Global H Media's TRENDZ is a seven-member boy group composed of HAVIT, LEON, YOONWOO, HANKOOK, ra.L, EUNIL, and YECHAN with the aim to lead the trend of Gen Z. The septet debuted in January of 2022 with the mini-album 'BLUE SET Chapter 1. TRACKS' with "TNT (Truth & Trust)" serving as its title track. 

After six months and concluding their "BLUE SET Chapter" series with their second single album, 'BLUE SET Chapter. [NEW DAYZ],' TRENDZ returned with another single album, 'STILL ON MY WAY,' signaling a fresh start for the group. 

TRENDZ's third single album, 'STILL ON MY WAY,' features three new songs, with members HANKOOK, ra.L, and YECHAN participating in writing the lyrics. The album opens with "ven conmigo," a Spanish phrase meaning "come with me" in English. It has a moombahton sound and conveys a message of hope and perseverance. The second song, which is the title track "MY WAY," has a drum and bass sound. Finally, the last track, "O.Y.E," is a medium-tempo pop track that is about finding your inner self and true value.

To celebrate their return, allkpop had the opportunity to chat with the boys of TRENDZ about 'STILL ON MY WAY,' dreams, passion, the creative process behind the tracks, and more. Continue reading to learn more about the septet! 

Shout-out to allkpop readers from TRENDZ:

allkpop: First of all, congratulations on your comeback! 'BLUE SET Chapter. [NEW DAYZ]' is the last story of your Blue Set chapter. I was wondering if you're planning to open another chapter, and what are the things we should look forward to in your releases starting from the single album 'STILL ON MY WAY'?

ra.L: The 'BLUE SET Chapter' series is finalized with the previous album and now we're kind of away from our previous storyline. Starting from this album, 'STILL ON MY WAY,' we're able to show more various charms that are away from the universe story that we've been showing. The overall theme of this album is we, TRENDZ, are running forward to our dreams — the message we wanted to convey. From this album, I think you can really look forward to seeing more various sides and different styles from us that we are trying to achieve in the future.

allkpop: The titles of the tracks “ven conmingo” and “O.Y.E (Open Your Eyes)” seem interesting. For those who are curious about them, could you tell us about the message you’d like to deliver and the meaning behind the sidetracks as well as the title song “MY WAY”?

YECHAN: Starting with "ven conmingo," the whole message of the song is about letting go of the moment that is shining brighter than the star and hotter than the sun. It's also our first time to try the moombahton sound and genre, so it was really fun to try and experience it.

YOONWOO: Through the title track "MY WAY," we wanted to convey the message that no matter how many scars we gain on the way, we are not going to give up. We're just going to get up again and come forward. That's the whole theme and the message we wanted to put in this song. 

HAVIT: The last track, "O.Y.E" is, like you said, an abbreviation for "Open Your Eyes," and with this song, we're making a comparison of your inner self through a very passionate love, and so we wanted to show a more mature and grown-up side of TRENDZ. 

allkpop: The single album revolves around passion, youth, hope, and energy. I want you to relay a message, any message, maybe an encouraging or comforting one, that contains the four words I mentioned.

YECHAN: No matter what kind of challenge you face, I hope you burn your passion with us and with "MY DAY," and just keep moving forward. 

LEON: We hope to send a hopeful message and energy with our performances including the one for "MY WAY." Fighting!

HAVIT: No matter how much hardship or challenge you're facing right now. With passion, you can do anything. Go for it.

YOONWOO: I hope that even though you're having a hard time right now, you can find hope and passion by watching our performances from this album.

EUNIL: Our album is talking about youth, and youth is something for everyone. Everyone goes through that period. So, through our album, I hope you can enjoy your youth or have good memories back again in your mind about your youth.

ra.L: With such passion that is endless, your future will be bright and you can always find hope.

HANKOOK: I want to send a message to anyone who is following their dreams: If you just don't give up and keep your hopes high, you're going to be able to achieve your dreams. And with this album, we are trying to prove that we are not giving up, that's why we were able to be where we are right now. I'm sure you can do whatever you want as well.

allkpop: The music video looks fun and refreshing! How was your experience filming the music video? Do you have any stories from the shoot that you can share with us?

