W24 (World 24 Hours) is a South Korean idol rock band that debuted in 2018 — composed of members Howon, Yunsoo, Jonggil, and Aaron (who is currently in the military). After releasing their recent mini-album, 'Born Again,' W24 is back with another music that brings a unique positive message to their listeners through the song's exciting rock sounds, titled "Voyager," which came about six months after the release of the album.

Co-penned by the members themselves, the song delves into their experiences and reflections on their five-year-long journey in the music scene. It talks about how you view things in life despite all the difficulties that come your way. In the music video for "Voyager," the band continues to explore themes of positivity and fun with a combination of animation and live-action footage.

Fresh off their successful solo 'Born Again' shows in Latin America and Europe, the band is getting ready to embark on their 2024 tour with confirmed dates in Europe, including in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, and more.

W24 took some time to sit down with allkpop to talk about "Voyager," their creative process, the artist they would like to work with, and more. Keep reading to learn more about the band!

allkpop: "Voyager" marks your new music 6 months after the release of ‘Born Again.’ What made you decide to release just a single, and why do you think it’s the perfect single to release as a stand-alone track?

Yunsoo: We wanted to do release a song that is more honest since the last album that we released is called 'Born Again,' and we went through a lot of changes in our band; Aaron, our keyboardist, is currently doing his military service. We decided to do a rock song, and its lyrics are about our 6th year as a band, what we want to do, that no one can stop us, and that it's time to go up. The best words to summarize the song would be "being honest" and "being discreet" about what we want to do.

Howon: I think "Voyager" is the perfect song to release after 'Born Again.'

allkpop: Since “Voyager” is a song that reflects your thoughts 5 years after debuting, I wanted to ask it back to you: how do you view things these days? How’s life been lately?

Jonggil: Just like our song, "Voyager," we literally are going to a lot of places around the world. We just finished our Latin America tour, and we are visiting a lot of countries again this year. We will also hold our 'Born Again' tour in Europe in 2024.

Howon: We're really busy preparing for these concerts and writing music. We're trying our best to do everything.

allkpop: Since you are a rock band, could you please tell us the process whenever you’re recording tracks and instruments in a studio? What is it that makes it interesting to be in a rock band?

Jonggil: As a rock band, how we record things is very similar to other artists as well. But we focus more on the instruments, especially when we record guitar or drum sounds. We put a lot of details into it. Also, I think most bands these days want to do a one-take recording.

Howon: We have a song called "A Night in Naju." The recording for that song was done altogether in a studio in each room. And we want to try recording more songs in this kind of manner. Vocals are always very hard to do, so we record them after all the instruments are done. As you mentioned, yes, instruments are very important in a rock band.

allkpop: “Voyager” is co-written by the members. How important do you think it is for you to be able to participate in the creative side? Where do you get inspiration from when writing songs in general?

Yunsoo: As a band that creates our own music, I think it's a privilege for us to write and produce songs. Like a chef who creates his own recipe and has a lot of pride in those plates, I think it's similar to a band: we create our music and we feel very proud because it's our story and taste. We actually don't get such big inspiration from anything, but we do get them from our daily lives. 

Howon: I think that's why our music has a variety of genres because we don't specify or focus on just one style or color. We like to vary, explore, and experience all that.

allkpop: It’s been around 5 years since your debut. What do you think is the biggest thing or lesson you’ve learned so far?

W24: We've been living together for around 7 years now. Musically-speaking, it definitely helps us in the creative process. I think the most important thing that we've learned is to unite. Because as a band, each person has his own role that they have to input. We've also learned to be respectful and to listen to each other's opinions because every member's opinions are very important. These learnings help us in our daily lives as well as how we think and live.

allkpop: Are there any instruments that you want to learn or master aside from those that you already know?

Yunsoo: I have tried playing the trumpet, so I actually know how to play it. But I want to develop my skills more. I also want to dive into playing piano because when you know how to play piano, it helps you a lot in making music. I want to learn those but I don't have the time to do so.

Jonggil: I also want to learn to play the piano.

Howon: For me, I want to learn to play the acoustic guitar. I've been trying! It's not easy because I think I don't have the will to just sit down and play the guitar. (laughs) I try my best... I actually was practicing before along with the chords and how to get them right. Learning guitar is very hard because you have to take the time and you have to be very responsible and patient. I actually learned to play it from Yunsoo a couple of years ago, but I completely lost it. (laughs)

allkpop: You are currently on tour. How do you feel about holding a show in multiple cities? How’s your experience so far, and do you have any memorable stories to share with us?

Howon: I think the most memorable city in this 'Born Again' tour has to be our concert in Peru. I've lived in Peru for a long time, and my parents are still there. But after joining the band, that concert was my first time going back to Peru where I had the chance to visit my parents. It was very memorable for me, at the same time very healing. My memories from living there flashed back. I was able to experience the culture and see my parents again. A lot of people actually came to see us. It was very good. Obviously, the food was great. I loved it. I don't know about the other members...

Jonggil: It was good!

Howon: I've always boasted about how good the food in Peru is. I think the other members liked it, but it wasn't like, "Wow!" (laughs)

allkpop: Speaking of live performances, do you have any pre-show routines or preparations?

Yunsoo: We actually don't get nervous these days, but when we do, we remind ourselves to not overdo things once we're on stage. Just be calm.

Jonggil: I don't get nervous, too. 

Howon: I've seen Jonggil getting nervous I think only twice or thrice out of all the concerts we've held...

Jonggil: I don't like to wait inside the waiting room because it's kind of boring. What I do is that I go outside, go for some coffee, and do some walking.

Howon: I do a lot of vocal warmups. My members' reactions will be like, "Ah, it's too loud," and so I'll be doing it even near their ears. (laughs) I don't like to keep the tension low when I'm about to go to the stage. What I like to do is stretch, warm up, and walk around. I think those are the most common things you can see in our vlogs.

allkpop: Is there any artist whom you’d like to collaborate with either for a song or a special stage?

Howon: One of the artists that I really want to try collaborating with is the K-Pop group SEVENTEEN. Our members would be doing all the instruments, then I'd be playing around with other SEVENTEEN members. I think it would be really fun because they're very energetic. I think their energy and our energy are very similar. 

allkpop: Lastly, to wrap up this interview, please drop at least one song that you’ve been playing on repeat these days. Also, feel free to leave your final messages!

Yunsoo: These days, I'm not actually listening to a lot of music. What I do is get rid off of the earphones and just listen to the natural sounds around me. 

Jonggil: Same with Yunsoo... I stopped listening to music a lot these days. I've been listening to just the sounds around me as well. I think it's very important to have that time as an artist.

Howon: These days, I've been listening to a song called "Too Good" by Abbie Gamboa. I like the atmosphere and the style of the song. It's really good! To allkpop readers: Hi, we are W24! We hope you liked our interview. We have a lot of songs, so we hope you like them. And we hope to come to perform for you someday, so please keep on supporting us. We'll see you very soon! Thank you!