Meet ENHYPEN, the K-pop boyband destined to dominate the mainstream

German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said: “My formula for greatness in a human being is amor fati.” Originating from Latin, amor fati can be translated to “love of one’s fate”, that is, to embrace life’s inherent ups and downs, believing that everything happens as it was meant to happen.

When looking at the trajectory of K-pop boyband ENHYPEN, it makes sense that they would see fate as an anchor, rather than a handcuff. Two and a half years into their soaring journey – which includes their sold-out first World Tour ‘Manifesto’ and a Number Four debut on the Billboard 200 chart with their latest mini-album ‘Dark Blood’ – they are firm practitioners of amor fati, believing that every step along the way was destined to this moment, even to this, their debut Cover story for NME.

“I personally love the word destiny,” says the poised Sunghoon from Seoul, a former figure skater who found a home in singing and dancing. “It’s such a key thing between one person and another, right? I think destiny is what brought us seven members together.” The effusive Jake, who grew up in Australia and masters any skills in the blink of an eye, reaches his arms to hug Jungwon and Jay, who are huddling beside him in a low-seated grey sofa. “This is destiny,” he says.

They have always had a certain gravitas to them, a darker verve that shrouded the group in mystery. They were, in a way, chosen to be where they are, and experienced first-hand how nothing comes for free in life. From June to September 2020, the seven future members of ENHYPEN were pitted against one another and 16 other hopefuls on the reality TV competition I-Land (think Popstars: The Rivals crossed with Big Brother) for a chance to form the boyband, as chosen by viewers and industry experts alike.

The contestants had to develop their skills, prepare performances and undergo weekly evaluations by the likes of K-pop mainstays Rain and Zico, alongside Bang Si-hyuk, founder and chairman of HYBE (home to BTS, TXT and other notables) – all this while the threat of elimination loomed large. In the end, Jake, Sunghoon, Jungwon, Jay, Heeseung, Sunoo and Ni-ki pushed through the pressure and emerged victorious as ENHYPEN.

When they debuted in November 2020 with the menacing ‘Given-Taken’, they weighed in what fate had given them, and what it had taken in return – an impressively aware take for a group who were still in their teens. Likewise, everything surrounding the septet – their fandom ENGENE, their record-breaking sales, all the New Artist awards they heaped in Korea – seemed to feel their magnetic, almost fateful pull. “We always talk about how we’re feeling and our goals through our songs,” says Jake. “On our debut album [‘Border: Day One’], it was about becoming an idol. We were trainees and then we became artists.”

There are some constraints to consider when becoming a K-pop idol: you won’t have the same experiences as people your age, daily rehearsals will last for hours into the night, pressure and expectations mount with every release (or a “comeback”, as it’s known in the K-pop world). But ENHYPEN have learned to love it all. “Everything we have done until now, from preparations to promotions, we don’t really think of them as sacrifices,” says 22-year-old Heeseung, the eldest member, an astounding performer who also has perfect pitch. Jake adds: “It’s the life we chose. I don’t feel like it’s a big deal, because we gain a lot more from our fans. All the things that we can’t do don’t really matter.”

That statement is strengthened by the fact that, when they debuted, the COVID-19 pandemic was raging outside. ENHYPEN’s in-person activities were cut short, depriving them of a core element in any artist’s life: live interactions with fans. While their popularity never ceased to grow, their first overseas, large-scale performance only happened in May 2022 at Frankfurt’s KPOP.FLEX Festival, for example. But once restrictions started to lift, ENHYPEN booked gig after gig – KCON LA, KCON Japan, Las Vegas’ WeBridge Expo – capping it off with their aforementioned ‘Manifesto’ World Tour.

It’s not a coincidence, then, that their upcoming second World Tour is called ‘Fate’. As they prepare to take over Asia and North America in the upcoming months (with more dates to come), they reflect on how those past experiences – whether good or bad – were essential to who they are now. “One thing I learned from the tour is that we really need to take extra effort to stay on top of our physical condition,” says Sunoo, the bright but enigmatic on-stage performer in the troupe. “You need to eat more, sleep more, so that you can always give your A game.”

Heeseung agrees that being on tour sharpened their focus as performers. “There is less room for confusion or doubt now, whether for recording or practising, because we need to simply imagine ourselves on stage during the tour, and it gives us more confidence that we can do better,” he adds.

