K-pop boy band weathers the storm to release 'Tempest Voyage'

K-pop

Published: 11 Mar. 2024, 18:34

K-pop boy band weathers the storm to release 'Tempest Voyage'

Boy band Tempest poses for the camera during a press showcase for the band's latest album ″Tempest Voyage″ held at the Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul on Monday [YUE HUA ENTERTAINMENT]

Tempest may be working with one less member, but the boy band is confident about its future in “Tempest Voyage.”

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling the pressure as we prepared for our comeback. But we came together as one team and tried our best to have our fans not feel the gap [from a missing member],” Lew, the leader of boy band Tempest, said during a press showcase held Monday at the Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjin District, western Seoul, before the album release later that day.

Tempest has had a rocky few months after what is said to be a recording of a videocall between member Hwarang and a fan went viral online. Hwarang and the band’s agency, Yue Hua Entertainment, have since apologized and announced on March 6 that Hwarang would halt his activities.

Tempest had to restructure itself as a six-member band and change its choreography among other adjustments.

“But more than the difficulties we had, we were thinking about our fans who have been worrying about us,” Hyuk said. “Tempest’s voyage is all about constantly improving, and we plan to show that even more, starting with our new album.”

Tempest’s fifth EP, “Tempest Voyage” comes six months after the release of its first single “Into The Tempest” and is the final entry in the “Tempest” album series.

“This album has a special place in my heart because it marks an end to our ‘Tempest’ saga,” Lew said. “Working with the name ‘Tempest,’ we’ve tried hard to be a group, a solid and improving group, that can bring people together.”

“We may have suffered from growing pains, but it also allowed our members to talk amongst ourselves the most, and we could come together and really improve our teamwork. I enjoyed every process of the album production.”

The lead track of the EP “Lighthouse” is a song in the deep house genre, mixed with pop melodies, featuring an upbeat yet grandeur atmosphere, different from the group’s more punchy releases of the past.

Lew was involved in the lyric writing of “Lighthouse,” while members Hyuk, Taerae and Lew, took part in the lyric writing of the B-side track “B.O.K.”

“I felt like ‘Lighthouse’ was comforting me when I first listened to the demo version of it,” Lew said. “I wanted to relay that comforting feeling with my lyrics.”

“I’d been singing songs with my voice only, but I think I was able to sing with both my voice and my heart as I wrote the song myself,” Taerae said.

“We hope to continue our goal and win No. 1 on weekly music shows,” Hyuk said. “We are holding our fan concert in Korea in April. And I hope we can hold a fan concert tour and reach our overseas fans.”

To find out more about TEMPEST, visit Celeb Confirmed!

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