YEONJUN Wants To Give You A Clearer Sense Of Who He Is As An Artist

TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s YEONJUN is done being defined by labels — his second mini album, NO LABELS: PART 02, pushes that idea even further. Released earlier this month, the ‘comeback’ arrives eight months after his solo debut, NO LABELS: PART 01, which bowed at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 last November. Part 02 has already landed him on the list of 2026’s highest-selling soloists, moving 738,072 copies in its first week.

The six-track album is led by the upbeat rock-funk single Ice Cream, a take on situationships using ice cream as the metaphor. Spanning rap rock, funk rock, R&B, pop, and alternative hip hop, the record once again showcases YEONJUN’s expanded range — with him actively involved in the song writing and choreography throughout.

In this exclusive conversation with Esquire India, TXT’s YEONJUN opens up about the pressure and payoff of his solo run, his dream Kendrick Lamar collaboration, and why a cold beer and Netflix is the only reset he needs.

Though your album is called NO LABELS: PART 01, it was labelled a big hit. Today, after seven years in the business, how would you define yourself as an artist at this moment in time?

I’d define myself as someone who always gives my all. Whenever I’m doing the things I love, I try to be fully present in it. Preparing this album wasn’t easy since it overlapped with tour schedules, but I still wanted to stay involved in everything, from working on the choreography for Ice Cream with our team to putting my own experiences into the lyrics. I just tried to make something that really feels like me, and I hope that comes through.

NO LABELS was described as a “candid, untethered expression” of you as an artist, and you were the first member from TXT to go solo. How creatively fulfilling has the past year been for you?

The past year has been truly meaningful and intense at the same time. At first, I felt a lot of pressure, but I received an overwhelming amount of love. What stayed with me the most were the reactions from MOA (official TXT fandom) during performances. Seeing how people connect with my music in their own way made everything feel worth it.

Tell us a bit about NO LABELS: PART 02 — and the funky lead single, Ice Cream. What can fans look forward to?

 For Ice Cream, I definitely want to talk a lot about the choreography. Our team and I put a lot of care into this choreography, constantly refining every detail. We came up with a lot of different ideas, almost 40 to 50 different moves, and built the final choreography from there, including details like melting or scooping ice cream. I was pretty involved in shaping the chorus, so I hope people enjoy watching it. When I work solo, I can reflect my own taste more directly. That’s why the result feels more personal.

With a new album, tour prep, and TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s schedule all stacked together, what does taking care of yourself actually look like for you?

Taking the time to rest properly is really important for me. Lately, one of my favourite ways to unwind is just watching something on Netflix with a cold beer after a long day. It’s a simple routine, but it helps me reset.

If you had a completely free day with nothing on the schedule, is there a movie or show you’d put on without even thinking about it?

Definitely A Star Is Born. It’s one of my all-time favourites!

What and who have been your biggest musical influences, and what’s next for you as an artist?

I’m a big fan of Kendrick Lamar, and I’d love to work on a song or share a stage with him one day. As for what’s next, I hope this album gives people a clearer sense of who I am as an artist, and makes them excited to see where I go from here.

Your fashion sense off-stage has become almost as talked-about as your performances.

Fashion and performance naturally influence each other because both help shape the overall vibe of a song. For this album, I focused on a more relaxed and natural look so the performance could stand out more. We also created a cap that fits the mood of the album, so I hope people like it.