Vol. 1 - T1419 makes a very fast comeback two months after the last one! How did your family react to your debut? "It's strange and I'm proud..."

Released April 9, 2021

T1419, who made an unprecedented simultaneous debut in Japan and Korea on January 11 this year, released their second single "BEFORE SUNRISE Part.2" on March 31. The group has been making an unstoppable comeback since their debut song "ASURABALBALTA". As a Japan-Korea hybrid group with four Japanese members out of nine members, they held a showcase for Japan called "T1419 COMEBACK JAPAN SHOWCASE" via LINE LIVE on March 31.

Following their pre-debut interview, Kstyle had another direct interview with them just before their comeback! This time, the Korean members spoke mostly in Japanese, and it was amazing to see their progress. This time, the Korean members spoke mostly in Japanese, and it was amazing to see how much they have improved. When they were at a loss for words, the Japanese members often supported them, and it was a very funny interview that showed how close they are. In the first part of the interview, they talked about the listening points of the title song "EXIT" and their family's reaction after their debut.

**――What kind of song is "EXIT," the title track of your second single "BEFORE SUNRISE Part.2"?**

LEO: This song is about teenage students and how we propose solutions to their problems. The song expresses how they change from children to adults as they face their problems. That's why the costumes are like school uniforms.

KAIRI: On the surface, the concept of this song is reminiscent of school violence, but when you look at it on a larger scale, it's a song that appeals to everyone to empathize with each of the problems they have and to look for a way out together. We practiced a lot so that we could show you a more powerful appearance than our debut song, "ASURABALBALTA".

KIO: The lyrics are reminiscent of bullying, but if you look at it from a broader perspective, it expresses the problems that each of us have. I think it's a striking song because there are many direct messages in the lyrics.

ZERO: The song is about finding a way out of the problems the boys have, and I hope to show you how we, T1419, grow up through the boys in the song.

**――Please tell us what we should listen to in "EXIT" and what appeals to you.**

NOA: My rap part is so cool! Noa: My rap part is really cool! "Selfish, selfish, Ah!

EVERYONE: Oh!

ON: I'm in charge of the intro part at the beginning of the song!

**――Wouldn't the visual person be in charge of the starting part?**

ON: Yes, I think so too (laughs).

SIAN: I think ON's intro part is really cool too, because he's in charge of the visuals (laughs). I really like the part where I'm in the center of the chorus.

GUNWOO: I have a little scary look in my eyes. People said I had scary eyes in "ASURABALBALTA," but this time I have scary eyes even though it's a student concept, and I express various things with my strong eye power.

KEVIN: I've changed my singing style from "ASURABALBALTA" and I think I can show you my powerful vocals!

ZERO: "ASURABALBALTA" had a strong tone, and this song has the same strong tone, but it has a different appeal. It's a student concept, but the appeal is that it's mature, cool, and a little sexy.

KIO: I think I was able to show a cooler side to myself than before. Last time was the first time for me to shoot a music video, so I had a lot of getting used to, but I think I did better than last time.

**Great success with the makeover! It's like I've been reborn as a new person (laughs)."**

**――Kairi you've changed your hair style and color, so you've had quite a makeover.**

KAIRI: I've always wanted to try a whitish hair color. I also like my hair styled with bangs up rather than down, so I'm happy that I can show you a cooler look than I did in "ASURABALBALTA".

ON: I changed my hair color to red, and I really like it. I really like it, but I think Noah's hairstyle looks really good on me.

NOA: I wore hair extensions in my last activity, but this time I got a perm. I think it's cuter than before (laughs).

ON: I think I look sexier than last time.

NOA: Thanks (laughs).

LEO: I let my long bangs down last time, so it's really refreshing to cut them off, but it's so different from last time that I feel like I've been reborn as a new person (laughs).

ON: Your hair wasn't this color when we shot the music video.

LEO: That's right. My hair was a little busy (laughs).

SIAN: I also cut my hair short, and I really like it. I like it short.

