To the beat of his own drum

Multi-hyphenate Mark Tuan is stepping into his own spotlight, on his own terms.

- Janice Sim

Mark Tuan is still not accustomed to the limelight. You would think by now, after eight years of being in one of South Korea’s most globally successful boy bands with numerous live stages, world tours and television appearances, there would be a certain immunity with fame. But not in his case. As the 28-year-old K-pop star humorously recollects instances of people recognising him in his hometown Los Angeles, he’s still nonplussed about the weight of his name.

The Got7 member is barefaced, sitting relaxed in a Rhude tee on a couch at home in LA for our Zoom call, to which he admits it’s where he lazes most of the time when not working, watching TV with his dog Milo. “I do the same thing that anybody would be doing—eating junk food, gaming and looking at my phone,” he shrugs in laughter.

“And if you ever saw me, you wouldn’t think much. Oh, he’s just a random person,” he maintains. Also him: a global star that has dominated world-famous stages and a season regular at Saint Laurent come fashion week—a brand he resonates with for its elegant and understated pieces. Well, Tuan would like to believe that he’s inconspicuous most of the time, until he’s not. And for brief moments during the course of our conversation, I almost believe him. His sudden bouts of candour, humble ambitions and sheepish chuckles when pondering a question are very  much the antithesis to a well-groomed K-pop idol.

“During that time when we debuted [as Got7], everything happened so quickly that it never really hit. And because it never registered, sometimes I’m still kind of in shock. Yes, we have been Got7 for such a long time and have done so many things, but when I really think about it, I’m like, damn, we did that?”