Discovering new music is one of the greatest joys in life, and in K-pop, with so many releases and debuts every month, it is hard to get bored and very easy to find something that is exactly what you were looking for. As you may already know, K-pop is not a single genre but an umbrella term encompassing many different types of music, group formats, aesthetics and styles. Even knowing this, we can still be completely taken aback by unexpected sounds from a group we might otherwise consider a typical boy band, but is far from being one. We speak to the seven members of CLOSE YOUR EYES, a group that, after being formed on a survival show, has been able to find its unique identity and explore a wide range of genres and styles in a tasteful and successful way.
Last month, the sudden flood of tweets and posts from people trying to get everyone to listen to a specific pre-release track by a well-known yet somehow underrated K-pop group was impossible to ignore. Thank God we trusted strangers' advice. From the first few seconds, it was clear to us that Open Your Eyes, a heavily jazz-influenced song rich in melody and vocals, with smooth choreography that combines the sharp precision of K-pop dance with the fluid, relaxed feel of the music, was one of the best songs we had encountered in a while. No wonder everyone was rightfully losing their minds and trying to get everyone to open their eyes to this release.
K-pop moves in waves, and when a particular style or genre gains popularity, most groups and agencies try to ride it, adapting their own essence to whatever is getting the most views or listens. This often results in songs by different groups sounding surprisingly similar. That's why, when a rara avis in the form of a jazz song, a genre rarely explored in this industry, comes along to cleanse our palates, it is impossible not to listen and appreciate the effort of delivering something different to such a high standard. Discovering the rest of their music is equally satisfying, with this single serving as the perfect appetiser for a discography that showcases the group's experimental nature. Across tracks spanning different genres, they still find a way to preserve their own identity.
I then realised I already knew about them without realising it. Their song X, the lead single from their third mini-album, Blackout, had already been stuck in my head for months. It became apparent that creating good songs that stick with you and keep replaying over and over is something they have mastered. In less than two years since their debut, members Minwook, Jingxiang, Yeojun, Sungmin, Seungho, Kenshin and Kyoungbae have released three mini-albums, singles and OSTs. Now, with 256th Note, their fourth mini-album, featuring Open Your Eyes as a pre-release single and Drop That! as the title track, they are reaching new heights, and deservedly so. We talk to them about this, their fandom, CLOSERs, their desire to experiment and more.
Hi guys! Thank you for your time, and congratulations on the new album. How are you feeling after the release?
JEON MINWOOK: Since this album brings new challenges, I worked hard with a nervous heart. After the release, I'm happy thanks to the fans' positive reactions. Now that the album is out, we have more chances to perform on stage, which I like.
MA JINGXIANG: After releasing this album, I think back on the time we spent preparing so hard, and I feel proud and happy. In particular, this album is one where we took on new genres and worked hard to show a different side of ourselves from before, so it feels even more special.
JANG YEOJUN: Since the release, fans have shown us so much love, so I've been spending happy days filled with excitement!
KIM SUNGMIN: They're our own songs, but there are so many great ones with a fresh atmosphere that I wanted to let people hear them as soon as possible. From the moment of release, even people other than CLOSERs and our fans liked our songs, and I was so proud!
SONG SEUNGHO: This is our first album taking on the jazz genre, and the songs are ones that all the members took part in writing lyrics for, so I was really eager to show them to everyone quickly, and the reactions have been so good that I feel proud and happy.
KENSHIN: I'm glad we could show our new side through this album. There were many worries during the preparation, but I feel my love for the album grew just as much. I hope many people listen to our music and discover a new charm. I want to keep taking on various things and show an even more mature side of ourselves.
SEO KYOUNGBAE: First of all, I'm really so happy to be coming back once again with an album with a new concept and new music, and I'm really looking forward to being able to let many people hear these songs too!
MA JINGXIANG: After releasing this album, I think back on the time we spent preparing so hard, and I feel proud and happy. In particular, this album is one where we took on new genres and worked hard to show a different side of ourselves from before, so it feels even more special.
JANG YEOJUN: Since the release, fans have shown us so much love, so I've been spending happy days filled with excitement!
