Subscribe
E-Paper
 |
| From left, Daehyun, Yongha, Yohan, Junseo, Donghan and Seokhwa of K-pop boy band WEi pose for photos during an online media event, Wednesday. Courtesy of Oui Entertainment |
By Dong Sun-hwa
Surviving in the cutthroat K-pop industry is a daunting challenge for any rookie group. But boy band WEi has a comparative advantage: all six members are familiar faces to the public. Members Yohan and Seokhwa were contestants on Mnet's boy group survival show, "Produce X 101" (2019), while Yongha and Junseo appeared on MBC's "Under Nineteen" (2018-19). Daehyun was a member of K-pop act Rainz, and Donghan was part of JBJ.
Last October, the six members teamed up and debuted as WEi with the EP, "Identity: First Sight." Only about four months later, it rolled out its second mini-album, "Identity: Challenge" and on Wednesday, put out its third EP, "Identity: Action," which marks the end of its "Identity" series.
"We all wanted to showcase our music and performances to people as soon as possible," Daehyun said during an online media conference, Wednesday.
Yohan added, "We only took a brief break, but we missed our fans so much. We are very happy to make a swift return."
The main theme of WEi's debut EP was youth, whereas its second release revolved around tackling challenges. According to Daehyun, "Identity: Action" is about a series of actions that WEi takes to discover its identity.
"I think we displayed our different sides in each album," he said. "We also tried to prove how much we grew up each time. Although we are now wrapping up our 'Identity' series, this does not feel like the end for me… It is rather the completion of a project."
Junseo added, "Through our ever-changing concepts, we want to show that we are talented enough to pull off various concepts and styles."
Fronted by the lead single, "Bye Bye Bye," the album offers four additional tracks, including: "Waitin,'" "White Light," "Ocean" and "16th Star." Daehyun, Yohan and Yongha participated in penning the lyrics for "Bye Bye Bye," an uplifting tune with a refreshing vibe that tells listeners to give up their worries and start a new journey.
"While working on the lyrics, I used my imagination and also thought about the actual events that I could link to the song," Daehyun said.
Seokhwa said, "When I first heard 'Bye Bye Bye,' I thought it would be tough for us to pull it off, as it sounded very wild and powerful. But when we actually sang it, it was quite good. I think 'Bye Bye Bye' will help us further spread our name."
Donghan said, "Hardly any festivals are taking place these days due to the global health crisis. So we will attempt to bring the festive mood to our stage."
Among the other pieces, "16th Star" carries a special meaning for the members. For this track, Daehyun and Seokhwa contributed to the lyrics.
"It is a song dedicated to our fans," Daehyun said. "I and Seokhwa tried to make the lyrics speak for us."
Seokhwa added, "The song relays our sincere messages to our fans, who have been enthusiastically supporting us."
Donghan wrapped up the session by revealing a future hope.
"In the future, I want to try out a concept that looks hot and sexy," he said.
