Enhypen —PHOTO COURTESY OF SETH VILLANUEVA/WILBROS. LIVE
For the fast-rising K-Pop group Enhypen, being an artist is a nonstop learning process. And that, they said, entails a willingness to try new things and venturing out of their comfort zones.
“As an artist, you can’t just stay where you are. If you trap yourself, block yourself to possibilities, then you won’t be able to satisfy your fans,” member Jay said at a press conference for Enhypen’s recent “fun meet” at the Araneta Coliseum. The event was part of the 10th anniversary celebration of the beauty brand BYS Cosmetics Philippines, which the band endorses.
Also composed of Heesung, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, Jungwon and Ni-ki, Enhypen was formed through the survival reality search i-Land, and debuted in late 2020 with the EP “Border: Day One.”
“So, what we do is that we continuously try other genres, so that the fans can discover new sides to us that they can appreciate,” Jay added. “It’s an assignment for us to show different sounds and styles and keep exploring.”
Case in point: their latest single, “Future Perfect.” Described as being inspired by the Chicago drill hip-hop genre, the hard-hitting track is a departure from the band’s previous releases. Their new mini-album, “Manifesto: Day 1”—which spawned the said single—also explores other genres like alternative rock and old-school hip-hop.
“‘Pass the Mic’ is a new genre we tried. And given the opportunity, we would like to try even more genres because that’s one of the strong points of Enhypen. I hope we get more opportunities for us to show these to our audience and fans,” Sunghoon said when asked by the Inquirer about the possibility of dabbling in other musical styles for their future material.
Musical influences
While the boys have their own personalities or nuances when performing, they make sure that they move as one unit once they hit the stage.
“Because we come from a reality show, or audition program, we’re different in various ways, like in the way we sing or dance. Our attraction points are all different. But when we go onstage, we go together and become one and move in unison. That’s one of the biggest strengths we have as a group,” Jungwon said.
The group considers BTS—the most successful South Korean act globally—as one of their musical influences. “Influence-wise and performances-wise, our role model and biggest influence, I would say, is BTS,” Sunoo revealed. “And of course, as a group, we will do our best and exert more effort to have such influence and good musical performances that we can show to the people.”
And while they have been on the scene for only two years, the members believe that there has already been a marked improvement in their abilities. “We have developed our skills in music and choreography,” Sunghoon said, adding that being on tour helped fine-tune their performances.
“We did America and Japan earlier this year. Next year, we will do Thailand and the Philippines—those will help us improve as well.”
‘Getting more handsome’
As for the band’s visuals? “We’re getting even more handsome and good-looking as time goes by!” he added, drawing cheers and laughter from the press and the fans in attendance.
Presented by Wilbros Live and BYS, the fun meet had Enhypen regaling their fanbase—the Engene—with Q&A sessions, games and a performance of their hit “ParadoXXX Invasion.”
“B is the first foreign cosmetic brand that we have been ambassadors of. Through this opportunity, we’re able to get together with our fans. And I hope we get more opportunities like this in the future; we will make sure to grab them,” Heesung said.
Making sure that Enhypen gets the best welcome they can have in the country, the Engenes also trooped to the airport earlier to show their love and support to the boys. “There were a lot of fans waiting for us at the airport. It was really nice to see them for the first time. It was such a cool experience,” Jake said.
Worth it
Being a performer is challenging. But being able to travel and meet fans all over the world make all the hard work worth it. “We’re so happy to be here in the Philippines. Meeting new people and being able to perform for them is something I always cherish and find fun,” Jake added.
On Feb. 4 and 5, Enhypen will return to the Philippines for the Manila stop of their “Manifesto” world tour. And hopefully, they get enough time to visit Cebu, which is one of their target destinations.
“What propelled us to go this far is our fans. I’m actually feeling it more in the flesh these days, because now I get to meet offline. We used to contact each other only online. But now we’re able to communicate in person as well,” Jungwon pointed out. “We will do our best to get more cheer from our fans moving forward.”