EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW by Rosa Gulliver of TINYGMUSIC

It seems the hype and attention for VERIVERY hasn’t died out just yet. The boys are constantly building their global fanbase and now they chat with us about their unique fashion, album sales, development as artists, and more. South Korean boy band VERIVERY (베리베리), is a seven-member group consisting of Dongheon, Hoyoung, Minchan, Gyehyeon, Yeonho, Yongseung, and Kangmin.

In case you don’t know all the details and are new to the group, VERIVERY debuted on 9th January 2019 under Jellyfish Entertainment. They wasted no time proving how popular they are in the U.S. They joined the elite group of K-Pop acts who have made an impact in the U.S as well.

In October 2020, they debuted at №1 on the Billboard charts with their fifth mini-album title track, “G.B.T.B.” on the World Digital Song Sales Chart. Last month they did it again with their comeback song “Get Away,” (which you can see below!) retaining the prime spot for two consecutive weeks. They are attracting attention quickly and working hard to be the next generation’s most well-known K-Pop artist.

VERIVERY’s song “Get Away” did not only top the Billboard World Digital Song Sales Chart- they were №1 on the iTunes K-Pop charts in seven countries, including the U.S., UK, Germany, France, Canada, Belgium, and India. They also entered the Top 10 on the Pop charts in Canada and Belgium, and Top 10 K-Pop charts in Israel and Bulgaria.

We caught up with them to talk about their thoughts on their historic feat!

Q1: VERIVERY really made history as the 4th K-Pop group in history following in the footsteps of BTS, EXO & BIGBANG to land a second No 1 debut song on the Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart — how does that feel?

VERIVERY: “It is an honour to be on the charts. We love showing gratitude over and over again to our fans. We are so motivated to work harder and thankful people are listening to our music around the world. We are doing our best to give you better performances and music.”

Q2: It seems the concepts are continuing to grow alongside the members. Will the next album concept change dramatically?

DONGHEON: “I cannot tell you about all the details, but please look forward to the stories VERIVERY will be making.”

HOYOUNG: “We will be able to show you a stage as great as the one we showed in ‘[ROUND 1: HALL].’”

GYEHYEON: “I can’t reveal a lot, but the concept will change as the story of ‘SERIES ‘O’ flows. Please look forward to it.”

YEONHO: “We are constantly developing. We will therefore come back with better music and performances for our next album.”

YONGSEUNG: “I cannot go into detail regarding the next concept. However, we will continue unraveling the ‘SERIES ‘O’.’ We will come back with better performances regardless of the changes.”

KANGMIN: “It is still a secret. If you listen to our next album, you will be amazed.”

Q3. Can each member share their favorite song from the new album with fans?

DONGHEON: “I like the title song “Get Away” from this new album, in which you can discover the various sides of VERIVERY the most.”

HOYOUNG: “I like “Get Away” because it is the start of a new series, and it was a good starting kick to a new year. I also like “Flower” because it reminds me of when I debuted, and the song is refreshing. It’s a great song to listen to at any time.”

GYEHYEON: “I like the title song “Get Away” the most. It is a song that made me feel I have matured even further by challenging concepts and genres I have not tried in the past.”

YEONHO: “I think, “Get Away” is the best from this album. It’s the title song, and I can’t forget the day I first heard the demo. I also like “All I Do” because I think the lyrics represent our thoughts so well.”

YONGSEUNG: “I am most attached to the title song “Get Away” of this album, which I practiced the most. I also like the song called “Paradise” from the ‘FACE US’ album. We composed the melodies, lyrics, and created choreography while thinking of VERRERs who love us. I believe this is the most meaningful song we made.”

KANGMIN: “I like “Get Away” the most. I like the current mature concept, and since it is the title song in this album, I was enthusiastic about it.”

Q4. What is your favorite process during the development of your music?

