How do the youth and teenage years of a K-pop idol differ from ours? Whether you imagine a life of grandeur experiences or difficulties living under the spotlight, the real truth to the question may be answered in this interview.
Sensational boy group EPEX, who debuted in June of 2021 under C9 Entertainment formerly as C9 Rookies, recently released their second full-length album Youth Chapter 2: YOUTH DEFICIENCY and title track “UNIVERSE.” Keeping to the theme, EPEX have revealed the true trials and tribulations of living out their youth as K-Pop idols not only through their music but through this interview as well. Members WISH, KEUM, MU, A-MIN, BAEKSEUNG, AYDEN, YEWANG, and JEFF came together to shed light on the big concerns regarding our youthful days and ongoing future in a humble and honest manner.
Alongside satisfying our prying interests into the life of a K-Pop idol, EPEX delight us further by sharing the inspiration behind their thought-provoking album concepts, creative processes for their ongoing studio album series and even their favorite K-Dramas!
If you already couldn’t get enough of EPEX, watch their exclusive fan greeting video below and enjoy the rest of our fun-filled interview.
Q1. EPEX’s newest album Youth Chapter 2: YOUTH DEFICIENCY feels parallel yet comparatively melancholic to the first album. Could the group explain the new tracks correlations to Youth Chapter 1: YOUTH DAYS?
BAEKSEUNG: Our new album is the second part of our Youth trilogy. Under the umbrella themes of ‘deficiency’ and ‘choice,’ this album conveys the message that there are dark sides and many deficiencies in youth, and within everything, it includes your choices.
How each album in this trilogy is connected would involve an overall theme of youth. Since each album is deep-diving into a specific subject, the first full-length album talks about the bright sides and concerns of youth while the second part talks about darker sides and sends comforting, empathizing messages derived from such dark stories. All stories are organically connected throughout the last chapter of the Youth series, so we hope fans can continue paying attention to the transformative trilogy.
KEUM: To put it simply, Youth Chapter 1: YOUTH DAYS is about the bright side of youth, and Youth Chapter 2 : YOUTH DEFICIENCY deals with more detailed and complicated emotions felt by youth. I believe these two albums are correlated in the sense that each album doesn’t only focus on a simple facade of youth; the former carries realistic concerns faced by a brighter and more grand time of youth, and the latter conveys a hopeful expression of growth by accepting our ‘deficiency,’ which can be taken quite negatively. Youth changes based on ‘choices.’ We’re unfolding the theme of youth through various viewpoints.
Q2. What is the inspiration behind the bold title track “UNIVERSE” how does it continue the theme of ‘Youth’ – Is there a message fans should pay attention to in this particular track?
MU: For the album, the biggest inspiration would come from the fact that we’re actually in our youth. We can continue talking about youth because we’re interested in expressing various emotions of youth as EPEX evolves. Our new album, Youth Chapter 2: YOUTH DEFICIENCY, carries a message that acknowledging and accepting one’s ‘deficiency’ is an important attitude in life, and one can grow based on momentary ‘choices’ along the way, so I hope our fans could focus on this most of all!
JEFF: I agree with MU that we’re going through our own youth phase even now. That’s why we can relate to and understand other people’s stories of youth even better, thus we are continuing to talk about youth in our music. Our new title track “UNIVERSE” was inspired by the theme of ‘choice.’ We wanted to express the growth that occurred by choosing one’s universe and evolving from that choice.
Q3. What was the hardest part about creating your first studio album? Were there some unexpected difficulties you had to prepare for? Was it easier to prepare this second album now that you had some experience?
YEWANG: I didn’t necessarily find the preparation difficult because we already had a specific theme of youth in mind. Furthermore, since we’re releasing full-length albums consecutively, we were able to prepare many songs and improve more musically. For this album, we focused on conveying the meaning and messages of each song better to the listeners. It would be great if listeners could notice the subtle differences from our previous album.
A-MIN: For the first full-length album, I think there was a bit more pressure because we wanted to make the first part of the trilogy as best as we could. For the second full-length album, we were working on it while doing a tour and filming our YouTube content, but we were actually able to focus better with busier schedules. I guess we can say we literally ‘lit it up!’ (laughs). Since it is the middle story of the trilogy, we wanted to make sure we’re highlighting EPEX’s true colors in this album.