EUNIL: At the beginning of the second verse, in YECHAN’s part, you'll see us singing while staring at the ocean. We actually shot that scene in the middle of summer, so it was very hot, but we just kept going. Also, the staff did an amazing job. They worked really hard for that scene. I think it came out actually as the best scene in the music video. It came out so beautifully.

HANKOOK: You will see the room in the beginning of the music video, it's the hideout for the TRENDZ members. There were various items in that room and we were able to really utilize everything in whatever ways we wanted for each of the member’s scenes, so I think we ended up filming the whole music video in a really fun, exciting way. It was very free so we had a lot of fun filming the music video.

HAVIT: Another scene I remember was when we were filming at night in the middle forest. I think that was YOONWOO's part. I think there were lights for the filming and because it was in the middle of the forest, it was really dark with just the bright lights on. There were a lot of bugs and we had to run through them. But because it was YOONWOO's part, he had to stand still and everyone else had to run really fast through the flying bugs which were coming at us, so we felt a little bit jealous of him.

allkpop: Tell us more about the song recording as well as the dance choreography for “MY WAY.” What’s the most difficult part for you? 

LEON: I would say that the most challenging part is always the performance because TRENDZ is a performance-centered group. We always put a lot of effort into our performances. For "MY WAY," there were actually a lot of edits for the choreography right until the shooting of the music video. So, we had to practice really hard to master all those edits, but I think it came out great. We're happy and satisfied with the result.

HANKOOK: For me, the recording process was a bit challenging because I've always been in charge of the low tone of the rap part, but for this album, I had to try the rap that is a little more higher-toned. That was definitely a different style I’ve never tried, but with all the help from the members, including our main vocalist, EUNIL, I got through the challenge. I'm very happy with the result.

LEON: Adding a little bit more about the choreography for "MY WAY," we really wanted to express freedom with the choreography, so we incorporated the keyword "wings." If you take a look at the highlight point of the choreography and the general structure, especially for the introduction part, you can see the representation of wings in the choreography.

allkpop: I heard that the members have already choreographed before. How about choreographing TRENDZ’s future songs, is that something you would really love to do?

LEON: We had the opportunities to choreograph our performances, like for the year-end award shows and the 'Dream concert.' If we were given the opportunity, we would love to participate more in the making of our choreography for TRENDZ’s future songs.

HANKOOK: Also, we've been practicing doing and making choreographies ever since we were trainees, so when we have the opportunity, I think no one is going to be afraid of doing the challenge. We'll be super confident that we’re going to do well.

allkpop: HANKOOK, ra.L, and YECHAN took part in the creation of the three tracks. Some of the members have already participated ever since your first release and are still participating in the lyrics! Tell us how you worked on it, working with LEEZ, and what’s the difference between working on your first album and now on your 5th release. Have you found your writing style already?

ra.L: Something different from while we’re working on the debut album vs. the latest release would be when writing the lyrics for the debut album. There was a universe story that we wanted to tell through the ‘BLUE’ series. Our main focus was to create raps that are powerful, impactful, and strong. After all the practices and experiences, we are now gearing toward more easy-listening raps that everyone can enjoy when one is listening to our music. The three of us would discuss a lot and find the best way to fit in that genre of easy-listening rap that isn’t too hard on your ears.

YECHAN: Thankfully, I got the opportunity to write the lyrics for this album. We've been communicating and working actively with each other on this since the 'BLUE SET Chapter. [NEW DAYZ]' album. For this album as well, we are just continuing to discuss and communicate to make sure that we can bring out the best result we can, and so the kind of path that we are going to gear this album to with various keywords. When I'm writing the lyrics, I think I get more inspired when I listen to different types of music. I would just listen to various music and then go back to our own music. It just goes on and on. I try to be inspired as much as possible and then get back to work.

