The South Korean boy band Golden Child is back with their second studio album Game Changer, and everything about the group’s style lives up to the promising title. 

Since debuting with tenacity in 2017, Golden Child has garnered impressive album sales that started with 27,000 for their debut EP – and their first release of 2021 titled, Yes., has sold over 100,000 units, reminding us that growth is a facet of K-Pop that requires time. 

Throughout the first few years of Golden Child’s journey, the ten members have revealed their passion for explosive EDM dance tracks, but Game Changer additionally gives us bursts of varying sub-genres to music. In fact, their new album is led by the single “Ra Pam Pam”, a sultry dance track that incorporates a Latin-inspired flare – showing off intensive choreography and a narrative for those who appreciate theatrical enhancements to their music consumption.

Getting to blend their upbeat craft outside of the safety net they’re accustomed to, makes this Golden Child comeback feel a little riskier in the sense that they are open to trials and tribulations of incorporating new ideas. But like any risk, comes the potential for reward, and the overall cohesiveness of Game Changer strengthens the sentiment that Golden Child can take on obstacles without fear of isolating their audience.

On the album, we get to engage in the energetic performance piece of “Ram Pam Pam”, but also, impressive tracks like “Bottom Of The Ocean” where we see great respect for the early ‘00s boyband resurgence – becoming one of the group’s most underrated songs that has a repeat-factor worth giving in to. For fans of the group’s more upbeat pop stylings, “Fanfare” has an uninterruptable vibrancy about it that’s so passionate, its three-minute runtime has the ability to leave you longing for more dance music from the beloved group. 

The album’s later act involves sub-unit structures, with even more fascinating concepts that display pairs, trios, and solos, for each of the ten members (Bo Min, Dae Yeol, Y, Joo Chan, TAG, Seung Min, Jae Hyun, Jang Jun, Ji Beom, and Dong Hyun). Serving as their second full album, and selling a massive 130,000 copies so far, we spoke to Golden Child about the undeniable success of Game Changer and revealing their dynamic range to the world.

Congratulations on your second studio album! When you think aback bout your first one in 2019 and now the new album Game Changer, how would you say your sound has adapted? 

Dae Yeol: First, I’d like to say thanks! Since this release is a studio album, I made a lot of musical challenges and tried to deliver a sense of maturity.  

Bo Min: There have been many changes in our concept, and above all, the maturity of the members has been upgraded. 

You open the album with a really cool, eerie introduction, then sends us into a really fun mix of different styles! What were some of your initial aspirations for this album prior to beginning the process?

Y: It was to show the infinite range of music we could create.

Joo Chan: We wanted to deliver hope, which is the message of this album, to many people who are exhausted nowadays.  

The lead single “Ra Pam Pam” is a really amazing choice for Game Changer that feels like a sensual Latin dance track – and the narrative of the video makes the production even more brilliant! What would some of you say has been the best part about forging this particular single? 

TAG: For me, it was the MV shoot. I think we have delivered our message and story to our fans successfully through the music video. 

Seung Min: I think the best thing was that the song we all wanted as the title track actually got to be the title track!

We get a reminder of some really fun early ‘00s band music with “Bottom of the Ocean” which is the polar opposite of “Ra Pa Pam” and one of my personal favorites! Considering it branches out from your previous work, did any of you in particular notice another member thriving on this track? 

Jae Hyun: Ji Beom is really into band music. In my personal opinion, band music suits him very well, since it fits his artistic sensibility. 

Dong Hyun: I think this track goes with Y the best. He has the most suitable voice for band sound among us. Also, he is outstanding at recording.  

“Fanfare” is another lively track that blends some EDM beats with respectable instrumental additions – considering your reputation for that EDM genre, does returning to that style of music add any pressure or unique challenges? 

Jang Jun: We definitely felt pretty comfortable. EDM is a lively, upbeat genre, and we have always been working on that type of music.

Ji Beom: We recorded “Fanfare” in a way we never tried before, so we felt a little burdened. Nevertheless, we wanted to show various aspects of ourselves and thus adopted a new style. 

There’s a handful of sweet, slowed-down moments on the album with one of my favorites is “Singing in the Rain” which has such a lovely piano paired with your vocals. When it comes to your own personal preferences in music, which of you gravitate towards slower tracks, and which of you are drawn towards the upbeat dance stylings of music?

Seung Min: Joo Chan particularly seems to like slow music, and Jang Jun seems to fancy upbeat music. 

Joo Chan: We all enjoy a wide variety of genres, but after observing members listening to music, I think Joo Chan, Jae Hyun, Ji Beom, Jang Jun, Seung Min, and Bo Min mostly prefer slow music. Dae Yeol, Y, Tag, and Dong Hyun are the ones who are into fast music. 

You had the opportunity to deliver songs in smaller sub-units, which really gave fans the chance to see a different side of the members’ individuality. What were some of the more notable experiences that came from working with that formula? 

Jang Jun: Me and Y enjoyed some lamb meat the day before recording. It helped us do well. 

Jae Hyun: For every sub-unit song we filmed a music video. It was a freshly memorable experience! 

You truly made the most of this album because it contains a little bit of everything! When you set out to create this album, was there one element that sparked any nerves – and if so, what are your thoughts now that it’s complete? 

Dae Yeol: The key message of this album is to give hope in current times of anxiety and confusion. I was a bit concerned that this message would not be delivered well. This album would show you a wide variety of music since it contains various tracks. 

Ji Beom: It was not easy to show ourselves in a different manner, with changes in our style. Also, I was burdened to handle the vocal part by myself in our unit track. Overall, however, I am pleased and satisfied with our album. 

You also just hit over 31 million views for the “Ra Pam Pam” which is a first for the group! Moving forward, do you have any short-term or long-term goals you hope to see the group fulfill?

Y: As a long-term goal, I want to introduce Golden Child to many people around the world, and communicate with them as well. 

Dong Hyun: First, I sincerely thank Goldenness, since we couldn’t have hit 31 million views without their support. And in the long run, I want Golden Child to be loved by many people globally.. 

Finally, do you have any parting words for your passionate fandom about your new music?

TAG: Hello, this is TAG from Golden Child! Thank you so much for supporting us. We will greet you with better music and performance. Thank you!

Bo Min: Thank you for your overwhelming love and support. Without support from Goldenness, we certainly cannot make it. Thank you all.  

Game Changer is available now, and make sure to check out the music video for “Ra Pam Pam” included above!