“Did you have a skater phase?”
I ask him via Zoom.
“I had that phasefor sure.
Will Chan; Clara Hendler/Allure
I really loved to skate,” he remarks.
“That was me,” Tuan mutters sheepishly before laughing.
Something about Tuan froze in that phase of his life.
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Tuan still nostalgically slips on Vans, Converse, and occasionally skinny jeans.
That glint of childlike curiosity remains in his eyes, too.
But life moved on quickly for Tuan after middle school, whether he liked it or not.
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About four years later, he succeeded when he debutedwithGOT7.
Eventually, he was far from the guys I went to middle school with.
He more or less lived out Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi.”
Mark Tuan/Instagram
Just as many eyes if not, more are on Tuan now.
In January 2021, the members ofGOT7 announcedthey aren’t renewing their contracts with JYP.
As the others signed to new labels in months following, Tuan returned to his California hometown.
Mark Tuan/Instagram
Tuan refers to that phase as “In Korea” throughout our interview.
Despite experiencing something few people get the privilege to K-pop superstardom Tuan is seemingly as normal as could be.
Talking to him feels less like an interview and more like getting to know a new friend via Zoom.
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But those mentions of being “in Korea,” give him away as a not-so-normal-as-he-appears guy.
Now he’s on his own to figure out justhow necessary sunblock isand what to do with his hair.
Tuan’s skin-care routine also holds relics from the K-pop phase of his life.
He lists off the steps for me: face wash,toner, moisturizer.
Occasionally, he’ll slot in asheet maskand aface scrub.
And when the seasons change, Tuan’ssensitive skinbreaks out, so he reaches forpimple patchestohelp treat them.
I may have rolled my eyes at that statement.
His defense: “It’s just cleans everything out of you.”
The weekly dermatologist appointments formedical facialsTuan once had might have been the key, butfair enough.
But what is Tuan’s definition of “good skin,” I inquire.
“Super clear, buttery smooth,” Tuan returns.
“It’s about who you are at the end of the day.
It doesn’t matter what you look like.”
That’s not to say Tuan doesn’t ever want to wear makeup again, though.
It has a time and place in his life.
Instead, Tuan trusts the makeup artists he works with to let their imaginations run wild.
“I’m still trying to find myself.”
As he currently embarks on his solo music career, this same attitude runs through Tuan’s life.
He’s not exactly sure what he wants, but he’ll know when he sees it.
“Aesthetic-wise, I’m still trying to find myself,” he says.
“I’m always changing how I want to show myself to people.”
A permanent addition to this temporary style study Tuan has in mind is more tattoos.
Themost recent additionto Tuan’s growing collection of body art was done by beloved tattoo artist Dr. “It’s not too dark; It’s soft and strong.
So I reached out to him, and his assistant got time in for me.”
Woo worked his magic for a dove and olive branches on the back of Tuan’s forearm.
“It signifies a new beginning, hope, and freedom,” Tuan reveals.
Most of Tuan’s tattoo hold similar messages of motivation and affirmation for him.
(They also barely ever on full display.)
“I thought it would be a good, meaningful tattoo,” he says.
“I started out my career in Korea.
I’ve gained a lot in Korea, so I got that on me.”
From there, I ask Tuan about the smiley face smack dabon the center of his kneecap.
“That one was just something fun,” he states through chuckling.
I tell Tuan that I, too, have tattoos withno meaning, just for vibes.
Tuan mentions he has a butterfly on his calf for the same reason.
Tattoos are like stamps from my past, I muse.
I want to live my life with no regrets," he shares.
“I just do what I want.
If it makes me happy, it’ll make me happy.”
“I just do what I want.
If it makes me happy, it’ll make me happy,” Tuan says.
“At the end of the day, you have to live for yourself pretty much.
I’m a person that is hard to open up to people, he adds.
“I have friends, but they’re not super close friends.
I wasn’t that comfortable going out with them.
But now that I’m home, walking on the street is bringing me a lot of happiness.”
Now, Tuan is catching up oneverything.
An ironic statement coming from someone who is already in their second act at age 27.
“Walking on the street is bringing me a lot of happiness.”
He wants to keep creating casual streetwear elevated essentials if you will.
His inspiration for the brand comes from clothes he himself gravitates toward.
Suddenly, I connect Tuan’s unlikely personality dots.
But on a deeper level, it all makes sense.
Tuan never really had to decide how he presents himself to the world.
This sort of contradictory work ethic works for him and will continue to.
It’s taken him around the world and back.
It’s helped him maintain the same friend group from middle school, which now makes up Team Tuan.
“It’s a really good opportunity for me.”
And only time will tell what Mark Tuan’s next phase will be.
