For nearly 20 years, legendary hip hop trio EPIK HIGH paved the way for everyone paving the way. And now they have returned to Manila for their EPIK HIGH IS HERE 2022 tour, ready to sweep fans with their electrifying performances (and their criminally hilarious dad jokes!).
This Nov. 30, the rapper group composed of Tablo, Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz will be performing live at the New Frontier Theater, the first Southeast Asian stop in their Asia-Pacific tour. Brought to fans by Make It Live and CK Star SG, their Manila stop promises to be a truly epic concert as they reunite with their Filipino fans again.
“We’re thankful that everything is going back to normal to some extent and we’re also happy to be able to sweat with our fans in the concert venue,” Mithra Jin told Super K in an email interview.
“Don’t you think there will be good news next year since we’re not resting and still making music?”
Self-love anthem
Since they debuted in 2003, EPIK HIGH has cemented their place in the industry with their sharp but tender anthems about self-love, mental health and societal ills. They sing openly about their struggles in the industry (As time goes by, there are less things I want to, and can, talk about / All that follow are expectations and heavy responsibilities, from “Bleed,” 2017); about lost loves (I’ve opened the door of my heart / You are the umbrella over my head / Your shadow is a shade for me, from “Umbrella,” 2008) and even their own legacy as artists (Name a f***** rapper we ain’t influenced / It’s EPIK High, if we’re guilty / It was all in self-defense, from “In Self-Defense,” 2021).
They continue to make history in their nearly two decades together: they were the first Korean act to ever play at Coachella in 2016 and are cited by many younger artists, including global superstar band BTS, as inspirations.
Super K got a chance to talk to the 39-year-old Mithra Jin, who said they were excited to be back on tour nearly two years after Covid-19 hit.
You were just here exactly one month ago! How does it feel like to be back in Manila again? What do you look forward to going back here?
We are honored and happy to meet you again. We also want to thank our fans in Manila who waited for us.
What can we expect from the Manila leg of the tour? Any food or place you might want to try out here?
What I’m most excited about is of course our fans’ cheering and being able to sweat with them together. I also want to walk around, eat, drink and feel Manila although the time is tight and short.
It’s been 19 years since you debuted as a hip-hop trio. Just last month, October, you marked your debut anniversary. What is the key to your longevity?
I think our time went by so fast. I can’t believe that we’ve been together for 19 years when it only feels like 10 years. I think because of our many experiences together made our bond and relationship stronger.
In several interviews and even in your own songs, you’ve pondered the idea of finally calling it quits. Yet somehow, year after year, album after album, you go on. What keeps you going as musicians after all these years?
It’s because of our fans who didn’t leave us and waited for us. I’m 1000% sure of this. If not for them, we’ve been long gone.
All these years you’ve written so many songs and told so many stories and it seems that you guys never run out of inspiration to write and keep creating. How do you keep the ideas flowing and fresh? Is there a fear that one day the words would stop flowing?
I’m not afraid of creating/of my creation. It may be good or bad for the work, but it is a part of creation, and we’re still going well because colleagues from around the world serve as our inspiration.
Read: In Photos: Epik High in ‘Hallyuween 2022’
That being said—should fans expect one more album?
Don’t you think there will be good news next year since we’re not resting and still making music?
Fans are very much curious—outside of Epik High, what kind of person is Mithra Jin? What do you usually do outside music, any hobbies or interests?
I’m the type to spend my time with my family when I’m not making music or performing. Our families’ interests are our interests now.
Do you see fans’ tweets about you? Any favorite memes or comments?
I think since we spent most of our time with our families given that we can’t make music or go on tour and we don’t have a lot of opportunities to see them, being able to read comments and encouraging words makes me feel happy.
“What I’m most excited about is of course our fans’ cheering and being able to sweat with them together. I also want to walk around, eat, drink and feel Manila although the time is tight and short.”
A lot of artists in the Korean music industry have often cited you as their inspiration or influence in their own careers. How does it feel to have that kind of influence over younger artists?
We’re very honored and thankful. We meet a lot of artists who we respect and are more influential than us. We would be happy If they take the good influence from what we’ve had and spread it to the newer generations.
What kind of legacy you want to leave behind as musicians and as artists. Years from now, how do you want fans to remember Epik High?
We want to be remembered as 3 friends who are diligent in making music that is very relatable for a long time.
Any message for your Manila fans?
We’re happy to be able to meet you again. Please be healthy and happy all the time.
Follow Super on Facebook and Inquirer Super on Instagram and Twitter.
