EVNNE On Their World Tour, Meeting Fans & Thoughts On BOYS II PLANET

EVNNE ‘SET N GO’ WORLD TOUR

JELLYFISH ENTERTAINMENT

It’s a Thursday evening outside The Vermont, a music venue in downtown Los Angeles. Lines have formed stretching around the block, with fans waiting to enter to see the South Korean group, EVNNE, for their second World Tour: ‘SET N GO.’ The fans – called ENNVE – are holding signs, lightsticks, and special project banners that express their love for the septet.

Screams and cheers grow louder as EVNNE – comprising Keita, Park Hanbin, Lee Jeonghyeon, Yoo Seungeon, Ji Yunseo, Mun Junghyun, and Park Jihoo – take to the stage with high energy. From start to finish, the boys’ energy never waned in their over two-hour set. They were initially set to do one encore performance, but ended up performing several more songs at the fans’ urging. It served as a reminder of how youthful and energetic the members, with ages ranging from 19 to 24, are.

The following day, the members were all smiles, pumped to talk about their concert experiences and their excitement for the next few stops, which included taking a tour bus throughout the North American leg of the tour. When they see I am wearing their tour merchandise, their curiosity piques as they begin asking me questions about my thoughts on their performance.

They are surprised even more when they’re addressed by their given English names. Except for Keita and Yoo Seungeon, all the members have English names: Park Hanbin (Charles), Lee Jeonghyeon (Chris), Ji Yunseo (Chris), Mun Junghyun (Justin), and Park Jihoo (Edward).

Yoo Seungeon requests an English name for him to adopt. The others begin shouting names. Keita and Park Jihoo push for “Thomas.” Looking into Yoo Seungeon’s doe eyes, the name “Tommy” was said, which was met with cheers of acceptance.

“I am Tommy now,” Yoo Seungeon says proudly.

Though they don’t look it, several of them admit they’re a little tired from last night’s performance, but are grateful for the opportunity to see their fans. A few of the members were quieter than usual – most of them speaking on stage the night before, but were on voice rest as they had to travel to their subsequent performances in Phoenix, Houston, Fort Worth, Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Jersey City, before flying out to the European leg of the tour.

“To be honest, I’m feeling a bit tired today because we performed with great energy and a lot of passion,” says Park Jihoo. “So I’m feeling that a bit today, but that only proves that we gave our best last night. That’s a very proud thing that I can have a lot of pride in.”

It has been a year since the group last visited the U.S. for their first global showcase, “Ride with EVNNE,” which took place at the same location in Los Angeles as the previous year. The members recall their time spent backstage, with Mun Junghyun mentioning their sign and the scribbles on the wall they left there.

“Seeing that coming back after a year felt very special to us,” he says, “It was good to see the same fans come back to the venue and us performing for them again. It reminded me that we’ve been working really hard for the past year, so we can come back and perform in front of them again. I was grateful to see them, and it inspired me to go to more cities and venues to meet more fans.”

They were also excited to perform more songs for the crowd, having released more music within that year. Their fifth and most recent EP, Love Anecdote(s), was released in August, debuting at #1 on the domestic Circle Chart’s Weekly Album Chart. They were excited to perform their songs from the two EPs released this year, something they haven’t performed for the North American audience until this tour.

“Even though we have new albums since last year, we never performed them in front of American fans,” says Yoo Seungeon. “The fans still sang along to all the songs and dances with us. Just seeing them having so much fun with the new songs that we’ve never shown them before was great. We enjoyed that very much. We prepared two new performances of the new songs for this tour. We got so many great reactions and compliments for those performances as well. So we were very grateful.”

During the concert, the group revealed that they curated the setlist, working closely with their staff to bring out the best performance they could, showcasing another side of themselves that American fans hadn’t seen before.

“We thought about the best way that we could divide up [the setlist] and how our physical conditions will hold throughout the whole concert,” Mun Junhyun reveals. “At the same time, we are just going to be showing the best performances we prepared.”

Park Hanbin emphasized they were just excited to celebrate with their Western fans because their enthusiasm is so loud and passionate. He says, “Western fans are all about having fun. They love to dance, sing, and enjoy our performance with us. Seeing that makes me more excited about their energy.”

They’ve even gotten used to the barking – a common tradition at K-pop concerts from Western audiences. Even after many concerts last year and this year, they still didn’t really understand the concept behind the sound, but took it as something positive. Park Jihoo guesses, “I don’t know why exactly it started? My best guess is they’re trying to excite us together with them. It does add to the excitement of the whole show and helps us connect with them [on a deeper level].”

