Soaring High with N.Flying
N.Flying, formed in 2013, promotes as a band under FNC Entertainment. The group is quite unique and actually debuted first in Japan in 2013 before making their official Korean debut in May 2015. Their Korean debut was originally scheduled for 2014, but was delayed after the group’s leader, Seunghyub, injured his knee.
N.Flying was originally a four-membered group consisting of Jaehyun, Seunghyub, Kwangjin, and Hoon but expanded in 2017 to add member Hwesung, completing their current five-member lineup. The group is a rock band similar in style to Day6 and The Rose, meaning that they perform their own songs and play their own instruments.
Fans of FNC groups will recognize Kwangjin as the original bassist for CNBLUE. Unfortunately, he left the group in 2009 due to personal circumstances. He continued to train under the company and soon met fellow trainees Seunghyub, Jaehyun, and Hoon to form N.Flying in 2011.
N.Flying is a perfect mixture of talent, charm, and silliness. They’re a group that continues to impress, and each comeback is better than the last. Here’s why N.Flying shouldn’t be flying under your radar.
“Awesome”
Their official Korean debut track, “Awesome,” was released on May 20, 2015 and simultaneously released in Chinese and Japanese.
“Awesome” is a blend of hard rock and hip-hop, emphasized by Seunghyub’s rapping. The track has a heavy, dark guitar melody and thrashing cymbals throughout the chorus. Despite its more rocky tone, the song’s lyrics are actually about falling in love with a girl and feeling powerless because of this newfound affection.
The song’s music video centers around the members trying to impress AOA’s Kim Seolhyun as she works at a restaurant that starkly resembles an In-N-Out. The video also follows the band as they perform in various locations throughout a hospital, and at times makes it look like the members are aliens or have super powers. The video for “Awesome” is definitely one of N.Flying’s more serious music videos.
“The Real”
Everything changed when FNC Entertainment announced in February 2017 that N.Flying would be undergoing changes before their next comeback. That change came in July in the form of Yoo Hwesung, an FNC trainee and contestant on season two of Produce 101, who would join the group in their next comeback.
N.Flying returned as a five-membered group in August with the single “The Real,” a fast-paced, hard rock song that is a real thrill ride. It’s a ridiculously fun track, full of head-banging moments, guitar solos, and a chorus that is easy to belt along to. This is a song that’s perfect for playing on those days when it’s hard to get out of bed, because it’s such an adrenaline rush from start to finish.
The music video for “The Real” marks the start of N.Flying’s amazingly silly videos. The members are living on a boat and encounter a huge fish “woman” at sea and immediately want to capture her. Their quest drives the members insane, so much so that they end up sacrificing new member Hwesung as live bait in an attempt to lure her in. The ending reveals one of the most amazing plot twists in K-Pop music video history: it’s no mermaid at all, but rather Jang Moonbok of season two of Produce 101!
The music video is so random and hilarious that it makes it impossible for viewers to watch only once. Audiences will definitely feel inclined to learn more about the band. Who is this group that’s sacrificing members to catch mermen? Did they ever even pull Hwesung back up from the water? What is N.Flying exactly?
“Hot Potato”
N.Flying’s latest comeback, “Hot Potato,” is a hilarious show of the group’s charms. The intro of the song begins with a conversation between Seunghyub and Hwesung about what they would want to be if they could be born again. Hwesung confidently answers “a hot potato.”
Sadly, the song isn’t about wanting to be a literal hot potato. Instead, it’s about wanting to become a band that’s super famous and loved by many girls around the world. “Hot Potato” is a track full of hilarious little ad-libs, like in the bridge leading up to the chorus when Jaehyun shouts from behind his drum kit: “Are you all the paparazzi?”
The music video is equally as charming as “The Real” and features the members living lavish lives as popular celebrities juxtaposed with real life where they’re all hanging out in tracksuits at home. They also perform in various different locations like a basement and even in front of a helicopter.
Need another reason for why N.Flying should be on every K-Pop listener’s radar? The background during their live promotions of “Hot Potato” was literally a montage of dancing potatoes… what more could anyone want from a favorite band?