Take a peek into H1-KEY's passionate showcase

At a scorching 35 degrees, with the first heatwave warning of 2024 issued in Seoul, there are those who sing “let’s get hotter.” H1-KEY has made a comeback, burning with ‘hot’ passion.

They sing the message of youth rebelling against the world. It’s a ‘dark’ charm they haven’t shown before. Instead of their previous warm and emotional image, they have returned with a wild visual, music, and performance.

Hwiseo emphasized, “While we have conveyed hope and comfort so far, this time we are rebellious.” Their spectrum has broadened. They have prepared refreshing rock music, groovy boom bap, and rough, aggressive rock sounds.

On the 19th, H1-KEY held a showcase to celebrate the release of their third mini-album ‘LOVE or HATE’ at Blue Square Mastercard Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The members and their new mascot, Benique, also appeared to celebrate the comeback.

This comeback comes after four months. It’s their first new release since the ‘H1-KEYnote’ project. Seoi introduced it by saying, “Unlike previous H1-KEY songs, this one has rebellious and straightforward lyrics, choreography, and music.”

The new album captures H1-KEY’s new emotions. It’s about rebellious youth. Hwiseo explained, “Being good isn’t the only part of us; the rebellious and defiant aspects are also part of us, and we want to love those parts too.”

The title track is ‘Let It Burn.’ It’s a song with a heavy boom bap hip-hop rhythm layered with grunge rock sounds. It was written and composed by Hong Ji Sang, the writer of ‘Rose Blossom.’

The lyrics are notably straightforward, such as ‘Even if my heart burns to ashes, let’s get hotter’ and ‘Don’t try to avoid madness, let’s become ashes.’ Yel introduced it by saying, “It contains our passion.”

Seoi shared her strong first impression of the song. “As soon as I heard it, I thought, ‘This is H1-KEY’s.’ I believed we could perform it well and bring it to life.”

The stage was intense, like watching four flames. The members, smiling at each other, completed a festive-like performance against the backdrop of a live band.

There was a small mishap in the middle. Seoi’s necklace got caught on the microphone. Nevertheless, she held onto the microphone with her hand and completed the performance. Benique added richness by playing the drums.

It’s been a while since they’ve returned with a performance. In their previous activities, H1-KEY focused only on vocals without choreography. This time, the choreography was directed by Lia Kim from 1MILLION.

Yel pointed out the intuitive choreography as a highlight. She demonstrated the moves for the ‘laugh or cry, make it certain’ part. “Lia Kim paid attention to the details. Thanks to her, we created a perfect stage,” she said.

The music video also exploded with H1-KEY’s rebellious charm. The members ran through classrooms, rooftops, and corridors against the backdrop of a school. They enjoyed their own performance, dancing in classrooms even in the dark of night.

The new album includes four tracks. Besides the title track, there are ‘Letter,’ ‘Iconic,’ and ‘Rainfalls.’ The second track is especially meaningful to the members.

All members participated in writing the lyrics. They wrote messages to H1-KEY from H1-KEY. Seoi explained, “We wrote down memories we felt together, like writing letters and rolling papers.”

Was it difficult to adopt the first rebellious concept? There was even a request during the directing process to ‘sing while intentionally getting angry.’ Seoi answered, “I tried to express my boiling emotions. I ended up doing a lot of research.”

Despite the different genres, music, and concepts, Riina expressed that it is still H1-KEY’s story. She said, “Rather than making a shocking reversal, we continued H1-KEY’s story.”

She added, “We talk about youth, not in a fantastical or imaginary realm. So far, we’ve talked about hope, dreams, and courage. This time, we expressed another side in H1-KEY’s style.”

Riina defined their music. “H1-KEY’s music is something everyone can relate to. We talk about stories you can feel in everyday life. The relatable lyrics are a characteristic,” she said.

Do they feel any pressure about their performance? H1-KEY has a reverse hit song, ‘Rose Blossom.’ Have they never thought about surpassing it?

Seoi conveyed a firm goal. “We are focusing on maintaining H1-KEY’s color while trying to show a different charm and music.”

Now, they only have days of progress ahead. Hwiseo expressed her desire, “I want to achieve first place on music shows with this activity. I dream of fan meetings, solo concerts, and overseas tours,” and Riina hoped, “I want to hear people say, ‘H1-KEY is going to make it big.'”

H1-KEY releases their third mini-album at 6 PM on this day.