ALL (H)OURS
Having debuted on January 10 of this year, the male group ALL(H)OURS gives us a roundatable, to discover its members.
Composed of members KUNHO, YOUMIN, XAYDEN, MINJE, MASAMI, HYUNBIN, and ON:N, the group debuted in January with a mini-album called «ALL OURS» under the agency EDEN ENTERTAINMENT. On July 9, KSTATION TV participated in an interview with several journalists to discover more about this young group. The members present themselves one by one in English, this interview being for foreign journalists. Each media outlet asks two questions.
First of all, KUNHO and ON:N reveal to be the most creative in the evening, whether between midnight and 2am for the first, or after having dinner around 6pm for the second. This is where they are inspired, motivated, and work hard on their songs and choreographies with the other members. Remembering the most important moment of their idol life, HYUNBIN remembers the sleepless nights he spent, waiting with hope for the day of his debut which fortunately arrived. As for MASAMI, the group’s very first showcase is the most important memory in his eyes. Once the debuts were achieved, the group members discussed at length with the agency how to improve, carefully listening to each comment they received. It also made them realize how important the support of their fans was, bringing them energy, and pushing them to work hard to surpass themselves every day.
KUNHO sometimes needs to say himself that he can succeed in every performance, that he can improve whatever the occasion, breathing calmly just before going on stage allows him to calm down and relax, before going to meet his fans. One day, if the opportunity were to present itself, he would like to be able to try the hip-hop genre, or band sound, enough to delight fans who can expect a new facet of the group, perhaps in the future. KUNHO reveals that the group has a changing word of encouragement for each album that members claim before going on stage, being «goblin» in Korean. However, the group soon plans to choose a fixed term that it will keep throughout its career, KUNHO adding that it is important for the members before going on stage to stretch well to give the best of themselves.
Regarding the album unveiled this month, «WITNESS», focuses more on the Drift Phonk style, carried by the title song «Shock». ON:N chose it as his favorite song of the album, admitting curious at first listening to how he would perform a song with such a particular style. XAYDEN selects «Blah blah», another track of the album, also consisting of «Witness», «Psycho mantra» and «’bout that issue». When asked what the biggest difference is between this comeback and the group’s debuts, he replied:
« For our debut, we focused on showcasing the songs and dances we had practiced so far. With our second album, based on our prior experience, we learned the importance of even the smallest facial expressions on stage. We paid attention to how we would be portrayed through the lens of the camera and made sure not to show our fatigue while performing strenuous choreography. I think these are areas where we’ve grown. » —XAYDEN
His hobby is to listen to and discover songs from around the world, curious to see what is happening elsewhere than in Korea. The first time he heard the song «Shock», he wanted to learn more about the Drift Phonk style and discovered with astonishment that he actually had some songs of this genre in his daily playlist. Then addressing the different sets used during the photoshoots and the shooting of the associated MV, YOUMIN took the opportunity to intervene and chose the concept associated with prisms, describing it as a way of seeing through oneself-even, as well as the clothes worn for this shooting. In Korean, however, the name used for «Shock» is «도깨비», meaning goblins. ON:N considers the group to be goblins seeking their freedom. “Shock” is an atypical translation, but according to KUNHO reflects the group’s desire to “shock” the world, by having a new musical style for this comeback.
It must be said that ALL(H)OURS is the very first group to have made its debut this year. XAYDEN hopes to have the opportunity to show over 2024 what the group is capable of whether in Korea or abroad, and if possible, make another comeback by the end of the year. ON:N claims that the goal of all members is for the whole world to hear about them, so that they can appear in the Billboard ranking and sell all the seats of a future show abroad. Being able to visit as many countries as possible to meet their fans is also a goal of the boys. Thus, as soon as they have free time, they train in singing, rap and dance, to perfect themselves. MINJE recalls the debuts of the group, and considers that the personal confidence of the members in their own abilities is what has definitely evolved the most in a few months. They are now more relaxed, less afraid of making mistakes, but all the more eager to prove themselves in front of the public.
Choosing their musical inspirations, HYUNBIN definitely cites STRAY KIDS and SEVENTEEN as the groups that ALL(H)OURS loves the most. YOUMIN adds admiring San from ATEEZ, hoping to learn from his performance style. The break dance of “Shock” was particularly complicated to learn for the group, according to ON:N. With its fast and complex movements, it was a challenge in itself, but with a lot of training and help from the agency, the members have reached a level that satisfies all. “’bout that issue” is also selected by XAYDEN as a song he would like to perform on stage, even if no choreography has yet been created for it. He then imagines himself in the middle of a concert, each member taking a camera and running into the audience to film themselves while singing. YOUMIN selects “Psycho mantra“, which would show a darker and sexy side of ALL(H)OURS.
