K-pop as a genre has reached the general public, but the surface has been barely scratched. Next to the big names that have become a vehicle for melodies and lyrics in a foreign language to reach the ears of the masses and get them used to what the Korean music industry is capable of, an immense ecosystem breathes and thrives thanks to the many groups and artists that keep growing and evolving within it. In it, longevity is not necessarily a requirement for reaching quality, and some of the most interesting and powerful proposals of the moment are brought by the youngest. ALPHA DRIVE ONE, with only eight months having passed since their debut but with members whose experience can add up to several years, is one of the newest, coolest and most promising groups of this new generation, and we talked to them right after their first-ever European performance at Music Bank in Barcelona.
It may not be noticeable to the casual listener, but the K-pop industry, which has lived through steady and constant but somehow niche growth ever since its emergence back in the ’90s, has experienced more changes and milestones than the fans and close followers of this genre could have ever imagined some years ago. For better or for worse, everyone knows at least one group and can easily recall some of the melodies that are now ever-present across the world; however, it is undeniable that the hard-to-define but easy-to-identify K-pop essence — that has never been limited to just pop but that comprises infinite genres and styles — has been blurred by external influences, a focus on charts and, in general, the globalisation that is blending us all into the same. But in the vast universe of this genre, there are always groups committed to giving the audience the best K-pop-sounding K-pop songs we are always waiting for.
In the fifth generation of K-pop, the one we are currently in, we are finding proposals that are shaping the resurgence of a golden era of the genre, with wider audiences being introduced to the replayable allure of boy and girl groups. In the lineup of the newest edition of Music Bank, one of the most important K-pop events in the world that this year took place in Barcelona, we found some of these groups that, despite their novelty, are already making waves for how good their music sounds, how charming and talented the members are and how captivating their concept and history are. ALPHA DRIVE ONE was born from a televised survival competition last year, where public voting determined who would be part of the group, and LEO, JUNSEO, ARNO, SANGWON, XINLONG, ANXIN, and SANGHYEON are proving every day why they won their spot in the final lineup.
Having just debuted in January, and with two mini-albums under their name — the first one, EUPHORIA, reaching the million-seller mark remarkably fast, and their second, UNBREAKABLE : 少年BEAST, freshly released and already accumulating millions of streams and more than 50 million views on the music video for the title track, BORN DIRE — they have demonstrated their growth to be fast and intense but completely deserved. We sat with them for a quick talk the morning after their first-ever European appearance in Barcelona on the Music Bank stage, where they managed to engage the crowd in a unique way, making their fans, ALLYZ, even more obsessed and welcoming thousands more into their world.
Hi guys! Thank you for your time; I'm so glad to meet you!
Thank you! We are happy to be here.
You are meeting your European fans now for the first time as ALPHA DRIVE ONE, which is a significant step. Is there anything about this European debut, like the people, atmosphere, or energy, that feels different and memorable?
SANGHYEON: It was our first time performing in Europe, and we were really grateful for all the fans who cheered us on so much. Even though many of them aren’t Korean, they still tried to follow the songs and learn all the lyrics, and they were singing along with us. So instead of feeling tired, their cheers and energy actually gave us even more strength and energy to keep going throughout the concert.
Festivals are different from your concerts because you are sharing the stage with many other artists. What do you enjoy about that experience?
ANXIN: The opportunity to be on the same stage as other senior artists has given us a really valuable chance to learn so much and grow even more through the experience.
ALPHA DRIVE ONE is a group made up of seven very different personalities. How do you think individuality works within a group where the image and identity are ultimately shared?
SANGHYEON: Each member of the group comes from a different background and has had different experiences. At first, we wondered how we could bring all these different personalities together and how we could make them work as one group. But in the end, I think it’s exactly that diversity, along with the youthful spirit that each of us brings, that makes us who we are and something we can share with all of our fans.
You have already travelled quite a distance together in a very short amount of time, from BOYS II PLANET to your debut and now meeting fans in different parts of the world. Is there a moment since becoming ALPHA DRIVE ONE when it suddenly felt real to you that this was no longer a dream or a competition but your life?
JUNSEO: For example, yesterday at Music Bank Barcelona, we could really feel the energy from all the different fans who came from across Europe. Seeing so many fans supporting us and enjoying our performance together was really meaningful for us. Every time we receive so much support from so many fans, it becomes a huge motivation for us to keep doing our best, keep working hard, and continue growing as a group. Gracias!
UNBREAKABLE : 少年BEAST, your second mini-album that has just been released, comes only a few months after your debut. How different does this era feel from EUPHORIA? Can you feel a big change or evolution in yourselves and as a group with this second release?
SANGWON: Compared to EUPHORIA, I think the area where we’ve grown the most is our teamwork. When we made EUPHORIA, we hadn’t been together as a group for very long, so during the preparation of the album, we were still getting to know each other and learning how to fit together. With this second mini-album, we already knew each other much better. We had a better understanding of each member’s personality and style, so we’ve become closer as a group, and our performances feel much more natural. The recording process and filming the music videos have also become much smoother. Through all the different performances and opportunities we’ve had to perform on different stages, we’re getting a clearer idea of who we are as a group and what our identity is.
All of you participated in writing the lyrics for WELCOME home. The song speaks about moving through uncertainty and past pain and eventually finding an answer in the idea of "us". In this process of writing together and sort of opening your hearts to each other, was there something you discovered about one another that you had not understood before?
XINLONG: Normally, we’ve always had these kinds of conversations with each other within the group, but expressing our feelings and turning them into lyrics for a song is something we’re doing for the first time. While writing the lyrics and making the music, we discovered that each member has had different experiences and that there are sides of each other that we didn’t know about before. It was really interesting for us to discover those different sides through the process. In the future, we want to keep taking part in the songwriting and music-making process; it’s something we’re really excited about.
Many other creative disciplines influence artists like you, from fashion and art to fellow musicians. Is there a particular artist, era, style, etc., that inspires you and that you would like to bring or channel into ALPHA DRIVE ONE?
LEO: We get influences and inspiration from many different areas, and even in this album, for example, Diamond Hour has a vintage feel to it. We used a sample from a Korean song from the 1980s, and we tried to give it a different interpretation through our own music. We’ve also been trying to incorporate elements of hip-hop, R&B and breakbeat. We really want to keep exploring different genres and styles so that people with different tastes and from different backgrounds can all find something they enjoy in our music.