VERIVERY: “We feel proud when the song we have worked on is complete. In the process, the lyrics, choreography, and vocal parts change. We think the music becomes stronger by exchanging opinions and ideas with the members. As the song is made without our voices during the mixing process, monitoring how the song quality improves is exciting and fun. This detailed work provides us with much happiness. We are delighted to be able to work on the songs. All the editing work is done to ensure better performances and the ultimate masterpiece. We are proud of being able to achieve this.”

Q5. Being in the K-POP industry must be even harder because you have to go through intense training. During those times, what motivated you to keep going? Did it ever get overwhelming for you? Did you ever think you would not debut?

DONGHEON: “I was motivated by watching the performances of other senior K-Pop artists during my trainee period. I had a desperate desire to make a debut and a feeling of anxiety at the same time. There were tough times, but I was able to overcome them with the members.”

HOYOUNG: “There were many times I wanted to give up, but each time I ended up thinking of my parents and family, who always support me. I practiced hard, with the mindset that I might be unable to make my debut.”

GYEHYEON: “There were overwhelmingly challenging times, and I was anxious I wouldn’t be capable of debuting. However, I have overcome it with the members. Now those challenging times are memories.”

YEONHO: “There were difficult times during my trainee period, but I got motivation by watching senior K-Pop artists’ performances. Like others, I also worked hard with a dream and desire wanting to be on the stage.”

YONGSEUNG: “During my trainee years, my only goal was to debut, and I always wanted to be a necessity for the team. Before my debut, I focused on improving my singing, dance skills, and the quality of my overall performance. There were tough times, but I thought I would grow by crossing the hurdle each time. Thankfully, I learned a lot along the way.”

KANGMIN: “Now that I think about it, I think the trainee period was a bit short for me. As I was younger then, I was anxious as a trainee, until I debuted as VERIVERY. I adapted well and was able to debut as VERIVERY because the members took good care of me as if I were their younger brother.”

Q6: Your albums show growth and change. What have you learned about yourself, what has changed about you on your way to becoming K-Pop Idols?

DONGHEON: “There seem to be many things I still do not know about myself. I think the process of becoming an artist is a process of constant exploration and understanding myself.”

HOYOUNG: “I have realized “Anything can be done if I put the effort in,” so I have been making efforts to improve myself a lot more recently.”

GYEHYEON: “At first performing while dancing and singing was difficult. Now I have learned about my facial expressions, expressiveness, gestures, mindset, and other various elements on stage that are significant. They not only make the song and dance shine but represent things that make me shine on stage.”

YEONHO: “I am the type of person who tends to think and look back on myself. I now will make more of an effort and become an artist who can comfort and empathize with my fans.”

YONGSEUNG: “I realized and learned a lot as I monitored myself on the screen, acknowledging and supplementing my deficiencies. I strive to present better performances to our fans. I feel I am growing but still lack many things. I want to become an artist who constantly improves.”

KANGMIN: “Every time we work on an album, I review myself a lot. I try to identify and supplement my shortcomings. I learned that I have to work hard constantly to become a more loved artist and am going to do so.”

Q7: “What activities did you guys do to bond/get closer with each other, even during your pre-debut days?”

DONGHEON: “We practiced a lot as a team. It was and still is very important to make many memories with my teammates. I have made efforts to share as much time as possible with the members.”

HOYOUNG: “I think we got closer as we always had meals together, went to the Han River to ride bicycles, watch movies, and travel together.”

GYEHYEON: “We think if we tried hiding how we felt about certain situations from each other, we would have had more arguments and become more distant. As a result, we as a group spoke with each other whenever we had complaints or arguments. This allowed us to resolve any issues or misunderstandings when they presented themselves, resulting in a stronger bond between us.”

YEONHO: “It seems that living together in a dorm made us bond. As we slept and lived together, it made us feel like we are a family, like sleeping and living together in one space. Now we are more like a family.”

YONGSEUNG: “We became more like a family, and ate and lived together. We also travelled to the Han River and other places together. We shared various content ideas, references and shared our thoughts.”

KANGMIN: “I talked with the members a lot during the morning greetings, asking them about all sorts of things. The members also were kind and approached me, so we got along very quickly.”

