The "immersive experience" that fans get when singing and dancing along with their favourite stars is the cause for the rising popularity of South Korean pop music, or K-pop, throughout the world, believes boy band SEVENTEEN.
Consisting of 13 members namely S.Coups, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, DK, Mingyu, The8, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Dino, the group is famous for songs such as 'Shining Diamond', 'Run To You', 'Falling Flower', and 'Ah! Love'.
The craze of everything Korean, including music, drama, cinema, beauty, and food, is at an all-time high now across the globe, so much so that new trends flood social media every day.
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Asked what could be the rationale behind this 'K-phenomenon', member Mingyu said, "I am proud and happy to see all these different fields of Korean culture – especially K-pop – under the spotlight on the global stage. There are so many masterpieces that deserve the attention."
Mingyu, who is part of SEVENTEEN's hip-hop unit along with S.Coups, Wonwoo, and Vernon, said one of the important reasons for K-pop's "growing popularity is the immersive experience" they offer to fans.
"There are many different ways for fans to engage in the culture. For instance, it is fairly common in K-pop that there are parts of a choreography that are easy for anyone to follow. Elements like these are an invitation for the listeners and the audience to dance with those on stage, to join in on the fun. We also hope to bring in a larger audience to enjoy our music together."
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The group made their US television debut on 'The Late Late Show with James Corden' in January 2021 and followed it with performances on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show', 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show', 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' and 'MTV's Fresh Out Live'.
On April 15, the band released their first full-fledged English language single 'Darl+ing', which is also a pre-release song to their upcoming full-length album 'Face The Sun'.
Vernon said 'Darl+ing' is not only their first English song but also a starting point for the band as they connect with CARAT, their fan club.
"As a song that expresses our appreciation for everyone that sends love our way and supports us, we thought 'Darl+ing' was a great way to start the year. We will be reaching out through music and performances, of course, and also in ways that are unique to SEVENTEEN," Vernon added.
S.Coups said they wanted to create an English single for fans whose native language is not Korean.
"We are aware that our listeners whose native language is not Korean have to work hard to understand our songs. So when we recorded our track this time, we tried to put in as much work as they do when they listen to our music so we can share that experience with our global listeners," the group leader said.
Joshua, part of the vocal unit with Woozi, Jeonghan, DK, and Seungkwan in the band, said they are excited to have that one song that admirers in other parts of the world can connect to and understand.
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In March, the band surprised fans by announcing a world tour on the final day of their fan event 'SEVENTEEN in CARAT LAND'. This will be their third world tour following 2017's 'Diamond Edge' and 'Ode To You' (2019).
But CARATs in India will have to wait for a while to see the band live in concert.
"Once the situation allows, we will be there the first chance we get to see you face-to-face, perform, and give the energy you deserve," Dino, who is part of the performance unit with Hoshi, Jun, and The8, promised.
"We just have to say, we really want to see our CARATs in India," said Jun.
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DK thanked Indian fans for sending their love and support virtually over the years.
"We hope to see you soon in-person!" he said.
SEVENTEEN was formed in 2015 by Pledis Entertainment, an independently operated subsidiary of Hybe Corporation since 2020.
The group originally introduced 17 trainees. But they stuck to calling themselves SEVENTEEN even though thirteen finally made the group.
Difficulties are "inevitable" when working as a large group, Seungkwan said, adding sometimes they end up with different versions of a single song.
But SEVENTEEN is confident about what they can achieve as a group of 13, he added.
"If it weren't for the 13 of us together, we wouldn't have been able to make it to where we are today and this will continue to be so," Seungkwan observed.
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All members feel and think differently because each of them possesses different personalities and strengths, said The8.
"But these differences are what make our final work that much greater once the 13 perspectives come together to form a single product. I cherish the process of 13 of us working towards the same goal, and the fact that we have one another to share all the difficulties and joy along the way," he added.
Asked to describe a 'regular day' in the life of a SEVENTEEN member when they are not on vacation, Jeonghan said there is hardly a day like that.
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"We do a wide range of things throughout the day. I wouldn't say there is a 'regular day' in the life of a SEVENTEEN member. There are days we start before the break of dawn, others we end during the darkest hours of the night. In between work, we all try to work in bits and pieces of leisure time to unwind," he shared.
Following 'Love & Letter', 'Teen, Age', and 'An Ode', SEVENTEEN is looking forward to the release of their fourth full-length album 'Face The Sun' on May 27.
Each of the tracks in the upcoming album might take on different shapes but the music will also be the most sincere, transparent expression of what the bank thinks and feels, said Hoshi.
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"Putting our hearts into our work has been at the core of everything we do, but this year will be more explicitly about the stories we want to tell as SEVENTEEN."
[With Inputs From PTI]
