We can all see a little bit into the future. Take, for example, a fan of boy group ENHYPEN. In November 2020, just after the band’s debut, that fan could have foreseen (and hoped) that the group would still be releasing music together in 2023. It’s a modest vision, a safe bet.
So safe, in fact, that the reality of what ENHYPEN accomplished in 2023 reads like a fever dream in comparison. In September, for example, the group headlined two dates at the Tokyo Dome, Japan’s largest music venue, where they performed for nearly three-hours each night and danced with half a dozen five-foot-tall Pikachus.
Ahead of the band’s second Tokyo Dome concert, courtyards surrounding the venue hummed with the fizzling anticipation of thousands of Japanese teens. Most were still in their school uniforms, having traveled to the Dome with friends as soon as class ended. When Teen Vogue asked a dozen of them, “What do you like so much about ENHYPEN?” all twelve gave the same answer. “What I like about ENHYPEN,” they said, “is that they inspire me to work harder.”
The seven members of ENHYPEN — Jungwon, Heeseung, Sunghoon, Jay, Jake, Sunoo, and Ni-Ki — are excellent role models for anyone willing to put in the work. The group booked the Tokyo Dome shows less than three years after their November 2020 debut (and almost exactly three years after the Sep. 18, 2020 finale of the reality show that formed them, I-LAND), the fastest for any K-pop boy band. Four of their albums have cracked the top 20 of the Billboard 200. This year, they were appointed as ambassadors to Italian fashion house Prada and were the second artist tapped to join the Pokémon Company’s new “Music Collective” (hence the dancing Pikachus). After the two Tokyo Dome shows, the group toured the states with stops in Los Angeles, Glendale, Houston, Dallas, Newark, and Chicago. And, because the grind never stops, ENHYPEN released their newest album, Orange Blood, on Nov, 17.
With so much behind them, and so much ahead, what are Jungwon, Heeseung, Sunghoon, Jay, Jake, Sunoo, and Ni-Ki looking forward to in 2024? We invited them to the Teen Vogue offices and let them run wild with magazines, glue, and a Polaroid camera. Over sodas and Korean BBQ-flavored Cheetos, the seven members cut and pasted their personal visions for 2024 and discussed the new dreams they hope to make a reality.
Sunoo
The overall message of my board is that I will continue doing what I like in 2024: singing, traveling, all the things I like. The overall message is that I'm just going to keep doing my thing.
Teen Vogue: You’ve added stickers of tomatoes and carrots, do you like those?
Sunoo: Ah, I don’t like them, but they’re good for me. And I balance them out with doughnuts.
Jay: It’s like he has one plus and one minus, and they even out.
TV: Is there anything you want to change in 2024 or get better at?
Sunoo: I'm a pretty spontaneous person so I don't have a fixed plan for 2024. But I guess I'll probably be into something, like learning new things or something that I like. I’ll just be free and be myself.
TV: Are there other members of the group who are also spontaneous? Why do you describe yourself that way?
Sunoo: I guess I am the spontaneous one and everyone else is more of a planner, in a sense. I think I'm quick in finding something that I like. And once I find something that I like, I'm right into it. So I don't plan out in advance and, in that sense, I'm kind of spontaneous.
TV: Is there something you recently dove into like that?
Sunoo: I’m super into [the K-drama] Moving. I don’t have large chunks of time to binge watch shows but I watch it whenever I have time.
TV: Is there anything you want to leave behind in 2024?
Sunoo: [Pauses to think] Ah! I did a lot of shopping for clothes recently. So I might leave behind some of my clothes, like reshape my wardrobe.
TV: Did your style change?
Sunoo: Sort of. I bought a lot of funky, hipster style stuff. It's kind of different from my “cute” image, these clothes are more edgy. So it was a challenge for me. For example, I got a beanie recently. I never usually wear it that much. But I think it's kind of hip to wear. It’s a new style for me.
Jake
TV: Jake, tell us about your board.
Jake: It looks like a kindergartener’s artwork [Jungwon and Sunghoon laugh]. There's a little number one, because we want to be number one. And on the left… I want to be able to travel more, because we never got to really go on a proper vacay and I kind of want to go feel the nature a little bit. I just put these smiley faces, I don’t know why [laughs]. And this side is sort of like the musical side. I like hip-hop. I want to be able to try and explore different types of music in 2024. And because we have a song called “Blossom” I have a flower. I added the phases of the moon because that’s the image on our tour shirt and I want to end the tour well before we go into 2024.
TV: What’s one thing you want to leave in 2023?
Jake: Being able to stop worrying about stuff, you know? I want to get rid of that thing I have, because I always worry too much about everything. In 2024, I just want to be able to just enjoy it and not worry about things so much, just chill.