Q8: In the future, what kind of a K-Pop legacy would you like to leave behind and what would you like VERIVERY to be remembered for?

DONGHEON: “If I leave a legacy, I would like to leave behind my name and my team’s name. I hope VERIVERY becomes a respected senior K-Pop artist to the younger generation artists. I want VERIVERY to make music for as long as possible, just like the other famous legendary K-Pop bands.”

HOYOUNG: “I would like to leave behind all VERIVERY albums. I hope VERIVERY will be remembered for being the remarkable group that undertook extraordinary things.”

GYEHYEON: “I want to be remembered as a nice person in the memories of everyone I know. I hope VERIVERY will become the longest-performing group as a team.”

YEONHO: “I hope VERIVERY will be remembered as a group that gave comfort and empathy to many people as the longest-performing group in Korea. I also hope the members stay healthy.”

YONGSEUNG: “I want to leave world-famous albums and unforgettable stage performances behind. I hope that the art we would inspire and impress many people. Also, I want VERIVERY to be remembered as a team that loved their music and stage.”

KANGMIN: “I think for our songs to be our legacy. I want VERIVERY to become a group that people remember.”

Q9: Many people found immense stress due to Corona Virus. Once the pandemic is over, what do you want to do first?

DONGHEON: “I want to travel abroad. When we traveled abroad to perform, we were unable to travel freely, so I want to go on a trip.”

HOYOUNG: “I would like to go on a train backpacking trip with the members.”

GYEHYEON: “I want to spend about four days with my family and friends. The remaining time, I want to spend time with the members, travel to see the ocean and the night sky.”

YEONHO: “First, I want to invite the members to my parents’ house, so they can all enjoy my mother’s cooking. I also want to travel abroad with the members.”

YONGSEUNG: “I want to go anywhere with my members-a place where we can gain inspiration and experience something.”

KANGMIN: “I want to travel. I want to go somewhere and completely relax.”

Q10: When you’re not filming an MV, what kind of fashion do you enjoy wearing? Do you still wear makeup? If so, what is your favorite product recently?

DONGHEON: “I usually like to wear casual clothes. I don’t dress up too much, but I try to add an element that can highlight my outfit. I try out different styles every day. I always wear a sunblock after I put on base products on my face. I think wearing sunblock is very important!! I use ‘Bio Heal BOH’s’ lifting cream. It feels like my skin tightens up.

HOYOUNG: “I usually don’t wear any makeup for my skin’s health. I use mud packs that can be applied on the face and washed off at night. I tend to wear casual fashion usually because I sweat a lot during practice.”

GYEHYEON: “I normally don’t put on makeup but, I take care of my skin since we don’t know when and what will come up — unexpected things can pop up. When I’m not shooting MVs, I prefer wearing comfortable clothes like sweatsuits. I use mist sprays. I like the feeling of my skin being moisturized when my skin is dry.”

YEONHO: “I don’t put on makeup. I wear comfortable clothes! And I like to wear minimal styled clothes. I wear wide pants or jogger pants with a T-shirt or a button-down shirt. I like using the aloe soothing gel that I’m currently using. It’s very light and has a good moisturizing effect.”

YONGSEUNG: “I like casual clothes, so I usually wear hoodies or light sportswear. I don’t put on makeup. I don’t usually use a lot of products, so I’m not too familiar, but I am fond of 3CE, LOREAL, and NARS. I have used 3CE, LOREAL, NARs, etc., brands so I know those brands. I don’t have a product that I personally use or favor yet.”

KANGMIN: “I try to wear various fashion styles. I only put on lip balm and don’t put on any makeup, too. My favorite is Burt’s Bees lip balm.”

That is a wrap for this interview! What did you think of all the fun questions we got to ask VERIVERY? We hope the fans truly feel closer to the lovely boy group and will continue to grow and show support for them! Stay tuned for more future interviews and, again, a big congratulations to VERIVERY on their impressive achievement! We can not wait to see what they have in store for the rest of the year.

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