The seven-member k-pop group Close Your Eyes finds that their diversity is one of their strengths.
UNCORE
Seventeen million global fans knew talent when they saw it. That’s how many fans voted during the reality competition show Project 7, selecting the final members of the k-pop group Close Your Eyes. The show began with 200 contestants from South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Ukraine, the U.S. and Australia. The competition ended with seven winners : Jeon Min-wook, Ma Jingxian, Jang Yeo-jun, Kim Sung-min, Song Seung-ho, Kenshin, and Seo Kyoung-bae. Close Your Eyes officially debuted on April 2, 2025 with their first mini album, Eternalt, which sold 316,000 copies within a week. They released their second mini album Snowy Summer that July, selling over 200,000 albums the first day. Their success may have something to do with their flawless choreography and making musical choices that redefine the boundaries of k-pop.
In November they released their third mini album titled blackout, a musically rich album that blends R&B and house-inspired dance music. The album’s opening track is “X,” an R&B infused dance track with lyrics written by Min-wook. The album includes “Chic,” a song with a catchy playful hook; the R&B influenced “2.0,” and the dreamy “Who’s Day? (Jane Doe),” but the album’s most arresting track might be “SOB,” a collaboration with Grammy-Award winning producer, Imanbek. The house-inspired dance song has a beyond-infectious beat and features a hyper-energetic rap in which members boast about being so cold “I have ice on my ice.”
“Many people see our team as having a soft and sentimental image,” said Yeo-jun. “But we wanted to show that we can also pull off powerful music and performances. This new song captures that side of us, it’s strong and intense, but still has our own unique color that makes it stand out.”
The dark music video for SOB features dramatic flashes of lightning, angsty camera moves, aggressive choreography and Min-wook soaring through the air to mysteriously convene with an extraterrestrial. While a few members of Close Your Eyes have attempted wire work in previous music videos, Min-wook spent a considerable amount of time flying in this video.
“It was such a good experience,” said Min-wook. “I loved being able to try different styles and directions. It was a little tough because the shoot went on for quite a while, but it made me realize I should start working on my core more!”
In the short year that Close Your Eyes has been a team they’ve learned a lot from each other.
“When we first came together as a team, everything started so quickly that we barely had time to catch our breath,” said Min-wook. “Because we were all so different, there were probably moments of misunderstanding or frustration. But we never gave up on each other — the members always listened, tried to understand, and followed one another with trust. Through that process, we learned how to act and think as artists, and even shared the smallest things with each other. Thanks to that, we’ve been able to grow together and make it through this past year as one team.”
Close Your Eyes is an international team. Ma Jingxian hails from China and Sakurada Kenshin is from Japan. Kim Sungmin is Thai Korean, born in Korea, and the other four members are Korean. Coming from such different cultural backgrounds might be their super power.
“We have members from Japan, China, and Korea,” said Seung-ho. “And I think that diversity is one of our biggest strengths. Even though we all grew up speaking different languages and in different cultures, we’ve learned to understand and learn from each other through our activities. It really helps us broaden our perspectives, and I think being a multinational team creates a very positive synergy among us.”
Ma Jingxian and Kenshin had to brush up on their Korean language skills before performing in Project 7.
“Before joining the project, I already knew a bit of Korean,” said Ma Jingxiang. “But foreign words and some specific expressions were still quite difficult for me. After studying and practicing a lot, I’ve really improved and feel much more confident now.”
“When I first came to Korea, I didn’t know any words and couldn’t really have a conversation,” said Kenshin. “But through Project 7 and Close Your Eyes activities I received so much help and support and now I can handle daily conversations without any problem.”
It has not been a straight path to success for some of the members. Min-wook was in another group. Yeo-jun and Ma Jingxiang participated in other reality shows before appearing on Project 7. It has not been easy to persevere but they were strongly motivated and had plenty of support.
“The people who support me have always been my biggest source of strength,” said Min-wook. “I wanted to make the people who believe in me happy — that’s what kept me going. So honestly, I’ve never once thought about giving up.”
Ma Jingxiang has always dreamt of making his debut as a k-pop idol in Korea.
“So, giving up was never an option for me,” he said. “There were tough moments along the way, but the fans who waited for me became my biggest motivation and helped me push through.”
Yeo-jun had a few experiences where he almost debuted, but didn’t make it in the end.
“One of them was through a survival program,” said Yeo-jun. “It was heartbreaking to come so close and still not be able to cross that final line. But I had people who believed in me and stood by my side and that gave me the strength to keep going. I’m also the type of person who never gives up on what I truly want, so that spark of hope kept burning inside me the whole time.”
They enjoy making music together. Every song evokes the teamwork that went into its creation.
“The most meaningful part for us is that all the memories and emotions from the time we spent creating the song are contained within those three minutes,” said Min-wook. “I think it’s beautiful how music connects us and makes us feel like one.”
Close Your Eyes has been nominated for Best New Artist at the 2025 MAMA Awards, which take place on Nov. 28 and 29 in Hong Kong.