[Dispatch=Reporter Lee A-jin] "Always spirited, greetings with the loudest voice, confident eyes!" (YOURS)
A loud shout echoed down the waiting room hallway before the interview began. It was a cry that conveyed the confidence of newcomers. Behind their fresh eyes was also fierce determination to destroy any stage.
That makes sense—YOURS's debut process was intense. One member started their trainee life after breaking open military savings accumulated during military service. Another member gave up life abroad and came to Korea.
With exceptional confidence, they threw down a declaration to the music industry. YOURS secured their debut through the SBS-TV survival audition 'Be My Boys'. They conveyed their aspiration to gather diverse voices from the world and sing of hope.
Dispatch met YOURS on the 12th at Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. We heard about their desperate debut process, the production of their debut album 'Orange Record', and their passionate ambitions.
◆ RUSHING Toward Debut
The path to debut was arduous. Bo-hyun completed her second year of nursing school before taking a leave of absence. "My parents' opposition was really strong," she said, adding "So I broke open my military savings, lived independently, and started as a trainee. That's how I threw myself into the survival show."
Jun-sung failed auditions throughout high school. He became a trainee for the first time at age 20. "Actually, I prepared for another survival program for about a year, but I failed. Fortunately, I passed 'Be My Boys' right after and was able to get here," he revealed.
Jae-il gave up Korean dance and chose the idol path. "I loved K-pop stages and music so much," he said. Yeon-tae and Se-chan are the youngest members of the team. At just 16 years old, they successfully debuted by challenging a survival program.
It was the same for Japanese members. Haruto dropped out of university and came to Korea. Hyo had previously been eliminated from 'Boys Planet'. "I couldn't give up on my dream. I devoted myself to studying Korean to show more of my charms," she recalled.
"I was active in a Japanese group called 'Ebidan Next'. Then I saw BTS seniors' performances and started dreaming of becoming a K-pop idol. I want to become a globally famous idol like the seniors!" (Kai)
◆ RUSH RUSH
The debut song is 'Rush Rush'. It features intense band sound combined with upbeat pop sound. Jun-sung introduced it: "We expressed the feeling of approaching you without hesitation in a good mood."
Since the members belong to different agencies, coordinating was not easy. Opinions differed from the start on selecting the title track. Bo-hyun explained, "'Rush Rush' was the only one with unanimous agreement. We agreed that it best captured our journey."
Members also had to drop their confident genres and colors. Se-chan pointed out, "During my trainee days, I rarely worked on refreshing songs. Implementing bright yet fresh vocals was the most challenging."
"I wanted to show a debut stage with high completion, as if we were originally one team rather than a team born from survival. We matched up until 5 a.m. the day before the showcase." (Bo-hyun)
The point choreography is the 'running dance'. Jae-il said, "Above all, I thought it was most important to show confidence. During practice, we also shouted 'let's destroy the stage' and burned passion with the members."
◆ A Chase That Won't Stop
YOURS is just finishing their second week of music shows. They are increasingly sensing the meaning of performing. During the survival period, they were chased by competition and couldn't properly hear fans' cheers. But now they are experiencing the sounds of support firsthand.
Jun-sung said, "I realized that fans' cheering methods and the way they look at us are part of our performance." Kai said, "I firmly resolved to have the goal of going on a world tour across the globe and hearing more of our fans' cheers."
They also developed desire for results. Jun-sung showed earnest eyes saying, "I really want to win the rookie award and make the fans happy." Bo-hyun added, "I want to sweep every stage and every award there is."
Ironically, their greatest weapon is 'difference'. The backgrounds of all eight members who ran toward their dreams are different. But under the name 'YOURS', they will create one synergy. Members confirmed their aspiration saying, "The real chase starts now."
"We have diverse age groups. There are members with social experience and members who are still students. Our backgrounds are varied—Korea, Japan, Mexico-Japan mixed, Philippines-Japan mixed, and more. We want to grow into a group that can draw out broader empathy!" (Hyo)