KIM SUNGMIN: They're our own songs, but there are so many great ones with a fresh atmosphere that I wanted to let people hear them as soon as possible. From the moment of release, even people other than CLOSERs and our fans liked our songs, and I was so proud!
SONG SEUNGHO: This is our first album taking on the jazz genre, and the songs are ones that all the members took part in writing lyrics for, so I was really eager to show them to everyone quickly, and the reactions have been so good that I feel proud and happy.
KENSHIN: I'm glad we could show our new side through this album. There were many worries during the preparation, but I feel my love for the album grew just as much. I hope many people listen to our music and discover a new charm. I want to keep taking on various things and show an even more mature side of ourselves.
SEO KYOUNGBAE: First of all, I'm really so happy to be coming back once again with an album with a new concept and new music, and I'm really looking forward to being able to let many people hear these songs too!
CLOSE YOUR EYES is still a very young group, but you already have a strong, unique identity. When you think about the group as it is today, what is the first thing that comes to mind?
MA JINGXIANG: What comes to mind first is the synergy created when seven different charms come together. Each member has a different personality and different strengths, but when we're together, I feel our own colour becomes even clearer. And rather than sticking to just one look, we keep taking on various genres and concepts and trying to show new sides of ourselves. I think this album shows that side of us well too.
JANG YEOJUN: I think it's the visuals and the music that's good to listen to! What comes to mind first is that every member has a distinctive, attractive look, and our ambition, like our team name, to give you music that sounds good even when you listen with your eyes closed!
JANG YEOJUN: I think it's the visuals and the music that's good to listen to! What comes to mind first is that every member has a distinctive, attractive look, and our ambition, like our team name, to give you music that sounds good even when you listen with your eyes closed!
What do you think a group formed through a survival show has that groups formed through a more traditional process might not? I imagine the experience must be very different, and somehow influence or bleed into the group you eventually become.
JEON MINWOOK: I think diversity is our biggest strength. And since everyone debuted with different experiences from before their debut, we share our thoughts with each other and come to see the world in a more diverse and broader way.
KENSHIN: I think our charm is that members with different personalities and strengths came together through the survival programme. In the programme, we often had to prepare a stage in a short time, so I think we were able to build the ability to focus within the time given and sync up with each other. Those experiences help us in our activities now too, and I think our strength is that we can grow together while bringing out each member's individuality.
KENSHIN: I think our charm is that members with different personalities and strengths came together through the survival programme. In the programme, we often had to prepare a stage in a short time, so I think we were able to build the ability to focus within the time given and sync up with each other. Those experiences help us in our activities now too, and I think our strength is that we can grow together while bringing out each member's individuality.
Open Your Eyes is one of the best and most unique K-pop songs I’ve heard in a while, and I’m clearly not alone in this sentiment. I’ve seen people praising and sharing the song and the music video all over social media over the past few weeks. Have you felt this sudden attention around the song? How aware are you of the fact that you have released such a great song?
SONG SEUNGHO: After the pre-release track Open Your Eyes came out, I looked up a lot of reactions on social media, and there were many positive comments saying it was a fresh and really good song, so I became more aware that it's the song that shows this album's identity.
SEO KYOUNGBAE: First of all, from the moment I first heard this song, I felt it was really good as a piece of music, and I felt it was fresh and new in many ways. I think my expectations for listeners' reactions were very high!
SEO KYOUNGBAE: First of all, from the moment I first heard this song, I felt it was really good as a piece of music, and I felt it was fresh and new in many ways. I think my expectations for listeners' reactions were very high!
Music, and jazz more specifically, is a collection of sounds, instruments and harmonies that come together to create something great. What is your favourite part of Open Your Eyes as a song? Is there a particular sound, instrument, rhythm, or even verse or lyric whose sound you especially like in the song?
MA JINGXIANG: I think the free, relaxed feel unique to jazz meets our voices and creates a new charm. We tried to bring out this atmosphere well when recording, and I think listeners will have even more fun if they try to pick out the various sounds and rhythms in the song one by one!