HANKOOK: Speaking of rap, I think each of the rappers really developed each of our styles. For example, YECHAN has a really high-tone rap and he focuses more on melody. While ra.L, it’s more of the rhythms for him. He's in charge of really keeping the balance of the whole song. As for me, I think I'm in charge of the low-tone rap and creating the whole vibes and atmosphere of the song.

allkpop: ‘STILL ON MY WAY’ is all about your determination to follow your own path. How would you describe your journey and the path you’re taking right now in the music industry? If you could summarize it in a few words or sentences, what would you say about it? 

EUNIL: We still consider ourselves as newbies. We still have a lot more to learn and things that we want to achieve, so I would be using the words, “we are at the beginning of our path” — that we’re just beginners. I feel like we’re kind of in a marathon, that we just keep running forward in our own path and focus on our goals. At the end of our way, I'm sure we’re going to see another life, but for now, we're just running a marathon.

YOONWOO: I want to describe it as “beginning footsteps” that we are taking very carefully yet excitedly since we still have a lot of things to learn. Everything feels kind of new still to us. We are very excited to get motivated and learn something new, and we're very happy to learn whenever we can. I think we're just on the way, taking our steps one by one until the end of the journey. We’re going to achieve a new set of goals and we’re going to find adventures ahead of us, so that’s what we are expecting at this point.

allkpop: Earlier this year, you had a solo fan meeting! Now, you're set to hold a world tour after this! You’ve performed in a variety of settings, but how does it feel being surrounded by just your fans? How do you usually get ready for this large-scale performance?

HAVIT: It was our first time meeting with our fans — just us and the fans, and it was very exciting. It would be one of the most memorable moments for us, and that actually raised the anticipation for our world tour — that it's going to be so much fun to meet even more fans through the tour. We're currently practicing different tracks in our practice room every day. We're also preparing special stages for our world tour, so I hope you look forward to that.

ra.L: Speaking more about the fan meeting experience, it was just so memorable and so meaningful to communicate directly with fans, FRIENDZ, right in front of us. It was just a precious time. Even the sweats we had that day felt meaningful. Ahead of our world tour, we're preparing physically. We are taking care of our bodies most to get prepared for the tour and then practice with a lot of passion so we can show the best of ourselves.

allkpop: Lastly, feel free to share with us your goals for the rest of this year as well as any concluding messages to everyone!

HANKOOK: Something we want to achieve for the rest of the year is promoting TRENDZ more around the world and letting everyone know about our music. Something that I want to send across as a message to everyone who's reading this interview would be no matter how hard you try, it might not be possible to reach all your dreams by the end of this year or next year, but that's fine. You don't need to rush. You still have time, and there will be more opportunities for you to do that. I think the key to achieving your dreams is consistency. If you're consistently working hard and focusing on your goals, I'm sure you're going to make it. So don't feel pressured or rushed.

ra.L: Because we've been known as a performance-centered group ever since our debut, I think it would be really cool if we could win any performance-related award at any year-end award shows or music award shows. If we could go on more stages and perform our songs and show off TRENDZ as a performance-centered group, then that would be best!

EUNIL: We only have a few months left for this year, but during that time, we are going to give our best to promote ourselves to all K-Pop fans and listeners around the world. My message is that we still have a lot to show, so please look forward to our future activities. We are just going to keep working hard, be consistent, and pour all our passion into everything we do, so please look forward to whatever comes next!

YOONWOO: We actually have a lot of plans to unfold for the rest of the year. To everyone who's been working hard to achieve their dreams, you're doing a great job! Let's keep moving forward. If you're consistent and pour your heart into it, you're going to be able to do anything.

HAVIT: We want our music to be energizing, comforting, and motivating to everyone who might be going through a hard time. For example, our songs "MY DAY" and "NEW DAYZ" carry a really hopeful message for everyone. So if you're feeling down, I hope you cheer up by listening to our music.

LEON: For the rest of 2023, we hope to meet more FRIENDZ and more K-Pop fans around the world and just make good memories from that, so we're very excited and we look forward to that as well. I hope everyone has a good day and a bright future ahead of them!

YECHAN: Something I want to work hard for is having TRENDZ’s solo concert inside and outside of South Korea, I think it would be really cool. Even though that's something we won't be able to achieve within the last few months of 2023, we're going to make sure to work hard for that goal. I think it will come in the future for sure.

Socials:

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