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On Saturday, April 27, South Korean boyband Catch The Young opened up about their second mini album, the music genre "Youth Pop Rock", which represents the band, and their love of rock music with the SK POP team. The Korean band officially returned with the EP Catch the Young: Fragments of Odyssey on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
Members of Catch The Young have showcased their talents through this special project, which includes their latest compositions alongside songs they crafted during their pre-debut. The rookie boy band is known for fusing their personal touch—the "youth" element—with the alternative pop-rock genre to create their own sound.
Catch The Young lists their favorite artists, dishes about difficulties in pre-debut days, and more, in conversation with SK POP
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Catch The Young entered the Korean entertainment scene with their first album, Catch The Young: Fragments of Youth, marking their official debut on November 1, 2023, under the management of Evermore Entertainment. The group went through multiple lineup changes before becoming what it is, a five-piece band including Jungmo, Kihoon, Sani, Namhyun, and Junyoung.
Their latest album, Catch The Young: Fragments of Odyssey, features seven tracks, including the titular track Sentimental Journey. Notably, the infamous South Korean Gamer Faker inspired the B-side track The Legend. This EP is a direct continuation of their first album.
As they stepped forward towards a new start with their second album, the band spoke to Inaas Fatima Khan of SK POP about their interesting journey.
Q) Hi, Catch The Young, would you kindly introduce the team to us?
Sani: Catch The Young is a band that aims to leave a lot of energy and good memories for many people through our unique genre, "Youth Pop Rock."
Jungmo: Youth Pop Rock is Catch The Young's own genre, which combines the musical elements of Alternative Pop Rock with the keyword of youth that everyone encounters in their lives, expressed in our own emotions.
Namhyun: I think what sets Catch The Young apart is not only the musical elements and the messages we convey but also our dynamic stage performances created while wearing head-mics. We want to provide sympathy and comfort to our listeners through our band's unique musical colors and expressions.
Q) What inspired you to pursue your goal of becoming a band member? A favorite rock band?
Sani: At first, I didn't have much interest in bands, but as I started listening to rock music, I became more interested. Then, I got a casting offer from the company and joined the band. One of my favorite bands is Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Namhyun: Since I was young, I've been interested in music, playing drums and piano at church. Then, during middle school, I was active as a vocalist in the school band club, and I started dreaming of being in a band. From preparing for art college entrance exams to college life, I decided to pursue music professionally. My current company contacted me after seeing the video I uploaded to YouTube for the college entrance exam. That's how I became the vocalist for Catch The Young. If I were to choose one, ONE OK ROCK would be my favorite band.
Jungmo: I love The 1975 the most. Rather than dreaming of being in a band from the beginning, I naturally became interested in bands while doing music and playing drums. It was a good opportunity for me to join the team.
Kihoon: I grew up listening to bands. Because band music gives off its unique energy and sentiment, I wanted to convey that kind of emotion as a band as well. I like many bands such as ONE OK ROCK, The 1975, DAY6, and FTISLAND, so it's hard to choose just one.
Junyong: In my case, I had a dream of becoming a singer, so I first started my training to become an idol at another company. Then, I came to the current company through a good opportunity and joined the band Catch The Young. ONE OK ROCK is my favorite band.
Q) Would you like to describe your journey of becoming a team? Any difficulties you faced before the debut?
Kihoon: Among the current members, I was the first to join the company. There were indeed many changes in members and several failed debut attempts before Catch The Young came into being. However, I always persevered with the mindset that every challenge was the last one, and with hard work and perseverance, we were finally able to debut as Catch The Young.
Sani: Before my debut, I was a bit uncertain about what I, as an individual, wanted to do and what kind of music I wanted to pursue. It was a bit challenging. After many hours of practice and synchronization, we were eventually able to debut.
Namhyun: Speaking of the difficulties before debut, the most significant challenges were the uncertainties about debut due to member changes during our trainee days and clashes that arose while practicing together with different people. Overcoming those difficulties together as members, I think, is what made Catch The Young today.
Jungmo: I joined the team around the time of Catch The Young's pre-debut solo concert. I put a lot of effort into completing the songs prepared for that concert as soon as I joined. Since we came from different backgrounds and lifestyles, it took some time for us to synchronize musically and personally. Looking back, I think that period was a bit challenging.
Junyong: Before joining this company, I was a trainee at another company who practiced to become an idol. Spending all day practicing dance routines made me rethink my future and dreams. I came to this company with the dream of being in a band and eventually joined Catch The Young as the youngest member. Since I was still young in terms of age and the youngest member in the band, I didn't face many difficulties because the older members took good care of me and taught me about music.
Q) Since Junyong was the only one who underwent the “idol training”. Junyong, would you like to tell us how different it was from the training you received for joining the band?
Junyong: Both idol training and band training share the common belief that practice and fundamentals are paramount. The biggest difference seems to lie in the type of practice.
Primarily, idol training focuses heavily on dance practice! I used to spend up to 10 hours a day just working on dance fundamentals and kept that routine for several months. On the other hand, band training emphasizes individual instrument practice as a foundation, and since we need to present collective music together, a lot of time for ensemble practice is required.