KIM SUNGMIN: I like the drum beat! The song starts with drums right from the intro, and the drum beat gives the feeling of opening a new door, so I think that's what I like most. And with the members' tones added on top, I think it became an even cooler Open Your Eyes.
KIM SUNGMIN: I like the drum beat! The song starts with drums right from the intro, and the drum beat gives the feeling of opening a new door, so I think that's what I like most. And with the members' tones added on top, I think it became an even cooler Open Your Eyes.
Being told that you are unique is, in my opinion, one of the highest compliments someone can receive. What do you like to hear, and what kind of compliment makes you particularly happy?
KIM SUNGMIN: "CLOSE YOUR EYES, your songs are really good!" I think that's the best. We've heard "your songs are really good" a lot since our first album, but I still think it's the best compliment. Those words make us happy and give us the drive to cheer up and do even better.
SEO KYOUNGBAE: The words that make me happy to hear are "original" and "it feels like a song only they would make". Receiving compliments like these feels really great! I'm really proud of our team for making music that only we can make!
SEO KYOUNGBAE: The words that make me happy to hear are "original" and "it feels like a song only they would make". Receiving compliments like these feels really great! I'm really proud of our team for making music that only we can make!
The album feels surprisingly experimental, especially in the way it moves between different musical worlds. Open Your Eyes, for example, has this jazz-influenced quality, while Drop That! feels much more urban and old-school, and other songs embrace a very recognisable K-pop sound. How did you approach this range of sounds when putting the album together?
JANG YEOJUN: It reflects our ambition to try making good and diverse music regardless of genre. Since we naturally learn a lot in the process, we're consciously taking on these challenges!
KENSHIN: I think it's fun that this album can show a different mood and charm in each song. We also don't want to stick to just one genre; we want to take on various styles of music and find new ways of expressing ourselves. Since each song has a different mood, it's also been a chance for us to discover new sides of ourselves. Going forward, I want to keep taking on various genres and make music that's uniquely CLOSE YOUR EYES.
KENSHIN: I think it's fun that this album can show a different mood and charm in each song. We also don't want to stick to just one genre; we want to take on various styles of music and find new ways of expressing ourselves. Since each song has a different mood, it's also been a chance for us to discover new sides of ourselves. Going forward, I want to keep taking on various genres and make music that's uniquely CLOSE YOUR EYES.
There is something so beautiful about Slowly Bleed, from its melody to its lyrics; it has a very romantic and warm feeling. Looking at the album as a whole, is there a particular song, part of a song or lyric that you feel especially connected to on a personal and emotional level?
JEON MINWOOK: Eternity! In the last chorus, there's a lyric, "I'll be waiting, forever," and it's similar to how I feel about the CLOSERs. I can wait for the CLOSERs for my whole life.
SEO KYOUNGBAE: For me, that song would be Baby Bossa Nova! The refreshing melody, which makes even very ordinary daily life feel full of beautiful elements, left a deep impression on me!
SEO KYOUNGBAE: For me, that song would be Baby Bossa Nova! The refreshing melody, which makes even very ordinary daily life feel full of beautiful elements, left a deep impression on me!
With such different sounds across the album, do you feel that there is a particular sound that feels most like CLOSE YOUR EYES, or is the diversity itself an important part of your identity as a group?
MA JINGXIANG: I think being able to handle a wide range of genres is our own colour. This album also explored various genres on a jazz foundation, and there were styles we were taking on for the first time, so preparing for it was really fun. So let the music play on!!!
JANG YEOJUN: I think there's a core colour and charm unique to CLOSE YOUR EYES that can be felt within the diversity, and I think all of our music, including our harmonious voices, is our identity!
JANG YEOJUN: I think there's a core colour and charm unique to CLOSE YOUR EYES that can be felt within the diversity, and I think all of our music, including our harmonious voices, is our identity!
We usually talk about inspiration in relation to music and art, but people can be inspired by almost anything. What is something outside of music that has been inspiring you lately, and what is it about it that has caught your attention?
