ENHYPEN‘s series of albums have detailed the septet’s road to becoming an arena-filling boy band with four entries on the Billboard 200 after just two-and-a-half years together. The results speak to the connection the K-pop stars have made with fans, inspiring a magical musical experience for their latest release.
Instead of taking direct inspiration from their professional and personal lives, the K-pop stars to watch used inspiration from meeting their fans—affectionately known as ENGENEs—during their Manifesto World Tour to deliver an elevated emotional experience for DARK BLOOD, which entered World Albums at No. 14 last week and is expected to make a major splash on the Billboard 200 next week after the physical album dropped last Friday, June 2.
“While our previous albums were largely influenced by our personal experiences, DARK BLOOD takes our experience and emotions of having met our fans in person through our tour a step further by incorporating fantasy-like elements to enhance the enjoyment of ENGENEs and listeners alike,” explains group leader Jungwon.
The six-song EP takes inspiration from ENHYPEN’s fantasy novel/webtoon series DARK MOON : THE BLOOD ALTAR, which stars vampire characters inspired by the seven group members. Described in a press release as “a new roadmap for K-pop,” DARK BLOOD rolls ENHYPEN’s growing creative world and IP into its musical, visual and dance world.
“It’s truly a delight to see ENGENEs fully immersed in DARK MOON : THE BLOOD ALTAR and genuinely enjoying the story,” Jake reflects. “With many connections between the webtoon and our album, paying attention to these aspects will definitely make the listening experience more fun.”
Sunoo adds, “Seeing characters based on ourselves was really cool, and it felt like we’re the actual characters in the webtoon. This kind of experience doesn’t come around often, so it’s been a fun and refreshing opportunity for us to connect it to our album and bring something new.”
As new of an experience DARK BLOOD marks for ENHYPEN’s career, the band is also taking the time to remember where they began.
To celebrate the EP’s release, ENHYPEN held a “special showcase” concert for fans in Seoul, where they performed “Into the I-Land,” the theme song of the boy band competition show I-Land that ultimately created the group. Alongside their new single “Bite Me,” plus tracks “Bills” and “Karma,” the performance acted as a reminder that ENHYPEN is as thankful for the ENGENEs with them from the start as those with them today.
“It was a very special performance that served as a reminder for all of us to stay grounded and never forget where we all started,” Ni-ki says before Sunghoon adds, “We knew how much our ENGENEs wanted to see this song performed live, so we especially prepared it just for them; kind of like our way of saying ‘thank you.’”
ENHYPEN will continue to pay it back to fans when they head out on their upcoming FATE World Tour, kicking off next month in Seoul before landing Stateside in October. In the meantime, the guys tell Billboard that they’re hard at work prepping their biggest show yet while also keeping an eye on which songs fans are using across their accounts.”
“I’m on social channels pretty often so I really enjoy seeing how our music is received by the wider audience as well as our fans,” Jake says. “It’s fun and rewarding to watch our fans take part in our challenges or use our music to create their own content.”
Ni-ki is sure to mention that “We are set to begin our second world tour ‘FATE’ this coming July with shows in Seoul and we will be continuing to Japan to host dome concerts an’s full d our U.S. leg includes a stadium venue, so we’re very much looking forward to meeting a bigger number of ENGENEs in one place this time. We’ll be giving it our all to prepare, so please look forward to it!”
Read on for ENHYPEN’s full track-by-track breakdown of DARK MOON including studio stories, song reflections and more.
-
“Fate”
JUNGWON: “Fate” serves as the narrative backbone of DARK BLOOD. Through our narration and vocals, this track takes you through the story of the cursed boy and how he comes to understand his fate. It captures the essence of DARK BLOOD in a nutshell.
JAY: [Recording this song] was memorable for me because it was my first time narrating in Korean.
JUNGWON: When it came to narrating, I found myself needing to get in the zone even more so than recording a song. So, I remember turning off all the lights and even closing my eyes when recording my part—it helped me fully immerse myself to deliver the emotions I wanted.
JAKE: As the opening track of this album, it sets the tone and mood for the songs to come. When you listen to the complete album, you’ll notice how each song is intricately connected, particularly when “Bite Me” seamlessly follows “Fate.”
SUNOO: Starting with this fourth mini album, ENHYPEN will reach new heights and achieve greater feats. Let’s make this “fate” of ours come to life together!
