Rising rookies ALL(H)OURS talk about their new mini-album WITNESS, their growth as a group, and more.

Only 6 months after their debut, the dynamic power rookies ALL(H)OURS have made their comeback with their latest mini-album WITNESS. KUNHO, YOUMIN, XAYDEN, MINJE, MASAMI, HYUNBIN, and ON:N opened up to us about their journey as a rookie group in a competitive industry. With their latest comeback, the 7 member group shares their insights about their creative process behind their mini-album WITNESS, the progress they make as a group and the most important thing, sharing their love for their fans Min(ut)e.

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Congratulations on the release of your second mini-album, WITNESS! How does it feel to be back with new music just six months after your debut?
MASAMI: Thank you! It feels great to be back and to perform on stage once again. To some people, it may feel like it’s only been three to four months, but we were very eager to be back on the stage to show what we have! While preparing for this album, we were so excited to show and tell our fans and listeners about our second mini album, WITNESS. Now that it has been released, we hope you guys like it.

Can you explain the meaning behind the title of WITNESS? What do you hope your fans, Min(ut)e, will witness through this album?
ON:N: With our second mini album, WITNESS, we hope our fans can witness the new wave that we will bring into the world of K-pop, showing the hidden ego within ourselves, which we showed as a goblin in this album.

HYUNBIN: Our Min(ut)es will also be able to witness an upgraded quality performance than “GOTCHA,” along with our energy. I hope that more people will be able to witness our growth and passion within this promotion.

KUNHO mentioned that WITNESS expresses your ambition in a rough way. Can you tell us more on how this theme is portrayed in the album? What ambitions do you have?
KUNHO: With our first mini album, ALL OURS, the focus was to portray our debut, our beginning as a group. We focused on introducing ourselves to everyone. However, with this album, now that we have introduced ourselves to everyone, we tried to show which abilities we have, and what we can do as a group. All of us have an ambition to become a well-recognized group, but not only that, but also to be recognized as a group who are talented and skillful.

The opening track, “WITNESS,” is an instrumental. What was the intention behind starting the album with an instrumental piece, and what atmosphere does it set for the rest of the album?
XAYDEN: Just like our debut album, ALL OURS, we started the album with an instrumental opening track, “WITNESS.” It contains distorted synth sound production, centered on the strong drums and bass. Like the concept of the album, this track continues to increase the tension of the song by its intense beat, it sets the mood of the album as well as targeting to set a new music trend.

So cool! – Then the final track, “Blah Blah,” carries a powerful message about self-worth and ignoring negative opinions. What inspired you to write this song, and what message do you hope to spread?
HYUNBIN: “Blah Blah” was inspired by the keyword “model.” All of us brainstormed separately at first, then we had a meeting together to come up with the lyrics and the theme of the song. We wanted to show and say that, “We were born to shine” and “we don’t have to do anything to be cool, we are cool.” “Blah Blah” represents ALL(H)OURS, but it also represents those who are listening to the song as well!

Do you feel ALL(H)OURS has evolved since debut?
YOUMIN: We have been getting feedback that we did evolve since our debut performances, especially after live broadcasting shows for “SHOCK.” We heard that our facial expression got better, and our fans tell us that we seem more relaxed when performing, compared to “GOTCHA.” Which we are glad to hear, because that was what we were aiming for in this promotion. We practiced showing better facial expressions to suit the vibe of the song and performances.

That is amazing to hear for you guys! As a rookie group, what have been some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far?
MINJE: The biggest lesson we have learned so far is to stay humble. We are aware that the love and support from our fans, Min(ut)es, should not be taken for granted. Therefore, we would like to stay humble, and remind ourselves that we need to try harder and better to make it up to the unconditional love they are sending us.

Spread the love! – You also performed at Gyeongbokgung Palace for the Korea Heritage Service’s special concert last May. What was that experience like, and how did it feel to be part of such a big event?
XAYDEN: It was such an unforgettable experience that we had, and we were honored to be on the same stage, as well as to perform with the other seniors. Watching the other artists perform inspired us even more and it triggered us to show a better stage to our fans, and fans of other artists as well. Also, performing in hanbok was another experience that we had. We actually went viral on social media for wearing such a nice hanbok, which was really cool!

Your fans, Min(ut)e, are an important part of your journey. How have they supported you through your debut and comeback, and what message do you have for them?
HYUNBIN: Min(ut)es have been sending us so much love and support since the beginning of our journey as a group. It truly surprises me that each individual could send so much love to another. I think all of us learned so much from Min(ut)es, including how to express our feelings or even to show how we feel in front of them. We cannot wait to go on more life-changing journeys with Min(ut)es! We love you so much!

Final question! What are your future goals for ALL(H)OURS, and how do you plan to continue growing and evolving as a group?
KUNHO: As a group, we continuously think about how we could evolve to show better versions of our performances, or even ourselves. One of our goals is to become artists who are talented and skillful, as well as an artists who our fans can be very proud of! Moving forward, we would like to aim for the Rookie Award, as well as winning first place on music broadcasting shows. Stay tuned and please continue to show your love, support, and interests to us, ALL(H)OURS! Thank you!

We want to thank ALL(H)OURS so much for their time with us. Curious about the group and their sound? Stream WITNESS right here: