Welcome to the second chapter of K-Pop Boy group P1Harmony

“There's this saying, it's a basic saying in the industry, that you have to make it in the first three years,” P1Harmony leader Keeho explains to The Hollywood Reporter“Wherever you are in your third year, it sets the tone and defines what your subsequent years will be like.”

Keeho and his groupmates, Theo, Jiung, Intak, Soul, and Jongseob, gathered in a hotel room in Los Angeles. In the United States for the K-Pop festival and convention KCON LA, the six-member group spent the weekend performing at the festival and meeting fans from around the world who traveled to the city for the convention.

Less than 24 hours after bringing the crowd at KCON’s M Countdown at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena to their feet, decked out in princess attire, the members of P1Harmony were dressed casually but seemingly still buzzing from the excitement of their packed weekend.

The group, from Korean entertainment company FNC Entertainment, debuted amid the COVID-19 pandemic in October 2020 and has spent the past four years consistently releasing music. They have gained a loyal fan base, collectively known as P1ece, with a large international presence (the group has been represented by CAA in the United States since last year).

P1Harmony's seventh EP, Sad song.

Courtesy of FNC Entertainment

In view of their fourth anniversary as a group, P1Harmony have released their seventh EP Sad song. The seven-track album, arguably their strongest to date, features several standout tracks. The title track, “Sad Song,” an upbeat track with Latin-inspired beats, is addictive and catchy. It features twice on the album, with both Korean and English versions of the song.

Jongseob, the youngest member of the group at just 18 years old, says that the group really likes “Sad Song”, noting that it is “easy to listen to” and different from their previous, louder-sounding singles.

Jongseob and Intak have a “unit song” together, “WASP,” which showcases their rapping skills in the group.

“I talked about a lot of things with my producer,” Jongseob says of making the hip-hop track. “I'm a little scared of what our fans will say. [will] “I think, but for me it's a very fun process.”

All members of P1Harmony contributed to the production of Sad song in some form. Keeho, a Toronto native who serves as a translator for his bandmates during the conversation, says he helped produce and kickstart “It’s Alright,” the album’s groovy second track. He adds that Jiung helped produce and kickstart “Last Call,” a catchy song that essentially begs to be performed in an arena of fans with confetti flying through the air.

“This is the most sonically involved we’ve been on an album, so like Jongseob said, it’s very scary,” Keeho shares. “The more involved you get, the more personal it becomes, and then you’re like, ‘Oh my god. What if he doesn’t like it? What would happen?’”

K-Pop group P1Harmony for their new album, Sad song.

Courtesy of FNC Entertainment

Keeho explains that there’s a bit of impostor syndrome that comes with being creatively involved in an album. “You can never be satisfied with your work,” says the 22-year-old. “When you write your own stuff, everyone can be like, ‘This is awesome.’ But then you’re like, ‘Is this real?’ Every time we work on something, you can never be super satisfied, so we just hope the fans like it.”

Their fans, P1ece, will undoubtedly support the release as they have done in the past, helping the group win their first Korean music show and promoting their first full-length album. Breaking everything earlier this year. Weekly music shows are an integral part of the K-Pop ecosystem (think MTV Real dealwith pre-recorded performances in front of a live audience and the top-charting song awarded live). Each music show crowns a winner for the week, marking a major milestone for many Korean artists.

“Of course, having that first win isn’t everything,” Jiung says, adding that the win has many meanings. “I feel like in Korea, the way people perceive you becomes very different, too.”

K-Pop group P1Harmony for their new album Sad song.

Courtesy of FNC Entertainment

The 22-year-old adds that the fans’ dedication to getting the group that first award makes the moment even more special. “The fans work so hard to get that first win, and that first-win award is the literal physicalization of that work,” he says.[It’s] the hard work that the artist put in, and the fans put in as well, to create that result. Having all of that physically there is just kind of a testament to how much we really put into this album and this song, and how we all came together to create this moment.”

Breaking everything was a turning point for P1Harmony. Keeho compares it to everything that came before the album and everything that came after, which was “two different people.” He adds, “When we released our first full album, I think we became very different sonically and visually.”

“With Breaking everythingwe've really sat in some kind of trust about who we are as a team and what we want to stand for and what we're good at,” Keeho says. “I feel like everything that comes next Breaking everything will kind of reflect on that, and maybe after two or three years it might change back to something else. For now, I feel like whatever Breaking everything is that it will reflect the albums that come after.”

P1Harmony has explored and hopes to continue to explore different genres. Theo, the oldest member of the group, says that he hasn’t been able to explore his personal taste in genre through the group’s music yet. He shares that he would like to make music as a band and that he loves playing the guitar. Soul shares that he enjoys and would like to try incorporating reggae in the future.

K-Pop group P1Harmony for their new EP, Sad song.

Courtesy of FNC Entertainment

With Theo only 23 years old, the group has grown from teenagers to young adults in the public eye.[I] “I feel like in the early years, it was a little awkward performing together. We felt like kids,” Jongseob says. He adds that years of touring and making albums have given the group a sense of collective and individual confidence.

“When we get together, there’s this new synergy that’s so evident in the performances and the songs, and I don’t know if that’s age-related or just experience,” says the 18-year-old. “We’ve matured and grown a lot, and we’ve kind of found ourselves and found confidence in ourselves over those four years.”

Keeho notes that the group was among the youngest when they debuted, but that now there are “a lot of young people.” He adds, “I mean, it's a crazy way to grow up.”

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