The group NEXZ said they described this title track as "music to watch" and put effort into live rehearsals.
Recently, NEXZ sat down with OSEN for an interview at a cafe in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong District, Seoul, ahead of the release of their mini 3rd album Beat-Boxer and its title track of the same name.
The new album "Beat-Boxer" is a work released six months after the mini 2nd album O-RLY?, an album armed with NEXZ's expanded musical spectrum, solid teamwork and confidence. The title track of the same name combines the English words beat and boxer, expressing the members' confidence that they will smash the beat on stage with overwhelming energy.
In particular, based on 2000s hip-hop and dance sounds, the minimal and unique track conveys a fresh and intense image that simultaneously evokes boxing and the dance floor. Tomoya, Yuu and Haru directly participated in creating the choreography for the new song, showcasing the group's strength and individuality with movements that reveal their potential as a "performance hotspot group."
What kind of time have they spent during their comeback after six months? Tomoya said, "First, for this album Next to Me, Haru and I participated in composing. We participated from the track stage and made everything from melody, rap to topline."
Tomoya said, "I also wrote lyrics myself, and I invested time over these six months to make songs and worked hard on them. And we also created choreography for the title track and the pre-release song, so over these six months while preparing for the comeback and touring, we also created choreography. I think I was really busy preparing this album."
Asked what they focused on, Haru, who participated in creating the choreography, said, "When I heard the title track Beat-Boxer, it felt like a dance battle, so I tried to incorporate the street dance we've done. While the three of us were arranging it, we thought this part would be cool if done like this, and Geon's part could be like this, so we mixed in moves that each of us alone can do."
Tomoya mentioned a highlight point, saying, "I also created choreography for individual parts, and because the point choreography is important, we made it ourselves. In the 'sneakers' part there is a move where we show our shoes while turning. It fits the lyrics and I think it's a visually effective move. There's a dance performance using street moves that only NEXZ can do."
Asked specifically which points were emphasized in the title track, Tomoya said, "First of all, I think our title track is performance-oriented 'music to watch' rather than music to just listen to. Even just listening to it, the song feels exciting and energetic. The lyrics are energetic, so I think it's a song that gives you strength when you need energy before going on stage."
Tomoya added, "We usually practice live a lot. People say our performance is good, and since JYP is famous for live performances, we practice a lot too. We practiced so people can say we dance well while singing live, sing stably and that all seven of us are good, so I hope people focus on our live shows."
Meanwhile, ahead of their comeback, NEXZ held their first solo domestic concert NEXZ SPECIAL CONCERT at Olympic Hall in Olympic Park, Songpa District, Seoul from the 25th to the 26th.
[Photo] Reporter Min Kyung-hoon
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