Q) Since you all write your own songs, Could you please share the process of making songs?
Sani: Usually, I record the melodies or riffs that randomly come to mind and then develop or expand them. Since I consider melodies and chords important, I tend to spend more time with the piano or guitar rather than the bass when composing.
Kihoon: Similarly, I tend to record when I come up with good melodies or hums with acoustic guitar or piano chords, and then develop them.
Namhyun: Usually, when Sani and Kihoon are working on MIDI, I sit next to them and write melodies together, rehearse, modify them, or work on lyrics together.
Jungmo: I do a lot of work on parts that are related to drum rhythm. It's challenging to create the rhythm that best suits the mood of the song and come up with ideas, so I reference various pro drummers' rhythms and reinterpret them in my own style.
Q) A TMI question to Sani, Kihoon, Namhyun, Jungmo, and Junyong, tell us something fans do not know about you.
Sani: Actually, I'm quite knowledgeable in K-pop fan culture. Not many people would know that I was a big fan of TWICE when I was young, and I joined their fan club and attended their concerts and fan meetings.
Namhyun: If I may share a real TMI, there was a time when I quietly shed tears after seeing a middle-aged man passing by on the street, hoping that he would live a truly happy life. I had no idea who he was. He was a total stranger.
Kihoon: You might not expect it from my looks, but I'm more of a romantic than you might think.
Jungmo: I often make impulse purchases. Recently, I suddenly felt impulsive and ended up buying a new phone.
Junyong: I have a pretty severe mosquito allergy! If I get bitten by even a tiny mosquito, the entire area swells up like crazy.
Q) This is your first comeback. What is the one thing you want to show to your fans this time? How excited are you?
Sani: I'm looking forward to it. I can definitely say that we look forward to sharing how much our skills have improved. There are many aspects that I want to showcase through live performances as I've worked even harder.
Namhyun: As a vocalist, I want to show how much I've grown and become more confident, as well as how I've improved my stage presence since our first album. Please look forward to more live performances from us!
Kihoon: As a "multi-vocal band" Catch The Young, I want to emphasize the harmony of our five voices, which has become more prominent than on our first album! Also, I'm looking forward to showing how our instrument-playing skills have improved through this comeback.
Jungmo: I hope you can feel the different concepts, improved skills, and more diverse emotions compared to our first album!
Junyong: I want to show a more mature side of myself through this album. There's indeed pressure to do better as it's our first comeback, but I'll work even harder to show that.
Q) Is there a favorite song from Catch The Young: Fragments of Odyssey or a song that is close to your heart?
Sani: Personally, I like the first track, Sentimental Journey. The intro is very cool, and I think it's a great song to listen to when starting something.
Namhyun: Personally, I want to pick The Legend. Among our songs, there hasn't been a song that sounds as powerful as this one, so I'm excited to enjoy the stage with the audience to the fullest with this song.
Kihoon: I think Light On Me (1101) is my favorite. It's a song that I made with the hope that it would give strength to CATCHERS or the public, so it means a lot to me. Especially, even though it was an unreleased song at the time of the <78Live> concert this January, there was a fan who submitted a request with a message to play this song, so it feels even more special.
Jungmo: My favorite track is the third track, The Legend. Recording was difficult due to the technically challenging rhythm and fast tempo, as well as the hard solo part, but I remember feeling amazed and proud when I listened to the completed song.
Junyong: My favorite song is Always, Forever. As the only high school student among the members, I think it's a song that expresses youthful and soft emotions that I can relate to more during my school days through the piano sound.
Q) Your debut album showcased your own genre “Youth Pop-Rock". What can fans anticipate hearing on the upcoming album? Is there something new in terms of music this time?
Sani: You'll be able to see a more developed and grown-up version compared to our first album. While the first album symbolizes "beginning" and "start", the second album contains more diverse content as it focuses on the journey and path ahead.
Kihoon: In our second album, many songs combine hard rock and unique sounds that you might not have witnessed in our first album, so I think it would be great if you would pay attention to the sounds carefully.
Jungmo: There are certainly differences between the first and second albums, but ultimately, I think the second album also falls within the genre of Youth Pop Rock. We consider the music that only we can do well and all the music that represents us as Youth Pop Rock. Although we show various genres in the second album, I hope you just think of it as Catch The Young's music!
Q) A message you want to share with today's youth and your fans before you leave?
Sani: Just as I wanted to convey through this album, I hope everyone lives with confidence in their choices and actions. Above all, the most precious thing is oneself, so I think it's best to believe in oneself and move forward until the end. Thank you so much for the interview, and I also would like to thank everyone who is reading our interview.
Namhyun: I still have a lot to learn and I'm scared, but I hope everyone approaches new choices with excitement rather than fear! I hope you all realize that even if your choices lead to a slightly winding and more challenging path, there are definitely things to learn along the way. Thank you!
Jungmo: Everyone, fighting! Don't waste your youth! I've learned that time is more precious than money and fame! Let's all fight on! We, Catch The Young, will support you!
Kihoon: Don't be afraid and challenge yourself in everything!
Junyong: Enjoy this moment right now to the fullest!
This was Catch The Young for you!
