INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY ALICIA ZAMORA ☆
CAN’T BE BLUE BELIEVE SADNESS ISN’T SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO RUN FROM—With their EP bluende, the band can’t be blue are exploring what it means to sit with sadness instead of trying to push it away. Built around five different emotions, the release puts feelings like regret and resignation into words, making space for the parts of ourselves we don’t always know how to explain. For the band, sadness is something everyone carries, no matter how much they try to escape it. Rather than pretending those feelings will eventually disappear, they wanted to be honest about them, especially the feeling of not being good enough while still wanting to be loved. It’s a sentiment that makes bluende feel personal without being difficult to relate to, reminding listeners that they aren’t the only ones trying to make sense of what they feel.
That honesty has stayed with can’t be blue as they’ve grown from playing small clubs and cafés in Hongdae to taking on bigger stages. Since debuting in 2024, the band have won Emergenza Festival and opened for ATEEZ in Italy, reaching audiences who may not even speak the same language. With bluende marking their first release entirely in English, they also had to find new ways to express themselves without relying on the Korean phrases they were used to. While writing in another language came with its challenges, it pushed them to be more direct with their lyrics, something they hope will help listeners connect with their music wherever they are. Now, as they prepare for their first headline European tour, they’re looking forward to hearing audiences sing “bluende” back to them, believing that sharing the song together will make its emotions feel even stronger.
Despite all the changes of the past two years, the band’s idea of what it means to be can’t be blue has stayed the same. They want to pour their own feelings out on stage and give listeners a chance to let go of theirs, even if only for a little while. That doesn’t necessarily mean trying to make everything better, either. Outside of performing, the members find comfort in sitting together, having a drink and talking about music or whatever else is going on in their lives. They don’t force each other to be cheerful, but they make sure no one is alone, either. It’s a simple understanding that carries into their music, and one they hope to offer anyone listening to bluende during a difficult time. You don’t have to know how to explain what you’re feeling just yet. Sometimes, it’s enough to know someone else understands.
Read Luna’s conversation with can’t be blue below.
LUNA: With bluende, there’s this idea that no matter how much you try to move away from your sadness, it eventually finds its way back to you. Were you experiencing that when you started working on the EP, or did the idea come from somewhere else?
CAN’T BE BLUE: Both, I think. We believe sadness is something everyone carries through life, so it always comes back, however much you try to run from it. We felt that ourselves, and we also see it in the people who come to our shows. So instead of running away, we wanted to write about it honestly.
LUNA: I’m really interested in how you approached the five emotions on the EP, because regret and resignation, for example, feel like they come from very different places. Was there one emotion that was particularly difficult to write about, or one that you found yourselves coming back to more than you expected?
CAN’T BE BLUE: Each emotion had its own sound, so we designed it to let the music lead, and we arranged the lyrics to follow the feeling the music creates. The one we kept coming back to was the slightly pathetic, self-deprecating side of sadness: not feeling good enough, but still wanting to be loved. That is the feeling we are most honest about. Personally, I found resignation the hardest emotion to approach.
LUNA: This is your first release entirely in English, and I’m curious whether that changed anything for you creatively. Were there feelings or ideas you found easier to express in English, or did writing in a different language come with its own challenges?
CAN’T BE BLUE: Writing in English was a challenge, because it’s not our first language and we could not rely on our usual Korean expressions. But it also made us simpler and more direct. We believe emotion goes beyond language, so we focused on the feeling, and we hope that listeners outside Korea can connect with it right away. Expressing blunt, direct lines in English instead of Korean also let us create more varied interpretations, which we really liked.
LUNA: You’re about to play your first headline European tour, which means meeting fans in cities where some people might be seeing you live for the very first time. Is there anything you’re particularly excited or nervous about? And is there a song from bluende you’re especially curious to see people react to in a live setting?
CAN’T BE BLUE: We’re both excited and nervous. It’s our first time in Europe as a band, and we don’t know how audiences who may not understand Korean will react. That’s exactly what we’re most curious about. We’re especially curious about “bluende,” because we think it’s the song that will be best with the crowd singing along. Personally, if you sing “bluende” together with us, I think the emotion of the music will be amplified even more.
LUNA: The band’s name is can’t be blue, but so much of your music seems to come from accepting sadness rather than pretending it isn’t there. As you’ve grown together over the past couple of years, has your understanding of what it means to be blue changed at all? Or do you think it’s something you’re each still figuring out yourselves?
CAN’T BE BLUE: The idea behind the name has not changed: we pour out the blue feelings on stage, and we hope that listeners can let go of theirs too. But we feel it more strongly now, because we’ve met more people who really connect with it. So in a way, we’re still figuring it out, and I think that’s okay.
LUNA: You’ve had so many things happen this year, from winning Emergenza Festival to opening for ATEEZ in Italy. When you think back to where you were as a band when you first debuted in 2024, what feels the most different about can’t be blue now?
CAN’T BE BLUE: Our sound is bigger and more varied now, and our stages are bigger. In the beginning, we played in tiny clubs and cafés in Hongdae and handled everything ourselves. What has not changed is the honesty in our songs. Winning Emergenza in front of a jury that did not speak Korean showed us that honesty can cross the language barrier.
LUNA: Since there are five of you, I’m curious how different your individual tastes and personalities are when it comes to music. Is there a song you’ve made where one member was especially passionate about a certain direction, and the others had to be convinced before it came together?
CAN’T BE BLUE: Everyone has different tastes, but Dohun sets the direction, and then each member adds their own taste and ideas on top of it. That is how a can’t be blue song comes together. The first direction comes from Dohun, and the song is completed when the members’ playing and arrangements come in.
LUNA: You’ve said that you hope people leave your shows feeling a little lighter than when they arrived. I love that idea, especially given the emotions you explore in your music. Outside of performing, what does that look like for you personally? When one of you is having a difficult day, are the others the kind of people who try to cheer them up, or do you give each other space to feel whatever you’re feeling?
CAN’T BE BLUE: Honestly, we’re the kind of friends who sit down together, drink and talk. We talk about each other, about music, about small everyday things. We don’t force anyone to be cheerful, but we don’t leave anyone alone either. Just being together and talking usually makes the day lighter.
LUNA: Outside of music, I’m curious what life has been looking like for you lately. With everything moving so quickly, have there been any little moments recently that have made you stop and think, “I’m really happy right now?”
CAN’T BE BLUE: Life has been very busy, so the happy moments are small ones. Sitting together after a show with the members, talking about the day, is one of them. Another is seeing people sing our lyrics back to us. Those moments make us stop and think, “We’re really happy right now.” These days, having a drink together with the members is our biggest joy.
LUNA: As we wrap up, what would you want to say to someone who’s just discovering can’t be blue through bluende and might be going through something they don’t quite know how to put into words themselves?
CAN’T BE BLUE: You do not have to find the words right now. Sadness is something everyone carries, and you are not alone in it. If our songs can say it for you, even for a few minutes, that’s enough for us. Welcome, and thank you for listening.