GUNWOO: The concept of "ASURABALBALTA" was a little difficult to understand, and Kio's hairstyle looked like fried noodles (laughs), but this time it's more gentle. On the other hand, Zero-kun is strong (laughs).

ZERO: My concept and Kio's is the exact opposite.

KIO: When everyone changed their hair color, Brother Zero was wearing a hat. He took it off and showed me how short it was, but I thought it was cool and very nice.

ZERO: My hair was short at the beginning of "ASURABALBALTA", but it grew longer and longer as we went along, so I trimmed it this time. I hadn't used hair clippers in about 10 years, so it was really fresh. I think it fits our concept. There are two teams, one for the honorable students and the other for the bad guys, and I'm glad that the hairstyles were made to fit each concept.

GUNWOO: Kio's hairstyle was cute before, but it's cute again this time. He looks a bit like Harry Potter (laughs). My hair hasn't changed too much, but my collar has grown a little longer, so I feel fresh and new.

KEVIN: Last time I had a bright hair color, but this time I decided to go with a more subdued black since it's a student concept. This hair color and the short hair is a big change.

**You struggled with rapping, but "the members helped you out..."**

**――Please tell us about the recording episode.**

SIAN: I had a hard time with the high-pitched parts. Especially my part was really difficult.

LEO: The Korean rapping was also difficult. We recorded "EXIT-Japanese Ver." together, so the Korean members also had a hard time rapping in Japanese.

ZERO: Gunwoo had to rap quickly with pronunciations that don't exist in Korean, such as "zu", "tsu", and "ze", so he always carried around a piece of paper with the lyrics on it, and would come up to me and ask me to teach him (laughs). (laughs) But he soon learned how to pronounce them.

GUNWOO: The members in Japan helped me a lot. We've been taking Japanese lessons, but with the help of the members, we were able to learn pronunciation quickly and sing in a way that Japanese people would feel comfortable listening to.

KEVIN: My Japanese pronunciation is 100 points!

GUNWOO: I had trouble pronouncing the "ts" in "ASURABALBALTA," but now I can say it!

Zero: The teacher teaches us in Japanese class, but it's different from singing, so the Japanese members actually sang the song and gave us advice on how to make it easier to sing.

**――How was the MV shooting for "EXIT"?**

ON: Compared to the "ASURABALBALTA" shoot, this MV shoot wasn't as hard because we had more experience.

KIO: We wore school uniforms and shot on a school set. I hadn't seen a school desk in a while, and it made me feel nostalgic.

GUNWOO: When we shot "ASURABALBALTA," we had snow, jungle, and other fancy sets, but this time, we thought we couldn't make anything so fancy because of the school concept. This time, we thought we wouldn't be able to make something so flashy because of the concept of a school, but they prepared a set that was even more flashy and cool than we imagined, and the fact that we could shoot in such a beautiful place gave us a lot of power.

ZERO: My costume was see-through, and it was transparent the whole time we were shooting (laughs). It looks like I'm wearing a T-shirt, but it's a see-through layer.

KIO: That's why Brother Zero worked so hard to build up his abs! He did a lot of sit-ups every day and drank protein. You can see the results of his efforts in the music video.

ZERO: You'll have to check it out in the music video (laughs). But what do you think? I'm really worried about what everyone will think. I think it was worth the hard work and preparation.

KEVIN: It's been a year since I graduated from school, so I was happy to wear my school uniform for the first time in a while. Cyan, Noah and I, the older members of the group, were happy to be in uniform for the first time in a long time, but said it felt weird (laughs).

NOA: I think my styling was really cool! And the food was really good.

KAIRI: And the food was really good. The food they served at the shooting location was really good, like home cooking. The tteokbokki that was served for dinner was delicious.

ON: There were also things like fried chicken.

**What are the moments when you feel "between a boy and an adult"?**

**――Leo's still underage, so when you're performing, you feel like you're between a boy and an adult.**

LEO: I'm still a minor, so I feel it when I'm doing entertainment like this. My friends around me are still students.

KAIRI: I also feel strange that I'm doing these activities while my friends are still in school. But there are so many things I can't do without the support of the people around me, so I feel like I'm still a kid.

