On April 1, TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) made their awaited comeback, and to commemorate their return, Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Huening Kai attended a media showcase, held both offline and online, to talk about their new album.

The quintet’s 6th mini-album, ‘minisode 3: TOMORROW,’ came about 6 months after the release of their 5th full-length album, ‘The Name Chapter: FREEFALL.’ It illustrates a nostalgic tale about a long-forgotten promise in a journey to find “you.”

“Tomorrow where we will be together is my beacon of hope and source of salvation,” said Soobin, the group’s leader. “The boys promise to meet again even if they part away. Against all odds, they remember the promise and they come to find ‘you’,” Huening Kai added.

“I said before that I wanted to return my love for MOAs (their fandom name), so I worked hard for this,” Soobin shared. “I’m so thrilled to be back with an album,” he said, emphasizing their growth and years of experience.

Beomgyu then shared his excitement about showing their new music and performances. “We put a lot of thought into this album. I can’t wait to see how you’re going to respond,” said Yeonjun. Taehyun added, “We wanted to show even better TXT. We want to prove that we only present albums that are of high quality.”

Talking about the album, Yeonjun expressed his satisfaction with the vibe that the members pulled off. Soobin spoke about how he thinks “Deja Vu” has the coolest choreography among their past dance choreographies so far, saying, “There was this part when I knew as I was listening to the song that there would be a dance break. It’s indeed quite physically challenging for us.”

On working with the album’s writers and producers, Taehyun shared a fun behind-the-scenes story while in the studio. “When we were recording the ad-libs for ‘Deja Vu,’ Slow Rabbit told me that he wanted the ad-libs that would pull out the heartstrings of the listeners. I’m a big fan of K-Pop myself, so I did so many ad-libs to the point that we actually had to take some out,” he said.

“Producer Bang Si Hyuk said that the song and performance are incredible this time around,” Yeonjun added. “He came with snacks, so my heart just melted.”

After giving a brief introduction to the mini-album and performing “Deja Vu” in front of the press members, the boys sat down to answer some questions from the local media in Seoul.

Taehyun described the song, “Deja Vu,” as having various musical genres such as trap, rage, emo rock, and hybrid pop. Something “fresh and new” for the group. Though there are fresh twists in the song, Beomgyu added with a soft laugh that “it feels classic like TXT because my bandmates are so good at making things their own.”

On the song’s lyrics that will probably remind the listeners of their past tracks, Huening Kai discussed some references, including a part in the beginning that goes, “I run away countless times,” which connects to their tracks “Crown” and “LOSER=LOVER.” He added, “There’s a part that goes, ‘Be my eternity, say my name’ that links back to our song ‘9 and Three Quarters (Run Away)’.”

“I felt like we’ve told a lot of stories with our music so far. I felt a bit touched being reminded of our past promotions,” said Soobin. Yeonjun added, “There are moments that remind the listeners of our past songs. I think that's what makes our music intriguing.”

Aside from “Deja Vu,” ‘minisode 3: TOMORROW’ also includes 6 other tracks, including the Anemoia Remix of the title song, “I’ll See You There Tomorrow,” “Miracle,” “The Killa (I Belong to You),” “Quarter Life,” and the song that has a unique title, “- --- -- --- .-. .-. --- .--”. The morse code brings us back to the intro of TXT’s debut song, “Crown.” “I felt nostalgic about that,” said Yeonjun.

Speaking of the narratives TXT always knits into their releases, seemingly connecting each one, Taehyun uttered, “We always have things that link with what we have done before. Having that kind of tight narrative is quite challenging. We have to make good quality music, but it also has to be linked with our past. Because of that, we can find something new in our past installments. I think that's what makes our lore intriguing.”

While for Yeonjun, he thinks that weaving their stories into each of their releases, making a connection with them, is not that challenging because those stories come from their heart. In fact, he said, “It’s very fun for us.”

Beomgyu added, “The reason we continue on the storytelling thing is, firstly, because it is our story. I feel like that is what brings you in and immerses you in our music.”

The band debuted in 2019, and in just a blink of an eye, they’re already in their 5th year. “I felt quite nostalgic creating this album. As we were preparing for this album, I looked back on our 5-year journey,” said Huening Kai. “I feel like I want to work even harder together with my bandmates.”

For Soobin, the past 5 years are filled with great happy days, and he’s confident that there’s only more to come.

Diving into the challenges within those 5 years, the members believe that with the 5 of them being together, including MOAs, they are able to get through any difficult times. “When I see MOAs smile, rooting for us… It just gives me energy that I didn't even know was even in me,” said Yeonjun.

For Huening Kai, making a comeback is the most challenging because they’re not always 100% confident that the fans will love it. And to get through that, he always wants to come back as soon as possible.

“Once a year, we go through challenges. I think it's inevitable for anyone,” Beomgyu added.

While Taehyun emphasizes the power of music, saying, “When you’re in those challenging times, that’s where you get your energy—from music. I hope our music provides strength to those who hear it too.”

On their upcoming world tour, Yeonjun said that he couldn’t wish for more. “It’s good to achieve more and further, but I’m already happy that we’re performing on the biggest stages. I’m already happy and fulfilled. I can't think of more achievements because I’m happy with what I have right now.”

[Photos courtesy of BIGHIT MUSIC]