Even though fans worldwide may already recognize (and even adore) Mark Tuan’s voice, face, and name, they’ll finally get to know him like never before—now.
In 2022, the singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, model, and philanthropist formally introduces his own sound, style, and spirit as a solo artist. By doing so, he pulls back the curtain and shares the intimate stories of his unbelievable journey thus far from a regular kid in Los Angeles to global superstardom as a member of award-winning K-Pop juggernaut Got7 to stepping out and embarking on what promises to be his biggest, boldest, and brightest chapter yet.
Meet Mark Tuan…
“For me, music is a way to say what’s on my mind, because I’m not very expressive or open in conversation,” he exclaims. “It’s a lot easier for me to write my feelings, and hopefully other people can relate. I’m telling my story.”
His story begins in sunny Southern California. Among his earliest memories, he recalls listening to music in the car with his dad. When he received his first iPod, he brought it everywhere, loading it up with records by Eminem, blink-182, and more. His childhood would be split between L.A., Paraguay, and Brazil before he attended high school in the L.A. suburb of Arcadia. One day at lunch, a recruiter for world-renowned K-Pop powerhouse invited Mark to try out for an upcoming group. He unassumingly partook in this unexpected opportunity; the group become Got7.
A string of multiplatinum singles and #1 albums followed in Korea with four Top 10 entries on the Billboard World Music Albums Chart stateside, including Flight Log: Turbulence at #1. Out of dozens of awards and nominations at the likes of the Teen Choice Awards and Billboard Music Awards, the guys earned “Best Worldwide Act (Korea)” at the MTV EMA, and Forbes named them on its “Korea Power Celebrity” ranking in 2019. Not to mention, 2020’s Breath of Love: Last Piece incited the applause of Teen Vogue, The Line of Best Fit, The Honey Pop, and more.
He has also appeared at multiple fashion shows and linked up with Saint Laurent for a partnership. Plus, he graced the cover of L’Officiel Philippines with supermodel Winnie Harlow. Projecting his voice, he notably dueted with Bibi on “Never Gonna Come Down” from the Official Soundtrack album to Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
At the same time, he teased out his next chapter via fan-favorite solo releases such as “last breath,” “my life,” “lonely,” and “save me.” The latter tallied tens of millions of streams and debuted at #1 on iTunes charts in 33 countries as well in the Top 10 of the World iTunes Song Chart. Opening up more than ever, he dug deep for this body of work, co-writing everything himself.
“I’ve been away from home for eleven years,” he goes on. “I had a lot of fun with my solo material, because I was more hands-on. I was really bringing my ideas to life. The last year was all about realizing who I am, finding my voice, and working on my art. In Korea, it was a collective project. I’ve gained confidence in myself, and I know what I want to say for me.”
He’s speaking loud and clear on the single “imysm.” Over stark clean guitar, he confesses, “Now I bleed from the heart ‘cause it hurts to lose sleep in the day, in the night, I search for you.” Synths surge beneath the hook as his vocals resound with a plea, “And I don’t wanna be alone, it’s too much. Wherever you are, I miss you.”
“I really miss being on stage in front of fans,” he reveals. “In Got7, we would always go harder on every tour, and we kept pushing ourselves. I used those feelings of missing the band as a metaphor for a relationship in the song. This stuff is really about the experiences and emotions I had in Korea over the past decade. I’m putting it all into the songs.”
As such, he quietly speaks to Asian listeners, especially, beaming out a reminder to embrace yourself without fear as loudly as possible.
“Being an Asian-American in the entertainment business can be hard,” he states. “I don’t feel the pressure to ‘make it’ or anything though. Asian cultures are being recognized more, which is amazing. This is a great time for me to do this, because I’m having fun.”
It’s real, and that’s why Mark Tuan makes an unbreakable connection.
“I want my music to be relatable when you hear it,” he leaves off. “Whenever you’re going through hard times, you can go to me and find a song that aligns with how you’re feeling. I hope you find comfort in my songs.”
