Family is important to Korean-American singer Eric Nam, who recently said so in an interview with fashion and beauty magazine Allure. Here are excerpts from the interview:

(Nam's Instagram)

Q: You often talked about your family in other interviews. Your family seems to mean a lot to you.

A: Yes, they do. They have always supported me and I have come to realize that even more as I make TV appearances these days. You never know when the public might turn its back on you, but I know that my family will never turn their back on me no matter what happens.

Q: Do you think that the public can turn its back on you?

A: Yes, but I am not too worried about it. I won’t be able to do anything if I am too concerned about popularity and how the public perceives me. Life has its ups and downs. So I think there could always be a moment when things go down. But there’s nothing I can do. I just have to do my best.

Q: Have you ever thought about what type of father you would like to be?

A: I think I want to be a lot like my father when I become a father. My parents never forced their expectations or wishes on me. They let me make my own decisions. That also puts more responsibility on me, you know, as each step I took was my own decision. I’ve had a lot of friends who envied me for having parents who respect my decisions.

Q: You recently made an appearance on “Daddy and I” (a reality TV show in which celebrities go on trips with their fathers). How was it?

A: It’s not every day that I get to spend quality time with my father like that, so I really enjoyed it. My father and I have similar tastes in music and (both like) history, so it was fun. And I got to know a lot more about my father through the trip.

Q: You wrote lyrics for and composed about half of the songs in your album “Interview” (released in March). What are your plans for upcoming albums?

A: I first debuted through a music audition program, but most people know me as an MC, rather than a singer-songwriter. There are many people who do not know that I am a singer, which kind of upsets me. So I want to focus more on music for a while.

By Lee Ji-hae (jihlee@heraldcorp.com)