ENHYPEN Are Having Their Biggest Year Yet — and They’re About to Go Even Bigger
The members talk about ROMANCE : UNTOLD, which they made with some big-name collaborators and lyrical contributions from all seven members
ENHYPEN’s growth trajectory over the past four years is impressive, yet not surprising, given how hard the members have been working. Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-ki have been on their FATE Tour since July of last year (with the encore leg, dubbed FATE PLUS, still ongoing). That doesn’t mean their other activities are on pause, either. In the couple of months leading up to the release of their second full-length album, ROMANCE : UNTOLD, ENHYPEN have held a fan meeting in Manila, performed at Weverse Con Festival in Seoul, released special album MEMORABILIA (check out a performance video of “Fatal Trouble” if you haven’t already).… The list goes on. The group has matured so much since the early days of reality competition show I-Land, which put ENHYPEN together in 2020, not only in terms of their bond with each other and with their fans, ENGENEs, but also in their music, as they evolve and show progress with each release.
ROMANCE : UNTOLD, out now, is a project that the members and their team have heavily invested in. The members played a bigger part in the album’s production this time around — Heeseung produced “Highway 1009,” their first fan song (which features lyrical contributions from all seven members, making it even more special), and leader Jungwon penned the topline for “Hundred Broken Hearts.” Collaborators for the album include Jvke (whom they refer to as “American Jake,” not to be confused with member Jake, from Australia), who produced lead single “XO (Only If You Say Yes)” and is featured on the English version of the track; Grammy-winning producer/songwriter Cirkut, who they worked with for “Bite Me” last year, and whose credits include the Weeknd, Usher, and more recently, Charli XCX’s Brat; and renowned creative and fashion director Nicola Formichetti, known for his work with Lady Gaga. Rather than releasing a standard album teaser, ENHYPEN revealed a special action-packed short film, directed by Lee Choong Hyun (Ballerina), that expanded upon the group’s lore, and the members have a lot more content ready to be unveiled as part of album promotions.
Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-ki are just as excited as their ENGENEs are for the release of ROMANCE : UNTOLD, mentioning here and there how this album is next-level for them. Despite their packed schedules in Korea and overseas, the seven members are all smiles and just as playful as you’d imagine, all while being supportive of one another, nodding along to each other’s answers, and being so sincere when it comes to their music on a Zoom call catching up with Rolling Stone two weeks ahead of the release of ROMANCE : UNTOLD.
It hasn’t been that long since we last met in L.A., but so much has happened in these two months. With this being your second full album, I’m sure there was a lot of preparation that went into it — what can you share about the production process this time around?
Jake: We collaborated with American Jake and we actually met with him during our tour, too. We had a lot of conversations with him, filmed a lot of TikToks, and had a good time with him. It was a really good experience. And the song came out so well. We’ve never put out a song with this vibe, so I’m looking forward to seeing how ENGENEs react. I’m looking forward to Kristine’s reaction. [Laughs.]
Jungwon: Have you heard the music? What did you like most?
Yes! I really like “Highway 1009” and “Hundred Broken Hearts,” the song you wrote the topline for. Aside from the lead single, what would you say is your favorite song on the album?
Heeseung: For me, it used to be “Hundred Broken Hearts,” but we’ve been practicing performing “Paranormal” and it has high energy, so it’s been fun. I think it’s become my favorite song.
Jay: It changes for me all the time but recently, “Royalty.”
Sunghoon: [Attempting a pun.] What about milk tea? Sorry. [Laughs.]
Jay: I associate it with a California vibe. Like with palm trees? The guitar riff has a chill vibe to it. It makes me feel like I’m singing in that type of environment, so I think it has charm in that sense.
Sunghoon: I like “Moonstruck.” It’s the first time that our album starts without a narrated intro track. I’m pretty sure this is the first time. So it’s distinct in that sense. And I think the song is sexier, so I like it.
Jake: I like “Brought the Heat Back.” It’s produced by Cirkut. I feel like he knows how to really please our ears. It’s such a different style than our previous songs, and it’s very rhythmical, it’s fun to listen to.
Ni-ki: I also like “Brought the Heat Back.” When I first heard the demo I felt that it was so ENHYPEN. The sound reminded me of “Drunk-Dazed,” and I really like that song, so when I heard “Brought the Heat Back” I liked it and was curious about what type of choreography there could be. The song is so my style.
Sunoo: I like “Hundred Broken Hearts” most. When I first heard it, it left a lasting impression. And the pre-chorus that Jungwon worked on — I originally really wanted it to be my part.
Jake: But it became my part! [Laughs.] I thought Jungwon would do it, actually.
Jungwon: [Laughs.] I actually told the producer that I thought it would be good if Heeseung or Jake did that part.
