The kings of ENHYPEN are back with new music!
The K-pop idols recently released their new mini album, “Border : Carnival,” and they spoke exclusively with Access Hollywood about the new music!
Access: What was your favorite part about working on “Border Carnival”?
HEESEUNG: “Our ‘BORDER : CARNIVAL’ album consists of three very different visual concepts (‘UP,’ ‘HYPE,’ ‘DOWN’). It felt like we were able to show off the various sides of us in line with each concept. That process was really new and fun!
NI-KI: “Compared to ‘Given-Taken,’ the choreography for our new lead single ‘Drunk-Dazed’ is a bit more complex and dynamic, so our dance practices this time around were tougher and longer. But thanks to these extended practice sessions, I feel like our members became a lot closer and our teamwork grew much stronger.”
Access: What was the inspiration behind the album?
JUNGWON: “’BORDER : CARNIVAL’ is the extension of our debut EP, ‘BORDER : DAY ONE,’ and it serves as the final chapter of our ‘BORDER’ series. We use the analogy of a fancy carnival to illustrate the extravagant world that lies beyond the border of our debut. In this post-debut world, everything feels profoundly new and confusing to us, and you’ll hear us singing candidly of these emotions, but you’ll also hear our determination to enjoy this moment as well.”
Access: What was the inspiration behind the lead single, “Drunk Dazed”?
JAY: “Our post-debut life felt quite unfamiliar and overwhelming at first. Everything seemed so grand and glamorous. ‘Drunk-Dazed’ is a song in which we try to process that experience by comparing it to a majestic yet disorienting carnival. As the track progresses, you see us becoming ‘drunk’ in the festive atmosphere, and feeling ‘dazed’ in this new world we find ourselves in.”
Can you tell more about the three visual concepts of “Up,” “Hype” and “Down”?
JAKE: “‘UP’ shows the moment we’re invited to the carnival, ‘HYPE’ depicts us momentarily putting our reservations aside to wholeheartedly enjoy the festive party in our own respective ways, while ‘DOWN’ illustrates the confusion that sets in once we find ourselves in this place where everything has been turned upside down.”
On top of debuting their new music, ENHYPEN also released a stunning music video for their title track, “Drunk Dazed.”
The singers dished on some fun behind the scenes moments and the fan love for the music video, which currently boasts over 10 million views on YouTube!
Access: Your music video for “Drunk Dazed” is out now and fans are loving it, how does it feel having so much support from them?
SUNOO: “Our members are also quite pleased with how our music video turned out, and it seems like our ENGENEs really like it as well, so we’re very happy about that. We’re definitely aware of how much our ENGENEs love and support us, and we keep thinking about how we can express our gratitude for them. We plan on releasing even better music and content for them in return.”
Access: Were there any fun behind-the-scenes moments from the music video shoot you can share?
SUNGHOON: “There is a scene in our music video, where the members are excitedly having fun at a party together. None of us have had that kind of experience in real life before, so we actually practiced ‘partying’ with our dance crew before the shoot. We were a little embarrassed about this, so we turned off the lights in our practice studio and pretended like we were at a party, while discussing how we should go about acting in the scene. I think our practice helped us become more comfortable and enjoy ourselves during the actual filming as if we were at a real party.”
Check out “BORDER : CARNIVAL” on YouTube music now!
— Stephanie Swaim