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| From left are BM, Somin, Jiwoo and J.seph, the four members of K-pop group KARD during a media event in Seoul, Wednesday. Newsis |
By Dong Sun-hwa
"Re:" ― the title of the fifth mini-album by mixed-gender K-pop quartet KARD ― stands for multiple words, like rebirth and restart, but it has one clear message: KARD is eager to refresh itself.
"'Re' is a prefix meaning 'again,' so we thought it was the best title for our new release, which came out after more than a year off," leader BM said during a media event at Yonsei University in Seodaemun District, Seoul, Wednesday. "Re:" was released just a few hours later.
"Since 'Re:' is an EP showing our new mindset, we poured a lot of passion into producing it," he added.
Member Jiwoo elaborated, "We wanted to restart everything and showcase something decent to people."
"Ring the Alarm" is a rhythmical summer song that tells listeners to enjoy their time to the fullest, in which BM and J.seph took part in penning the lyrics.
"KARD's music has mostly been deep and serious, so this time, we wanted to give off a refreshing vibe and add the elements of moombahton to our lead single ― 'Ring the Alarm' ― just like we did for the songs that we released in the beginning of our career," Jiwoo explained. "But this time, we tried to reveal our more mature side."
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| Members of K-pop group KARD perform during a media event in Seoul, Wednesday. Newsis |
Also included in the mini-album are "Break Down," "Good Love" and "Whip!" All four KARD members participated in writing the lyrics for "Break Down," a groovy track about people hurt by love.
"Our teamwork was greater than ever," BM said, boasting the group's family-like bond. "It seems all of us felt and learnt a lot of different things while we were on a break. It's common to have conflict when we gear up for a new release because we all have different opinions. But this time, we were all very considerate."
Somin added, "I truly missed the days that we had been together, so when we reunited, I was so happy. We worked really hard on this mini-album and I am 100-percent satisfied with its quality."
J.seph, who was discharged from the military in April after being conscripted in 2020, said he feels at home now.
"When I was serving mandatory military service, I appeared in the military musical, 'Meisa's Song,' but faced difficulties as I had to work with people I was not familiar with," he said. "But now, I finally feel like I am home. While I was away, I frequently called our members, and thankfully, they lifted my spirits."
Jiwoo moved on to introduce "Good Love," the only English-language song on the album.
"We wanted to release at least one English-language track (for our global fans)," she said. "We will also embark on a tour in South America in July and meet our followers there."
Since its debut in 2016, KARD has been basking in popularity as one of the few groups made up of male and female members in the K-pop scene. The quartet, which dropped a series of hits like "Hola Hola" (2017) and "Bomb Bomb" (2019), is particularly popular in South America.
"We have pulled off genres like moombahton that are in vogue in South America, so I think that is why we have many fans there," BM said. "We would also like to collaborate with Latin American artists."
