How EVNNE Showcase The Evolution From 'Cheeky Rascal' To 'Romantic' Boy Band In Less Than A Year

With millions of viewers around the world tuning in and voting for contestants on the K-pop survival show Boys Planetcontestants who didn't make the final group left the program with fans eager to see their next steps. No team perhaps embraces such potential better than EVNNEthe seven-member boy band is quickly rising through the K-pop ranks and proving to be much more than just a spin-off act.

Noted for an intense collective charisma, the boy band's debut with the powerful singles “Trouble” and “Ugly” spoke to a view that convention-defying outsiders were ready to prove themselves to the world. The group scored top songs and awards in Korea's competitive music programs, and this summer embarked on their first US tour to expand their international fan base and showcase their dynamic performances in multiple cities.

“We didn't expect it, but we really wanted it,” EVNNE leader Keita says of the group's ability to break out beyond Korea and tour the United States. “We felt that there were a lot of fans around the world cheering us on while doing a program like Boys Planet…it really is a dream come true.”

But it is not only the awards and distinctions that determine EVNNE's success. In less than a year, the group showed a marked evolution in their musical style, moving from the rebellious anthems of their debut to a softer, more romantic sound with their third EP, DRIVE or DIE since June. The lead single, 'Badder Love', a soothing rock-pop track recorded in both Korean and English, marks a new chapter for the group.

“The reason we came up with the idea of ​​villains when we debuted was because we wanted to show the audience what we can do better,” says Yunseo. “But we released a refreshing album like this because we wanted to show a new side of us.”

With achievements in both awards and excellence, Keita, Hanbin, Lee Jeonghyeon, Yunseo, Seungeon, Mun Junghyun, and Jihoo have managed to carve out their niche in the industry and show lasting momentum, even if their time together as a group can to be short. Read on because otherwise EVNNE is a team to watch Bulletin boardK-Pop Rookie of the Month for August 2024.

Congratulations on the success so far and the name Bulletin boardRookie of the month! I wonder how you feel about your accomplishments over the last few months?

Yunseo: We've been through a lot with our members and together we've accomplished a lot, but time really does go by so fast — faster than I thought. It's surreal that we get to spend so much time together and get to experience so much in such a short amount of time, but it was also very short. Even so, we have realized that there are more fans and more people who really support us, giving us so much love, so we are very happy and grateful for everything.

SEUNGEON: I want to add that I am so happy that I can come to the US tour after the Asia tour and I am so excited to meet people from different places. We truly believe that winning in music shows and being able to tour in different countries is all thanks to our fans' love and support for us. So we are very grateful for that. We are also very happy and excited to be named Rookie of the Month Bulletin board. We really wanted this, so thank you very much.

Although you didn't earn a spot in the final group for Boys Planet, you're here now winning awards and going on tour. Did you expect all these things to happen?

KEITA: We didn't expect it, but we really wanted it. We felt that there were many fans around the world cheering for us while doing such a schedule, so we always dreamed that we wanted to go to many cities, play for many fans, share our energy and communicate with them. It really is a dream come true.

How was the US tour for you?

JIHO: So we were really happy that the crowd cheers were much bigger than we expected. From what I understand, there are about 500 people per venue for this tour, but from what we felt on stage, it really felt like the cheer was coming from 5,000 or even 50,000 people — it was really loud. I feel like we were very willing to share our energy with the audience, but in return, I think we got even more energy and motivation out of it.

MUN JUNGHYUN: We were able to sing it English version of “Badder Love” for the first time, and I think the response was good because the fans sang the whole song which made us really happy. Also, we were able to show “XO” with his full choreography for the first time on this US tour and I felt like cheering so much for this song.

SEUNGEON: You know, global fans who don't necessarily speak Korean tend to hum our songs instead of singing along with the lyrics, which is still really cute, but we've always regretted it a little and wished everyone could actually sing along from the beginning until the end. But with the English version [of “Badder Love”] they were really able to do it and they were singing along to the song while we were playing so it was really a great experience. It really motivated us and one day we would like to release more songs in different languages ​​in the future.

Are there any languages ​​you might want to record next?

HANBIN: We go to Japan a lot and there are a lot of our fans and people who support us in Japan, so I think it would be nice to make a version that can be done in Japanese.

Going back to “Badder Love”, I feel that this album focuses on a softer image and less intense than the ideas of your singles like “Trouble” or Ugly.” What does EVNNE want to prove this time?

JIHO: Our main goal was to really show a different side of ourselves compared to our first two albums. For our first and second mini-albums, we really wanted to show that “cheeky breed” side, which is stronger and very simple. But with the third album, we wanted to show more of a romantic, softer side of us.

Yunseo: In fact, the reason we came up with the villain concept when we debuted was because we wanted to show the audience what we can do better while talking to the company. That's how we made our debut. We released a refreshing album like this because we wanted to show a new side of us. We've always been able to do this, but we've shown you a bit of a bad boy and a strong image, but this time, we're going to show you a bit of a different image.

LEE JEONGHYOEN: We have some all-white outfits in the music video that are perfect for summer. Also, there are no really bright hair colors. Actually, this is my first time dyeing my hair brown, so we really focused on showing the right style for the concept through this album. A lot of the backgrounds in the music video are in the ocean, so in my opinion, that really brings out that refreshingly cool side to the song and the music video.

I saw you compete in the Idol Star Athletic Championship and even reunited with some of them Boys Planet contestants. What was that like after everything you've been through?

HANBIN: We participated in two of the events during the schedule and really prepared to give it our best shot while preparing for this tour. We had to find little moments here and there to really prepare for ISAC, but I think it was a great opportunity for us to promote who we are and what we can do to even more people. So it was a really great experience overall and as you mentioned we got to talk and chat with a lot of other artists including ZEROBASEONE. It's actually been a while since we've talked and reconnected with them, so it was really fun to reconnect.

Yunseo: Our schedules don't leave us much time to meet in person or privately, but I was very happy to meet my friends who were in Idol Star Track and Field Championshipstalk and play sports and games together.

KEITA: I met Matthew and said, “Hi Matt, I'm studying English!” and said, “Hey, your accent isn't as bad as I thought!” but in Korean. Well, I got a compliment from him.

SEUNGEON: I think the fans who watched the show were really looking forward to seeing all of us again and a Boys Planet reunion one day. This was actually our first chance for everyone Boys Planet groups and artists to get together, really reconnect, talk to each other and just generally have a good time. It felt like a school event in some ways because there are a lot of seniors, juniors, and sophomores, but we all have the same dream and passion for music and art, so it really felt like we were at a school event all together. So all in all it was a very, very fun event.

HANBIN: I actually met some friends that I trained with, while it felt very new, and it also really reminded me that we were back at school all together and we were together at a school event and not a TV show.

Do you have a message you would like to share with international fans who are waiting to see you?

Yunseo: First of all, we were chosen as the rookie of the month, so I would like to thank you very much. It's a great honor and starting with that, we'd like to show you all more and get our name out there to an even bigger audience around the world so we can really share our art and who we are with everyone around the world . And in the future, we really hope that one day we can have our songs chart Bulletin board diagrams. We will be working hard on this, so it would be great if American fans and international fans know us and send us your continued love, support and attention.

SEUNGEON: We were really eager to share incredible performances through this tour and please look forward to all our activities and performances in the future as well. It is a great honor, once again, to be selected as the Rookie of the Month together Bulletin board.