Photo = UNCORE

 

[Hanteo News = Reporter KANG SUYOUNG] CLOSE YOUR EYES, which has been called a “music hotspot,” has jumped into music from before they were even born.

 

CLOSE YOUR EYES held a press conference to commemorate the release of its 4th mini album ‘256th Note’ at The Riverside Hotel on the 30th and talked about the new album. The group, which has been loved for its lyrical and melodic music, has now brought out jazz funk, a genre from an era they have never experienced.

 

The title track ‘Drop That!’ samples YOON SI NAE’s ‘Enjoy This Night,’ a song regarded as the beginning of Korean jazz funk. The issue was that both this song and the ’90s music they had to refer to came from an era the members had never lived through. Before taking on the challenge, CLYUA began by studying.

 

“Previously, we showed a lot of lyrical and melodic sides, but the reason we chose the genre of jazz funk this time is because we thought the many improvisational elements that jazz has fit us well. We had a strong desire to show ourselves naturally rather than being confined to one genre. Both YOON SI NAE sunbaenim’s song and ’90s hip-hop are from generations before ours that we did not experience, so honestly, we needed to study them. We first spent time studying old songs, ’90s pop, and the jazz genre, and the members gave one another advice as we tried to understand the music.” (JEON MINWOOK)

 

Sampling a song by a legendary senior artist for the first time also came with pressure. SONG SEUNGHO said, “Because it was my first time encountering jazz funk, it felt awkward and new, and since it was also our first time sampling, I felt pressure. But I worked hard with the mindset that I had to do even better,” adding, “I put a lot of effort into my gestures and facial expressions to show it in our own color.” YOON SI NAE is said to have gladly given permission for the sampling. JEON MINWOOK recalled how he felt when he first heard the original song.

 

“When I first heard YOON SI NAE sunbaenim’s song, I felt, ‘How could music this ahead of its time exist in that era?’ So I would be grateful if she says that our music, like the original song, is music that can represent this era and move ahead of its time.” (JEON MINWOOK)

 

As the reason for choosing jazz was “improvisation,” CYE experimented with the appeal of improvisation in various ways through this promotion. Through the interlude film for the pre-release track ‘Open Your Eyes,’ the members took on acting together for the first time since debut. KIM SUNGMIN said, “It was fun because we were able to exchange feedback with one another while taking acting lessons,” adding, “It was impressive to see XIANG hyung take the lead with his own initiative when doing improvisational acting, and when foreign members KENSHIN and XIANG hyung acted in their native languages, the tone itself changed, which was really cool.” JANG YEOJUN said, “I had always been interested in acting, and this was such a good opportunity that it made me think I would like to try it professionally if I get the chance.”

 

For this team pursuing improvisation, the language barrier was another challenge to overcome. All members participated in writing the lyrics for the B-side track ‘Eternity’ on this album, and it was not an easy task for the foreign members. Still, they did not step back. KENSHIN, in particular, changed his entire lyric-writing method.

 

“In the past, I would first write lyrics in Japanese and then translate them into Korean. But because there were parts I felt were lacking that way, while preparing this album, I studied Korean again and tried to write the lyrics in Korean from the beginning. I did get some help from a translator, but compared to before, I think I worked hard to write lyrics in more natural Korean that came from my own head.” (KENSHIN)

 

MA JINGXIANG said, “I wrote it while continuously thinking that I want to be with CLOSER forever,” expressing his affection for the members, while SEO KYOUNGBAE said, “I desperately wanted to talk about the friendship among the members and how much we want to be with CLOSER for a long, long time.” JANG YEOJUN introduced the team by saying, “Even the members who have difficulties with language are overflowing with musical ambition.”

 

Even while challenging themselves with a genre they had never experienced, what CLYUA did not let go of was its own strength. JANG YEOJUN said, “Thankfully, we have received a lot of comments that our music is good, and I think we will be able to show that strength in choosing the genre of jazz this time as well,” sharing his hope for a new modifier.

 

“If we gain a new modifier, I hope we can be called ‘CYE, a music hotspot.’” (JANG YEOJUN)

 

The goal is clear. MA JINGXIANG said, “We worked very hard, so I want to win No. 1 at least once,” and made a pledge, saying, “If we win No. 1, all of us will try improvisational acting.” It was a promise fitting for a team that has pursued the improvisational nature of jazz. JEON MINWOOK said, “As our albums and songs continue to build up, our goal is for a few more people than before to listen to us, for our music to be streamed more, and for it to be heard here and there.”

 

CLOSE YOUR EYES’ 4th mini album ‘256th Note’ will be released today at 6 PM. Attention is focused on what kind of music the group’s experiments will build into as they continue to take on challenges without being confined to genre.

 

grace@hanteo.com

 

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