Through one full record and four mini-albums so far, ENHYPEN tell multidimensional, transformative tales. They explore the transition between trainees to top-rated idols, but also the development from ingenues to agents of their own destinies, and, well, the parallels among regular humans and… vampires. Another overarching, standout layer in ENHYPEN’s work is that they use the mythical creatures to tell an even bigger story, one that involves visual concepts, music videos and even a webtoon, Dark Moon: The Blood Altar.

“If everything was predetermined in advance, things would be so boring” – Heeseung

When asked if they find it funny to see cartoon-versions of themselves, they laugh in agreement. “Very fun,” says Sunghoon, while Sunoo shared that he avidly follows the webtoon. “It’s not that I necessarily try to look for myself as a character, however, I do find the overall story to be very rich and enjoyable.”

“Since there can be a limit to how much of the storyline we can [show] through our content alone, the webtoon serves as another medium for us to elaborate in better detail,” says the endearing leader Jungwon, who steers the group with a diligence beyond his years. “One thing I believe that makes ENHYPEN unique is our clearly defined lore,” adds Okayama-born Ni-ki, the youngest at 17, but whose dance expertise places him among K-pop’s greatests. “On stage we try to present a visual spectacle to our viewers, and we also try to convey a lot of the vampiric elements. We are artists who present music that leaves audiences wanting more.”

While previous releases mostly alluded to the fanged creatures, ‘Dark Blood’ dives headfirst into the concept. Title track ‘Bite Me’ is as daring as its name suggests, with lyrics like “If you are going to save me / Just come kiss me and bite me”, and an alluring choreography that Ni-ki helped create. Although the song clocks in at a brief two-and-a-half minutes, to ENHYPEN this just means they have to double up on their efforts. “We need a higher-quality performance, because we need the audience to feel everything in that short song,” says Jake. Or, like Sunghoon says, “you just gotta listen to it one more time.”

‘Dark Blood’ portrays a more mature side to their developing talents, one that also takes into consideration all that they went through since debut. “We always try our best to participate in the making of our albums,” says Jay, a cool, stylish Seattleite who is also the group’s grounding force. “For example, Heeseung participated in directing [‘Dark Blood’s] recording, so we try our best to make it ourselves.”

“I’m happy because I’m receiving so many compliments,” says Heeseung, prompting a round of laughter around the room. But the compliments don’t stop there. Jungwon chimes in, and says “I am simply blown away every time I listen to [Heeseung] sing. It’s not something that I can get used to over time, I’m just so astonished by how wonderful it is every time.” He then gives Ni-ki some acknowledgement. “Ni-ki’s deep voice is really charming. I really don’t think any other member of ENHYPEN can pull those notes as well as he does.”

To Jake, aside from the members’ unique voices and charms, the quality of their songs is also remarkable. “It’s something that we’re very proud of. Our producers and staff really take good care of it, they spend a lot of time mastering and making our songs perfect, and we take a long time recording and making them as good as possible,” he says. Sunghoon, the king of one-liners, has a simpler, but equally valid reason for pride: “Our seven members are very handsome.”

But most of all, ENHYPEN rejoice in the fact that the band provides them such an ample playground to grow, and ultimately just be who they are. “One aspect of Gen Z is that your feelings are constantly shifting with time,” says Jake. “Because we’re Gen Z, we always try to make our songs as relatable as possible. We also go through the same problems as [people our age] and we want to be able to portray whatever we are feeling at the moment.”

Jay, who claims to not “know much about Gen Z”, rather hopes that ENHYPEN can continue to do what they do for a long time. “I’ve been watching a lot of concert and interview footage of legendary bands,” he says. “It’s amazing to see these artists still go on tour 40-plus years after their debut. I think it’s beautiful how they not only mature with their fans, but also with each other, so it made me think about how great it would be if we could follow in their footsteps.”

As for what the future holds – including the possibility of an European tour – they prefer to leave it to fate. “What makes destiny even more interesting is that it is mostly out of our control,” says Sunghoon. But doesn’t that make them feel a little more anxious? “We think that uncertainty is what life should be all about,” says Heeseung. “If everything was predetermined in advance, things would be so boring.”

ENHYPEN’s ‘Dark Blood’ is out now via Belift Lab

Listen to the ENHYPEN’s exclusive playlist to accompany The Cover below on Spotify, and here on Apple Music

Words: Tássia Assis
Photographer: Pak Bae
Styling: Ko Dong Hui
Hair: Jeon Hoon, Ahn Chi Hyun
Makeup: Kwon So Jeong
Label/Mgmt: Belift Lab

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