Courtesy of FNC Entertainment
P1Harmony Talks Tour Prep and Teamwork, Hints at Surprises for Fans
Ahead of their first arena tour, we had the opportunity to sit down with the members and talk about their upcoming performances.
Just over a month from now, P1Harmony will begin the North American leg of their tour P1USTAGE H: UTOP1A. Earlier this year, the group released their first studio album, 때깔 (Killin‘ It), which secured a No. 1 spot on both Billboard’s World Albums chart and South Korea’s Circle Chart.
The sextet keeps aiming higher, and ahead of their first arena tour, we had the opportunity to sit down with the members and talk about their upcoming performances.
This is your first arena tour — that’s a pretty big upgrade from your previous tours! What did you have in mind when you were preparing for these large-scale shows?
Theo: The bigger the venue, the more work that goes into creating different aspects to the show. That can include how the set looks or how the stage looks. There’s so much more we can do to make the show more fun. We’re just trying to have a good show that can really get people on their feet and jumping, dancing, singing along, and having fun. We’re very, very excited to show you guys something new.
Keeho: We had to fight for a lot of the arenas to make it happen. I feel like we, as P1Harmony, have had this huge confidence that we’d be able to perform at arenas. We felt like there was enough attention and love that came from our fans in America that really would want to see us in bigger venues, so we talked to our company and were like, “We should really go for an arena this time.” And we’re so grateful and honored to be able to perform at some of the coolest venues ever. We’re performing at the Kia Forum, we’re playing at the Oakland Arena, and so many other big venues. So we’re very, very excited.
Did you have a strategy when you were picking songs for the setlist?
Keeho: When picking a setlist there’s a formula, and we don’t wanna spoil too much. We don’t wanna spoil anything, really.
For every team and every person that creates a setlist it’s kind of different. The formulations are very different, but there’s always this formula for P1Harmony that works. So we’re very excited to show that formula but bring a twist to it with new songs, also bringing back old classics and favorites that our fans love and enjoy, or haven’t seen in a really long time.
We can say with confidence that our fans are really, really going to like this setlist. Like, if you guys don’t like this setlist, I don’t know what to say to you. Because it’s super good and we’re very, very excited for you guys to see it live.
Were there any songs, especially on the new album, that jumped out to you as songs you would maybe want to add to the setlist?
Jongseob: For example, “AYAYA” or “Follow Me,” we’ve had a lot of time with them and our P1eces love these songs.
Keeho: Intak was saying this earlier, the fun thing about creating a full-length album is that there’s a lot of songs. And there’s a lot of songs that we can work with, and even during the process of creating the album we’d talk about, “Oh, when we get to do a tour again this song has to be on the setlist. It’s a song that needs to be performed live.” And while creating the album there’s these standout songs that kinda just stick out. Like “Okay, we have to fit this in the setlist someway, somehow.”
And, actually, Theo is one of our members that is deeply involved in creating the setlist. So for him, personally, I’m sure he felt a lot of different songs on the new album needed to be in the setlist.
You have a lot of creative control when it comes to your albums and performances. When you’re thinking of what kind of performance you want to put on, are there any artists that come to mind that inspire you?
Soul: Beyoncé.
Keeho: The Renaissance Tour was absolutely amazing. Very noteworthy, very amazing show.
Theo: A lot of seniors in the K-pop industry, like Big Bang, because they know how to put on a show, as well.
Keeho: I think Travis Scott knows how to have fun on stage. Just seeing all the people really enjoying his songs. The Weeknd as well. There’s definitely a lot of artists to look out for when taking notes.
How do you want fans to feel when they walk away after a show?
Jiung: I want fans to feel like, “I got rid of my stresses, my stresses are all gone right now.” Or, “I have no more energy to jump, yell, or sing.” I hope they enjoy it as much as they can.
Do you have any pre-show or post-show rituals that you do?
Intak: Stretching enough. A lot of stretching before.
Keeho: I feel like we all have our own little routines. For me, I have a huge vocal regimen that I do. I need to have tea, I need to have my throat jelly. I need to have that all on deck. I cannot go on stage without my tea. And I feel like when it’s done it’s like, “We gotta go home.”
Theo: After the show, you just have to go home quickly.
When you’re arranging tours or albums, how do you handle creative differences when you’re putting these things together?
Keeho: I think for me, personally, we’re so far into our careers that it’s not that difficult anymore. I feel like in the first half of our careers, there were parts where we really didn’t understand each other like, “How could you like this idea when this idea is better?”
There are definitely some kinds of disagreement in terms of music or business aspects of our jobs, but I feel like we’ve kind of learned to respect and understand each other’s tastes. I think that’s so important.
Also, we’ve mentioned this before but each member has their own point of interest when it comes to creativity. I think we’ve kind of learned to respect each other and understand each other and just trust.
Is there anything you want to say to the fans who are coming to see the show?
Soul: For me, personally, I think this show is very, very fun. I’m looking forward to performing for you guys. I really want everyone to bring not only themselves, but their family members. Their grandmas, their grandpas, their mothers, their fathers, their friends, their significant others. Whoever it may be, bring them. I hope everyone has a fun time together, both us and the people that are watching.
I’m excited to see the show! I’ll be in Chicago.
Keeho: Now that you’ve mentioned it, we want to say we have something special for Chicago. We have something for every— we can’t say right now what it is, just know that it’s something that we really like, and we’re very excited to go to Chicago. Obviously, for our show and seeing our P1eces, but also there’s another reason.
Don’t miss your chance to see P1Harmony on tour this year! Ticket information can be found here.
“때깔 (Killin‘ It)” album stream: https://p1h-official.lnk.to/Killin_It
P1Harmony on Tour: P1USTAGE H: UTOP1A Dates
Saturday & Sunday, April 27-28 @ Seoul, South Korea – Olympic Hall
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 @ Houston, TX – Smart Financial Centre
Friday, May 17, 2024 @ Dallas, TX – Music Hall at Fair Park
Monday, May 20, 2024 @ Chicago, IL – Credit Union 1 Arena
Friday, May 24, 2024 @ Toronto, ONT – Coca-Cola Coliseum
Sunday, May 26, 2024 @ Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre
Thursday, May 30, 2024 @ Washington, DC – The Anthem
Saturday, June 1, 2024 @ Atlanta, GA – The Fox Theatre
Monday, June 3, 2024 @ Nashville, TN – The Grand Ole Opry
Wednesday, June 5, 2024 @ Miami, FL – James L Knight Center
Saturday, June 8, 2024 @ New York, NY – GOVERNOR’S BALL+
Friday, June 14, 2024 @ Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Sunday, June 16, 2024 @ Los Angeles, CA – The Kia Forum
+ Festival date