JEON MINWOOK: My biggest inspiration is always the fans. If I look elsewhere, lately I've been thinking a lot about my own inner self and getting inspiration from that. I sometimes think, "Oh, so this is the kind of person I originally was, and I've lived without knowing it until now?" There are times when I deny or try to overcome my less admirable sides, but I've realised there are also times when I need to accept and acknowledge them, and the feelings that come with that often lead to inspiration.
KIM SUNGMIN: Lately, I get the most inspiration from the fans. When I see fans listen to our music and express themselves in their own ways, I find myself having a lot of new thoughts. In particular, when they find and like parts we passed over without thinking, or discover meanings we hadn't expected, it feels amazing, and I'm grateful. Seeing that, I often think that I want to make music that fans will remember for a long time and want to come back to.
KIM SUNGMIN: Lately, I get the most inspiration from the fans. When I see fans listen to our music and express themselves in their own ways, I find myself having a lot of new thoughts. In particular, when they find and like parts we passed over without thinking, or discover meanings we hadn't expected, it feels amazing, and I'm grateful. Seeing that, I often think that I want to make music that fans will remember for a long time and want to come back to.
Music can mean something completely different to the person who makes it and to the person who listens to it. What is the one feeling you would most like someone to have when they listen to CLOSE YOUR EYES?
JEON MINWOOK: I hope they feel excited or hyped. When I listen to good music, my heart beats fast or I get excited. It's the same even with a calm song. In whatever way, I want to make them feel a new emotion.
SONG SEUNGHO: I hope they feel overwhelmed with emotion. I feel this a lot while performing on stage too, and I hope the people listening to our music feel this emotion as well.
SONG SEUNGHO: I hope they feel overwhelmed with emotion. I feel this a lot while performing on stage too, and I hope the people listening to our music feel this emotion as well.
After experimenting with so many different genres already, is there a sound or musical world you haven't explored yet that you are particularly curious to discover?
KIM SUNGMIN: I'd like to try a cappella. The members sometimes harmonise on songs together for fun, and I think it would be fun to turn that into real music. I want to create our own sound with just our voices, without instruments.
SEO KYOUNGBAE: If we could try another new genre, I really want to try a concept like student youth, something like that!
SEO KYOUNGBAE: If we could try another new genre, I really want to try a concept like student youth, something like that!
We often think of important moments as the big ones: a debut, a first stage, a first concert. But sometimes it is the smallest things that stay with us the longest. Is there a small moment from your time with CLOSE YOUR EYES that you remember particularly fondly, perhaps precisely because it seemed insignificant at the time?
JEON MINWOOK: I remember the time we stayed in a temporary dorm for about a week after we were first formed as a team. We felt a little awkward with each other, but the freshness of those first days of living together is precious to me.
KENSHIN: I remember the time we spent practising together as members. When practising, we'd sync the same part over and over, and sometimes we worried because things didn't go as we wanted. But looking back now, the process of overcoming those times together and completing a stage little by little is a precious memory. It felt natural at the time, but now I think those times brought us closer together.
KENSHIN: I remember the time we spent practising together as members. When practising, we'd sync the same part over and over, and sometimes we worried because things didn't go as we wanted. But looking back now, the process of overcoming those times together and completing a stage little by little is a precious memory. It felt natural at the time, but now I think those times brought us closer together.
Do you prefer having your eyes closed or open? In other words, do you prefer dreaming or reality?
JANG YEOJUN: I prefer having my eyes closed! Because you have to close your eyes in order to live with them open! I think having dreams lets us live our reality more richly!
SONG SEUNGHO: I prefer reality. Of course, we can be happy in our dreams, but in real life, we face unexpected situations and sometimes difficult moments. I think the happiness we feel after overcoming those challenges is even more meaningful. That's why I find reality more exciting and enjoyable. It allows me to experience so many different things and feel an even greater sense of happiness.
SONG SEUNGHO: I prefer reality. Of course, we can be happy in our dreams, but in real life, we face unexpected situations and sometimes difficult moments. I think the happiness we feel after overcoming those challenges is even more meaningful. That's why I find reality more exciting and enjoyable. It allows me to experience so many different things and feel an even greater sense of happiness.
