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When I logged into Zoom for an interview with P1Harmony (Keeho, Theo, Jiug, Intak, Soul, and Jongseob), I was greeted like a familiar face even though I had only chatted with them once before. The first stop of their ongoing world tour. Keeho recounted the advice they took from me while they were in Nashville (shopping at Star Struck Vintage, dining at Five Points Pizza), and we all reported on the moment the band took a hiatus during the legendary Grand Ole Opry.
In the months since, they’ve had their hands full, even with a break in their touring schedule: their new EP, Harmony: go all outarriving on June 8, led by the music video for “JUMP,” which racked up 12 million views in its first 24 hours.
“This is our sixth mini-album, and we’ve been practicing,” said Jiung. According to Keeho, the song’s road to release, especially its focus track “JUMP,” was a bit longer than the others: “The longest we’ve had this song—it’s from (2022’s) ‘Doom Du Doom ‘It started recording,’ and we were arguing about the title track between that and ‘JUMP,'” he explained. “‘Doom Du Doom’ won, but we really liked the song.”
The members of P1Harmony are all very good dancers, but “JUMP” provides a particularly good showcase for Soul, whose background in b-boying is on full display here. “In the choreography, we also have parts where we use skipping rope,” Jongseob said. “It was very, very difficult, but now that we’ve gotten the hang of it, it’s a lot more fun.”
This new mini-album adds six new tracks to the P1Harmony canon, settling comfortably with its fresh, slightly Y2K-leaning sound. “I’m happy for people to hear ‘Love Me For Me’, but I can’t wait to share a performance of ‘Heartbeat Drums’ when we’re on stage,” said Jiung. Theo was also excited about the particularly catchy “Love Me For Me,” saying he was surprised how much he enjoyed the “fun and lovely choreography” that accompanies the song. “I love the riff on that song,” Keeho added.
P1Harmony are getting ready to start the second leg of their world tour (find tickets here), which gave the band the opportunity to perform to fans in Canada and Latin America. It will be the first time they have hit countries such as Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil. As we chat, Jiug catches a glimpse of the Spanish he’s been practicing, while Intak hypes him up.
Toronto-born Keeho is particularly excited to return to Canada with his bandmates in July. “I have a lot going on,” he confirmed.
Overall, summer has been a somewhat nostalgic time for the members. Intak recalls the low tide season in his hometown near the sea in South Korea, according to a study called mud flat“It’s been a lot of fun,” he promises, describing the tidal phenomenon that leaves him covered in mud by the end of the day. Meanwhile, Jongseob happily recounts the experience of the whole team visiting the mountains near Jiung’s hometown of Anyang together to escape the heat in the water that flows through the area. “You need to come to Korea in the summer,” Keeho assured me.
While preparing for a tour, new music and performances for their new album, the members are also trying to find time to relax: Jiug mentioned that he has been making beaded bracelets during his break, but when asked if he had made them for the members He jokes like it’s the funniest joke he’s ever heard that day. (The answer is no.) Overall, though, the group is excited to play in Latin America and continue to see how audiences react to their most recent releases.
This new EP notably includes homemade and self-written tracks from the group called “More Than Words”. “I had fun writing it,” Keeho said. “So if it sucks, it’s my fault.”