“I think the thing with K-pop is it’s so saturated,” says Keeho, the outspoken Toronto-born leader of P1Harmony. “I feel like a lot of people like to copy whatever works and stay away from whatever doesn’t, so I feel like there’s not a lot of groups that are willing to take risks, and I don’t even think it’s the group’s fault.”
Keeho is squeezed in between the group’s five other members — Intak, Jongseob, Soul, Theo and Jiung — on a curvy hotel couch the day of their August performance at KCON.
“K-pop is not just about looking pretty and being great on stage,” he adds. “I think it’s the artistry and it’s the music and concepts and the visuals and choreography… So I think the more involved and the more freedom we have to make the decisions that we want to is what will make each group stand out in their own ways.”
“The people who are really the ones that are being artistic should be the ones taking creative direction and control,” he continues, “and I think our group and our company are really trying to make that happen for us, so I’m thankful. Obviously, I still think we have a long way to go. I think that’s the direction we need to take.”
Five years can seem like eons in the life of a K-pop star, but when P1Harmony burst onto the scene in dark aplomb back in October 2020, it was the thick of the pandemic. Unable to foster an in-person connection, they instead relied on music shows void of an audience and an inventive introductory movie.
Now, they are making up for that every chance they get, as in the night before this interview, when they played at the Academy Museum’s K-Culture night, jumping in the aisles inches away from attendees. Jiung, an all-rounder in the team, speaks on that moment. “We always want to interact with our fans, so every time we go on the stage, we always ask, ‘Can we go down into the crowd?’”
Lately, P1Harmony’s trajectory is on an upward swing. The 2024 mini-album “Sad Song” became their highest-charting album on the Billboard 200, peaking at 16. They followed that up this past May with “Duh!,” their eighth EP and first to debut at #1 on the Billboard World Albums chart. They even found time to stretch their solo chops. Just last month, ace rapper and dancer Intak released a sultry cover of Usher’s “Good Kisser.”
With 18 million views on YouTube, the punky boom-bap “Duh!” from its eponymous release barely had a chance to cool when they announced their latest album ‘‘Ex,” which they released last Friday.
“Ex” is timed to coincide with the “Most Wanted” tour, their biggest yet, kicking off last weekend on the East Coast (they debuted the lead single on GMA last week), and making its way to the Inuit Dome in Los Angeles on October 18th.
If it seems like it’s a lot, it is. Especially as the members are actively involved in the songwriting process. When asked if they would like a little more time to catch their breath in between releases, Keeho pauses to translate after which quirky singer and dancer Soul deadpans, “Yes!” dissolving them into giggles.
“K-pop, as you know,” Keeho picks up, “is such a fast-paced industry, whereas in America, it’s like you know, artists will drop an album every two or three years, which is wild… but in K-pop it’s like twice a year, sometimes more.”
“Ex” is a sonic departure for P1Harmony with mid-2010 rock and R&B leanings. The third track “Stupid Brain” is a groovy ode to overthinking, while the riffy “Dancing Queen” would fit right in on an Ed Sheeran album.
“‘Stupid Brain’ is one of my favorite songs on this album,” Jongseob, the group’s youngest, and a rapping-songwriting ace, jumps in. “And I feel like when we were making this album, I tried to figure out how we can bring some fresh songs.”
“Ex” is notable as their first all-English language release, with one exception: The title track has a Spanish language version. While they’ve covered Spanish songs before, releasing their own version of the catchy, female empowerment song “Ex” was a gift to their global fan base.
“It’s such a widely spoken language not only in America, but all over the world,” Keeho says pointing out they had someone on hand in the vocal booth to help with pronunciation. “It didn’t make sense to make only an English version and leave it at that. We felt like we were going to promote it in America, so we definitely wanted to sing in Spanish as well.”
Vocalist Theo adds that he loved the challenge of working in the language. “Because of the pronunciation,” he says, “there is a lot of attack… it’s like a clean sound in the ears. It’s soft when it needs to be and strong when it needs to be.”
The connection extends beyond language into culture. Known for its online presence, P1Harmony achieved a viral moment back in 2021, wilding out on a livestream when fans suggested they play “La Chona” by the norteño band Los Tucanes de Tijuana.
It’s the small moments like this that have connected them more deeply to fans like dance instructor and influencer Alejandra Guzmán, who has followed the group since its 2022 KCON appearance and was tapped by its L.A.-based record label Hello82 for collaboration on the album rollout.