8TURN showcases maturity and growth between its debut and second EP in this exclusive interview.
8TURN, an eight-member boy group under MNH Entertainment consisting of MYUNG HO, JAE YUN, MIN HO, YOON SUNG, HAE MIN, KYUNG MIN, YUN GYU, and SEUNG HEON, made their official debut on January 30, 2023, with the mini-album 8TURNRISE, and were the first boy group to debut in 2023.
8TURN has become a rising industry talent, on track to earn multiple Rookie of the Year award nominations (and undoubtedly win) later this year. The boys continue to rewrite the “rules” with their innovative concepts, sound, and attitude while simultaneously demonstrating that wow factor that makes listeners want to get to know them. From the powerful and addicting debut track, “TIC TAC,” to their newest old school hip-hop sounding track, “EXCEL,” 8TURN’s discography has a fresh sense of originality, making them stand out even more as they do something unique in the K-Pop industry.
With their latest release, UNCHARTED DRIFT, 8TURN continues the story they've been telling since the beginning. The members "excel" in highlighting the message of choosing the hard road toward their goals instead of the easy way out. In particular, the group’s development since its debut is unprecedented, displaying insane growth in their musical abilities, vocal prowess, dance skills, and overall maturity, to name a few. 8TURN has cemented itself as an artist worth stanning because of its ability to deliver new and fresh songs with every album as well as its refreshing “rule-breaking” perspective.
8TURN sat down with Hellokpop to discuss their recently released album UNCHARTED DRIFT, how they incorporate their colors into the group, plans for the future, and more. Keep reading to know more about the octet.
Disclaimer: This interview with conducted in English with the assistance of a translator.
Hi, 8TURN! It’s nice to meet you! Thanks for speaking to Hellokpop. Please introduce yourselves to our readers.
MYUNG HO: Hi! I’m the oldest member of 8TURN, and I’m in charge of wearing cropped t-shirts.
JAE YUN: Hello, readers of Hellokpop. I’m JAE YUN, the leader of 8TURN, and I’m very glad to introduce ourselves.
MIN HO: Hi, I’m MIN HO, the gentle hyung of 8TURN.
YOON SUNG: Hi! I’m YOON SUNG, in charge of high-tension energy and core muscles in 8TURN!
HAE MIN: My name is HAE MIN, and I”m the sub-vocalist and sunshine of 8TURN. I’m 20 years old, and my MBTI is INFP.
KYUNG MIN: Hello, readers of Hellokpop! I’m KYUNG MIN, the sub-vocalist of 8TURN and in charge of water.
YUN GYU: Hello! I’m YUN GYU, and I’m the sports drink in the group!
SEUNG HEON: Hi! I’m the mint-chocolate of the group 8TURN, making a comeback with our second album, UNCHARTED DRIFT.
Congratulations on your 2nd mini-album, UNCHARTED DRIFT! This album will mark your first group comeback. What messages or feelings do you hope fans take away from your new music?
MIN HO: I hope our fans enjoy our performance on stage as much as we enjoy performing it.
SEUNG HEON: What we said the most to ourselves as we prepared for this comeback was to really enjoy our performance. So I think our fans will get the same happy feeling as they see us perform, and that is exactly what we want to make them feel like watching our stage.
How would you describe this comeback in one word or phrase?
HAE MIN: I would say this comeback is like a lively summer! When it gets too hot during summer, you tend to become lazy and feel down. But when you listen to 8TURN's songs, you will be full of energy. We'll make sure that you stay active this summer!
YUN GYU: This comeback is an ‘upgrade’ because we are back with an upgraded version of us compared to our debut album.
8TURN made its debut in January of this year, and you've only been in the music scene for about 5 months. How has your experience as rookie idols in the K-pop industry been so far?
YOON SUNG: K-POP has become a global phenomenon, and there are many seniors that have accomplished so much. So as a rookie, we really thought about how to grab the attention of the public and always wanted to do our best in every opportunity we got. We are just looking ahead and moving forward.
KYUNG MIN: I was unfamiliar with everything because it was my first time, but watching the seniors perform with my own eyes when I saw them only on television prior to debut, I felt determined to work harder.
UNCHARTED DRIFT is mainly about making your own path. If you could describe the word "Unpredictable" in one word, which word would it be?
MYUNG HO: I think it would be “Just keep going.” To me, ‘unpredictable’ means that I don’t get scared or avoid it even if it’s an unpredictable road, and I just go ahead regardless.
JAE YUN: It is like a “rugby ball” because it bounces in unpredictable directions.
What were your feelings about “EXCEL” the first time that you heard it?
MIN HO: I loved the song but was somewhat worried because it was a difficult song. At the same time, I really wanted to hear the song recorded in our voices.
YOON SUNG: I thought that if the word ‘intensity’ were a song, that would be “EXCEL.” I exclaimed as soon as I first heard the song because the electric guitar sound had a rock spirit, and the melodic lines were exceptional. At first, I wasn’t sure if we could pull it off because the song was quite difficult, but we got to know the song better through a lot of practice, and the process was very enjoyable. This makes me love the song even more.
KYUNG MIN: The first thing that came to my mind was, “This is not going to be easy.”
SEUNG HEON: As soon as I heard the song, I knew that the recording process won’t be easy. The song was very intense and not easy to pull off, so I personally ran into several challenges and faced my limitations, but I tried to enjoy the process and overcome all that as the song was a bop. I’m actually proud of us because I think we did a great job recording the song in our own style.
YUN GYU participated in writing lyrics for the song “WORLD.” Are there any memorable moments from writing lyrics to this song? What is your creative process like?
YUN GYU: When I was first writing the lyrics, I remember that I was just humming the melody when an inspiration hit me, and I just started to jot it down. It took a long time to write the lyrics in several versions, but it was fun and amazing that, eventually, I was able to write it with ease.
Are there any members who would like to choreograph or write songs in the future if given the opportunity to do so?
MYUNG HO: I would love to take part in composing. I don't know how to do it yet, but I will learn hard in the future, so please look forward to it.
JAE YUN: Since I was a trainee, I was interested in writing lyrics and composing, so I tried to do it on my own. I started to take lyric-writing classes because I wanted to learn it more professionally and later participate in our 8TURN songs.
MIN HO: I have quite an emotional personality, so I'm interested in writing lyrics that can express our feelings. Recently, I've been thinking to myself that I want to learn how to compose. Stay tuned for it!
YOON SUNG: I usually think a lot about what kind of choreography would suit certain parts of the song when I hear it for the first time. If I get a chance in the future, I would love to participate in the choreography-making process.
HAE MIN: I would love to release songs both as a solo and as a team in which I participate in lyric writing or composing, just like the senior K-pop artists.
KYUNG MIN: I’m currently learning how to compose songs. It hasn’t been long since I started, but I’m really doing my best. While learning, it came to me that someday I would like to be in charge of writing 8TURN’s songs.
SEUNG HEON: I’ve been personally practicing writing lyrics, so I have a desire to write lyrics for our songs like YUN GYU.
Read the full interview at Hellokpop.