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| The 13 members of the K-pop boy band SEVENTEEN pose for their third regular album 'An Ode.'/ Courtesy of PLEDIS Entertainmet |
By Jung Hae-myoung
The 13-member boy band "SEVENTEEN" released its third full-length album "An Ode," Monday. The new album is along the same lines as their digital mini-album "HIT" that was released in August.
During the showcase held at Korea University's Hwajeong Tiger Dome, 13 members came out in black suits paired with various colors mostly in ash gray and blue. Some have dyed their hair black, after having bleached or dyed their hair other colors.
The album title "An Ode" implies that their songs are like poems, containing metaphors and messages for listeners. The lead single "Poison: Fear" signifies the pressure of creating new music.
"In this new album, we strove to change our images from sweet boys to tough, charismatic men," band leader S.Coups said at the showcase.
"As the title Poison suggests, we tried to convey the feeling of fear deep in our hearts," said Woozi, one of the members who wrote the lyrics.
Asked what prompted them to change their image, Woozi said: "I think this is just a natural process for us. We have showed our bright and our sad sides, but never explored our fears. We wanted to expand in the genre rather than changing our entire identity."
He added, "The fear we mentioned is not really about whether people like it or not. Rather, we felt fear and pressure that we had to show more. But I think we have blended our definition of fear well into our music."
Some other members in the band's "performance unit" have created their own choreography which they say they enjoy very much.
"For this album, we had many meetings within the group that involved deep conversation," S.Coups said. "We tried to include as many members as possible during the creation process. Having said that, we are really satisfied with the results."
SEVENTEEN performed during the latest KCON in August, which they said was a great opportunity to perform in front of international fans.
The members recounted feedback from the international audience. "At first they looked with curious looks, probably thinking how these 13 members can dance at the same time," Seungkwan said. "But at the end of the performance, they had fun with us. I think we are lucky to give more energy than any other groups because we have many members."
Although the members said their only hope is to have no regrets in their music careers, they said it would be honorable if they could perform at international music awards such as the Grammys and American Music Awards.
