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| Members of K-pop boy group GOT7 pose during a press conference in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Warner Music Korea |
Boy band releases new EP after leaving JYP
By Dong Sun-hwa
Last year, all seven members of K-pop act GOT7 terminated their contracts with JYP Entertainment, the K-pop powerhouse that debuted the group in 2014. But this was not the end of GOT7 ― instead, it was a new beginning.
GOT7, consisting of Mark, Jay B, Jackson, Jinyoung, Youngjae, BamBam and Yugyeom, put out its self-titled mini-album on Monday, more than a year after the release of its last EP, "Encore."
"Through our new release, we want to let people know that GOT7 has not disbanded," member BamBam said during a press conference at the voco Seoul Gangnam, Monday. "It is also a testament to our promise that we would soon reunite and meet our fans."
Frontman Jay B added, "I am so relieved that we can release an EP as a septet. We told each other that all seven of us should be part of our new mini-album, but it is still surreal to see that we have actually made this happen. I am truly thankful to new management companies of our members and Warner Music Korea, our album distributor."
Mark chimed in, saying, "Since we are happiest when we take the stage as a septet, we did not want to give this up … We are so close to each other and we love spending time together."
Since all members have been actively forging their individual careers in various fields ranging from music to acting, it was not a piece of cake for them to gear up for a new EP. Some members like Mark were even staying aboard, which made it more challenging for them to gather together and share their ideas and views. Nonetheless, the singers, who were eager to meet their fans as GOT7, found different ways to stay connected to each other.
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| Teaser for GOT7's new self-titled EP / Courtesy of Warner Music Korea |
"We could hardly meet face-to-face because some members were not in Korea," Jinyoung explained. "Even the members in Seoul could not meet a lot as we had to follow social distancing rules. So we had meetings frequently via video call. In the case of Mark, he often had to stay up late to talk with us due to the time difference. Preparing for our new EP was not easy, but it was not very difficult at the same time, as so many people ― including the officials of our new management companies ― were really supportive."
The title of the group's fresh mini-album reveals its determination to show its unique style and color. Leading the mini-album is "NANANA," a bright and chilling song composed by Jay B.
"It is a track for our fans," Jay B explained. "I hope this tune can be a mood lifter for our followers when they are going through tough times in their lives. It will be great if it can present a moment of healing for them. 'NANANA' should sound quite different from our previous lead singles, which mostly had powerful sounds."
Yugyeom added, "When I first heard the song, I thought it goes really well with GOT7's vibe."
The fresh EP is meaningful not only because it signals a fresh start for GOT7, but also because the members participated in the creative process of all six tunes. Youngjae, for instance, created the sentimental "Drive Me to the Moon," while Yugyeom wrote the poignant "Two."
"Thanks to this EP, I could go back to the basics and once again reminded myself that I should not forget the mindset that I had in the beginning of my career," Jay B said. "Although GOT7 may not be able to release new music offerings as frequently as we did in the past, we will still try our best to perform as a septet whenever possible, while pursuing our individual careers."
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