Catching Up with W24
In the two years since they last spoke to The Kraze, Korean idol band W24 has been busy. Not only did they compete on Mnet’s televised band competition show Great Seoul Invasion last year, but they have also embarked on not one, but three U.K. tours - two in 2022 and one just last month, that followed the release of their Born again EP in March 2023.
Taking time out of their busy schedule, W24 answered some questions about their time in the U.K., touring without Aaron (who is currently in the military), their music inspirations, music styles, and more. Let’s see what W24 had to say!
Q: Hi W24, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. Could you please introduce yourselves to new readers of The Kraze?
W24: Hello to all the subscribers to The Kraze! We are a band called W24! Our name is actually “World 24 Hours” as we want our music to be heard around the world for 24 hours. We are four members: Howon is the vocalist, Jonggil is the drummer, Yunsoo is the guitarist, and Aaron is the pianist, right now [he is] serving in the military.
Q: You last did an interview with The Kraze back in 2021. Would you say much has changed in the last two years for you as a group?
W24: Yes, definitely. We have grown as a group and have released many songs, including a full-length album last year. We are [also] touring around the world a lot visiting many countries [and continents] such as Kazakhstan, Japan, Latin America, and Europe. Right now we are currently three members and our pianist Aaron is in the military service.
Q: You're back in the UK for your Born again tour, less than a year after touring here with W24 in U.K. What do you love the most about performing here?
W24: We think it is our fans and the audience. We never expect international fans to sing along to our songs but especially this time, our EVERY’s sang along to lots of our songs. The energy is also really good. Many of our audience just come to listen to music and end up having lots of fun.
Q: What have you guys been up to while in the UK? Is there anything in particular that you enjoy doing or seeing here?
W24: We have visited Manchester, London, and Bristol. We love seeing the touristy places but especially the Parks are all so amazing. The vibe that the U.K. gives is so cool and chill.
Q: Have you managed to try any famous British cuisines yet? For example: fish and chips, bangers (sausage) and mash, roast dinner, etc. If so, what have you tried and what did you think of it?
W24: We’ve tried fish and chips, afternoon tea, and also the full breakfast. They were so good. Especially the fish and chips, they were really nice to eat. Very simple but tasty.
Q: What has been the biggest difference you've found in performing on this tour without Aaron (who's currently taking his mandatory military service)?
W24: I guess the energy that we give off as a band was quite different. Since the keyboards were played through a computer and not played live, the energy was quite different but manageable. We missed Aaron a lot.
Q: What country would you like to tour in that you haven't been to yet?
Jonggil wants to visit Israel, Howon would like to visit Switzerland, and Yunsoo would like to visit China.
Q: How would you describe W24's overall musical style? Do you each individually have different tastes in music?
W24: We definitely all have different tastes in music. It was not easy to come together and create music but we managed it. Our musical style can be described in one word - all-round. When you listen to our music, all the songs are different according to the writer of the song.
Q: Who inspires you within the music industry? And are there any UK musicians whom you enjoy and find inspiration through?
W24: We get a lot of inspiration from our daily life peers, but musically speaking, these days we enjoy Japanese band music [but] we definitely get a lot of inspiration from band music around the world. For example, The 1975, Coldplay, Nothing but Thieves, etc.
Q: What do you think you would be doing now if you hadn't pursued a career in music?
W24: Yunsoo would have done sports, something that you can do with responsibility. Jonggil would have done something related to making videos, and Howon would have probably been a flight attendant or a hotel concierge.
Q: What TV shows are you watching, or what music are you listening to, at the moment? Any that you would recommend to your fans?
W24: Yunsoo recently enjoyed DP 2, a Korean drama based on military service. Jonggil wants to recommend a Korean band named Silica Gel. Howon enjoyed the movie Elementals.
Q: What can we expect to see from W24 in the near future?
W24: We are actually releasing a single album called Voyager (released on September 4.) We really hope you guys enjoy our new song. We are also looking forward to our Latin American tour at the end of September.
Q: And lastly, what messages would you like to share with your fans?
W24: We really want to thank you guys so much for always loving us so much. We hope to see you next year in a five thousand concert hall!
Thank you to W24 for taking the time to do this interview during the band’s busy schedule. If you like what you read and heard then make sure to go and support W24 by listening to “Voyager” and all of their other releases on all streaming platforms, and by keeping up to date with them on all of their social media platforms.
Edited by Cara Musashi