Despite RBW's CEO's strong objections... the committee pushed forward with its ambition [Interview ①]

*This content was translated by AI.

Boy band ONEWE revealed its unique musical ambitions and confidence.

On the 18th, ONEWE (Yonghoon, Kanghyun, Harin, Dongmyeong, Kiwook) held a roundtable interview at a café in Jang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, to commemorate the release of their third full-length album 'Face: Unknown Atlas'.

On this day, Yonghoon said, "I'm excited to release a full-length album after such a long time. Especially since it includes 17 tracks, we worked hard to prepare with sincerity and dedication for our fans and the public." He added, "All 17 tracks were created and recorded with as much care as title songs," sharing his thoughts on the comeback.

The most notable feature of this album is that it is a full-length album packed with no fewer than 17 tracks. Yonghoon explained, "We had been planning this full-length album since late last year, so it wasn't something that suddenly came up." He continued, "Rather than feeling pressured to fill the album quickly, we found ourselves overwhelmed by having too many songs during the instrumental arrangement and vocal recording processes. We never worried about lacking enough tracks to release a full-length album."

In fact, even RBW's CEO Kim Do-hun (CEO) reportedly advised against including all these tracks, yet the group was confident in the high quality of the songs. Dongmyeong shared, "During the album preparation process, Kim Do-hun (CEO) suggested that since we had too many potential title tracks, it might be better to split them across this and the next album rather than using them all at once." However, he added, "But we indulged in a kind of ambition. We wanted to create an album where every song felt like a title track, so we prepared everything all at once."

Kiwook also emphasized, "We strongly expressed our desire for a full-length album starting last year, and both the members and the company accepted it positively. Personally, I believe in the power of a full-length album. This year is the most important one for ONEWE, so we prepared 17 tracks with the hope that if we show this level of quality and sincerity, the public will recognize us."

After intense internal competition, 'Scenario' secured the title track position. Yonghoon revealed, "It took quite some time to decide on the title track. It competed closely with 'Bloodstained Pinocchio' until the very end. We were concerned that if we only played it for company staff, they might judge it purely from a musical perspective, so instead, we had many friends and family members—ordinary people with ears—to listen to it. As a result, 'Scenario,' which received the most votes, became the title track. It's a song approached with intuitive melodies and sounds that the public would enjoy."

With this album, ONEWE also made changes to its signature universe concept. Kanghyun explained, "We have consistently released albums with a space theme, but rather than letting the image of 'ONEWE = Space' become fixed, we wanted to express our own new conceptual style musically. To grow as artists ourselves, we deliberately gave up space-related themes and boldly attempted something new."

Carrying the momentum from last year when they achieved their first music show win after 11 years since debut, ONEWE is determined to make this year a true proving ground.

Dongmyeong said, "Last year was significant as we experienced our first music show win and expanded the scale of our performances. This year, we had a strong desire to take another step forward. As a band, we believe that by focusing on the core essence and concentrating on the quality of our album, gaining public recognition through music will naturally lead us to achieve our next goals." He spoke with firm determination in his eyes.

'Face: Unknown Atlas' will be released at 6 p.m. on the 19th via various online music platforms.

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*This content was translated by AI.