There’s something about CRAVITY that makes you want to root for them.
The day Serim, Allen, Jungmo, Woobin, Wonjin, Minhee, Hyeongjun, Taeyoung, and Seongmin sit down with Consequence to discuss their fourth mini-album, NEW WAVE, it’s just past midnight in Seoul, but their energy is still as bright as ever over Zoom. The nine members introduce themselves one by one — Seongmin, the youngest, is so bubbly, you’d never know it was the end of a very long day of promotions.
A “comeback” is a very different kind of event within the world of K-pop — while U.S. album releases are often accompanied by a healthy amount of interviews, perhaps an appearance or two on a late-night TV show, K-pop artists promote on longstanding, highly-competitive music programs, which give existing fans a chance to see their favorites talk about new music and perform, but also provides a chance for new fans to learn about a group like CRAVITY, too. The day before our conversation, the group had secured coveted first place for the album’s lead single, “Party Rock,” the song’s first win.
“We focused on delivering our energy to the fans and our audience,” says Taeyoung, discussing not only recent promotions but the approach for NEW WAVE overall. The day the album was released, the group connected with Consequence over email, ahead of our chat — “We want our fans to get positive energy from us by listening to our songs and seeing our performances,” they shared at the time.
With K-pop in such a time of global popularity as a whole, and so many groups for listeners to learn about, music is just the beginning of building a fan base. CRAVITY’s foundation is strong, though — their early 2021 single, “Adrenaline,” is a shot of energy straight to the bloodstream the title suggests. This latest mini-album peels back the sugary pop by just a hair and allows the members to step into more natural territory. They’re all excited to call out “Colorful,” a song written and produced entirely by the group’s own Woobin.
“All our members are so good — they have so many charms,” Woobin insists. “Style and swagger.” Taeyoung nods his head in agreement. “We all have chemistry,” he explains, an element that can be a make or break factor within a fiercely competitive industry. Each member of the group trained in some capacity before debuting in CRAVITY, to varying degrees.
