Seventeen bursts on the scene with new EP

December 5, 2016

SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Yonhap) — South Korean boy band Seventeen on Monday called its third and latest EP “Going Seventeen” by far the band’s best album since its debut.

The 13-member act exuded youthful energy in a media showcase event held in central Seoul, glowing with pride about the new EP.

The new EP enlists a total of eight songs, including “Beautiful,” “Lean on Me,” “Smile Flower” and lead song “Boom Boom.” The styles range from upbeat dance-pop to acoustic ballad.

“Listening to our new songs, all members agreed that this is the best album that we’ve worked on so far,” said Woozi, who co-composed six of the eight songs in the EP.

“In the mixing and mastering period for the EP, we kept listening to the songs all the time. With how much musical diversity we put into the album, we could vividly tell it was Seventeen’s music,” the 20-year-old singer-songwriter added.

Seventeen members make songs and writes lyrics for all of their songs, which earned the K-pop band a nickname meaning “self-made idol.”

The photo, provided by Pledis Entertainment, shows South Korean boy band Seventeen showcasing dance-pop song "Boom Boom," the lead single of its third and latest EP "Going Seventeen," in central Seoul on Dec. 5, 2016.

The photo, provided by Pledis Entertainment, shows South Korean boy band Seventeen showcasing dance-pop song “Boom Boom,” the lead single of its third and latest EP “Going Seventeen,” in central Seoul on Dec. 5, 2016.

During the media event, the K-pop band performed two songs, dance-pop “Boom Boom” and acoustic pop-ballad “Smile Flower.”

“Boom Boom” depicts a boy’s youthful heart bursting with love, a trademark of the idol group. The song is composed by Woozi and producer Bumzu, and written by Woozi, S. Coups, Wonwoo, Mingyu, Vernon and Bumzu.

“The song is extremely dynamic, with 13 of us performing on one stage — This is something that all idol groups would agree with,” said Seungkwan, a member of Seventeen’s vocal unit.

“While preparing for this album, we all lost weight in such a natural way — We call it a ‘Boom Boom diet,’” he jovially continued, adding that he and his teammates asked Hoshi, the team’s choreographer, to make the moves more energetic next time. The 18-year-old surprised the crowd as he admitted to losing 7 kilograms while working on the EP.

http://img.yonhapnews.co.kr/etc/inner/EN/2016/12/05/AEN20161205010000315_03_i.jpg

“Smile Flower,” the second song showcased in the event, is a mellow pop ballad that is highlighted with acoustic guitar. The song describes a boy’s determination to cherish the one he’s with, while being anxious that his love can leave him at anytime, unexpectedly.

While confident about the new EP, the members stayed humble about their goals.

“Every time we release a new EP, we prefer to meet the expectations of our fans and make their waiting worthwhile, rather than topping the charts and winning awards,” said S. Coups.

But having a No. 1 wouldn’t hurt, according to other members.

DK said, “Whenever our song rose to the No. 1 spot, we revealed a new dance video. This time, we’ll post a video in a Christmas special version (if we top the chart.)”

The all-male K-pop band consists of three units: vocal, hip-hop and performance. Woozi, Jeonghan, Joshua, DK and Seungkwan are in the vocal unit, while S. Coups, Wonwoo, Mingyu and Vernon belong to the hip-hop unit. Hoshi, Jun, The8 and Dino are in the performance unit.

Among the 13, Vernon and Joshua are from the United States, while Jun and The8 are from mainland China.

 

The photo, provided by Pledis Entertainment, shows South Korean boy band Seventeen performing pop-ballad "Smile Flower," a song from its third and latest EP "Going Seventeen," in central Seoul on Dec. 5, 2016.

The photo, provided by Pledis Entertainment, shows South Korean boy band Seventeen performing pop-ballad “Smile Flower,” a song from its third and latest EP “Going Seventeen,” in central Seoul on Dec. 5, 2016.

The photo, provided by Pledis Entertainment, shows South Korean boy band Seventeen attending a press conference for its third and latest EP "Going Seventeen" in central Seoul on Dec. 5, 2016.

The photo, provided by Pledis Entertainment, shows South Korean boy band Seventeen attending a press conference for its third and latest EP “Going Seventeen” in central Seoul on Dec. 5, 2016.