SF9 : Are they beautiful enough?
Today, February 20th, we are at the K-ART HALL, at the Olympic Park of Seoul for the comeback of FNC Entertainment‘s group SF9.
The boys are back with a new mini-album called “NARCISSUS“, and this time they are only 8 to participate in the promotion as ZU HO was advised to rest by the doctor, in order to make a full recovery.
As suggested by the title “NARCISSUS (나르키소스)“, the theme of this mini-album is narcissism within SF9. Like Narcissus in the Greek mythology, the mini-album contains narcissistic elements as it states:
«Don’t be more beautiful, you are pretty already.»
Moreover, it’s an amplification of self-esteem, which consists in telling those who lose self-esteem to love their present being as it is.
The title song “예뻐지지 마 (Don’t be prettier)” is a reinterpretation of the myth of Narcissus. SF9 becomes a contemporary version of the mythological character, with its sensual group choreography and complex rhythms that encompass many genres such as trap, EDM, reggae, and more. You will discover the most sexy and intense performance of SF9 ever seen on stage.
This mini-album contains six songs. The main one “예뻐지지 마 (Don’t be prettier)” is exciting so that fans can dance to it. “하필” is a medium tempo title. “Life is so beautiful” is a song for which ZU HO participated in the composition and writing of the lyrics. “Fall in love” has a sophisticated piano riff and lo-fi sounds. “무중력 (zero gravity)” is a delightful song in which SF9 are having a great time, to show that they want to be forever with the FANTASY (name of the SF9 fan club).
The presentation of this new mini-album being done, we discover the MV for the title “예뻐지지 마 Enough“.
Illustrating with perfection the myth of Narcissus, who falls in love with his reflection, the boys are reflected to infinity in many mirrors or on the surface of water. The choreography and the music, both as sensual, remain stuck in your head, making you gently move from left to right. Will mirrors be able to support the beauty of members?
SF9 then answer the questions from the MC and journalists:
Q. Wasn’t it difficult for Cha Ni to prepare for this album, with his hectic schedule for the TV drama “SKY CASTLE”?
Despite CHA NI’s hectic schedule, due to the mega-hit success of the Korean drama “SKY CASTLE”, he was able to learn the choreography fast thanks to his talent as a dancer.
Q. Please explain a little about the theme of the album.
We wanted to deliver sensualism in this album. You will see the sexy charm.
RO WOON: the theme of the album is summarized as ” sexy mirror”. Therefore, there are choreographic moves that we dance as if we were reflected in a mirror.
Q. SF9 appears to experience a sudden growing popularity world-wide. Do you get to experience that on a personal level?
JAE YOON: We don’t personally experience the growing popularity but we see more and more people coming to our concerts when we go abroad.
Q. For RO WOON and CHA NI: you have managed to gain popularity aside from SF9 through individual careers, like participating in TV shows. Do you feel any pressure to take the full advantage of this opportunity and lead this album to success?
RO WOON: I have had the longest individual career, but I have always been assured that our members all have great talents so as soon as they get any chances they will do so well. So I don’t feel any pressure but sorry that the other members don’t get much attention individually. Therefore, I was very happy that CHA NI gained a massive popularity through “SKY CASTLE“. And I’m always willing to support other members as they come across any chances.
CHA NI: I didn’t feel any pressure, but I was glad that the attention I drew for SF9 could consolidate our group’s existence in K-pop. I want SF9 to last as long as possible.
Q. RO WOON presented CHA NI’s live-action videos on YouTube (직캠) as if they were your own. What’s up with that?
RO WOON: CHA NI looks even more attractive on live-action videos, but the number of views on YouTube for those wasn’t that high. So I wanted more and more people to know about it.
Q. Who fits the best for this sexy-themed album.
IN SEONG: I think YOUNG BIN fits the best for the sexy theme. HWI YOUNG has this new sexy hairdo that goes really well with the album also.
Q. Are you confident that you will rank number one in the music chart for this year?
RO WOON: I have a belief that your imagination comes true. I always wanted to grow as tall as 189cm as a child, and now I am. Likewise, I have this belief that our group will rank number one, and I hope it will come true.
Q. Like Narcissus, please tell when do you or your group feel or look the coolest?
YOUNG BIN: SF9 looks the most charming when we help each other out backstage. Also I feel like I look the coolest right now since I’m all dressed up for the stage.
JAE YOON: First of all, we look the coolest when we are on stage singing and dancing. Also, I love our teamwork and how close we are.
DA WON (jokingly): I love how Jae Yoon tries to speak the standard Korean during the interview.
Q. ZU HO participated in making of this album, but he couldn’t be present for the comeback this time. How well is he now?
YOUNG BIN: During the album making, the doctor told ZU HO that he should recover fully before the illness gets worse. ZU HO feels sorry that he can’t do the performance together this time but he always says good words for us.
Q. Weren’t there any interesting anecdotes during the practice?
CHA NI: The Narcissus dance was new and difficult because we have to kneel down. At first, we had bruises on our knees. Now we are accustomed to it and we don’t feel a thing during the dance move.
YOUNG BIN: CHA NI and TAE YANG are the dancers in our group. When TAE YANG teaches dances he appears to be a big brother.
HWI YOUNG: The dance moves for the title song was quite difficult, and TAE YANG and CHA NI taught me a lot. TAE YANG is a dance genius so his directions are not fine-tuned. On the other hand, CHA NI is a dancer of blood-and-tears endeavor, so his teaching style is a little bit too tough. Therefore, between CHA NI and TAE YANG, I had to endure.
Q. This album contains songs of widely different themes and feelings. Didn’t the discrepancy bring you any confusion?
IN SEONG: I was actually happy that we could show many sides of us from being serious to playful.
RO WOON: I think we have various aspects of us in ourselves, so we are showing some of them this time.
Q. SF9 members are known for their constant participation in song writing. Who do you think have grown up the most over the time?
IN SEONG: We all grew up a lot because we had to challenge ourselves to do an array of genres. I personally was only into Korean ballads but through rythm and blues and powerful dance music, I grew up a lot musically.
TAE YANG: I think HWI YOUNG is a man of perseverance. He comes to the training room every day, and he practices through the night almost everyday. Therefore, he grew up in leaps and bounds every time we make a comeback.
Q. Your CEO wrote the lyrics for the title song. Did you like it?
IN SEONG: We really appreciated that he gave us such a great song.
DA WON: I was stunned.
RO WOON: I also think “예뻐지지 마” is what our CEO wanted to tell us so that we boost our self-esteem.
Q. Since you all participated in composing the songs, didn’t you have other songs you wanted to be as main title?
YOUNG BIN: I thought it would be great if “무중력” became the main title because the song is dedicated to our fans.
HWI YOUNG: When we were making “Fall in love”, it was fall and the song sounded really compatible with the atmosphere. But as spring comes up, I like the current title better.
Q. What kind of title do you want for SF9?
IN SEONG: “믿보믿듣 SF9” namely, “믿고 보고 믿고 듣는(see without questioning and listen without questioning) SF9″.
Q. Do you have any public commitment if you rank number one this time?
RO WOON: I think maybe performing “무중력“ in whatever costume our fans want.
SF9 make a sensual comeback with their mini-album “NARCISSUS“.
The word of our reporter: An interesting comeback with a sensuality and charm that leaves us speechless.
Journalist : Sean
Reporter : Kenza
Photographer : Sean
Source : KSTATION TV
