Kpopmap had the honor of attending a round interview with the TO1 members ahead of their comeback. They are coming back on Nov. 4 at 6 PM (KST) with their 2nd mini-album “RE:ALIZE” and title track ‘No More X’. You can check out the concept trailer for ‘No More X’ here.
TO1 shared their thoughts about their comeback, their musical journey so far, and their hopes for the future in the interview. How do you feel about making a comeback after 6 months? Which side of TO1 will we get to see this time around? We thought a lot about how to express a different side of ourselves this comeback. You’ll probably notice a lot of differences between this comeback and the last one. We want to show a freer and cooler side of ourselves through our performance this time. Please look forward to it. JaeYun What does your album title “RE:ALIZE” mean to you? Passion. It means realizing another side of ourselves. KyungHo Your album comes in two versions “Real” and “Lie”. You released teasers for both versions showing a very cool side to the group members and your group. We’re curious which member you think suits each concept the best and why? I think JaeYun suits this comeback’s concept the best because he’s like an angel and he has a very plot twist-like charm. Jerome What flavor of performance are you trying to show fans through your comeback? A performance showing a different side to all 10 members where each one can shine a little bit more. KyungHo “Together as one.” We exist as one although all ten members have different personalities. I hope that you can see how we perform one stage and express one expression. JaeYoon TO1 used to be TOO and changed your name. How do you see this affecting the group? There may be some confusion because we’ve changed our name but we see it as a new start. Since we’re starting again, we’re going to give it our best shot. WoongGi How do you think the fact that you started out on a survival show has affected your group until now? We think of the experience of coming from a survival show as a precious thing. There are satisfying moments that we can look back on and we just hope to show more of ourselves in the future. Jerome Your concept trailer was very impressive. In your concept trailer, you said, “To realize myself is to self-admit myself. Deserted in a haze called alluring temptation.” It made us curious if there is anything you have learned about yourself as artists either musically or personally from when you debuted until now. I think that we’ve become freer in a sense. We put a lot of effort into our debut and were nervous, but now we feel more confident and enjoy ourselves more on stage. When comparing the two, I think you can see how we’ve improved and developed. J.YOU I think we have a deeper understanding of music as a result of participating in the song production process. JaeYoon We’ve explored different genres which allows the members to explore more of the music that each of us like. JiSu Which song from “RE:ALIZE” would you recommend to a K-Pop fan who is listening to TO1 for the first time? Our title song ‘No More X’ because it is a hip-hop genre song that has a lot of energy. It would be good to listen to if you need to cheer up. JiSu ‘Golden’. I think it is so high in quality that it could probably be a second title song. J.YOU Have you noticed any trends in the 4th generation of K-Pop? What do you think makes TO1 stand out amongst other 4th generation K-Pop groups and what kind of group do you want to become? I think the 4th generation of K-Pop tries to merge a lot of generes into K-Pop. We want to be defined as a group that can adapt well to anything and show our multi-talented side. JaeYoon We want to be a group that is unique. The 4th generation of K-Pop focuses a lot on synchronization. We want to be a group that focuses less on being synchronized but shows more soul through some freedom in our movement. Chan We’ve been living during a pandemic. Are there any concerns that the members have shared during this time? We missed out on the energy of performing face-to-face, but we’re lucky that we’ve been able to convey things through the camera. We’ve even learned to become more expressive through both our faces and bodies. JaeYun How were you able to combat your concerns whilst preparing for your comeback? We have been able to get through everything because of TOOGETHER. Their support even made us practice harder to repay their love. MinSu You are growing popularity overseas. Your title song ‘No More X’ even comes in an English version. Do you maybe have a special message that you would like to tell your overseas fans? We definitely want to visit all of our foreign fans and perform in front of them. WoongGi We’ve been overseas a couple of times actually. To America and Japan. Unfortunately we haven’t had many opportunities to meet fans but we’ve managed to communicate online through platforms like Bubble and our cafe. It’s what we like to do when we are sad. We definitely want to repay the fans for their support and show them a lot of performances. J.YOU Do the members have any hobbies that you are enjoying these days? There are members who are studying languages to be able to communicate with fans a little bit better. Some members are learning instruments and some of us want to learn skills like acting. Jerome Do you have any other K-Pop artists that you look up to as role models? I think SHINee is a group that we look up to a lot. They are considered reliable artists and have huge specs with a diverse discography. I want TO1 to show that kind of appearance to fans in the future. Jerome Lastly, how would you describe the TO1 members’ relationship with each other? I’m like the maknae on top. One of the best parts about TO1 is that we don’t place that much importance on age and we are all equal. WoongGi We get along like a family. Jerome There’s not that big of an age difference between the members so we get along just like friends. KyungHo At the end of the interview, TO1 confessed that it was actually their first face-to-face interview and that they were extremely nervous. We have to say that they did a great job. In fact, it was J.YOU’s birthday and he said that he was happy to be enjoying the interview on his special day. What do you think of TO1’s comeback? Be sure to show them a lot of love and support!
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