GUNWOO: I also feel this way when I'm doing this job. When I'm working as an idol, I feel that I've become an adult, that I'm no longer a student but an adult working in society. But usually, I still feel like a student (laughs).

ON: I became a trainee when I was 17, and this year I turned 20 in Korean. Maybe that's why I feel like I'm still 17 years old while my friends around me have grown up and become adults.

KEVIN: I think I'm mature when I'm performing on stage, and I'm usually mature too!

ZERO: Kevin is in charge of cleaning up at the dormitory, and if there's a mess, he'll warn the members, so I think he's the more mature of the members. I came to Korea when I was a freshman in high school, and living in Korea away from my parents, I've been able to do things on my own that I didn't do before or that my parents used to do for me at home. And I'm not the type to make too much noise, so I guess I'm an adult in general.

KIO: In the past, I would have given up or quit in the middle of practice when I got tired, but with the support of the fans, I've been able to do more things without giving up. I think that's when I became an adult, but I want to become more mature. I'll do my best (laughs).

NOA: I'm fine with.......I'm an adult (laughs).

LEO: No, I'm still a kid (laughs). (laughs) When we live together, I feel like we're the same age. But sometimes I feel like he's my older brother.

KAIRI: Sometimes Noa asks me for sweets, and I think he's just a kid. He really likes Japanese sweets. My mom sends them to me sometimes, and when he looks at them and says, "Give me some, give me some," he looks like a kid.

NOA: (laughs) The kaki-no-tane that Kairi gave me are delicious.

ON: Kaki no tane is delicious!

LEO: The Korean members like Kaki-no-tane and Umaibo.

**――In the last interview, you said that you didn't feel like you were making your debut yet, but what did you feel after your activities?**

KAIRI: It's still a strange feeling. I don't feel like I've completely become an idol yet, but I think I'm slowly realizing it.

LEO: We're making a comeback right after finishing ASURABALBALTA, so I don't really feel like I've become an idol yet.

ON: I just saw on the Internet that today is the 74th day since our debut, and there's less than a month left until the 100th day, so I think time is passing quickly.

LEO: I feel that too. Time flies when you're active.

KIO: When we debuted, we didn't really feel it yet, but as we've been working, we've been greeting our seniors, standing on stage for live broadcasts, and meeting fans at online autograph sessions, and we've finally felt it. It was very strange to know that they were supporting us.

**With the seniors you admire at music shows...**

**――What did you think was cool about the members when you monitored the stage?**

ON: There was a time when Brothers Noa, Kevin, and Leo used hand microphones during the third or fourth week of activities, and the way Leo rapped was really cool.

NOA: I thought the part where Kevin kicks and punches at the camera was really cool.

ZERO: I also thought Kevin's part before the second chorus was really cool. He sings in a high-pitched voice, but the choreography is powerful. It's a choreography that Kevin came up with himself, and he holds his hands and shakes them as hard as he can.

KEVIN: The choreography is like grabbing something with my right hand, but all the members compliment me on it, so it's embarrassing (laughs). (laughs) When we're monitoring, everyone asks, "How do you do this swaying motion? (laughs). When I'm in a good mood, I shake more forcefully, and when I want to look cool, I shake a little less forcefully (laughs), but when I shake really forcefully, the members seem to find it strange.

ZERO: It's a choreography that can't be done without strength, and I thought it was amazing that you were able to produce high notes while putting in all your energy.

KEVIN: Actually, I was inspired by watching EXO's Kai. I wanted to make it look like Kai's, so I consulted with my dance teacher to create it.

**――How did you feel about the ending fairy (the member whose face is shown in close-up at the end of the song in music programs)?**

NOA: I got to see a lot of On-kun and Zero-kun.

ON: In the beginning, Gunwoo-kun was the ending fairy because he was the center, but after that, it was me, Kairi-kun, Noa-nisan, and Zero-kun, and I think it was cool. In the next activity, I hope all the members who were not shown in the ending of "ASURABALBALTA" can do it.

