The Making of Jin’s Sweeping “Another Level”

By Jae-Ha Kim
Substack (.pdf)
November 15, 2024

When I was in Los Angeles last month to speak at a K-pop symposium at the University of Southern California, I had the opportunity to listen to other industry experts during their panels. One of them was Grammy-nominated songwriter Ben Samama, who has collaborated with a diverse array of artists, including Lil Wayne, Monsta X, 5 Seconds of Summer, and IVE.

He also worked on Happy, the six-track debut album from BTS’ Jin, which released today. His point person was Kang Hyo-won — better known in the music industry as Pdogg — who has been BTS’ producer and collaborator since the septet’s early days.

During our lunch break, I interviewed Ben about working with Jin’s creative team on “Another Level,” which he said was, well, on another level.

Jae: What did Jin’s team initially tell you about “Another Level”?
Ben: Pdogg said that the album was full of very upbeat, uptempo songs. And our record was to be more dramatic, like a stadium record.

Jae: I’ve previously interviewed Ellis Miah, who co-wrote “Inner Child” with BTS’ V. He said he enjoyed the collaborative experience working with his team. Can you walk me through how you became involved with “Another Level”?
Ben: I was in Seoul in June on a writing trip and I met with Pdogg. Yeah, it was me, my friend Oscar Bell, who’s a writer and producer in London, and we just walked in and [Pdogg] had a track right there.

Jae: Of course he did.
Ben: As always. And he said, “We want a big, dramatic song that sounds a bit like … and he gave me references [that] in my mind sounded a bit like Muse and Imagine Dragons — almost like classical music. We did a whole record. I had a crazy cold and my voice was gone that day entirely. So Oscar sang the whole thing, and he killed.

Jae: So that was a done deal then?
Ben: No. A couple months later, we heard back. They said, “Hey, by the way, Jin loves it, but didn’t like the chorus. We asked Jon Bellion to rewrite the chorus.”

Jae: It’s always helpful to hear honest feedback.
Ben: Absolutely. And he loved it, but he didn’t think the chorus worked for his voice. So he asked Jon Bellion — who’s a famous songwriter and producer [who has worked with artists such as Renee Rapp, Katy Perry and Jin’s bandmates Jungkook and Jimin] — to rewrite the chorus. And then we heard back. We heard Jon’s version and we’re like, “This is fantastic!” And then next time we were in Seoul, which was in September, we did another two days. But the first day [Pdogg] played us the song, it sounded phenomenal. I don’t know who the mixer was, but it was someone they know and trust. And then I saw the credits on Instagram and I’m like, whoa, there’s a lot of people on this song. (laughs)

Jae: Are you familiar with Jin’s “Epiphany” by any chance?
Ben: No.
Jae: Because from what you are describing, it sounds like they are going for something Epiphany-esque, where this new song has that sweeping feel — almost like it’d be the climax of a movie. [Note: at the time of this interview, I hadn’t heard the track and was theorizing.]
Ben: Yes.
Jae: And Jin has such an interesting voice — that clear tenor where he can reach all those beautiful, high notes.
Ben: Scary. He’s insane. I’ve heard his vocal. He blows me away. [Laughs] It was very, very difficult to do the demo, because I can’t hit those notes like he can. Because I have a low voice, if I want to hit those high notes, I basically have to warm up for an hour before I walk into the room with Pdogg and then do a lot of takes and splice my vocal together to make it sound decent. It’s a lot of work. And I’m sure Jin does it in one take, but I have to work hard.

Jae: Did you have difficulty communicating with Pdogg since you don’t speak Korean and he’s not fluent in English?
Ben: His English is decent enough that we can make jokes, we can tell stories. But he definitely has a vocabulary in the studio where he knows [all the terminology]. He knows cutting, recording, checking.
Jae: He is fluent in all the technical jargon, definitely.
Ben: Yes, so we know exactly what he means. And he is the fastest vocal producer and the best vocal producer I have ever met. He’s insane.

Jae: Out of curiosity, did you meet up with Jin while you were in Seoul?
Ben: No. I know he was in the building the day after we recorded that song. Usually, I’m only with Pdogg one day every time I’m in Seoul. So, if you don’t get lucky, you know, timing wise, it doesn’t always work out.

Jae: I know that collaborations can be hectic. But after this experience, would you work with Pdogg and Jin or BTS again?
Ben: Absolutely. As much as I can. Every time I go back [to Seoul], I text, “I’m here. When are you available? I’ll make time. I’ll figure it out.” Yeah, I think we figured out that we like certain styles. And then, you know, because I’ve done this for so long, I know that if Pdogg needs a certain thing, I can give him that. [Laughs.] And it helps if I can sing that day, or if my friend comes with me who can sing better than me!

ICYMI:

° Big Ocean: Meet the Deaf K-Pop Group That’s Breaking Barriers (Rolling Stone)
° Go Away With … BTS Songwriter Ellis Miah (Chicago Tribune)
° The Sacrificing of Suga (Substack)
° Go Away With … Kim Suhyun (Tribune Publishing)
° Cyber Hell: Exposing an Internet Horror (Substack)

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