Q4. What makes “Universe” so special that it was made the title track out of all the other songs?
AYDEN: We thought that “UNIVERSE” was most fitting to the theme of ‘choice,’ and that we’re able to express it well. Its big theme of youth is similar to our previous title track, “Youth2Youth,” but the narrator in “UNIVERSE” is talking about one’s emotion, or choice, more independently, so please focus on the lyrics when you listen to it!
WISH: We also believed that “UNIVERSE” was perfect in summing up EPEX’s message and concept from this album. Just like AYDEN said, “UNIVERSE” carries powerful lyrics along with choreography points that express the track’s lyrics, so I think you’ll enjoy both watching the performance and listening to it. I definitely recommend checking out our performances!
Q5. What is the meaning of youth to you? What is something you miss from your childhood?
KEUM: To me, the moments that I gave my best describe my youth! From my childhood to now, there are a few moments I can recall as bright stars in the night sky. Especially the times I practiced day and night to achieve my dream of becoming an idol – those are cherished moments for me.
A-MIN: When I think of youth, I remember my school days. When you’re a student, you might feel scared and concerned, worrying about what it would be like to be an adult or what you would be doing in the future. However, I think those are the many crucial parts of youth. I especially miss running around, playing, and hanging out with friends, drenched in sweat.
Q6. How have things changed since your debut? What are some ways the members have become adults?
WISH: The biggest change since debut is that now we have our fans who always support us. We’re receiving unimaginable amounts of love and power from our fans, ZENITH! With all members having become adults, I think we now have deeper perspectives on comprehending music.
JEFF: I actually have the same answer to both of the questions, and it’s that all members have vividly matured in not only visuals but also characteristics. I’m the youngest member, but I think my older members have grown up so well, maybe because I’ve watched them grow for a long time.
Q7. EPEX also performed at the 30th Annual Dream Concert. How was it performing on stage alongside various artists? What did you enjoy most about the stage?
AYDEN: We were grateful to perform “Sunshower” and “My Girl” at the Dream Concert stage. It was so exciting to perform in a huge venue and use every corner of such a wide stage. I imagined holding EPEX’s solo concert at the same venue someday, and we’ll work hard to make that dream come true!
BAEKSEUNG: I was nervous and thrilled to perform in front of so many Korean and international K-pop fans. But most of all we wanted to showcase EPEX’s performance to everyone, and it was a meaningful and happy experience to achieve that goal. Seeing many artists perform was also a great experience to learn from and be motivated by.
Q8. Do you have a favorite K-Drama or show lately you enjoy and would recommend?
MU: I recommend ‘Culinary Class Wars’ which was very loved in Korea recently. I believe my attitude toward food has changed by watching this. Now I have more interest in cooking, haha.
YEWANG: I recommend a movie called ‘Officer Black Belt.’ It was one of the recent movies that I was very immersed in while watching!
>> Fans Welcome Back Kim Woo Bin in Netflix ‘Officer Black Belt’ + Reactions
EPEX seem to take their music careers and many ventures of youth quite seriously. While rehashing their past and reflecting on their growth, it seems the one thing that always came to mind was their fans ZENITH. Before finishing the interview, EPEX prepared a final message in honor of their loving fans.
BAEKSEUNG: Hi ZENITH! We’re back with the second full-length album, Youth Chapter 2: YOUTH DEFICIENCY. We ask for your support and love since we worked very hard on it. We’re always working hard to show you better versions of ourselves, so please keep your eyes on our endeavors.
KEUM: We’re experiencing many things these days, all thanks to ZENITH. We’ll always make music with grateful hearts, without missing any minuscule things. Thank you so much!
Overall, the many inspiring words and sincere emotions expressed throughout the interview made for such a lovely experience. EPEX seem to have evolved in many ways and will continue to express their transformations from both youth and adulthood into their music. Without a doubt, fans of EPEX can join hands and walk step by step through a unique musical journey that acts as a guide through our personal growth – a one-of-a-kind experience that can only be obtained through their trilogy albums.
Keep following and showing your support for EPEX by following them on Instagram and Twitter. Don’t forget to enjoy more exclusive interviews with ZAPZEE on our Instagram and stay tuned for more exclusive K-Pop interviews as well.