**――Have you encountered any senior singers you admire on music programs, or made friends with other new idols?**

NOA: I've learned so much about stage sense and manners from watching the senior singers.

SIAN: I was happy to meet senior Kim Chung-ha. His stage manners were really cool.

LEO: The seniors I've been watching on TV were right in front of me, and when I saw them on stage, I was like, "Wow" (laughs). (laughs) I've been a fan of iKON since I was in Japan, so I was happy that it coincided with the time when BOBBY was doing his solo career. When we first passed each other and said hello, I didn't recognize him because he was wearing a mask, and when one of the other members said, "You're BOBBY-senpai from earlier," I was like, "What? Seriously? (laughs).

GUNWOO: When I went to the TV station for the first time, I was excited to meet the seniors I've been watching on TV. When we greeted them, they greeted us back and welcomed us warmly, which I thought was really cool. Also, MCND's Fijun was a senior at the dance academy I attended, and when I met him on "SBS Popular Music," he talked to me and we became friends. It seems that the teacher who took care of me was also in charge of Fijun, so he taught me.

KEVIN: But it's rare to have attended the same dance academy as Gunwoo, so we're all still a little nervous, and the best we can do is say hello.

ON: I've been wanting to eat the food sold at the "SBS Popular Music" kiosk since before my debut, and I was surprised when I actually bought it and ate it.

**――The sandwiches are famous, aren't they?**

ON: Yes, they are! It was great.

**What was your family's reaction after your debut? ON: "They gave me some money..."**

**――What did your family say when they saw you make your debut?**

GUNWOO: I was very happy when my younger sister and brother called me and said, "Big brother, I saw you on TV. I want to be more active and become a cool singer and artist.

ZERO: The day before my first performance on stage, my mother called me and encouraged me, saying, "Just do what you practiced and you'll be fine," and after the performance, I received messages from many people. After the show, I received messages from various people, such as, "It was strange to see your family on TV," and "Your debut is just the beginning, so call me anytime if you have a hard time.

KEVIN: My mother's dream was to be a singer, and she called me and said, "It's kind of strange and proud that my son is going to debut as a singer.

KAIRI: It seems that she recorded the TV and watched it over and over again, and she said, "I'm about to cry. She also watched our variety show "Daily Us" and seemed relieved that we were enjoying ourselves.

NOA: My mother cried. And my dad gave me an allowance.

LEO: Pocket money (laughs). He's still a kid, after all.

EVERYONE: (laughs)

ON: My parents were also very happy. But this time, I dyed my hair red for EXIT, so I sent my father a picture and asked him, "How do you like it? He said, "I don't really like red hair" (laughs).

LEO: My parents took a picture of us watching a show on TV and sent it to me. They said they were very impressed.

Sian: My parents watch all the shows I'm in.

ON: Sian hyung's father has made his KakaoTalk profile picture as Sian hyung.

**――"ASURABALBALTA" was nominated for first place in "THE SHOW". How did you feel at that time?**

NOA: It didn't win first place, but I was very happy. Next time, I want to be number one.

ON: I was really happy to be a candidate for first place with Kang Daniel, who I used to watch when I went to school, and CIX, who has Bae Jin-young as a senior.

SIAN: It's strange and I'm happy that I was nominated with the seniors from Wanna One that I've been admiring.

GUNWOO: At first, I couldn't believe that my debut song would be nominated for the number one spot on a music show. I even told my manager, "Don't lie to me" (laughs). (laughs) I've been working so hard, but I never thought that people would love me so soon, and even though I didn't get the top spot, it gave me the motivation to work even harder from now on. While preparing for "EXIT," I was happy just to be a candidate for first place last time, but this time I was determined to win first place, so I practiced harder, and it was a very important experience for me.

ZERO: On the day I was nominated for first place, there was an online autograph session, and all the fans said, "Congratulations on being nominated for first place! I was happy to hear that they were happy with me, and we also talked about how we wanted to work harder to get to the top in EXIT.

Reporting by Yuko Abe / Soohee Yoon

Original article distributed date : April 09, 2021 6:00 p.m. Reporter : Kstyle Editorial Department