The group also took the time to answer two questions from KSTATION TV:
“K-pop is a popular music genre of the world. In your opinion, how is ALL(H)OURS different from other K-pop groups?“
« ALL(H)OURS stands out because we always try new things. In our latest album, we explored a new genre called Drift Phonk for the title track. Trying out different genres and giving unique performances is what makes us different.» – ON:N
“Moreover, being only 6 months into our debut, we strive to showcase our energy and ambition as a rookie group to as many people as we can. The qualities that ON:N mentioned, along with our rookie spirit, are what distinguish us.” – KUNHO
“What country would you like to perform in? ”
“I’d love to visit Canada, the U.S., France, countries in Europe… anywhere our fans are. We are ready to go see them anywhere in the world.“– KUNHO
The world is a source of inspiration for the group, which also loves songs and films from abroad. YOUMIN declares himself a fan of Justin Bieber, using his songs to train to sing, and particularly loving the sound of his voice to the point of listening to him every day at a time. ON:N selects Taemin from SHINee that he had the opportunity to meet in April during the NGLA in which he participated, as well as ALL(H)OURS. He had the opportunity to tell him that he was his role model in the industry, admiring his dancing and humble and hardworking mindset. KUNHO, for his part, chose the film «Fast & Furious», and the films from the Marvel and DC universe, which also inspired the group for the concept of «Shock». ON:N returns to the moment when he wished to be an idol, discovering the title «Gangnam style» from PSY at seven years old. Seeing the singer on stage, dancing and having fun, made him want to be a singer in turn. YOUMIN talked about his experience at school when he participated in a talent contest as a child. Not knowing anything about the Kpop, he found himself performing «Fire» from BTS and is since a fan of the group, then realizing how much fun it was to dance.
Today forming a united group, ALL(H)OURS hopes one day to be able to make a world tour. Indeed, MINJE has heard that every country and culture has its own way of celebrating a concert, and is curious to experience it itself. For MASAMI itself, as a Japanese, it would be a dream to perform in Japan, especially at the Tokyo Dome to make his parents proud. The group’s main goal would be to be able to win the first place in a musical show, and to obtain the award of the best new rookie group of the year, being a prize that can only be opened once in the career of a group. Seeing their elders win awards has always been admired by ALL(H)OURS members who one day wish to have the same opportunity.
Resuming the discussion around this comeback again, «Blah blah» is a special song for the members who collaborated to write the lyrics of the song. MASAMI, who had trouble writing lyrics in Korean, timidly tells us that he preferred to write them in Japanese before translating them to convey his feelings more sincerely. Another of the elements that were complicated for the members in the preparation of the comeback was to make a diet. XAYDEN recounts the difficulty of refraining from eating, and forcing himself to go to the gym. Some members have also noticed that they have evolved in their personality, since the debuts of the group. Indeed, KUNHO is surprised to have many more facial expressions than he thought, and is endowed with full of energy.
« I consider myself introverted, but interacting with fans has revealed a extroverted side of me I didn’t know before. I’m not as timid as I thought. » —MASAMI
Putting less pressure than a few months ago, it is acceptable for members to make mistakes, because it is human not to be perfect. The boys take more pleasure in performing, hoping to try many different things in their future promotions, and meet all their fans. The interview ends with lighter questions, starting with who is the most tidiest and least in the dormitory. YOUMIN is selected by ON:N as the cleanest and most organized, and KUNHO often picks up the things lying around, both acting like the group’s mom and dad. MINJE and XAYDEN are on the contrary chosen as the least ordered, having a room “full of secrets” according to KUNHO.
Then, if the members were to live on a desert island, which other member they would take with them. In turn, they chose:
- XAYDEN: YOUMIN, because it is strong and energetic.
- KUNHO: HYUNBIN, because he does a lot of things when I ask him.
- YOUMIN: XAYDEN, because he is strong and intelligent, and we would not be bored with him.
- ON:N: XAYDEN; for he is strong, intelligent, and they have good chemistry.
- HYUNBIN: KUNHO; for he is the oldest of the group, therefore probably the wisest and wisest.
- MINJE: HYUNBIN because he is the funniest and it would be boring to be on a desert island.
- MASAMI: MINJE; because he would make innovative choices.
Finally, everyone selected which song from the album represents them the most, and which song they would like to recommend to someone wishing to become a fan of the group:
- XAYDEN: «Blah blah» and «’bout that issue» which is chic but also catchy.
- KUNHO: «’bout that issue» because he would like to become someone we often talk about, headliner, and «Shock» who brings energy.
- YOUMIN: «Shock», because he would like to surprise and shock each person he meets, in order to mark their spirit. He recommends the same music that he thinks is easy to listen to and makes you want to dance.
- ON:N: “Shock” and “All hours” that convey the feelings they felt when they started.
- HYUNBIN: «Blah blah» and «Shock», the latter representing the colors of the group.
- MINJE: “Psycho mantra” and “Blah blah” because the members participated in his writing and therefore represent them more.
- MASAMI: “Psycho mantra” and “Gotcha” because being the song of our beginnings, it is special in his eyes.
The interview ends, full of promises from the group to the fans. Feel free to follow ALL(H)OURS on their social networks: Website: all-h-ours.com/ Instagram: @all_h_ours/ Twitter: @ALL_H_OURS/ (Members) : @at_ALL_H_OURS/ TikTok: @all_h_ours / YouTube: 올아워즈 ALL(H)OURS.
Journalist: Pillet Anaïs
Photos: EDEN ENTERTAINMENT
Sources: KSTATION TV, EDEN ENTERTAINMENT
