Before stepping on stage, Jang Ji Yeong, best known as EL CAPITXN, built his name behind it. As a producer and songwriter, he has worked closely with BTS—especially alongside SUGA—shaping tracks that helped define a generation of K-pop. His credits extend to artists like IU and PSY, placing him among the key figures working behind the scenes of the industry. Now, that role has shifted. At The Gate in Milan, as part of Milan Loves Seoul, EL CAPITXN stepped forward with “WHO KILLED EL?”—a show that moves away from pure production into something more personal. This is not just a set built on hits or credits. It is a reconstruction of identity. A live format where the producer becomes the subject, and the music is no longer just something he makes for others—but something that tells his own story, in real time.
EL CAPITXN Brings “WHO KILLED EL?” to Milan
El Capitxn, Unscripted: The Interview
Your tour “WHO KILLED EL?” is described as a story of loss and rebirth. What moment in your life pushed you to build this narrative?
“I don’t think there was one single moment that can explain it that simply. Rather, it became a story naturally over time, as the things I lost and the states I changed into continued to accumulate.
Some people may still see me as the same person, but I feel like I’ve already become a completely different person several times.
So this tour is closer to a process of showing that transformation as it is.”
You call this show more than a DJ set — almost cinematic. What should the audience feel by the end of the night?
“I hope it doesn’t resolve into just one emotion. Even after the show ends, I think it’s important that people are left in a state where they can’t easily explain what they just saw.
Most performances are consumed the moment they end, but I want this to remain in a different way.”
Italy on His Mind
This was your first time performing in Italy, at The Gate in Milan. What does this stop mean to you personally?
“A first time is always important. More than simply performing in a new city, I see this as the first point where my name and my story are being left behind here.
It’s also one of those moments that makes me feel that this tour is really expanding into the world.”
Milan Loves Seoul is about connecting cultures. How did you plan to reflect that connection in your set?
“I did not try to separate it too clearly. I don’t think this is something purely Korean or something that belongs to one specific culture.
What matters more are the things that can be delivered without language, like emotion or energy. I think the connection happens naturally at that point.”
The Show “WHO KILLED EL?”: A Hybrid Format
Your show mixes DJing with live instrumentation. How did that hybrid format come together?
“I’m closer to someone who builds structure than someone who simply plays music. Because of that, I felt it was difficult to create the level of density I wanted with just a DJ set, so I naturally started adding live elements.
I think the current format exists somewhere between a DJ set and a band. Going forward, I plan to add even more live elements and keep trying different things.”
Many fans know you as a producer first. How different is it to tell your story live on stage instead of behind the scenes?
“It’s completely different. I think the stage is a space where you can’t control anything, however you want.
In the studio, if you make a mistake, you can go back. Here, that’s impossible.
So I become much more instinctive, and in that sense, a version of me that’s even more like myself comes out.
There are also many times when I discover sides of myself on stage that I didn’t even know were there.”
The Heart of Music
Your work often carries a strong emotional tone. Has your sound changed for this tour compared to your studio productions?
“With each performance, I think I’m becoming a little clearer about what I actually want to do.
The first show and the shows I’m doing now already feel completely different in mood, even within a short period of time. I’m still in the process of searching, and I think the tour after the album will probably move in a completely different direction again.”
Epic Collaborations
You’ve worked with major artists like BTS and IU. Do those collaborations influence what you bring into your solo live sets?
“They are important people who made it possible for someone like me, with not even one full album out, to go on a world tour.
Those experiences shaped who I am now, and I think that naturally carries into my live set as well.”
To Milan, with Love
The Milan show includes fan interaction moments like hi-touch and even a Q&A. How important is that direct connection for you as an artist today?
“Even until relatively recently, I tried to avoid speaking directly because of the trauma I have around my voice.
But I made a promise with my fans — that I would try to overcome it.
Even now, it’s not easy, but I think even that difficulty itself can be a form of communication. That’s why I try not to avoid it.”
A Glimpse into the Future
After this tour, do you see yourself moving more into live performance, or will production always be your main focus?
“I don’t think I have to choose one or the other.
Live performance is the way I prove what I’ve made, and producing is the work of building the foundation for it.
So I think the two will continue to go together.”
Please share three songs from your playlist.
“BTS – ‘2.0’,
Queen – ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’,
and EL CAPITXN – ‘Tell Me Who.’‘Tell Me Who’ is a pre-release track from my upcoming album, and I’ve already started performing it in the show. I’m waiting for the day that song is officially released.”
Somewhere Between Sound and Memory
Milan is not just another stop.
For EL CAPITXN, it feels like a marker. A first imprint. A point where a story begins to exist in a new place.
What happens at The Gate on April 13 is not meant to be fully understood in the moment. It resists that. It lingers instead: somewhere between sound, memory, and something harder to name.
That is the idea behind “WHO KILLED EL?”
Not a clear answer. Not a fixed identity.
Just a process, still unfolding, now reaching a new city.
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