On August 24, Kevin Woo and James Lee kicked off their California tour. The two solo artists returned to their respective hometowns of San Francisco and Los Angeles to perform for not only their fans but also their friends and family members. Electronic-rock band FYKE joined Woo and Lee, opening both shows with their powerful music. 

Before their concert in San Francisco, the three artists took the time to answer some questions about their tour. Check them out below! 

How does it feel to be back in your respective hometowns and what is the most exciting part?

Kevin Woo: I’m in San Francisco right now and it feels great to be back home. It’s been two years since I’ve visited my hometown and it’s my first time performing as a solo artist in my hometown, so I’m very excited. It’s a very surreal experience to perform in front of my fans – but not only my fans, but also my friends and my family. I’m just super excited to be back in California.

James Lee: For me, it’s also surreal because I feel like I’ve had so many near-death experiences and the complete opposite of that is being on stage. I’m a family guy, so when I see my mom dancing and my dad dancing and my little niece dancing, it just makes me so happy. It’s the best feeling in the world to perform in front of my family.

Please explain any interesting anecdotes or unforgettable incidents while preparing the tour.

JL: I had strep throat. I also had a canker sore the size of a quarter on my tonsil. During KCON, I literally had 2400 milligrams of Ibuprofen, Norco, and coated my throat in honey to try to make it work. Meanwhile, Enik was there just saying, “Don’t get me sick.” He was like, “Stay away from me.” But he was supporting me the whole time.

FYKE (Enik): That was my memorable event too – trying to stay away. He already got me a little sick.

KW: It was a very unique experience because I’ve never toured with different artists on one stage and we were all living in different countries. That was one struggle for us while preparing for this. But I mean, we’re all really close and it’s amazing to come to LA and San Francisco together to perform for our fans and see the diverse fan cultures. Our music is really different, so to bring all of these fans into one venue and perform for them was a really awesome experience.

Where do you get inspiration when you write your lyrics?

FYKE (Enik): For us, definitely social issues and deeper mental issues. We want to spread a positive message to those who struggle with depression and anxiety. We want to use our platform to spread a message of hope.

JL: My lyrics are like my diary. When I’m performing and singing those songs for my fans and for other people, it’s letting them in – it’s me being very vulnerable because those songs, the melodies, the sound design, and each word is so crucial to me. It comes from my personal experiences.

KW: Same here. When I write lyrics, I think of whatever I’m going through in that moment whether it’s how I’m feeling or my relationships. My most recent track “Over You” was from my experiences as well. I think it has to do with personal stuff and traveling. When I’m traveling, I hear different types of music and when I go to music festivals, I see crowds and how they react to different types of music. That really inspires me.

What songs have you listened to most recently?

KW: I really like Khalid. His music is very chill. It makes me feel very calm when I listen to his music.

JL: When we were preparing for the shows, our sound guy was playing music by Scarypoolparty. He has a song called “Tonight.” That song is killer. I got really inspired by it actually and it made me want to write more. There’s also song by Jon Bellion that I listen to a lot.

FYKE (Enik): Illenium “Good Things Fall Apart” featuring Jon Bellion. That’s the song that I listen to a lot because James keeps playing it in the car.

JL: Yeah, when I get hooked on a song I play it over and over again – nonstop.

You've been interviewed so many times – what's the one question you wished someone would have asked you but never did?

JL: Do you want a million dollars?

KW: Only a million dollars?

JL: I’m cool with a million.

KW: How are you? I mean people ask me, it’s just they need to ask more often.

FYKE (Enik): Yeah, like how are you really?

JL: So emotional.

KW: Yeah, you know just every emotion I’m going through.

FYKE (Enik): You’ll think about it and you’ll just be like, “I’m fine.”