Credit: BIGHIT MUSIC

One year ago today, TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Yeonjun stepped into unknown territory. His first solo mixtape “GGUM” dropped on 19 September 2024, becoming a release that split opinions, stirred conversation, and instantly made its mark. Fast forward to now, and the story of “GGUM” feels less like a controversy and more like a cultural checkpoint – one that’s being commemorated this week with a sleek collaboration line between Yeonjun and Seoul-based fashion brand DEINET.

Credit: BIGHIT MUSIC

The merch collab carries weight. DEINET, founded by Kim Dain, ex-CEO of Matin Kim, is known for clean, minimalist silhouettes with clever detailing. The partnership isn’t just about rolling out anniversary T-shirts – it’s about situating “GGUM” within the wider frame of design and identity, signalling how the mixtape’s impact has stretched far beyond streaming numbers. It also mirrors Yeonjun himself: someone who has long blurred the line between idol and style icon, never content to exist in just one lane.

Before “GGUM,” that reputation felt more implied than defined. Within TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Yeonjun had carved out a position as the group’s extroverted showman – a performer quick to steal attention, a fashion-forward figure often dubbed an “it-boy.” But a solo mixtape was different. It was a chance to claim space on his own terms, without the buffer of group consensus. That was the gamble: would the same traits that made Yeonjun magnetic in TXT carry over into a project that put him fully in the spotlight?

Credit: BIGHIT MUSIC

Beneath its playful surface, “GGUM” is a study in resilience and self-assurance. From the opening refrain — “Yeah, I make it chewy like gum chomp, chomp” — Yeonjun establishes the song as sticky, persistent, and impossible to ignore, much like the attention it commanded at release. The “gum” motif works on multiple levels: it’s fun and irreverent, yet it also signals endurance, a refusal to be discarded or diluted.

Verse 1 traces the familiar idol narrative of starting from a “little room,” but Yeonjun frames it through agency and confidence, asserting both his independence as a soloist and his reliance on the support of his team and fans. Across the pre-chorus and verse 2, lines like “I’m not afraid anymore” and “I’ve endured and come this far, now go for the next, next, next” convey forward momentum — a relentless push against both artistic limits and public scrutiny.

By the end, when he sings, “Even if my jaw locks, I’ll keep it pop and blow,” it’s both literal and symbolic. The song is about moving, performing, and expressing yourself fully, even when it’s hard or uncomfortable. The repeated references to chewing, popping, and popping hips tie the lyrics to Yeonjun’s choreography, turning the track into a kind of manifesto: playful but defiant, personal but expansive. A year later, those lines feel like a snapshot of the artist he was becoming — someone unafraid to take risks, to lean into controversy, and to leave a mark that’s entirely his own.

But when “GGUM” arrived, the answer wasn’t simple. The track dropped into a frenzy of hype and expectation, fuelled by its bold, body-driven choreography. The hip-popping dance challenges spread like wildfire, but the virality cut both ways. Praise mixed with mockery, and soon the song became one of the year’s most polarising K-pop moments. Every challenge spawned quote-tweets ridiculing him; forums lit up with debates over whether this was charisma or cringe. For some, it was too weird. For others, it was exactly the kind of unpolished risk-taking K-pop needed.

Yeonjun didn’t ignore the noise. If anything, he folded it into the performance. On live broadcasts, he called out the hate directly, refusing to shrink away. The defining moment came at the Hanteo Awards, where “GGUM” earned him his first solo trophy. On stage, visibly caught off guard, he gave a speech that’s since become legendary among fans: “I think that a lot of people might feel that my dancing or singing has mixed opinions, but I won’t mind it and will keep working hard regardless to pop my hips even more.” Half vulnerable confession, half playful defiance, it reframed the conversation in one breath. What had been a source of ridicule became a badge of resilience.

That sense of resilience underpins the song’s entire arc. “GGUM” wasn’t built to be universally palatable – it was built to stick. And it did. Over the past year, the mixtape racked up over 139,000 sales on Circle, more than 125 million Spotify streams, and debuted with 1.2 million daily streams – the only male soloist outside BTS members to hit that mark in 2024. It peaked at #60 on MelOn, the highest-charting 4th gen male solo release that year, and went #1 on Worldwide iTunes across 34 countries. In Japan, it topped the Line Music chart for more than a day. Those numbers don’t just suggest success; they place Yeonjun in rare company, carving a lane that 4th gen male soloists had struggled to break through before.

If online debates painted “GGUM” as divisive, the live stages told a different story. On tour, the track erupted into a full-scale spectacle, transforming into one of Yeonjun’s most commanding performances. For many MOAs, backing “GGUM” became an act of loyalty – a way of standing shoulder to shoulder with an artist who refused to tone himself down for broader approval.

Credit: BIGHIT MUSIC

There’s also the simple fact that “GGUM” has aged well. Much like KATSEYE’s “Gnarly,” another track doubted at first but later celebrated for its boldness, “GGUM” has grown into its own reputation. The lyrics themselves feel prophetic: “This song’s now stuck in your head / like venom, you can’t get it off.” A year later, the line holds up, almost mocking its own detractors. The track that was written off by some has proven impossible to shake.

Part of that staying power comes from its construction. Written with a mix of international writers and producers including Teemu Brunila and Jurek, “GGUM”’s sound tapped into a hybrid of playful bravado and sharp edges. It wasn’t polished for mass radio play, but it carried a sticky, almost bratty energy that suited Yeonjun perfectly. One year later, that roughness still feels intentional – a refusal to sand down the charms of his persona into something safer.

Credit: BIGHIT MUSIC

Which brings us back to today. The DEINET collab isn’t just about commemorating an anniversary – it’s about cementing “GGUM” as part of Yeonjun’s broader identity. That the partnership is with a minimalist, high-fashion brand rather than a standard K-pop merch rollout is telling. It suggests that “GGUM” isn’t being remembered as just a song, but as an aesthetic, a stance, even a kind of cultural artefact.

A year ago, “GGUM” was divisive. Now, it’s enduring – and that feels like the only outcome that makes sense. Yeonjun refused to play it safe, and he didn’t wait for universal approval. Instead, he doubled down on his own individuality and ended up carving out a space in 4th gen history that no one can deny. Whether you loved it or hated it on release, what remains undeniable is that Yeonjun wasn’t chasing safe applause – he was carving history, hips first, and daring people to keep watching. MOAs stood by him, louder than the hate, until what once divided finally became a moment that defined.

Today, “GGUM” isn’t just a mixtape track. It’s a powerful reminder that you never need to try and win everybody over – because sometimes the boldest moves are the ones that actually win.