Korean eight-member boy band LUN8 made their Japanese debut on June 19th with their first single, “Evergreen.” On the day of their memorable debut, they held the “LUN8 JAPAN DEBUT SHOWCASE -Evergreen-” at KT Zepp Yokohama in Yokohama. They performed five songs from their first single, “Evergreen,” to their latest Korean song, “SUPER POWER,” showcasing their appeal as artists. In the talk corner, they explained all the songs on “Evergreen” and had a quiz that showed off their variety sense. At the end, they had a surprise congratulatory message from LUV8 (a collective term for LUN8 fans), and spent a happy debut day.
LUN8 is the first boy group from the Korean entertainment agency fantagio in about seven years since ASTRO. The group is made up of eight members, including Japanese members JinSu, Chael, Takuma, JunWoo, DoHyun, Ian, JiEunHo, and EunSeop, and will debut in Korea in June 2023. They have released two mini albums so far, “CONTINUE?” and “BUFF”. Their popularity has increased thanks to their looks, with an average height of 181.5cm, and performances that highlight their individual skills, and applications for this Japan debut showcase were flooded in. The venue was quickly changed to a larger location.
When asked about their Japanese debut in the opening talk, Japanese member Takuma said, “It still feels like a dream. While preparing, I saw a lot of good things and reliability in our members, and it was a wonderful time.” Leader Jinsu shared his aspirations for the debut showcase, saying, “The members have been waiting for this day to come for a long time. We want to show you the stage we’ve prepared so that we will be deeply engraved in the hearts of our fans.”
In the talk corner, the members themselves explained all the songs included in their first Japanese single, “Evergreen.” First, Dohyon explained, “In addition to the three original Japanese songs, “Evergreen,” “My Tune,” and “LOUDER,” our Japanese debut single, “Evergreen,” includes the Japanese version of “Wild Heart,” the lead song from our Korean debut mini-album, “CONTINUE?”, and the Japanese version of “PASTEL,” a track from our second Korean mini-album, “BUFF.”
Eunseop introduced the title song “Evergreen” by saying, “It’s a bright, positive song, so I recommend listening to it on your way to work or school in the morning.” Junwoo said that the pronunciation of the Japanese was difficult for him in his first Japanese song. He checked the Japanese of the other members with Takuma, a Japanese member. The pronunciation that Takuma approved of was that of main vocalist Jinsu. Frog said that the second song “My Tune” is “a funky, pop song that makes you move your body without thinking. It’s a perfect song for the hot summer.” Ian explained that the third song “LOUDER” is “a song that makes you feel happy just by listening to it, and has a youthful sensibility.” Eunseop explained that the fourth song “Wild Heart -JP Ver.-” has “a light whistling sound that will captivate your ears,” and Jinsu demonstrated whistling. Jiunho said that the fifth song “PASTEL -JP Ver.-” is “a very sexy song. It has a different charm from the Korean version.”
In a true or false quiz where everyone was expected to agree on a common goal, they couldn’t agree on an answer, so they had to do the penalty game of “double speed dancing”. There was a bit of a twist when Junwoo answered “No. I’m unhappy with all of my members” to the question “I’m unhappy with all of my members”. Finally, when the question “My dream for the future is to perform at the Tokyo Dome” was answered, everyone finally agreed, “Yes”, which drew loud cheers from the fans in the venue.
In the live performance, they performed 5 songs. The first section started with “Wild Heart -JP Ver.-” featuring impressive whistling, which elicited huge fan calls. They then performed their latest Korean song “SUPER POWER”, released in March this year, delivering a refreshing feeling with an energetic and powerful performance.
In the talk corner, they held a finger-pointing quiz to get to know each member’s charms. The group’s name LUN8 means “eight boys holding the moonlight that brightens up a dark night,” so instead of pointing at things, they pointed with lights. JIUNO got the most votes for the question “Which member has the most amazing skill?” Takuma said, “My skill is making funny faces, but I can’t show it here,” and JIUNO showed off his physical flexibility instead. Then, when the question “Who shines the most like the moon?” was asked, all the members pointed their lights at LUV8 in the venue, showing their love for their fans.
After the quiz, they went back to the live performance. They performed the sexy “PASTEL -JP Ver.-” and the Japanese original “My Tune.” During “My Tune,” which is also used as the ending theme for Fuji TV’s “Zenryoku! Datsuryoku Times” in June and July, and for the June ending theme for Fuji TV’s music program “Tune,” they turned around and shook their bottoms in a cute dance move that got the fans excited. After finishing the song, each member expressed their gratitude to the fans as follows:
Junu: “I was very happy because I had a showcase in Japan and had a lot of fun. I will do my best to give back to Japan the happiness I received. Thank you so much, everyone, for today!”
Jiunho: “This was my first debut in Japan. It was a meaningful time for me because I was able to spend it with LUV8. I had a lot of fun today. Thank you.”
Dohyun: “I spent 10 days in Japan. I’m going back to Korea after today, but thank you for giving me good memories.”
Takuma: “Our debut showcase in Japan. Thanks to all of you, it has become a wonderful memory. Thank you. Let’s make even more memories from now on!”
Ian: “I’m happy that my debut in Japan has come to an end without any problems. I’m very grateful to LUV8. I’ll become a better Ian. Thank you very much.”
Jinsu: “Did you all have fun today? Thank you for spending LUN8’s Japanese debut with us. Please stay with us in the future. I love you!”
Frog: “I will never forget this moment today. It was a truly happy day, and from today onwards let’s create many more happy days! Thank you. I love you!”
Eunseop: “Today was an exciting and happy moment for me, and I feel like I was able to make good memories by coming to Japan. I’ll do my best to show you an even cooler side of myself in the future!”
Then, as they were taking a commemorative photo with the audience in the background, the fans all raised a slogan in Korean and Japanese that read, “Congratulations on your Japanese debut,” giving the members a surprise! A cake was brought out in front of the members, who all said, “Thank you!”, to add to the excitement, and at the end they performed a refreshing performance of “Evergreen,” the title song of their first JAPAN single, “Evergreen.” They all joined hands, bowed, and left the stage waving to the fans in the venue.
To coincide with their Japanese debut, the official LUN8 JAPAN FANCLUB “LUV8 JAPAN” has also been opened. In addition, the “LUN8 JAPAN 1st FANMEETING” will be held on July 28th at Toyosu PIT in Tokyo and on August 2nd at Namba Hatch in Osaka.
As you can see from the composition that focuses on the songs, LUN8 values evergreen music. It will be exciting to see what kind of wonderful music they will deliver in their future activities in Japan.
Interview and text by Yukari Sakamoto
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