Photo = RBW

 

[Hanteo News = Reporter KANG SUYOUNG] ONEWE’s YONGHOON honestly shared his thoughts on the identity of being an idol band.

 

ONEWE met with Hanteo News at a cafe in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, on the 18th and talked about its 3rd full-length album '面 : Unknown Atlas.' On this day, YONGHOON said, “These days, I think I might feel disappointed if people left out ‘idol’ and just called us a band,” adding, “It is true that when we were younger, we thought, ‘We are not an idol band,’ but now, we are acting more like idols than anyone.”

 

The conversation naturally continued into the identity of being an idol band. YONGHOON explained, “We are not a team that the company cast as five members and debuted. We each attended academies, met at competitions, became close, and naturally came to form a band, so if you only look at that, I think you could say we are not idols,” adding, “But somehow, we ended up joining this company, RBW, and somehow, as we received love, we came to acknowledge that fans like it when we show a certain level of idol appeal.” He continued, “Now, we all think of ourselves as an idol band,” adding, “Being an idol band is not a bad thing, so we think of it as, ‘We are an idol band that plays well, sings well, writes songs well, has great stages, and is also very skilled.’” He then pointed to GIUK’s pink-dyed hair and said, “Look at this,” drawing laughter. HARIN added, “We are actually grateful when people call us that,” and GIUK also said, “It is something to be grateful for.” DONGMYEONG explained, “I think it is a difference in terminology,” adding, “For us, the way we do promotions, publicity, fan marketing, and things like that follows the methods companies use for existing idols, so I just think of it as idol plus band.” GIUK said, “When we were all in our 20s, we worried a lot about whether it was okay to be perceived this way as an idol band, but these days, I think we would be so grateful if people still called us that even when we are in our 30s, 40s, and 50s,” adding, “Even if we have a lot of wrinkles, I think I would feel so happy if people called us an idol band.”

 

Looking back on the past 12 years, DONGMYEONG said, “It has been 12 years since we started doing this together, and looking back, I feel like it passed more quickly than I expected.” YONGHOON shared, “In the past, I looked forward a lot to five years later and 10 years later, but these days, as we just kept going, it became 12 years, and then it will become 13 years and 15 years, and I think we will continue to grow and achieve things one by one,” adding, “I am grateful just for the fact that the five of us have been together for more than 10 years, and personally, I take pride in the fact that none of us got hurt and that the five of us have truly done this together for 12 years.” GIUK drew laughter by saying, “Looking at the hyungs, I think their health has gotten a bit worse, so I hope the hyungs and I all take care of our health and keep doing this for a long, long time.”

 

They also honestly opened up about the hardest moment over the past 12 years. KANGHYUN said, “I think this year may have been the hardest. Personally, this year was very difficult.” YONGHOON explained, “This year, there were many things we had to coordinate,” adding, “Since it was a time when we had a lot of concerns about the future as we reached seven years, eight years, and beyond, we talked a lot among ourselves.” He continued, “There was a period when we ate together a lot and thought deeply about how we should carry out our band activities going forward, what would make fans like us more, and how we could continue developing and keep going for a long time.” DONGMYEONG said, “We had those concerns when renewing our contracts, and there were times when it was physically difficult too, but whenever that happened, we actually gathered together more, talked more, and spent more time together, so I think every time a big crisis came, we became a little closer.” HARIN added, “I think we are the type to tell one another clearly when we like something or dislike something,” adding, “It feels like a wound opens up and then heals again, making us stronger.”

 

When asked whether those conversations are the driving force that keeps the team going, YONGHOON said, “We fight often, talk often, laugh often, and do strange things often. You know those funny actions that only close friends understand when they are together,” adding, “I think those things are the secret to our team’s closeness and to being able to continue for a long time.” Among ONEWE, there are also catchphrases that others cannot understand. DONGMYEONG said, “We call one another ‘oppa,’” adding, “Sometimes we change it and say ‘obe’ instead of ‘oppa.’ We are used to it, so it feels natural among ourselves, but if we do that when other people are around, people seeing us for the first time might wonder why we call one another ‘oppa.’” GIUK added, “Sometimes we say ‘oppae,’ and sometimes we call each other teacher or even Buddha.” YONGHOON shared, “I am the oldest, but I call all the other members hyung, and the others speak informally to me all day. That is just the concept for that day,” adding, “These things change every day for no reason, and there are things only we can understand.”

 

ONEWE’s 3rd full-length album '面 : Unknown Atlas' will be released today at 6 PM through various music sites.

 

grace@hanteo.com