When you’re listening to your favorite K-pop song, do you ever wonder what the process looked like to get it from a simple idea to the finished product you have on repeat? Behind-the-scenes sits a variety of skilled professionals who bring even the smallest ideas into some of the boldest results. 

If you haven’t already, any fan of the music you’re hearing should take the time to check the credits on their favorite songs. No matter the artist, odds are that a team of talented producers, songwriters, sound engineers and more were responsible for the finer details that elevate any song into an irresistible earworm or a generation-defining hit. 

Fig Tape is one such creative hailing from Norway. An artist in his own right, with his debut album, Forcefed Serenity, released in October, Fig Tape isn’t afraid to play with genre. His songwriting and production credits include songs living in the vast worlds of rock, indie – and now, K-pop. 

As it turns out, K-pop is a genre that perfectly welcomes all of the experimental hopes and dreams that Fig Tape’s signature sound has longed for. Recently, he’s seen growing success in the UK, and this new venture is sure to boost the number of eyes and ears tuning into what he creates. 

KPOPWORLD: How would you describe the typical sound that you aim for when writing and producing music for yourself? How do you adjust what you’re used to when creating music with other artists?

Fig Tape: I would say most of the time I’m not quite sure what I’m aiming for, because I really love just experimenting with different sounds, styles and genres. I love keeping the curiosity alive when making music, constantly looking for new inspiration and new impressions.

At the same time, there are some things that keep coming back to me when producing for myself. That is working with old drum machine sounds, samples from analog gear, and weird synths. I love working with ugly sounds and making them sound pretty. In a lot of the songs I do, I want you to get that “main character” feeling. 

When working with other artists, I try not to adjust too much, as I love putting my own sound and taste on the stuff I do. That kind of makes the songs recognizable for the listeners, which I love. But of course, there are certain artists that you need to adjust to, because the best music comes out from finding a common ground, and blending different influences. If I try to make something super similar to something that’s already been done by someone else, then that other producer could’ve just done it.

Prior to this year, how familiar were you with K-pop? Were there any artists you listened to or kept an eye on?

I got into the K-pop scene last year after attending a couple camps where some people were showing me some amazing music. At the camps, some producers were already deep into the genre, but nowhere as near as they are now. I had been listening to some of LE SSERAFIM and BLACKPINK’s music, which I really enjoyed. The productions were really creative which I enjoyed a lot.

Did you ever see yourself lending your talents to K-pop? 

I knew the genre was blowing up, and that it had already been huge for a decade. The K-pop scene is so global at this point, and I love seeing different groups and artists hitting the global charts. I would say I really wanted to get into the genre and work with Korean artists, but I didn’t quite know where and how to start. The music I listened to was so cool, creative, and different. I felt like this was the perfect scene to get into, so I could experiment, and do all the weird production stuff that I’ve always dreamt of doing.

How did you get involved with writing and producing ILLIT’s “Billyeoon Goyangi (Do the Dance)”?

This winter, I went to London for a week to do sessions. Prior to that, I had been sending pitches and instrumentals to HYBE, since I knew they were looking for songs for selected groups. Their team really liked the music, and suddenly I got invited to Sweden, where they were doing a camp for the next ILLIT project.

I was supposed to fly back to Norway on the same day, but I got new tickets and went straight over to the camp. The same day, we ended up figuring out how their next lead single was going to be. We ended up making “Do The Dance.” It was such a crazy and surreal experience, and it was amazing to meet the writers, the Korean producers and the rest of the team at HYBE.

The song itself was a bunch of different ideas getting tied together, giving it the special sound it has. I remember we rotated the couch towards the desk, so everyone could see what was happening on the computer, and making sure everyone felt involved and up to speed in the process!

The instrumental elevates this song to such a whimsical level that blends perfectly with the members’ vocals. Which aspects of the song’s production did you work with the most? 

Thank you! First, we did a songwriting session with the duo Sunshine from Sweden (Cazzi Opeia and Ellen Berg). That instrumental idea was a bit different to start with, but we kept all the vocals for the original song. I was working a lot on the vocal production, and also making the chops that you can hear in the post-hook.

After that, we tied the idea together with another one that the label had been working with, and blending these two together was very fun. I would say it worked out pretty good! Later on, I mostly focused on drum programming, synths and small details. After that I passed it back and forth to Dyvahh, an amazing producer from HYBE.

Were there any challenges you faced during the overall creative process?

The most challenging part was probably making it smooth and cohesive, as there were multiple ideas being connected. Transitions and working with the key changes was probably the hardest part, as well as staying organized in such a huge project.

What’s it been like seeing the reception to “Billyeoon Goyangi (Do the Dance)” from fans, your peers, and others in the K-pop world?

It’s been amazing! Probably one of my career highlights so far. It’s a dream coming true to work on such an exciting project. I remember when the song came out – it was a Monday and I was in a studio session in Norway. The music video came out together with the song, and it was so surreal to see the music video. Instant goosebumps. I couldn’t believe that I had been sitting and doing the final tweaks and mixdown feedback just months before that.

One of the best things about making K-pop is that the concepts are so good and well carried out. They have the best music videos, choreography and live shows, as well as an amazing fanbase. It’s always amazing to see how your music is living out in the real world after a release. More to come!