The Korea Herald

지나쌤

Fantasy Boys look forward to 'new tomorrow' with debut album

By Hong Yoo

Published : Sept. 21, 2023 - 16:56

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Fantasy Boys (Pocketdol Studio) Fantasy Boys (Pocketdol Studio)

Fantasy Boys embarked on its journey as K-pop artists with its debut album “New Tomorrow” on Thursday.

The group consists of 11 members who are among the top 12 finalists from MBC’s idol survival program “Fantasy Boys.”

“Because our fans have supported us through the program up until now, we were able to introduce our debut album. With this album, we want to show that each of our members is talented in their own way,” said member Hong Sungmin during a press conference in Seoul on Thursday.

The No. 1 winner Yu Jun-won dropped out from the group before debuting amid a feud with the group’s agency over his exclusive contract.

“Even though we debuted as a group of 11, I think all of us are talented enough to fill in that void. Eleven of us are now working as a team and not competing against each other as we did in the program ‘Fantasy Boys.’ We try to support each other by giving feedback on each other’s performance. We got really close to one another preparing for our debut,” Kim Wooseok.

The rookies’ first mini album “New Tomorrow” is led by the titular track “New Tomorrow” and carries two side tracks, “Shangri-La” and “One Shot.”

“Our title track sings about finally facing happiness which we've been waiting for so long. The song can be described in one word -- fresh. The song is very addictive and bright that it can cheer up listeners,” explained Hong Sungmin.

“In the music video, we help a girl being bullied in school and also help her find her dream and head toward a new tomorrow,” said Kim Wooseok.

The side track “One Shot” sings of the members' aspiration to win the public’s heart with their passion for music, which is their weapon.

“Shangri-La” is of the deep hip hop genre, and a fan song the band is presenting for its fandom Bandi.

“We sing about how we think of our fans as the warm sunshine we faced after a long darkness that seemed endless,” said Kang Minseo.

“We hope to be one of the leading fifth-generation K-pop boy groups to spread a message of hope through our music. One of our strengths is that we consist of members of diverse nationalities so we hope to make our names known all around the world to debut on renowned music charts,” said Kim Wooseok.

Fantasy Boys is scheduled to hold its first official debut fan concert in Tokyo on Oct. 21 to meet with around 14,000 local fans.