INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY ALICIA ZAMORA ☆
Photo courtesy: Uncore Entertainment
CLOSE YOUR EYES ARE LEARNING TO EMBRACE THE SPACE BETWEEN THE NOTES—With their second mini-album, 256th Note, CLOSE YOUR EYES are exploring a different side of themselves through jazz, hip-hop and R&B, allowing each sound to have its own moment. Across seven tracks, the group moves away from what listeners might expect, experimenting with different styles while finding new ways to express themselves through music. For the members, that process meant learning that sometimes what you leave out can be as important as what you put in.
That freedom comes through in the album’s different tracks, from the jazz improvisation of “Open Your Eyes” to the Korean jazz-funk and ’90s street hip-hop influences of “Drop That!” Rather than sticking to a familiar song structure, the members wanted to preserve the original character of Yoon Si-nae’s “이 밤을 즐겁게” while making the track their own. This change gives the group room to show a side of themselves listeners might not have seen before, something Kenshin is especially looking forward to bringing to the stage. With their tour already underway, the members are excited to bring these songs to life on stage and share a new side of themselves with CLOSER.
But 256th Note is also about the feelings that connect the seven members to the people who have supported them along the way. On “Eternity,” each member contributed lyrics inspired by their own thoughts and emotions toward CLOSER, bringing those different perspectives together into one song. That same sense of connection carries into how they approach life as a group, with Jeon Minwook emphasizing the importance of trusting one another no matter what happens. As they continue to grow through new music and performances, CLOSE YOUR EYES are finding ways to show more of who they are, both on stage and beyond it.
Read Luna’s conversation with CLOSE YOUR EYES below.
Photo courtesy: Uncore Entertainment
LUNA: Let’s start with the seven of you. If you each had to introduce yourselves without talking about your role in CLOSE YOUR EYES, what would you want people to know about you?
JEON MINWOOK: I’d like people to know that I’m versatile. I’m the type who can take on any challenge and usually does a pretty good job of it.
MA JINGXIANG: I may seem a little quiet at first, but once we get close, I joke around a lot and I’m funnier than people expect. I also like learning new things and taking on challenges. I hope you’ll get to know not only how I look on stage, but also what I think about and who I am in everyday life, little by little!
JANG YEOJUN: I look cold on the outside, but I’m very warm on the inside, and I try to give back double the love I receive. I’m Jang Yeojun, the man who makes hearts flutter.
KIM SUNGMIN: Hello, I’m Sungmin of CLOSE YOUR EYES! I’m actually quite playful, and I find happiness in the small things. Rather than staying in one image, I want to keep growing and show you many different sides of me. There’s still a lot I haven’t shown yet, so I hope you’ll enjoy getting to know me!
SONG SEUNGHO: I’m a polite person. Because of that, people often tell me that conversations with me feel awkward at first, but I hope you’ll see that once we talk more and get closer, I’m bright and positive.
KENSHIN: I’m bright and full of energy. I also like coming up with new ideas and bringing them to life myself. I’m usually playful and cheerful, but I hope you’ll also notice the serious side of me that comes out when I do music or dance!
SEO KOYUNGBAE: I’m positive about everything; I sing well, I dance well and I’m good at pretty much everything! I have an easygoing personality, I accept everything, and I’m open to everyone, so I can get close to anyone!
LUNA: 256th Note feels very intentional about leaving room in the music—there are moments when the piano, bass, drums or vocals get to breathe instead of filling everything in. Was that kind of restraint something you had to learn while making this album?
SEO KOYUNGBAE: While preparing this album, I think I learned that taking things away is just as important as adding things. We tried to bring out the charm of empty space, and I think it became an album that listeners can enjoy by filling it with their own emotions!
LUNA: “Open Your Eyes” starts the album with jazz improvisation but also brings in hip-hop and R&B. What did you want that first song to make clear about the kind of album you were about to hear?
JANG YEOJUN: We wanted to show that this is an album inspired by jazz, and also to make an impactful statement that it contains music different from what we’ve done until now.
LUNA: “Drop That!” takes Yoon Si-nae’s “이 밤을 즐겁게” and puts it into this Korean jazz-funk and ’90s street hip-hop space. When you were working on it, what parts of the original did you feel were important to keep, and where did you want to completely make it your own?
JEON MINWOOK: We wanted to keep Yoon Si-nae sunbaenim’s one-of-a-kind atmosphere and make every other element our own. We wanted this album to feel freer, so we didn’t follow a standard song structure.
LUNA: “Eternity” brings all seven members into the writing process and turns directly toward CLOSER. When you were writing together, did you find that you were all trying to express the same feeling, or did each member bring something different to the song?
KIM SUNGMIN: For “Eternity,” each member wrote lyrics about CLOSER from their own feelings and thoughts, then we combined them, so each member brought different emotions. Still, I think we all feel the same way about CLOSER. Since the hearts of seven people came together to become one song, we hope our sincerity reaches CLOSER well.
LUNA: If you could sit down with the seven people who were selected at the end of PROJECT7 and tell them one thing about the life they were about to have together, what would you tell them?
JEON MINWOOK: No matter what happens, let’s trust each other. Trust is all we need.
LUNA: Because the album is built around these very short, fleeting emotional moments, were there any sounds, takes or little details from the recording sessions that you ended up keeping specifically because they felt more natural than a technically perfect version?
SONG SEUNGHO: When I was recording the second verse of “Fool for You,” the feedback I received was to give it more of a fluttering feeling, like a quiet smile. When I recorded while smiling, I think I captured that part really well.
LUNA: If I gave each of you a camera and asked you to photograph one thing that represents your life in CLOSE YOUR EYES right now, what would you photograph, and why?
MA JINGXIANG: I’d like to photograph ourselves preparing in front of the mirror right before going on stage. Before a performance, for me, I have many thoughts and feel nervous, but that moment is when I feel most like myself and most focused. I think it’s the scene that best shows how hard I’m running as CLOSE YOUR EYES right now!
LUNA: You’re about to perform these songs live for the first time on tour. Are there any tracks on 256th Note that you think might reveal a completely different side of themselves once you’re performing them in front of CLOSER?
KENSHIN: I think it’s “Drop That!” It will let us show a freer, more energetic side that’s different from the bright image we usually show. I’m really looking forward to it, because performing it on stage with CLOSER should make it even more fun and cool!
LUNA: You’ve got 256th Note out now and your first tour just ahead of you. What do you want CLOSER to know before we send you guys off?
JANG YEOJUN: Thanks to CLOSER, happy times have become beautiful memories, and it has been a time in which we could grow. We’ll go on tour and come back safe, so rest well and wait for us. We love you so much we don’t know what to do, CLOSER. Thank you!
