New K-pop boy band Nomad makes its own path by producing from the get-go

K-pop

Published: 28 Feb. 2024, 17:10 Updated: 28 Feb. 2024, 17:13

New K-pop boy band Nomad makes its own path by producing from the get-go

Rookie boy band Nomad performs ″California love,″ one of the two lead tracks from its debut EP ″Nomad,″ during a press showcase held Wednesday morning in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [NOMAD ENTERTAINMENT]

It’s rare to have K-pop idol group members take part in the production of their debut album, let alone participate in its lyrics, but boy band Nomad's leader Doy took part in the production of all seven tracks in its debut EP and plans to have all members involved in its music in the future.

“I was the only one working as a producer for our debut EP 'Nomad' […] but all our members have the ability to produce music, and I will help them make music. As a matter of fact, they’ve already started writing their own music,” Doy said during the band’s debut showcase held Wednesday morning in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, ahead of the release of Nomad’s debut EP later that day.

The band has five members: Doy, Sangha, One, Rivr and Junho.

Rookie boy band Nomad poses for the camera during the band's debut press showcase, held Wednesday morning in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [NOMAD ENTERTAINMENT]

Doy, who has been a trainee for nine years, was involved in the production of all seven tracks in “Nomad.” The EP features two lead tracks: “No pressure” and “California love,” followed by B-sides “Oasis,” “Automatic,” “Let me love you,” “Lights on” and “Eye 2 eye.”

“I, alongside other producers, wrote many tracks as we prepared for the debut EP," Doy said.

“We actually only had five tracks prepared for the debut EP, but I ended up adding two more tracks in the EP because I thought it suited our members very well.”

Rookie boy band Nomad poses for the camera during the band's debut press showcase, held Wednesday morning in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [NOMAD ENTERTAINMENT]

The production process started almost a year and a half ago, according to Doy.

“It might be a bit of a spoiler [for our future releases], but we still have a lot of songs ready already,” he said.

Notably, “No pressure,” with its lyrics written by Doy alone, depicts the effort put in and the journey shared by Doy and the members prior to their debut, singing that “everything in life has a purpose, even if that may be tough and you can only be a shining diamond if you can endure such hardships.”

The band’s name, Nomad, is what's called a backronym for “Need Our Microphone And Dances,” referring to the band’s request to “Bring on the microphone, so we can sing and dance.” Band members, however, were more attached to the standard dictionary definition of nomad.

“If you think about it, being a nomad means that you can consider a place to be your home wherever you go,” Doy said. “Which, in our case, can encapsulate our aspiration that we can go on stage and perform anywhere we go.”

“We do hope to win an award — any award, really,” Sangha said. “I think receiving an award in itself is proof of [how hard we worked]. We will work hard regardless of whether we win an award, but I think it will be good fuel for us to continue on our journey if we can.”

"I aim to steadily do what we want to do to showcase our band to the people," Rivr said.

To find out more about NOMAD, visit Celeb Confirmed!

Rookie boy band Nomad poses for the camera during the band's debut press showcase, held Wednesday morning in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [NOMAD ENTERTAINMENT]

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]