![]() ![]() ![]() Woozi, ‘Don’t Wanna Cry’ and the album's tracks (apart from ‘Habitual Words’) are heavily house/EDM-based. The fact that this album’s concept was so different from our previous releases was certainly something that remained on my mind, but while producing and practising I realised that no matter what kind of music or performance we put on, as long as SEVENTEEN is doing it then we’re just expressing things in our own way with our own twist. I think this is the album that shows off and presents what we have gathered while regularly producing music and practising. Hoshi: While working on this album I really was surprised by the possibilities that lay before us. Al1 is filled with music that shows the infinite possibilities of SEVENTEEN, which will be developed further in the future. Woozi: Honestly, when you look at it superficially, many people may think this album is very different, but it was based on growth and (in some ways) it’s not any different from our past releases – SEVENTEEN’s witty and refreshing lyrics in the title and throughout the album are still very present, and our colour isn’t missing from Al1, but it’s deeper. So I think more people will be able to relate, which will allow listeners to really feel SEVENTEEN’s diversity. S.Coups: I think this album is filled with songs that show more of our emotions compared to our past albums. ![]() How do you see it compared to your back catalogue? On first play, A|1 feels very different to your previous albums, but now it seems a natural, mature and very assured progression. We managed to catch them during their hectic schedule (where they recently nabbed their third win on South Korea’s competitive and powerful music chart shows) to talk musical progression, success, independence and hitting that two-year anniversary mark. Even the one ballad, an updated take on 90s R&B, uses its sentiment and pre-chorus to fit seamlessly amongst its peers. All of the songs can stand alone, from the trop-house of “My/I” (the first-ever showcase of the group’s so-called China Line, Jun and The8) to an undercurrent of soulful house on “Crazy in Love”. ![]() Led by curveball single “ Don’t Wanna Cry” (an emotionally resonant foray into western EDM with delicate and impassioned vocals warmed by their ad-libs and some graceful production), its six tracks hang together flawlessly. It’s a little astounding to see how fast those transitions have been refined and their sound diversified upon, with A|1 – their fifth release in two years – picking up where 2016’s album track “ Highlight” left off and creating a wholly realised foray into dance. Yet from their first mini-album 17 Carat onwards, theirs has been a tricky balancing act – each album is eclectic, from straightforward pop with retro sensibilities to acoustic ballads and pop/hip hop hybrids, to allow each subunit a chance to shine while simultaneously pushing on and maintaining the parameters of SEVENTEEN as a singular team. Their calling card went on to become the brassy, upbeat tempos seen in “ Boom Boom”, “ Mansae”, and the braces-snapping, confetti-exploding “ Very Nice”, where their personalities crackled right through the screen. Seventeen TV lasted for five seasons, with a revolving door of potential members appearing before they officially debuted with the bouncy funk-lite of “ Adore U”. Originally envisaged as a 17-member band that would debut in 2013, the group’s label Pledis instead began streaming Seventeen TV, following the lives of 11 trainees to build an early fanbase. SEVENTEEN perform both as one team (all with vocal and dance abilities) and as three units dedicated to the members’ individual strengths: ‘hip hop’ (S.Coups, Vernon, Wonwoo and Mingyu), ‘vocal’ (Seungkwan, Jeonghan, Joshua, Dokyeom and Woozi), and ‘performance’ (Dino, Jun, The8 and Hoshi). But the multi-national group, comprised of nine Koreans, two Chinese and two Korean-Americans, have been killing it from the start: their deliriously upbeat singles have already scored a number of prestigious music awards including a Mama and two Seoul Music Awards, they choreograph many of their own tracks and write their own lyrics, and 20-year-old Woozi (real name Lee Jihoon) has become a powerhouse songwriter, having co-written almost of all of the songs that SEVENTEEN have released so far. When 13-member K-pop group SEVENTEEN’s new mini-album A|1 became one of the top ten highest-selling first-week albums for a boy group, it was easy to wonder just when the hell the band – who only debuted in May 2015 – had become a real contender. ![]()
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