Jannabi shared the behind-the-scenes stories of five of their most meaningful songs along with live performances.
In the third episode of “Na Young-seok’s Humming Humming” released on May 5 via the YouTube channel “Channel Fullmoon,” the band Jannabi (Choi Jung-hoon, Kim Do-hyung) appeared to celebrate their 12th debut anniversary, showcasing their musical journey and representative tracks live.
PD Na Young-seok raised expectations by introducing Jannabi as “a team that takes us back to a faded photo album just by listening” and “a group that sings lyrics like essays.”
Their appearance happened in an unexpected way. Na Young-seok revealed, “I worried about whether to stop this content because I didn’t think many singers would want to appear.” He added, “There was a request in the comments to invite Jannabi, so I casually said, ‘It would be great if they came,’ and then Choi Jung-hoon personally sent me a DM.” This mention became a hot topic among fans, eventually leading to the appearance. Adding to the significance, the recording date happened to fall on April 28, the exact date of Jannabi’s 12th debut anniversary.
The episode also revealed the story behind the creation of their hit “For Lovers Who Hesitate.” Choi Jung-hoon noted, “It was released on March 13, 2019. It’s such a historic day that I remember the date exactly.” He explained, “I prepared for three years but struggled to decide on the title track. I wanted to create a song that everyone could sing along to.” He added, “As ‘Summer’ (뜨거운 여름밤은 가고 남은 건 볼품없지만) gained love, I felt it was the right timing to aim for a big hit.” Na Young-seok jokingly remarked, “Your heart was quite worldly compared to the song,” while agreeing that a popular track was necessary.
Jannabi chose “easy heart” as the core keyword of their music. This is the theme that runs through the entire album and an emotion encapsulated in the lyric, “I am an easy-to-read heart.” They shared that while hipster culture was trending in Hongdae at the time, they possessed a different sensibility and thus aimed to create music that anyone could relate to.
Next, through the “Jannabi Chronicles” segment, the members performed five of their life songs. The first song, “November Rain,” stems from a memory of the two members listening to it together on a sad day during their childhood, making it a special performance since it is rarely sung at concerts.
The second song, “Summer” (뜨거운 여름밤은 가고 남은 건 볼품없지만), drew attention for having lyrics written during high school. Na Young-seok expressed admiration, asking, “How could a high school student write lyrics like this?” Choi Jung-hoon revealed that he once considered revising the lyrics, but thanks to his older brother’s advice, he kept the original version, which eventually became a hit.
The third song was “My Joy My Song,” and the fourth, “Lonely Island Romantic,” was picked as a particular favorite by Na Young-seok. He mentioned, “It has a rhythm and beat that makes it easy to sing along to, and it feels like traveling through life together,” while Jannabi explained that this track is a “fan song” for their supporters.
The live performances concluded with “In the Name of Love,” perfectly conveying Jannabi’s unique sensibility and narrative, leaving a lasting impression of a cozy “Room Concert.”