-
“Sacrifice (Eat Me Up)”
Image Credit: BELIFT LAB SUNOO: As expressed through the title, it’s a track that promises the ultimate sacrifice and dedication for one’s destiny. It does a good job of showing the identity of the overall album and what we wanted to portray. I really hope everyone likes it as much as we all do.
JUNGWON: I tried to imagine myself as the main character in the track to fully express it while singing.
NI-KI: I absolutely loved the low notes in the bridge. It’s a little TMI, and not necessarily about the recording, but I found the choreography for this song to be quite challenging.
SUNOO: Being the one to open the song, I definitely felt a bit of pressure to set the right mood. However, I’m really happy and satisfied with the result.
JAKE: Personally, this song reminds me of “FEVER.” I think both songs have that kind of alluring R&B vibe that draws you in.
SUNGHOON: I think the dark and alluring characteristics of the vampire goes very well with ENHYPEN’s unique color as a group. Many aspects of DARK BLOOD draw inspiration from it and “Sacrifice (Eat Me Up)” sings of sacrifice for one’s destiny, so I think our listeners will be able to feel a similar vibe to “Bite Me.”
-
“Chaconne”
:SUNGHOON: “Chaconne” is my favorite track because of its melody. I understand that “Chaconne” originates from the 17th-18th century and has been referred to as “music to resurrect the dead.” As per its meaning, our track has a dark feel and tells a story of a boy who becomes completely consumed by his own self and dancing, eventually facing his downfall.
SUNOO: This track has a lot of low notes so I went into recording with a lot of practice beforehand.
HEESEUNG: And I tried to incorporate more of my vocal color into this track to make it more dynamic.
SUNGHOON: This is a track I tried writing lyrics for, and although they weren’t included in the final version, I remember immediately falling in love with the melody and going into recording with a lot of excitement.
NI-KI: And It’s well known in the group that hip-hop is HEESEUNG and JAKE’s favorite genre, but I also enjoy listening to hip-hop music and the [soulful hip-hop feel of “Chaconne.”]
HEESEUNG: “Hitman” Bang [Si-hyuk] takes the creative lead for our albums, which is essentially a collaborative process between the members as well as a number of producers and studio directors. He helps guide us in the respective direction for each of our albums and definitely plays a role in our growth as artists.
-
“Bills”
JAKE: This is my favorite track from the album because it’s an easy-listening song.
SUNOO: It’s my favorite because of its lighthearted and refreshing feel.
NI-KI: It’s just a great track that’s super catchy.
HEESEUNG: The track is essentially a love song that reflects the emotions that follow a breakup, but “Bills” is a metaphor for the regret and price one pays after letting a loved one go.
HEESEUNG: I was in the studio for less than two days for this track and felt very comfortable in my own skin throughout. The track felt well suited for me and my voice so I think that contributed to the smooth recording process.
SUNGHOON: I remember trying not to make this track sound too much like a ballad, but more so reflect the mood of it.
SUNOO: I did my best to focus on the meaning of the lyrics and put myself in the shoes of the protagonist of the track while recording.
JUNGWON: I think the biggest “bill” so far [as ENHYPEN] was for our custom mics and in-ears.
SUNOO: With the large number of members and the staff combined, the bill adds up when we all go out to eat together.
-
“Karma”
JUNGWON: “Karma” and “Bills” are two of my favorite tracks from the album, but if I had to choose one, I would go with “Karma” since it has more of a fun performance aspect to it.
JAY: My favorite track is “Karma” because of its cool and refreshing sound. It’s a track that tells the listener to never forget the one you are connected to by a destiny predetermined from your past life. To us, ENGENEs are our destiny and this energetic track is meant for us to sing along together and feel connected.
JUNGWON: The thought of performing this track in concert made me put even more effort into the recording process. I couldn’t stop smiling in the studio imagining singing it together with our ENGENEs.
HEESEUNG: It’s an uplifting song, so the recording process was also fun and lighthearted.
JAY: I was pretty hyper throughout the recording process to match the energy of the track.
JAKE: I remember having the most fun recording this track.
SUNGHOON: I tried to reflect the rock sound and mood through my voice while recording.
JUNGWON: And I’m a believer in karma—I believe good things come to those who do good.
JAKE: I think I believe in it somewhat?
NI-KI: I think I believe in it. Similar to JUNGWON, I think you can achieve good with good intentions.
This story originally appeared on Billboard