Heeseung: I thought that Jungwon would have done it. I was really surprised when I heard it. There were a lot of ways that a line there would not have fit the song well, but because it was written this way, it flowed so well and a good topline was made.
Jungwon: Oh yeah! Thank you! For my favorite, I’ve been listening to the music with performing in mind. Since we perform so much. As soon as I heard “Paranormal” I thought that it would be really fun to perform. So it’s been my favorite since the beginning.
Some of you have mentioned in the past that you’d like to participate more in songwriting, and all of you have had a hand in songwriting with this album. How did it feel when you found out you’d all be participating in this capacity?
Jay: For me, I thought it would be nice to get some inspiration from movies, but I’m not too familiar with romance as a genre. So I searched up “Classic Romance Movie Scenes” on YouTube to get some inspiration.
Sunghoon: We’ve written here and there over time, but it’s quite difficult to have your lyrics make it into the final versions. This time with “Highway 1009,” with it being produced by Heeseung, and it being a fan song, we thought that ENGENEs would love for it to have more participation from us. Right? [Turns to Heeseung.]
Heeseung: I personally really wanted to make sure we all worked on it together.
Sunghoon: Yes, we shared that feedback, so I’m glad that we were given the opportunity to all participate.
With that being said, I’m curious to know what your favorite lyrics are. I personally loved Jake’s part in “Highway 1009” where he sings “I’ll be your ENGENE now.”
Jungwon: Oh? I wrote that. [Laughs.]
Jake: Yes, I thought that part was really charming.
Jungwon: What about you? What’s your favorite lyric?
Jake: Oh, my favorite? In “Highway 1009” there was a lyric in the chorus that was even in Heeseung’s demo version. [“Give me your hand just a little bit more/Promise you’ll hold on tight/So I can get back up even when I’m sick and tired.”] I really liked the meaning behind the words but also just as part of the song, I think it fit really well. And since Heeseung sang it that way with that intention… It fits the melody really well. And it’s so meaningful. You know what I’m saying?
Heeseung, what was it like working with your members as a producer? And what would you say is something you learned from this experience?
Heeseung: I’ve been writing for some time, but since this was the first time I produced officially for our album, it felt surreal to me. And the feeling of giving a song to my members was… I was nervous about what they would think, but also curious about their opinions. It made me understand how producers must feel in those moments. Like, “How will they react?” “Will they like it?” “How can I ensure that each members’ vocal charms are portrayed in the song?” It helped me learn more about my members. I didn’t think I’d learn more about them as humans from this, but I got to know them more, which was interesting and deepened my affection towards them.
What did you guys think about working with Heeseung as a producer?
Jake: It was an honor. [Laughs.]
Jungwon: I was really thankful for him. The song was so good when we first heard it. To the level that we immediately thought it would be great to include in our promotion rounds. The fact that Heeseung produced it, almost entirely alone, and he wanted to do it for the members — it was possible for it to become his song, but then he gave that up and instead made it a shared experience for us by giving us the opportunity to write. I’m so thankful for that. That’s how such a meaningful song was able to come to life.
I know you guys worked really hard on the UNTOLD Concept Cinema as well. Is there anything that wasn’t revealed in the behind-the-scenes video you can share? The action scenes were so good — and Sunoo, you’re quite the actor!
Sunoo: A lot of it was revealed in the video, but since it was our first time acting out action scenes and using a gun, I practiced a lot looking in the mirror, like my facial expressions as well.
Sunghoon: There is something that wasn’t in the behind-the-scenes video, actually. [Smiles.] There’s a video of Sunoo practicing his acting.
Jungwon: [Laughs.] That was posted! On his birthday.
The album has a few different concepts — Inceptio, Arcanum, Concessio, and ENGENE. Is there a member that you think really stood out or matched particularly with any of these concepts?
Sunghoon: I think we all came out well.
Jake: I think this time, the concepts really just matched well with ENHYPEN overall.
Heeseung: There was a big transition in our image as well. It was our first time wearing clothes that are casual like that for a concept photoshoot, so that was really fun too. And I think it matched us well.
You notably worked with Nicola Formichetti on the styling. How was that?
Jungwon: We worked with Nicola for Prada before in the U.S. Being able to work with him again for the album photos…
Heeseung: He came to Korea for us.
Jungwon: Yes, that’s right. He came. He told us he ate a lot of samgyupsal [grilled pork belly]. [Smiles.] It was really cool to work with him.
Jake: Shout out to Nicola. It was an honor. [Laughs.]
I can only imagine that preparing for this album was a bit different from when you were preparing for your first full-length album, DIMENSION : DILEMMA, three years ago as you’ve all matured so much. What do you think is the biggest difference this time around?
