HYBE's first global group &TEAM begins a new challenge in Korea after three years.
&TEAM held a showcase at Blue Square in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 28th to celebrate the release of their Korean mini album 1st 'Back to Life' and talked about the new album.
&TEAM is a multinational group formed through HYBE's 2022 global boy group debut project '&AUDITION – The Howling –' (앤 오디션 - 더 하울링 -), and on this day they made their Korean debut after three years.
They have previously made special appearances on domestic music shows with Korean-language versions of original Japanese songs, but this is their first official Korean album promotion.
Uiju said, "Honestly, at first we were very surprised to hear that we would debut in Korea, but as we prepared, seeing fans who waited for us and staff who worked day and night made us want to do well. We prepared hard, so I hope people look on us kindly."
Haru-a said, "When I first heard, I felt more excitement and anticipation than worry. I was happy that getting an opportunity to perform on a new stage felt like moving closer to our dream of being global artists," and Taki said, "It was something I had dreamed of since I was young, so I was very happy. Debuting in Korea meant standing in front of many people, so I was also worried about various views. I wondered if I could fully convey what I wanted to say linguistically. Now I am very happy. My parents are very pleased, and my grandmother and grandfather also cheered for me, so family relationships have become closer."
The album 'Back to Life' condenses the cohesion and growth of the nine members, who have become stronger over a three-year journey, and marks the starting point for their new leap toward the global stage.
Maki said of the album, "This album contains the teamwork and growth we have built over the past three years. As the title suggests, 'Back to Life' means we will take on new challenges with a stronger presence," and added, "In short, this Korean debut is an important starting point toward becoming bigger artists."
The title track of the same name, 'Back to Life,' is a rough and intense rock-hip-hop song that expresses &TEAM's strong will as instincts revived. It depicts the nine members running toward the moment their hearts beat and moving forward using past wounds as energy.
Uiju said of the title track, "As the title suggests, this song expresses the will that &TEAM will not fall and will constantly challenge itself through rock-hip-hop sound, no matter what trials or hardships we face."
Fuma said, "The performance expresses the nine members' energy coming together as one and moving forward vigorously. We put emotions into the choreography so it can be seen like a drama, and in the group dance parts we worked hard to match the breathing of the nine members."
Asked about the meaning of debuting in Korea, Haru-a said, "I think K-pop culture itself is a stage that attracts attention not only from Korea but fans around the world. I feel like this challenge will help us achieve our goal of being global artists," and added, "What we are most looking forward to is being able to meet fans often. This time we plan to appear on music shows for a longer time and prepare various events, so we are very excited. What worries me is our Korean. We studied hard, but I'm worried whether we can accurately convey our feelings."
Yuma said, "We see our Korean debut as a new start and a challenge. Our biggest goal is to show our own color and identity on Korea's main stage for K-pop. I think the Korean debut is an important first step that can lead us to broader stages."
Having started activities in Japan first, there are bound to be many differences with Korea. On the differences from activities in Japan, Haru-a said, "The biggest difference I felt was that in the recording process we had to record everything in Korean, which was the most different. Korean has batchim and various pronunciations, so I worked hard to research how to bring them out well. We practiced facial expressions a lot because of fancams and ending pose moments that you can only see on Korean music shows, and practiced every move."
On &TEAM's strengths, Fuma said, "Our strength is teamwork when the nine of us come together. Each of us is good at different things, but on stage we become one, and we want to show the public the teamwork of the nine members."
Taki added, "We worked to show performances that convey emotions as well as our charms in singing and dancing. Because we have members who can speak various languages, I think we are a team with the tools to go global."
Finally, on goals they want to achieve, Jo said, "I think this is a good opportunity to showcase &TEAM's charm. We want to show how much we have grown over three years. I really want to get first place on Korean music shows. Because it's a stage watched by fans around the world, I want it to be a source of pride for us and our fans."
K said, "We talked a lot about our Korean debut during this tour, so we know fans have waited a long time. We prepared extremely hard to show our unique teamwork. Our goal is to do a world tour. It would be great if we could greet fans again then."
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