<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the thing with K-pop is it\u2019s so saturated,\u201d says Keeho, the outspoken Toronto-born leader of P1Harmony. \u201cI feel like a lot of people like to copy whatever works and stay away from whatever doesn\u2019t, so I feel like there\u2019s not a lot of groups that are willing to take risks, and I don\u2019t even think it\u2019s the group\u2019s fault.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keeho is squeezed in between the group\u2019s five other members \u2014 Intak, Jongseob, Soul, Theo and Jiung \u2014 on a curvy hotel couch the day of their August performance at KCON<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cK-pop is not just about looking pretty and being great on stage,\u201d he adds. \u201cI think it\u2019s the artistry and it\u2019s the music and concepts and the visuals and choreography\u2026 So I think the more involved and the more freedom we have to make the decisions that we want to is what will make each group stand out in their own ways.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe people who are really the ones that are being artistic should be the ones taking creative direction and control,\u201d he continues, \u201cand I think our group and our company are really trying to make that happen for us, so I\u2019m thankful. Obviously, I still think we have a long way to go. I think that\u2019s the direction we need to take.\u201d<\/p>\n Five years can seem like eons in the life of a K-pop star, but when P1Harmony burst onto the scene in dark aplomb back in October 2020, it was the thick of the pandemic. Unable to foster an in-person connection, they instead relied on music shows void of an audience and an inventive introductory movie.<\/p>\n Now, they are making up for that every chance they get, as in the night before this interview, when they played at the Academy Museum\u2019s K-Culture night, jumping in the aisles<\/u><\/a> inches away from attendees. Jiung, an all-rounder in the team, speaks on that moment. \u201cWe always want to interact with our fans, so every time we go on the stage, we always ask, \u2018Can we go down into the crowd?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Lately, P1Harmony\u2019s trajectory is on an upward swing. The 2024 mini-album \u201cSad Song\u201d became their highest-charting album on the Billboard 200, peaking at 16. They followed that up this past May with \u201cDuh!,\u201d their eighth EP and first to debut at #1 on the Billboard World Albums chart. They even found time to stretch their solo chops. Just last month, ace rapper and dancer Intak released a sultry cover of Usher\u2019s \u201cGood Kisser<\/u>.<\/u>\u201d<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n With 18 million views on YouTube, the punky boom-bap \u201cDuh!\u201d from its eponymous release barely had a chance to cool when they announced their latest album \u2018\u2018Ex,\u201d which they released last Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cEx\u201d is timed to coincide with the \u201cMost Wanted\u201d tour, their biggest yet, kicking off last weekend on the East Coast (they debuted the lead single on GMA last week<\/u><\/a>), and making its way to the Inuit Dome in Los Angeles on October 18th.<\/p>\n If it seems like it\u2019s a lot, it is. Especially as the members are actively involved in the songwriting process. When asked if they would like a little more time to catch their breath in between releases, Keeho pauses to translate after which quirky singer and dancer Soul deadpans, \u201cYes!\u201d dissolving them into giggles.<\/p>\n \u201cK-pop, as you know,\u201d Keeho picks up, \u201cis such a fast-paced industry, whereas in America, it\u2019s like you know, artists will drop an album every two or three years, which is wild\u2026 but in K-pop it\u2019s like twice a year, sometimes more.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEx\u201d is a sonic departure for P1Harmony with mid-2010 rock and R&B leanings. The third track \u201cStupid Brain\u201d is a groovy ode to overthinking, while the riffy \u201cDancing Queen\u201d would fit right in on an Ed Sheeran album.<\/p>\n