TV: What's something you worry about the most?
Jake: I feel like as an artist or celebrity that goes on onstage I think everyone sort of worries a little bit about how they look and how they appear. But I feel like I learned through experience that just being happy, like just being yourself, is what makes you most attractive. The fans like that the most. Whenever I go up on stage there's a little bit of myself that kind of worries about how I look and [if] my fans are going to like that. But just getting rid of that thought I feel is going to help me grow more.
TV: What's your plan to do that? Do you have something you tell yourself before you go on stage?
Jake: Right now, because we’re on tour, before I go on stage I always tell myself to just have fun. Because me having fun on stage is going to show to the crowd. If I have fun, they’re going to have fun. I try to make the time as enjoyable as possible.
Jungwon
TV: Jungwon, can you tell us about your vision board?
Jake: He’s gonna do it in English.
Jungwon: [In English] English? OK. I wrote “the perfect ENHYPEN.” “Friends” is for our members. “Love” is for our ENGENE.
Jake: What’s that? [Points to muscular man]
Jungwon: I realized I have to… [switches fully to Korean]
Jake: [Laughs] He tried!
Jungwon: We've been on tour and I think the biggest takeaway from this tour was that I really need to do some more cardio just to be able to maintain that energy for the shows to make our performance better for fans.
TV: I once saw a video of two members of TXT running on a treadmill and singing. Are you going to do that?
Jungwon: I saw it, too! And no [Laughs]. [To continue], for the “love,” in 2024 and even after, I just want to continue getting more love from our fans but also paying it back to our fans. And for “friends” I thought of our members, like all of us as friends. There's a line in our song “Blessed-Cursed” that goes “we're jumping in together.” So this person and the dog are diving together and I thought of like, “We're jumping into this experience together. We're in this together.”
TV: You drew yourself in black. Is that like an alter ego?
Jungwon: Ah, no. I added it just for fun.
TV: What do you want to be better at in 2024?
Jungwon: My answer is gonna be very similar to Jake's. I just want to be less conscious of what other people think of me. It's not about how I look on stage but more in daily life. I'm not leaving it completely behind, but I want to be less conscious of how other people will think of me and things like that. I just want to be in that moment and really enjoy it.
Like what Jake just said, I think the mindset is, “Our fans are here because they love us already.” So we're just gonna have fun and it's gonna come through in our performance, so let's have fun together.
Ni-Ki
Ni-Ki: First, I have the Prada logo because I want to be at their show again next year and be in their outfits and, you know, maybe show different sides to our fans in general by trying different things. I have a flower there because I just want to be beautiful in the eyes of our fans. Also, we also have a song, “Blossom,” that's been on my mind recently. I've been thinking a lot about that performance, so that's also why I have the flower there. In the middle I put ENHYPEN and Engene because, obviously, we’re together.
Jake: Always together.
TV: What do you want to leave behind in 2024?
Ni-Ki: Whenever I make very minor mistakes on stage it affects me a lot, like mentally. It has an impact on me afterwards. So I want to leave that behind. Next year, I just want to be more confident. I just want to be a little more optimistic. I need to remember, “It's all just the process of learning from your mistakes.”
Jake: He’s really harsh on himself, so he’ll get caught up in a little, minor mistake and won't be able to fully enjoy the rest of the concert. He’ll think about that too much. Which I understand because I used to do that.
TV: Why don't you anymore?
Jake: A couple months ago I had the same problem. And it's sort of going back to what I said earlier but people don't really look at the mistakes as that big.
TV: Right, I don’t think anyone notices.
Ni-Ki: [Laughs and nods]
Jake: I told myself that. And rather than being caught up on mistakes it’s better to just move on and do a better performance the next time.
Heeseung
Heeseung: My board is a map of the U.S. Obviously, we're on a U.S. tour. And this [person] is me.
TV: What are you drinking?
Heeseung: I don’t know. The overall message here is that I need to grow up more to be in the top three.
TV: Top three of what?
Heeseung: This industry. The whole music scene. We have to — as ENHYPEN — we have to grow. And I have to grow personally, too. I have to try more and more. I added a dollar sign because I have to earn my money. Oh, and I want to be sexy [laughs].
These lines connect all these components and then the lines go out of the frame and into the world.
TV: What's up there on the corner, “To Ask?”
Heeseung: It’s almost like this board is my mind right now. And you are asking the questions. So I have this “to ask” because I'm kind of asking these questions to myself.
TV: What are some things you want to leave in the past in 2024?
