LUN8 hopes to be 'all-rounder idol' as second EP 'Buff' drops

Boy band LUN8 performs ″Super Power,″ the lead track of its latest EP ″Buff″ on Wednesday [FANTAGIO]

Sexy, energetic and multilingual: LUN8 hopes to be an "all-rounder idol" capable of pulling off any concept.

“'Pastel' and 'Super Power,' the two [main] songs in our second album, feature two distinct concepts: sexy and energetic youth. I hope fans enjoy the two contrasting sides of LUN8,” Ian said during a press showcase held Wednesday at the Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul ahead of the release of “Buff.”

“Buff” is LUN8's second EP released Wednesday, seven months after the band’s debut EP “Continue?” in June 2023. “Buff” refers to the gaming slang of boosting someone or something to make it stronger.

“The message with ‘Buff’ that we are trying to relay is that we can achieve anything if we come together as one [to give each other a ‘buff’],” member Takuma explained.

“It’s the story of a youth who dreams a lot, who wants to do a lot,” Chael said.

The EP features a total of six tracks: “Mon2Sun,” lead track “Super Power,” “Got the Rizz,” “Pastel,” “Now” and the English version of the lead track.

“I think just like the title of our first track ‘Mon2Sun,’ I think you can find new charms from our songs and not get tired of it even when you listen to them every day,” Ji Eun-ho said.

“We released ‘Pastel’ as a surprise gift to our fans when the preparation for our comeback was taking longer than we had originally anticipated. We were so sorry for keeping our fans waiting for such a long time,” Jinsu said. “Pastel” was released on Feb. 18, almost a month before “Buff.”

“Super Power” is an energetic score featuring a catchy chorus, focusing on the youth and bright side of the band, while “Pastel” is LUN8’s attempt at a sexier song, according to the members.

LUN8 had no problem recording the English version of “Super Power” despite it being LUN8’s first English song to be released.

“The reason why we didn’t have many difficulties all comes down to Dohyun who’d helped us a lot,” Chael said. Dohyun lived in the United States for four years, while members added that they, too, studied English a lot.

“We’ve showcased contrasting concepts with ‘Super Power’ and ‘Pastel,’ I think that makes us worthy of the moniker ‘the genius idol’,” Ji said, adding to Ian’s wish to earn the moniker “all-rounder idol.”

“While we are yet to decide on our future concepts, all eight of us love the hip-hop genre, so I think we can try heading in that direction,” Junwoo said.

“Just like how we showed the new, sexy side of us, we want to show another different side of the band. We really want to show that we are good at anything,” Eunseop said.

“We also want to have a lot of overseas activities and meet our overseas fans if we get the opportunity,” Chael said.

To find out more about LUN8, visit Celeb Confirmed!

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