[INTERVIEW] DREAMCATCHER: a standout in K-pop scene returns with signature rock sound

Members of K-pop girl group DREAMCATCHER wave during a recent interview with The Korea Times at a studio in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. Korea Times photo by Yun Da-been

K-pop girl group drops 7th mini-album, 'Apocalypse : Follow us'

By Dong Sun-hwa

Wearing heavy stage makeup and glamorous accessories, the seven members of K-pop girl group DREAMCATCHERS ― Jiu, Sua, Siyeon, Handong, Yoohyeon, Dami and Gahyeon ― seemed unapproachable when they first arrived at a studio in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, for an interview with The Korea Times, shortly after performing its new song, "Vision," on a Korean music show. However, that viewpoint changed in less than a minute as they began exchanging greetings with people on the spot. Despite their hectic schedules, all of them were lively and were willing to talk as much as possible about their new EP, "Apocalypse : Follow us," that hit shelves on Oct. 11.

Since its debut in 2014, DREAMCATCHER has been a standout in the K-pop universe as it opted for a music genre that a girl group rarely pulls off: rock. Most of its hits like "Deja Vu" (2019) and "Scream" (2020) incorporate the elements of rock, and relay messages that are not frequently seen in the K-pop scene. For instance, with "Scream," the members criticize foul-mouthed people and through "Vision" ― the lead single of "Apocalypse : Follow us" ― they address environmental problems.

"Vision" is an energetic track peppered with the group's signature rock sound. The tune is the sequel to its April release, "Maison," in which the members raised a red flag for people indifferent to environmental pollution. "Vision" portrays how they attempt to combat pollution.

"We issued warnings to people in our previous release, but this time, we try to reform them," Siyeon explained.

Sua elaborated, "The COVID-19 pandemic and global warming have posed threats to our environment, so we wanted to sing a song that can raise people's awareness about the current situation."

To show their determination and commitment to bring about a change, the singers appear in immaculate uniforms in the "Vision" music video and make a speech against the backdrop of a ruined city to seek people's cooperation.

"I felt like the seven of us have formed a troop in our music video," Sua said with a smile.

The teaser for DREAMCATCHER's seventh EP, "Apocalypse : Follow us" / Courtesy of Dreamcatcher Company

According to Yoohyeon, all DREAMCATCHER members have become more eco-friendly thanks to their songs.

"We are now trying to go green in our real life, too," she said, adding that she uses a solid dish soap and a shampoo bar to cut back on single-use plastics.

Siyeon has been made a donation to an institution dedicated to saving dolphins, which lost their homes due to pollution, while Dami tries her best not to use plastic spoons and chopsticks. Jiu and other members have replaced plastic cups with tumblers.

"Now I have to do the dishes more often, but tumblers have many advantages," Jiu said. "My drinks can stay cool for a longer time."

Upon its release, "Vision" has been making waves at home and beyond, conquering iTunes' top albums chart in 21 countries including the U.S., Brazil, Germany and Indonesia. Its music video also exceeded 10 million hits on YouTube in only two days.

The teaser for DREAMCATCHER's seventh EP, "Apocalypse : Follow us" / Courtesy of Dreamcatcher Company

"Our fresh mini-album also offers 'Some Love,' which highlights our bright side," Yoohyeon said. "I am particularly fond of Dami's part."

Sua picked "Fairy Tale" as one of her favorites, saying, "I love it so much that I repeat it over and over again. It is an introduction to our EP."

DREAMCATCHER is a high-profile group in Korea, but it is also one of the most internationally popular K-pop acts that has more than 1.6 million subscribers on its official YouTube channel. Asked about the possible rationale behind its global popularity, Gahyeon said its international fans seem to like the sounds of their music that fascinatedly fuses rock and assorted genres.

"This characteristic also allows us to reveal our diverse aspects," Handong explained. "And we look pretty charismatic on stage, but we are bubbly when we are off stage. I think our fans also love seeing this difference."

DREAMCATCHER members chose "Scream," "Deja Vu" and "YOU AND I" as the songs they recommend to those who want to get a glimpse of the group's music style.

"I think a lot of people began viewing us in a new light after we released 'Scream,'" Sua said after a moment of thinking. "Its performance looks the coolest in my eyes, too. I watched it over and over again."

Jiyu added: "I would pick 'Deja Vu.' It sounds quite soft in the beginning, so when I first heard it, I thought it would be challenging to dance to it. But we pulled it off and it seems many of our followers have found its performance appealing."

K-pop girl group DREAMCATCHER / Courtesy of Dreamcatcher Company

The singers then moved on to explain why they have a penchant for rock songs.

"Rock was not a common genre at the time when were about to debut, so we wanted to experiment with something new and blaze a new trail," Sua said. "And the sound of rock is so impactful. Now, it has become a genre that defines our musical identity. We actually had to change our vocal style so that we could make a rock sound with our voice."

Handong agreed, saying, "My voice was mostly soft and velvety in the past, but it now has a different sound."

"We do love rock, but in the future, we want to try other genres like reggae and hip-hop and mix them with rock," Gahyeon said in an excited tone.

Six months ago, DREAMCATCHER reached a turning point in its career, winning a Korean music show for the first time since its debut. It took them 1,924 days to achieve the feat ― the record-longest among all K-pop acts.

"When I first heard the news, I could hardly breathe," Gahyeon recalled. "I did not shed tears on stage for some reasons, but as soon as walked down the stage, I could not stop crying."

"I have never expected that we would rank first, because we had not been recognized as the winner for such a long time," Yoohyeon said. "So we thought we might just have to walk our own path without caring about our rank or performance on different charts, but we finally made it."

"I think it would be difficult for other singers to break our record," Dami said. "I mean, 1,924 days is really a long time."

The K-pop stars, who are poised to stage their Halloween concerts in Seoul on Oct. 29-30, disclosed what they want to attain in the days to come.

"We hope people continue to have high expectations toward our music and concert," Jiu said.

"I think we have been improving step by step since our debut," Sua said. "I hope we continue to take a further leap in the future."