THEBLACKLABEL&rsquo;s Vince has long been the force behind K-pop&rsquo;s biggest anthems, but his new single with G-DRAGON marks a turning point.

If there&rsquo;s one name to keep on your radar this summer, it&rsquo;s rapper, songwriter and producer Vince. The THEBLACKLABEL artist has been a driving force behind some of K-pop&rsquo;s most iconic hits, from LISA&rsquo;s viral Money to Taeyang's VIBE (feat. Jimin from BTS). He is also the man behind rising stars like ALLDAYPROJECT and MEOVV (both groups signed under THEBLACKLABEL).
But now, after helping shape the sound of BLACKPINK, BIGBANG, and even the chart-smashing KPop Demon Hunters soundtracks Your Idol and Soda Pop, Vince is finally taking centre stage. His new single &ldquo;차차차 (CHA CHA CHA)&rdquo; pairs him with G-DRAGON &mdash; making history as GD&rsquo;s first feature in eight years, released fittingly on the latter's birthday.

Vince - '차차차 (CHA CHA CHA) (feat. G-DRAGON)' ANIMATED VISUALIZER

The result? A lighthearted, sun-soaked anthem that feels as effortless as lounging poolside with friends. For Vince, this moment is more than just a release; it&rsquo;s a celebration of years of craft, collaboration, and creative vision finally zooming in on him as the leading star. As he steps into his spotlight, one thing&rsquo;s certain: Vince is ready to define his own summer soundtrack.
In this exclusive interview with L&rsquo;OFFICIEL, Vince reflects on his journey as a songwriter and producer, and why this chapter feels like just the beginning.

You&rsquo;ve crafted hits for some of the biggest names in K-pop &mdash; from BLACKPINK and G-DRAGON to JISOO and now ALLDAY PROJECT. What&rsquo;s your creative process like when producing for such distinct artists?
I try my best to cater to what the artist wants to say. A lot of times, they have so much to say and I&rsquo;m just there to help them tell their stories. Usually, a session starts with a conversation about our lives and what we&rsquo;ve been listening to. Then from there, the songs naturally take shape.
&ldquo;Your Idol&rdquo; from K-pop Demon Hunters has a cinematic, genre-blending sound and is one of the favourites from the film for its distinctive K-pop DNA.&nbsp; How did working on this track differ from your past projects, and was there a particular K-pop group that inspired its musical direction? 
There wasn&rsquo;t a particular reference, but I would say for &ldquo;Your Idol&rdquo; we tried our best for it to sound like a K-pop boy group song that we listened to growing up. The sounds are updated, but it definitely reminds you of songs from the 2000 to 2010s.

Having worked alongside legends like TEDDY and 24, how has that collaborative energy shaped your growth as both a producer and solo artist? 
Collaboration has always been key. I used to try to do everything by myself from beats to melodies, but letting my ego go and working with other musicians helped me come up with things I couldn&rsquo;t have done by myself.
From your many solo works, which song is your personal favourite and why? 
CHA CHA CHA is my favourite for sure because I had so much fun making it, and having none other than G-DRAGON on it is a dream come true.
It took a long time to finish the song, and I got to have a lot of my peers who went through the same journey as me at THEBLACKLABEL involved in creating the song, so it&rsquo;s a lot more meaningful to me, personally. I hope whoever gets to listen to it will enjoy it as much as I do.

You&rsquo;ve contributed to milestone tracks like FLOWER by JISOO and MONEY&nbsp;by LISA &mdash; songs that broke global records. What do you think makes a K-pop song truly timeless or resonate on a global scale? 
We never strategically made songs to go global. I just always try to make what sounds the best to me at each moment. I think we always strive to make good songs, and it happens to be labelled &ldquo;K-Pop&rdquo; because it&rsquo;s made in Korea.
With ALLDAY PROJECT and MEOVV, you&rsquo;ve explored sounds outside the typical K-pop style. How do you balance mainstream appeal with experimental production? 
With so much music being released globally every day, I&rsquo;m always on the lookout for sounds that feel fresh and different. Sometimes it&rsquo;s in the small details - like the type of kicks and snares we choose. But at the end of the day, I believe what makes a song truly mainstream comes down to its melody.
You&rsquo;ve co-written major hits like &lsquo;Gashina&rsquo; and &lsquo;Shut Down&rsquo;. When you're in the writing zone, what usually comes first &ndash; the lyrics, the melody, or the overall vibe?
A lot of times, melodies come first, and I try to write lyrics right away to the melodies so that I capture the feelings that the melodies are giving me.

What&rsquo;s one song you&rsquo;ve worked on that came together surprisingly fast&mdash;or took the longest to get just right? Any behind-the-scenes story you can share?
JEON SOMI&rsquo;s Fast Forward. I pulled the idea for the bassline off the hook from a song on my college laptop, and from there, we really finished the whole song within like an hour. That was a pretty magical night.
As a solo artist, what do you think defines your unique musical identity? 
More and more, I don&rsquo;t try to box myself in. No matter what song I make, it will be &lsquo;me&rsquo; as long as I sing it with my voice. But, because I grew up listening to so much R&amp;B and hip-hop, you will definitely hear those influences.

Photos: THEBLACKLABEL

From Producer to Performer: Vince talks G-DRAGON collab and building K-pop’s biggest hits

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