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| K-pop boy group EPEX reacts during an interview with The Korea Times at a studio in Guro District, southwestern Seoul, April 6. Korea Times photo by Yun Da-been |
Rookie boy band hopes to explore various sides of dancing, performance
By Dong Sun-hwa
The MZ generation ― a term referring to Millennials (those born between 1981 and 1995) and Generation Z (born between 1996 and 2005) ― is the target audience of most K-pop acts these days, and this fact is no exception for boy band EPEX. Surviving in the star-studded K-pop industry is like fighting an uphill battle, but EPEX, which burst onto the music scene last year, believes it can gain the upper hand, as all members are part of the MZ generation, who can best represent their peers.
"All eight of us were born after 2000, so we can understand and sympathize with the people of our age, unfolding their real-life stories with our voices," red-haired member MU told The Korea Times in a recent interview at a studio in Guro District in southwestern Seoul. The interview took place a few days ahead of the release of the octet's third EP, "Prelude of Anxiety Chapter 1. '21st Century Boys,'" which hit shelves on April 11.
Leading its fresh EP is "Anthem of Teen Spirit," a song with a unique synth sound that tells teenagers to escape the harsh education system that has been harassing them. As its title implies, it is a track dedicated to young Koreans who often have to study around the clock to get into top universities.
"When we first heard the song, we thought we would be able to convey its message well," said Keum Dong-hyun, who was one of the contenders of Mnet's 2019 audition program, "Produce X 101." "We put ourselves in teenagers' shoes and tried to visually express the suppression they face through our powerful dance movements. We hope our listeners pay extra attention to its lyrics and find them relatable as well."
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| The teaser for EPEX's new release, "Prelude of Anxiety Chapter 1. '21st Century Boys'" / Courtesy of C9 Entertainment |
During the interview, all of EPEX's members displayed some characteristics typical of the MZ generation. Just like their friends, they love talking about Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) ― a self-help personality test that is widely popular among young Koreans ― and some hotly debated topics in the internet.
"All of us are quite assertive, so we frequently have debates about various topics," Baekseung said. "I think our leader, Wish, is the most persuasive person."
Wish added, "According to the MBTI test, I am the only one in group who has the letter, 'S,' in my MBTI type, which means I tend to put emphasis on physical reality rather than on imagination. I think that is why Baekseung believes I am quite convincing … In my opinion, the fact that most EPEX members are introverted people who have the letter, 'I,' in their types prevents us from having an argument, because we hardly ever go overboard."
Keum agreed, saying, "Most of the time, we do not arrive at any conclusion after a debate. One of our latest topics was whether a plastic straw has one hole or two holes, but we could not draw any conclusion after hours of talking about it."
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| EPEX member Keum Dong-hyun during an interview with The Korea Times at a studio in Guro District in southwestern Seoul, April 6 / Korea Times photo by Yun Da-been |
EPEX's members did not shy away from speaking about themselves. Asked what makes them stand out from other rookie K-pop groups, all of them gave different answers with confidence.
"We all have a different magnetism," Baekseung said. "In my case, my biggest weapon is my height. I am 186 centimeters tall."
Keum picked their ambition as their competitive edge, while Wish boasted their strong brotherhood.
"Whenever we gear up for a new album, we feel we still have a long way to go in terms of singing and dancing," Keum said. "But this sense of deficiency prompts us to strive for better. Every time when we are together, we discuss ways to improve our performing skills so that more people might recognize us."
Wish said, "Our bond is getting stronger day by day. We have been living in the same house for more than a year now, and we feel very close to each other."
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| EPEX's leader, Wish, during an interview with The Korea Times at a studio in Guro District in southwestern Seoul, April 6 / Korea Times photo by Yun Da-been |
About a year has passed since EPEX made its debut with its EP, "Bipolar Pt.1 : Prelude of Anxiety," but the C9 Entertainment stars have not had many chances to meet their fans face-to-face due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, as Korea and other countries are trying to transition towards managing the coronavirus as an endemic, EPEX is more than excited.
"We debuted in the time of the pandemic, so we could not meet a lot of fans," Jeff said. "That's why I cannot forget the day when we had the first face-to-face meeting with our followers last summer. Once the world turns the corner on the pandemic, I want to interact actively with more fans through diverse activities."
A-min chimed in, saying, "In hindsight, it seems we have done a lot of things, but in reality, there are many more things that we can still do. I hope we can pull off more things in the days ahead."
Yewang said, "For me, the day of our debut is the most memorable. It would have been much better if we had performed in front of our fans instead of holding an online event, but it is still unforgettable."
The future of EPEX seems quite bright, given that it already succeeded in clinching a number of rookie-of-the-year awards ― prizes that all K-pop newcomers pine for. It took home trophies at the 2021 Hanteo Music Awards, the Seoul Music Awards and the Korea Culture Entertainment Awards. Its 2021 release, "Lock Down," also made it onto the Billboard 25 Best K-pop Songs of 2021.
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| EPEX member Baekseung during an interview with The Korea Times at a studio in Guro District in southwestern Seoul, April 6 / Korea Times photo by Yun Da-been |
"It would be a lie if we were not pressured by our previous achievements, but they actually encourage us at the same time," Baekseung said.
Ayden said, "We now want to accomplish more."
Wish added, "I hope we do not stop here and take a further leap in our career. We have a lot of goals ― we want to play our first solo concert and nab the No. 1 spot on different music shows."
Revealing that CIX ― a boy band that is also managed by C9 Entertainment ― and Baekhyun of K-pop titan EXO are their role models, the EPEX members said they want to display as many different sides of themselves as possible.
"We have not pulled off many concepts yet, so we want to exhibit them in the future," MU said. "We also want to reveal our unexplored sides in a range of fields, including performing and acting."
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