The stress never ends for rapper IM as he is currently preparing for a summer tour across Europe, the US and Asia by training his abs hard. “[When working out] I usually divide my body into chest, back, shoulder, arm, [and] Legs,” he says over a Zoom call from Seoul. “But I do abs every day.”
As a member of the K-pop group Monsta X, IM combined this physical power with lyrical machismo. But as a solo artist, IM’s music is more like his spirit: introspective with a melancholic longing. His new EP Off the Beat is as thoughtful as ever; The title single “Lure” goes through a one-sided conversation with a lover about going public.
We asked IM to get out of his head for a while and tell us what he likes to listen to and watch online when he’s not making music.
1. Ty Dolla $ign – “Zaddy” [Music Video]
I AM: “Zaddy” is one of my favorite Ty songs, and when I need to test my audio – my headphones, my big speakers – I test with this song because the bass is great.
Mashable: You know what Zaddy means, right?
I don’t know what the song means. I just like the atmosphere. I don’t know what Zaddy means.
I think I saw fans calling you “Zaddy.”
Oh, it means “dad,” right?
Yes, but cooler and younger.
Is it okay to take it as a compliment?
Yes! Secure.
OK, I’m Zaddy! [laughs]
What other artists have you listened to?
Chase Shakur and RAAHiiM. And of course Bryson Tiller. He is my favorite. And Solomon. They make the same kind of music I do – chill R&B, a bit sticky and sexy.
How would you describe a sticky sound?
When you hear a truly original classic [piece of] Music, do you feel like it’s sticky? It’s a bit like the mood of a song. Are you nodding? When you hear a rock song, you shake your head like this [moves head up and down]. But when you listen to R&B, your vibe is more like that [moves head slowly to a beat]. It’s like the groove.
2. Let Me Know – “Love and Highball”
I found this band on Instagram, scrolled, heard the song and thought, “Damn, they’re good.” It’s a different vibe than what I’ve heard before. The genre is city pop, I think. It felt pretty fresh when I heard it.
Mashable Top Stories
How often do you discover new music this way?
I don’t dedicate time to it because when you play a song [on Spotify] More songs with a similar mood are played. I need ideas, new things and fresh air, and Spotify gives me those ideas. I also often listen to their curated playlists.
3. League of Legends Gameplay videos from lol Dr
I play league whenever I have time after work. I started playing in quarantine in 2021 or 2022. You play with a random team, and sometimes I play with my friends if they are online. When they’re offline, I play alone. I like playing games, but I’m not a gamer. A gamer is, so to speak, addicted to games.
Gamers have a chair and lights and the whole setup.
Of course I have a chair, but it’s for my back.
It’s a gaming chair, but you use it for your back?
It’s an office chair. I use it for my health.
What other games do you play?
Nothing else, simple league. You can take on a character’s personality through your playstyle, and every single little move is truly meaningful. [Laughs] Ah man, I sound like a gamer. I play as Kindred, a wolf trained in archery. This character gives life and death. And if you master this character really well, it’s easy to carry the game. You become important, the MVP, and can compete five against one. When you kill someone, you gain a “stack” that gives you more power. As this stack grows, you become super strong. My lane is “Jungle” so I had to find a jungle character.
Your trail?
Yes, my track. There are five lanes in the game: Top-Middle, Jungle, ADC and Support. After taking some time to understand the game, I chose Jungle because it’s complicated. You need a lot of knowledge and have to think of a lot of strategies in your head. I hate it when I’m bad when I play the game, so I go back to the moments where I was bad and try to figure out what I could have done to fix the problem.
The game reflects my personality. If you are greedy in the game, it can be a mistake. It can cause many deaths and also the death of your team. This is how I balance my greed [other elements of my] Personality allows us to win the game. The way you control your character within the game is an extension of your personality outside of the game.
4. Spaceman
This is a movie I recently saw about a man who flies into space and is visited by an alien creature in the form of a spider.
When the spider came out the picture was pretty disgusting. But the things he said were so direct. There was a phrase called “Listen to the silence” that resonated with me. It is a strange phrase: “Listen to the silence,” because silence is not noise. Silence comes when you don’t realize it, and it’s like, “Oh, it’s quiet.” That snake was huge for me. To me it means, “You need to slow down and be grateful.”
5. “A taste of American roots” @dudely_08
I watch content like this to kill time. I don’t like aggressive, intense videos. I like to look at things that don’t affect my mood. Sometimes I have to pay attention to my diet [for work] and I can’t eat much, so I try to fill myself up [my appetite] with videos. I don’t like traditional mukbangs where people sit and eat. This guy is different; He evaluates the food, the view and the presentation.
In general, I’m not really greedy when it comes to food, it’s just something I need to live. I enjoy eating, but the whole process – choosing from a menu, for example – is stressful for me. So it would be fine if someone chose something for me [to eat]but I would hope it is delicious.
What else do you do to relax?
Sometimes when I’m really exhausted, I listen to a song with no lyrics, just instrumentals. Because when there is something to think about, my brain tries to keep working. So [I listen to] Listen to jazz music and drink some whiskey. Each alcohol has a different atmosphere. Whiskey can be very lonely and it’s easy to get drunk. But beer is pretty light and easy to drink, so I drink it while playing league. It suits the game.
You said that before league is a balancing exercise for you between your needs and the needs of the team. Does this apply to your real life?
I don’t try to fool myself into who I really am. I love everything I do alone and I love being with my Monsta-X team. So balance is not that important and not that difficult because I love every moment when I make music. I try to do my best in every moment, but it’s important to face reality and 100 percent acknowledge what you’re capable of. I’m not a really positive guy, but I try my best not to miss opportunities and take on challenges when I can.