K-pop boy band TUNEXX / IST Entertainment
There’s a passage in the bridge of rookie boy band TUNEXX’s new title track that the members simply call the “kill part.”
“If I mess it up, I’m the one who gets killed,” Sungjun said. “If I actually pull it off, it’s whoever’s watching. I’m practicing hard so it lands the second way.”
It was a bold line in an otherwise pretty quiet morning.
The seven-member rookie group met with The Korea Times in central Seoul on Aug. 20 for an interview ahead of its first comeback, in what was also the members’ first official opportunity to speak directly with the press.
Questions drew pauses. Answers sometimes trailed off halfway through and several members looked toward leader Dongkyu before speaking. They had, after all, debuted only five months earlier.
TUNEXX will release its second EP, “BLUE MODE,” on Sept. 2 at 6 p.m., marking the IST Entertainment group’s first comeback since its March debut with “SET BY US ONLY.” Dongkyu described the new four-track album as a contrast to the group’s debut, which he characterized as a declaration of individuality.
“If the last album felt like each of us saying, ‘I’m different,’ this one is seven people on the same frequency, gathering with joy,” he said. “Last time, each of us had our own separate path. This time, those paths come together and move toward the same frequency to create synergy.”
The idea echoes the group’s slogan: “Tune in to our frequency.”
The eponymous “BLUE MODE” trades the assertiveness of the group’s debut for a more subdued mood.
“It’s a calm song that brings nighttime vibes to mind,” Zeon said. “We put a lot of care into expressing our honest feelings against a blue night.”
Musically, the EP moves well beyond the electronic hip-hop sound of the group’s debut single “I’m Alive.” The title track draws on R&B, trap and soul, while the B-side ranges from UK garage and house to quieter alternative pop.
“There were parts that were difficult at first because we hadn’t tried them before, whether it was building the choreography or recording,” Zeon said. “But by showing different sides of ourselves, we wanted to widen our spectrum and lay the groundwork for doing more later.”
K-pop boy band TUNEXX / Courtesy of IST Entertainment
The members also took a larger role in shaping the album. Dongkyu, Inhoo, Taira, Zeon and Sihwan share songwriting credits, and Taira earned his first lyric-writing credit on the title track with Inhoo and Sihwan, contributing its English lyrics.
“I put plenty of sentiment into it,” Taira said.
The group’s visual and performance concept has shifted with its sound. While the debut leaned into hip-hop, “BLUE MODE” reaches for something subtler — as Taira put it, “sexier.”
Dongkyu, however, described that change as a way of conveying the album’s larger theme, rather than an end in itself.
“We’re heading toward a message about connection, so we carried that through the choreography and dropped the sexy points in between,” he said. “I hope people watch for both.”
The members appeared most at ease when talking about the parts of idol life that had little to do with music or concepts.
Asked when the seven feel most naturally in sync, Sungjun’s answer was immediate: food.
“We like to eat,” he said. “We’re so well matched when ordering delivery that nobody has to say anything. One person gets the fried chicken, someone else orders dessert.”
And when asked what had changed most since their debut in March, Zeon pointed to the hours spent together away from the stage.
“We talked a lot during practice and during the empty time about what suits each of us,” he said. “That’s where the synergy came from.”
Now five months into their career, their ambitions remain concrete. Sihwan is looking toward overseas schedules already on the calendar, while Dongkyu has his sights on a first music show win and the encore live performance that would come with it.
“We’re coming out with a lot of different genres this time,” Dongkyu said. “I want people to see that our spectrum is this wide, and to look forward to the next album.”