They all had fun with the loud cheers and barking throughout their concert. Leader Keita even barked back at the fans, returning the energy they gave him. He explains, “Because it’s a concert, it’s very natural that we feel tired towards the end of the show. But whenever we hear the barking noise and the loud cheers from our fans, it really gives us a lot of energy. It provides a moment of recharging for us, motivating us to give our best, all our passion, and energy through the very end of the concert.”

EVNNE celebrated their second anniversary since their debut, formed after their experience in the Mnet music competition series, BOYS PLANET. The seven members became friends during the competition, so adjusting and adapting to each other’s personalities was never a problem.

“We were already close even before debut,” says Lee Jeonghyeon. “Even when it was decided we were going to debut as one group, we thought, ‘This is great news.’ Ever since we got together to debut and promote, it feels like a big family. Rather than seeing a lot of challenges or difficulties, we are only getting closer like a real family.”

Within the past two years, they’ve achieved considerable success, winning multiple Korean music show awards and receiving the Emerging Artist Award at the 32nd Hanteo Music Awards earlier this year. Several members have contributed to writing and composing music for their albums.

Lee Jeonghyeon gives Yoo Seungeon a shoutout for his growth as an artist and songwriter. Lee Jeonghyeon points out, “There was a side of Yoo Seungeon that I never knew: when he starts something new, he never gives up. He always consistently pulls through, doing his best, which is something I’ve never seen before, especially when promoting him as one group. That motivates me to give my best and go until the very end if I start anything new.”

Feeling honored, Yoo Seungeon shouts out, “Yeah! I’m so happy.”

Ji Yunseo, Keita, and Park Jihoo have also contributed to the writing of several of their albums. Ji Yuneo has surprised himself with his contributions to music, learning so much about the process and the ability to incorporate his inspirations and thoughts into the message and lyrics behind their music.

“I’m contributing to more of our albums and the music as we progress,” Ji Yuneo shares. “With each album release, it reminds me every time that I can work on these kinds of lyrics and melodies. By continuing the tours, album releases, and promotions, it has changed me a lot in terms of my attitude towards music and how I approach it.”

As the leader of the group, Keita already knew from the beginning that the members were talented. He was excited to collaborate with them, knowing it would be a fun and insightful learning experience for both of them to grow together as artists.

“I just know that they’re very talented and very funny,” Keita says. “They have great energy, especially [since we all] have different energies. I could really learn something new from them, and we could create new colors as one group when we are all gathered together.”

Because they’ve been traveling by tour bus, which has been a source of song inspiration for many artists on the road, Yoo Seungeon has found motivation while traveling, enjoying LA’s nice weather and relaxed scenery.

“That instantly [brought in] good thoughts and melodies for a new song,” he describes. “Maybe during this tour, I could pick up a lot of inspiration for our new music moving forward. Since we released the English version of ‘Badder Love,” I was motivated to release even more English tracks. So that was another inspiration that I got from being here, feeling a very free and relaxed vibe.”

The guys are looking forward to seeing more of their fans all over the world, especially with the addition of the European leg of this tour, which includes Warsaw, Munich, Essen, London, and Paris. Though EVNNE were briefly in Frankfurt for KCON Germany last year, they only performed a few songs. With this tour, they are excited to give their European ENNVE a complete performance.

Ji Yunseo has always wanted to visit London since childhood. He is looking forward to visiting and maybe find some songwriting inspiration. He says, “It really works as a great refreshment to be able to travel to so many cities during this tour. We are definitely open and very eager to visit everywhere around the world, if given a chance. It’s a great experience every time.”

Park Hanbin, on the other hand, has dreamed about visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris at the end of this month. He shares, “I’ve heard a lot of things, but I’ve never actually seen it myself. I’m very excited.”

As the members celebrate the success they’ve earned in the two years, they haven’t forgotten where it all started for them. Many of them have seen Mnet’s BOYS II PLANET, the second season of the same show they previously appeared on. They nod, acknowledging the struggles and challenges the contestants all face, including not making it to the final group. They offer some words of wisdom to those contestants.

“When you’re given any chance or opportunity, make sure you catch it,” says Park Hanbin. “Make sure you don’t let it go. I’ve seen the show and know how much effort and work they put into their performances throughout the whole show. I believe, no matter what they do in the future and what path they choose, they will excel and take off.”

Yoo Seungeon adds, “I want to give realistic advice to them. Consistency is much more important than having early success. Don’t let it fail you or feel defeated, because you will always have more opportunities along the way, including all the filming and airtime. It will only be a few years until you make your new comeback, debut, or another success that you were planning for that year. Those few years will be your investment in yourself, your better future, and success. Don’t feel defeated, sad, or upset. There’s no need. Just keep moving forward. Keep doing your work.”

EVNNE World Tour: ‘SET N GO’ North American leg continues this month. For more information on their tour, click here.