Jaden Jeong Made You Stan LOONA, And Now He'll Do The Same With OnlyOneOf

You only get one chance to prepare a memorable first impression. Creative director Jaden Jeong understands this. He's built a successful career in the Korean entertainment industry from this very creed. Yet spinning a first impression into a lasting one is a lot harder; it's lightning in a bottle — part luck, part intuition. Jeong understands this too.


The mastermind beyond K-pop girl sort LOONA and their multidimensional LOONAverse, Jeong has a knack for compelling storytelling. An ambitious project years in the making, the LOONAverse unfolded during visually arresting teasers, sub-units, and monthly music videos that introduced each artist with her own distinct sound, aesthetic, and story. Each new part of content added to the mythos, building interest and anticipation like puzzle pieces falling into place. They were separate nevertheless connected somehow, somewhere within this nebulous otherworld. That "separate nevertheless connected" ethos is something Jeong honed through his work with 2PM and 2AM in 2008. By the time LOONA made their official debut as a 12-member categorize in August 2018, fans (including singer and visual artist Grimes) were already hooked — and the #StanLOONA phenomenon was born.


Right now Jeong hopes to capture that magic with his latest boy order OnlyOneOf.


OnlyOneOf quietly debuted in May with a seven-member lineup — Love, KB, Rie, Yoojung, Junji, Mill, Nine — and also a melodic sound that bypassed the current trend of heavy drops and trap beats. "Savanna" is a groovy pop-R&B song with slinky synths, while the nostalgic pop ballad "Time Leap" showcased their vocal charms — broody rap verses and wistful crooning. Their visuals were just as distinct; where "Savanna" was oversaturated and dynamic, a flurry of various cuts and edits, "Time Leap" was a blank canvas. They were separate nevertheless connected by means of the same motifs — fire, circular imagery (a visual reference to their name, OnlyOneOf), technology, and religion. And like all good first impressions, it gave you enough to keep you interested without telling you too much.


That was, obviously, segment of Jeong's plan.


"LOONA was one path of storytelling, introducing characters one by one and then showing you how they come with each other and connect their music and message in a global Jeong told MTV News. "This time I wanted concentrate on bringing the world and mythology into focus bit by bit, and then introducing you to the characters."


Concepts are regular in K-pop; an audience will adopt a visual aesthetic and storyline for each new release. Some days those storylines carry through into other videos, and other times they're abandoned altogether in favor of fresh begin and also a new dynamic. There's no one way to be successful, yet it's hard to deny the effect these sprawling universes and gripping narratives have on a fan's emotional investment in a crowd. Immediately considering that, there's a reason the Marvel Cinematic Universe has made $22 billion globally.


Jeong spent three years developing OnlyOneOf's sophisticated concept, drawing inspiration from religion and specifically biblical texts. "Even though I’m not religious, I've Been studying The holy scriptures, its symbolism, and storylines," he mentioned. "I am attempting to understand the belief systems of people around the world." The results of his extended creative process can be seen in the video for OnlyOneOf's new single, "Sage." Partially written and composed by Jeong himself, the slick pop song is darker and more dramatic than their debut tracks, and more importantly, it dives deeper into the mythology and characters of this new world. "My innocent desire, my clashing despair," leader and vocalist Love sings. "I’ve gotten so tainted, please save me." Images of Mary Magdalene and crosses can be seen while in the visual, and the members themselves even stand atop structures, smoldering intently as if asking to be worshipped.


Jeong calls OnlyOneOf a "unique variety of artists," strong in the various elements that make well-rounded K-pop stars — dance, rap, singing, and efficiency. A couple of of the members also compose for the sort, and all of these contribute to the in general narrative. "I work with them on storytelling, to assist them write their own story," Jeong mentioned. "Within K-pop, OnlyOneOf is really telling their own story themselves, which makes them jump out. That also means that they work harder because have a proper attachment to the music."


and also a proper attachment to the story, which isn't habitually the case for artists who are thrust into these sweeping universes without much mention. "Sage" and their latest EP, line sun goodness, is a continuation of their debut single album, dot point jump, and then some of its themes and imagery. The color red, as an example, plays a critical part in both their visuals and lyrics. Jeong is also keenly inspired by typography, the very foundation of his beauty — like the random capitalization, geometric shapes, and symbols that can be noticed while in his work. "Hangul, the Korean alphabet, is so cute, harmonious and economical," he mentioned. "The Latin alphabet and numeric symbols have a lot of power for people across the world." He's incorporated these various symbols into OnlyOneOf's "Sage" — however don't expect him to give away all the secrets. "The fans are so dedicated," he mentioned, "they generally figure it out themselves."


For Jeong, every new story begins with an ending. It's segment of his process. He doesn't start a narrative without knowing how it all wraps up. He envisioned the LOONAverse as 45 parts, from solo songs to sub-units to official comeback singles. However he didn't get to be able to see his vision all of the way through due to creative contradictions with Blockberry Creative's new management who wanted to put far less significance" on the LOONAverse. "I noticed that we just didn’t align as we had before," Jeong mentioned. In August, he left the business, with LOONA's repackaged album, X X, being his last project with the categorize. A ballad album was scrapped in the process. "I felt very empty As soon as I couldn't proceed further with LOONA," he added.


Though, the book isn't fully closed on LOONA either. Case in point, he's looking forward to having a "second synergy" with the categorize sometime soon. "I am expecting to return to the LOONA universe," he mentioned, adding that conversations to bring the girl categorize to the Japanese market are underway and that he's currently "reviewing" the supply. "It's looking pretty positive," he said.


There's also a segment of Jeong that finds it really satisfying to "birth something" into the universe and visualize how others respond to it. "Mentoring young artists, watching fans fall in love with a new categorize and then seeing how that order flourishes from that love, it’s impossible not to have a sense of pride from knowing you were involved with the creation," he mentioned. There's an excitement plus a newness that's hard to replicate — and for Jeong, it's just a lot more fun to begin something than to finish it.


Nevertheless he does know how OnlyOneOf's story concludes. How they get there, nevertheless, is up to him and the members, who are "adding their own gifts to an assignment and taking it to new places [I] never thought it might go."