never turn into a song, photograph or public story?
«No, there is no such thing. I can’t help but transform what I see and what I feel into music. Even when I try to hide something, it still ends up coming out. I believe this is simultaneously my strength and my weakness. This is why I always try to go out, live and have new experiences.”
We usually think of nostalgia as a feeling about the past, but sometimes we already know that we will miss a moment while we are still experiencing it. Is there anything about your current life that you imagine you will remember nostalgically in ten years?
«My mother participated in the video clip of Nostalgia. As we filmed together, I realized how precious that time spent with her was and that one day, when my mother is in heaven, it would become a memory I would return to again and again.”
You’re a rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer, but none of these professional definitions can fully tell who you are outside of music. Imagine having to stop making music for a year: what part of you would you be afraid of losing and what other part of your identity could finally emerge?
«Two years ago I spent a year away from Korea and worked very little on music. Without seeing people and creating music, I felt like I was slowly hardening, like cheese. After having lived that experience, what scares me the most is losing my musical sensitivity. On the other hand, spending more time with family and friends could give me new inspiration, right? I think in the end it’s all a question of balance.”
Korean hip-hop has developed its own identity through an ongoing dialogue with a musical tradition born outside Korea. As an artist who crosses genres and also addresses an international audience, what do you think your generation is bringing to this cultural exchange compared to previous ones?
«Today, international listeners can discover Korean musicians very easily, also thanks to the influence of K-pop. This gave us greater freedom to dare and experiment with new things. It has also become easier to connect with foreign artists and learn about their work. I therefore believe that more and more musicians are taking greater creative risks, while remaining true to their sonic identity. Zion and Effie are two great examples.”
Personal experiences can influence the way an artist writes, but success can also transform the emotions from which music is born. Has happiness changed your approach to writing or do you find yourself returning to melancholy even when things are going well?
«I don’t think success necessarily makes you happy. I always carry a feeling of melancholy inside me. And I’m not even entirely sure why.”
Imagine being able to talk to your younger self, just before attending Show Me the Money 8. You cannot tell him anything about his future career, awards, earnings or recognition he will receive. What would you tell him about life, something you wish you had understood at that age?
“Always remember what you love.”
Finally, how would you describe yourself in one sentence?
“Just a normal boy who can become anything he wants.”