Heeseung: I think I want to get rid of everything that makes me doubt myself. I think I've been managing to get rid of a lot of them already but I want to continue doing that so that I can be really self confident and keep on going.
TV: So what are some of the things that you've gotten rid of?
Heeseung: It's nothing special. Maybe a lot of self-deprecation, negative self talk. I think I got rid of my habit of checking on people’s reactions. Whenever I did something, I used to check on how people react, but I have gotten rid of that.
Jay
Jay: My board looks a little funny.
Jungwon: [Points at where Jay has cut out his own head and placed it on muscular bodies] You’re copying me! [All laugh]
Jay: I just focused on my personal goals for next year. I'm a person that has too many goals and I can’t handle it, [I get overwhelmed]. So I just made three goals. First, I’ve realized that health is very important. On this tour, I had some physical issues because of my weak body.
TV: You said that so bluntly.
Jay: [Laughs] It’s sad but it’s true. So I added “recover faster, go further.” I want to build a more healthy and strong body, try some new workouts next year.
TV: You and Jungwon can go to the gym together.
Jay: Yeah! [Jungwon gives a thumbs up]
I’m really into guitar these days so I just want to keep going with that. I didn't add any words on [over the black and white photo] but it means, like, “Let's stop looking at bad things and only look at good things.” That’s my mental goal for next year.
TV: How have you taught yourself to focus on the good things? What are the benefits of focusing on good things and ignoring the bad?
Jay: I believe it all depends on the mindset. I've found that I can conquer obstacles more effectively when I adopt a positive rather than a negative perspective. The outcome might not always be fully dependent on the mindset, but I just think that maintaining a positive mindset is what enables me to stay healthy, in terms of both inner and physical strength.
TV: What are some other things you want to leave in the past next year?
Jay: I’m always giving it my all, but there's always room for more growth. I aim to leave behind my less experienced self in the past, and start the new year fully embracing all the valuable experiences I’ve gained in 2023.
TV: Is there something else that you want to change about yourself in 2024?
Jay: Singing and dancing is always the focus for me when it comes to growth. Additionally, I aspire to improve my guitar skills, as I hope to share yet another fun stage with ENGENEs. Over the past year, I learned a lot about my shortcomings and areas I need to improve on both on and off the stage. Hopefully, I’ll be able to close out next year as a better artist and person, feeling a greater sense of satisfaction about how much I’ve grown.
In the interest of physical well-being, I'm considering incorporating meditation into my daily routine. Also, once I become more skillful in playing the guitar, I aspire to delve into learning new musical instruments like the bass, harmonica, or saxophone. I think these instruments would be a great addition to our performances on stage. Learning a new language is also on my radar, if the time allows! I'm eager to explore a language beyond Korean, English, or Japanese, [so] I’d be able to communicate even more closely with the ENGENEs.
Sunghoon
Sunghoon: I think I messed up. [All laugh].
Jay: It looks like something out of a horror movie.
Sunghoon: “Just do it” is my motto. I'm not sure if I'm practicing it that much. But I want to practice it more next year so I just want to be in that mindset just you know, just push through. So that's the key point here.
Jake: What’s the dollar sign for?
Sunghoon: I want to make some money of course. [All laugh] I added some vitamins and the image of a [healthy] body because I’ve caught a cold many times, so I just want to take care of myself more in terms of my health. “Love” symbolizes my love for Engene. And the whole board is supposed to be on fire, which is why I have all the red.
Jay: It’s like the poster of the movie It.
TV: What are some things you want to leave behind in 2024?
Sunghoon: I believe every aspect of my life has played a role in shaping the person I am today, so there’s nothing I’d specifically like to leave behind. I just want to continue adding more layers to it. Maybe something might come up down the road but, as of now, I don’t think there is anything in particular. If I absolutely had to choose one, perhaps it would be my youth. Not that I want to leave behind my youth entirely, but I wish to be a more mature version of myself in 2024.
TV: Is there anything you want to change about yourself in 2024?
Sunghoon: I wouldn’t exactly call this a “change,” per se, but I do see a lot of room for improvement in many areas. So my goal is to be a more refined version of myself. I’m determined to work even harder and present a more professional and versatile version of myself. There’s always room for progress.
Singing and dancing is always a given, and in addition, I want to pick up the drums in the coming year because it’s something that’s piqued my interest lately. Beyond that, skiing is a winter hobby I enjoy, so I’ll try to hit the slopes whenever I can.
Credits:
Senior Culture Editor: P. Claire Dodson
Art & Design Director: Emily Zirimis
Visual Editor & Photographer: Bea Oyster
Designer & Production: Liz Coulbourn
Writer: Elizabeth de Luna
Production Assistance: Allison Hill