Jay: It was so long ago… [Smiles.]
Ni-ki: I remember we got Covid, so the date was pushed a little. Compared to back then, though, mentally, we’ve become more relaxed. And I think we’ve gained some know-how from touring as well. While preparing for the album we’ve also gotten a better grasp on our individual charms and understand that, so the music video came out really well too.
You’re actually still amidst your FATE Tour. What do you feel is the biggest difference between your first show in Seoul and your most recent show in Hiroshima? Ways in which you think you’ve grown, or just memories looking back.
Jake: I think we grow a lot while on tour, since we’re performing so much. Singing and dancing for three hours. I think we’ve grown to become more relaxed on stage. And with FATE PLUS, the plan from the beginning was to go to a lot of cities that we had never been to. So with Hiroshima, for example, it felt like we were going to seek out the ENGENEs there to perform for them. I think it was a meaningful tour in that sense. Also with it being aligned right before our new album.
You’ve done more than 35 shows so far if you look at both FATE and FATE PLUS combined. Knowing that, I’m curious to know your current favorite songs to perform. When I asked back in October, Sunoo you mentioned “Karma” and Jay picked “Blockbuster.”
Ni-ki: For me, it’s “Fate,” which was newly added as part of FATE PLUS. Even though we don’t sing in it, the way we all dance together… Our ENGENEs really like it, and I remember when we first got the choreography for it. The part where it transitions from “Fate” to “Bite Me” feels immersive to ENHYPEN’s universe.
Sunoo: I think at the time, I chose “Karma” because it closes out the setlist so well. And I think now, “Orange Flower (You Complete Me)” gives that same energy.
What’s your favorite memory from the tour if you had to pick one? I personally loved seeing Jay, Heeseung, and Ni-ki do the first pitch at the Seattle Mariners game since it was in Jay’s hometown, and Ni-ki, you reunited with your dog Bisco recently. Jake, I really hope you get an opportunity to go back to Brisbane, too.
Jay: There are so many. It had been so long since I’d been back home to Seattle — I think eight years or so — but everything was all the same. I had dreamed about sharing a vlog with our fans, showing them my hometown, so I’m glad I was able to.
Heeseung: For me, it was when we went to North America, we rode a tour bus in New York and went around the city. We don’t normally get to see much scenery, so it was really nice. And the hot dogs, too.
Jake: And Philly cheese!
Jay: Philly cheesesteak.
Sunghoon: The hot dog was good.
Sunoo: My favorite memory is when we went to Japan and I ate with our members. And at the end, we also went shopping all together so that was memorable.
I wish we could dive into everything else you all have going on. Like Jay, your collaboration with Glay, and Sunghoon, your work for Hince. Ni-ki, you had your Artist of the Month spotlight, where you danced to Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble” — I’ve been playing it for anyone who walks through my front door. [Laughs.] You’ve mentioned wanting to do more dance content like that. When another opportunity comes, what style of dance do you want to share with us?
Ni-ki: Something with a larger scope and with more dancers… I’d love to create a piece that is on a larger scale. [Smiles.]
I hope you get a chance to perform a bit of “Humble” for fans in L.A., given that Kendrick is an L.A. native!
Ni-ki: Oh! [Smiles.]
One last question, what would you each say is your goal for 2024?
Heeseung: There’s a lot we can’t share just yet, but there are many plans for the rest of the year. I hope our members and our company staff can all be healthy, so we can try hard to check everything on our list, one by one.
Jay: Since we haven’t kicked off promotions for the full album yet… Over the years we’ve all come up with goals and aspirations for ourselves. I hope that our promotions this round fulfill those dreams. And personally, I hope we can all look back and be content with how this album’s promotions go, without any performances we’re dissatisfied with.
Sunghoon: I hope I can have a healthy mind and body and that I can achieve even my smaller goals one by one this year.
Jake: There’s already a lot that’s being planned. I’m really looking forward to it. So I hope that through the end of the year, anticipation remains high. And I hope we can give our 100 percent for everything we’ve prepared. That’s my goal.
Sunoo: With just half the year left, I want to work hard and be happy.
Jake: Be happy!
Heeseung: Let’s be happy.
Jungwon: I honestly want our team to put out good results. [Smiles.] And they all said this, but we can only enjoy our fans’ love when we’re healthy. So I hope for the rest of the year we can be healthy.
Ni-ki: My main goal is to do well with promotions for our album. The reactions from our ENGENEs have been really good so far with the concept photos and the concept cinema. I’ve been thinking a lot of how ENGENEs will react when they hear the music too. I’m really looking forward to it. I hope we can show everything to our ENGENEs the way we’re intending to.