Although ENHYPEN prepared heartfelt comments to share with fans at their Radio City Music Hall concert, the flow of tears and group hugs were not part of their plan. But an unexpected and, according to the boy band, an immoral wave of emotions led to a collective epiphany.
Explore
Explore
Check out the latest videos, charts and news
Check out the latest videos, charts and news
While it’s standard for each member of a K-pop group to address the crowd individually at a concert, the final moments during an encore are usually the most emotional, hyped members. will listen He couldn’t hold back tears as he called the group’s teamwork “seven” and “the love I received from my members as well as thousands of ENGENEs.” By shouting out the group’s fandom name.
After the group leader Jungwon The rest of the ENHYPEN members quickly ran to wrap Sunu in a hug J, Heeseung, Jake, smell it And Ni-ki Everyone gathered around him, joined hands and patted each other on the back, as his band mate finished his speech.
As the sold-out crowd chanted his name, Jake told them, “From our soul concerts to the American tour, I feel like the seven of us have really grown stronger together because of all the incredible love and support you guys have given us.”
While ENHYPEN praises each other with hugs while occasionally offering sleeves to wipe away tears, K-pop law says they rarely open up for each other in front of thousands of people in NYC.
“It’s kind of annoying,” laughs Heeseung, the group’s oldest member, who celebrated his “happy” 21st birthday at their NY live debut that doubled as the final date on the US leg of the group’s Manifesto Tour. “I think it’s ugly when you admire each other so much.”
“We’re only 20-year-olds so it’s a bit awkward for us,” adds Jake, 20, the group’s tropical Australian native, who has taken the lead on the tour and in conversations with audiences. Billboard Interview, partly because the member is most comfortable in English but also because of the puppy-like energy of enthusiasm. “We don’t really appreciate; We just give each other feedback…but I think the love we show each other is what makes it so real.”
After wrapping up seven concerts in six states for the US leg of their Manifesto World Tour, the group marks the first time they’ve performed together in multiple cities on the road, highlighting the importance of all seven individuals that make up ENHYPEN.
“It’s really important to me because we started together as seven members, and it’s an absolute value to me,” Heeseung says of the multinational act, with members representing Korea, America, Australia and Japan. “We spent a lot of time together and each member, I love them with all my heart. So, I think after this tour I realized that this is our golden time together. So, yeah, I really love my members” before, naturally, laughing as he adds “Kanjal” to round out his thoughts.
Jungwon, ENHYPEN’s understated, soft-spoken leader, says the private moments resonated with him. “The little things I do with my members make me happy,” he says. “We used to rehearse a lot before going on stage, and say things like ‘let’s go together’; Those little things really lifted me up.”
Jake adds that the concerts’ close quarters also created a natural camaraderie. “Between stages, we have a little booth-like thing where we have to change really quickly but it’s really crowded and we can’t really move around,” he says. “But I can really show our chemistry because we have to look out for each other – there’s always confusion.”
ENHYPEN was born out of a singing competition I-land where 23 K-pop hopefuls battle it out for a spot in the new boy band alongside HYBE founder Bang Si-hyuk, mentored by guests Rain, BTS, Zico, Seventeen and Tomorrow X Together. Despite the highs of forming a band, ENHYPEN never saw each other as rivals.
“I-land It was kind of a competition, but I don’t think any of us felt that way,” explains Jake. “I think the audience watching the show might feel that way but we had a feeling that we all had to do better and better.”
Jay goes on to say that some of the members already have an established brotherhood from their early days in the K-pop system. “I trained with Hyesung for about four years, it feels like family.”
later I-land Wrapped up in September 2020, the septet tells the unfolding story of rising superstars through the album. From their debut E.P Seema: First day Discussing their start in the industry (and ranked 14th Billboard(early 2021) of the World Albums Chart) as of this past July Manifesto: Day 1 Peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and the group’s top album sales with 69,000 album copies sold in its first three weeks, the group’s global fan base continues to grow with the band. Earlier this year, ENHYPEN scored their first No. 1 single on the Japan Hot 100 as well as their electro-pop/rock hybrid “Tamed-Dashed,” no doubt Japan-born Ni-ki’s biggest sound in the making. His band mates laugh throughout the interview as much as they do him.
“I feel like every album and every song is a reflection of what we’re feeling and what we’re doing at that moment,” says Jake. “Our first album was about moving on I-land, becoming an idol, and debuting as an idol. Our second [Border: Carnival] We wanted to express what we felt working as an artist. Now, it’s been two years since we became idols and now we’re going to tell our story to the whole world. Every album has its own meaning and I think that’s our strongest point.” Jay calls it the “history” of ENHYPEN.
A young member of Sunu, known by fans for his cute and sunny disposition that also spread during an early morning interview on Monday, when his anxiety about completing a career milestone during ENHYPEN’s first US tour was fierce. He says the tearful chat at the concert was more comforting.
“Personally, I was very nervous during the tour,” says the 19-year-old. “The main concern is, ‘Will I be able to complete this concert successfully?’ I think it is impossible to complete this concert and tour successfully thanks to ENGENEs, members and our staff members who always support me. That brought tears to my eyes because I was really happy to see that we ended the tour successfully but I also want to mention that I got a lot of energy from this tour.”
Jake adds that their tour experience naturally played a big role in Sunu’s side’s run: “We knew what he was going through. Before the last show, he would talk about being tired and not feeling 100 percent. We can all agree and sympathize.
Jay’s warm side came through in concert, and despite his deadpan delivery during this interview (he’s the first to say “never” when asked if the group opens for each other), the Seattle-born star had his own concerns coming Stateside. good
“I was nervous because it was my first time back in the States as an artist,” he says. “I’ve already been to almost every city we’ve performed in, but it feels really different from when I was a kid. I think I was proud of what we all performed in my country; I was really touched.” Jay told his members on stage at the end of the concert that “we all did incredible, we all did great”.
Looking ahead, the septet excitedly thinks and talks about future directions after this first extensive tour.
The quiet but undeniably well-spoken Sungoon, who has gained fame in K-pop for his hosting abilities, says the tour experience opened his eyes to a new way of making music. “Until now, we’ve focused more on our music and the album itself,” he explains. “But after the US tour, I thought it would be better if we could imagine our concerts and performances while making the album, and it would improve our distribution.”
Heeseung is excited about adding city pop to the group’s sound. At the same time, Jungwon wonders how the group would fare if they chose to mix songs less Styles after mixing punk-rock and electronic production on “Drunk-Dazed” or the swirling influences of Chicago Drill with a dance-pop buildup on “Future Perfect (MIC Pass)”. Nee-Ki hinted at taking more freestyle freedom on stage, with the group performing “Future Perfect” during its encore as a highlight of his solo tour. “We use hand mics for encore performances,” shares the accomplished dancer, adding that the mics allow them to relax over the group’s synchronized choreography. “That made it happen for me, and it was my favorite show.”
Regardless of the performance, ENGENEs are sure to enjoy having a group story ahead that comforts the group and inspires them to look forward together with enthusiasm.
“If we focus on our albums, concerts and tours, the results will come naturally,” Sungun believes. “Charts and rankings are something we can’t control, but what we can control focuses on our performance and brings a lot of joy and entertainment,” says Jungwon. Interestingly, no one makes a witty comment or adds a “kanj” to their leader’s last words, perhaps an undeniable feeling that they all feel comfortable and confident sharing with each other.
