A Deeper Dive with VERIVERY
Coming off of their latest single release, the members of VERIVERY sat down with The Kraze to give us a deeper look into their inspiration, quarantine habits, and even who would be the best zombie apocalypse buddy.
Debuting in 2019, VERIVERY is the latest boy group from Jellyfish Entertainment. The septet has experimented with a number of different concepts; from early ‘90s boy band sound to a darker, more edgy feel, VERIVERY has done it all. Unfortunately, due to his current health hiatus, Minchan was absent from the interview. We hope to see him back and healthy when he is ready. Check out everything they have to dish below!
Q: For our readers who are getting the chance to know you for the first time, can you please give a little introduction about yourself?
Dongheon: Hi, I’m the leader of VERIVERY. My name is Dongheon.
Hoyoung: Hi, I’m Hoyoung, VERIVERY’s dancer and mom.
Gyehyeon: Hello, I’m Gyehyeon, the lead vocal of VERIVERY. Please continue to give us lots of love and support. Thank you.
Yeonho: Hi, I’m Yeonho, the main vocalist of VERIVERY.
Yongseung: Hello, I’m the main dancer of VERIVERY.
Kangmin: Hi, I’m Kangmin, the youngest member of VERIVERY. Please look forward to our promotions for second single “Get Away!”
Q: What's one thing you like to do before going into the booth to record?
H: I have to get my voice warmed up a lot. When I warm up envisioning how the recording will be, I have a better recording session.
YH: I relax the muscles around my mouth and neck.
YS: I drink a lot of water and warm up with the piano.
Q: You’ve covered a lot of different concepts since your debut. What do you think makes you such a versatile group? Does anyone have a favorite concept?
V: We are practicing passionately without resting every day. We also have a lot of group practice. We think that’s the reason behind us maturing. We all like both dark concepts and refreshing concepts. We are constantly working hard to become versatile artists by challenging ourselves and giving each other feedback in many ways.
Q: Is there a new genre or style you’d like to explore in future releases?
V: We want to try hip-hop, ballad, or folk genres. We would like to challenge various genres and show our fans a lot of different sides of us.
Q: You’ve changed a lot as artists since your debut. How has your creative process changed over the years?
V: We have learned and grown a lot while preparing the three albums of the FACE IT series. And we think we had a new experience by participating on Road to Kingdom. We become more creative by getting inspiration from other artists’ performances, movies, and dramas. Above all, we think the most considerable driving force [in] getting energized [is] looking at the support and comments from VERRERs and it drives us to show various sides of us.
Q: If you could collaborate with any other artist, who would it be? What kind of content would it be and why?
V: We haven’t done many collaborations yet, but if we have a chance, we would like to collaborate with VIXX, our senior group in the same company as us. We think it’ll be fun if we collaborate with artists from the same company. And also, we can upload vlog contents while we prepare the album.
Q: What artists were your inspiration for getting into music?
G: I got inspiration from two of my favorite artists, Bruno Mars and Charlie Puth.
YS: Daniel Caesar, Pink Slip, and Grace Vanderwaal. I love their songs, and I listen to them a lot.
K: I watch Michael Jackson’s performances a lot, and it feels different every time I watch. I learn and get inspired by Michael Jackson’s performances.
Q: What are some goals you have for yourself and your career?
D: My goal is to become an artist like a chameleon through various genres.
H: I want to try solo and group units after I practice my singing and dancing.
G: I hope VERIVERY stays together till the end as long as possible.
YH: I would like to make music that many people can relate to and get comforted by.
YS: I want to be an artist continuing music and being on stage for a long time and being loved by VERRER.
K: My goal is to make the best performance and be an artist loved by VERRER for a long time.
Q: What is a message/feeling you’d like listeners to take away from your music?
V: Everyone around the world is getting tired of the pandemic. We hope listening to our songs would bring comfort to you during this rough time. Our album and songs have different messages, but we hope you will find happiness through our music.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your experience on Road to Kingdom?
V: Being on Road to Kingdom gave us a lot of experience in learning. We always had to think of how we will be shown because the camera angles were 360 degrees. We believe that’s how we were able to deliver better performances and put ourselves up for challenges. And due to the nature of survival programs, there was a bit of a sense of competition and crisis, so we were able to develop based on those feelings, and it became an opportunity to grow. Each stage was precious, and we came to cherish every stage. We were determined to become a more hardworking VERIVERY.
Q: Any go-to hobbies you’ve developed during quarantine?
V: It’s not easy to go outside because of COVID-19, so we work out at home with our members. We’ve been promoting with toned bodies from our workouts so please look forward to it!
Q: What kind of games/phone apps are you into in your off time?
H: I’m mainly on Twitter and Bubble the most. Communicating with VERRERs is the most fun thing to do.
YH: I’m on YouTube when I’m not working. I get refreshed by watching other artists’ live clips and funny videos.
YS: I use YouTube where I can access a lot of videos and portal site app Naver.
Q: Favorite go-to snack/meal from the convenience store when you need a break?
H: I love potato chips with ice cream. It’s really delicious when they are combined. Try the sweet and salty taste.
G: I like instant noodles. So I eat it often.
YH: I eat gamdongran (soft-boiled eggs) these days. It’s so delicious because it’s a soft-boiled egg.
YS: I prefer convenient food, such as chicken or ice cream.
Q: Once able to, what is the first place you’d like to travel to?
D: Traveling anywhere would be good. I just hope there comes a day when I can travel around again.
H: I want to go to New Zealand to see my beloved family.
G: I want to go to L.A. again. I want to enjoy the weather and scenery of L.A.
YH: I would like to go on a backpacking trip, doesn’t matter which country. I want to walk without luggage and learn the culture of that country.
YS: I can’t decide. When the timing gets better, I would like to go anywhere to rest and be on stage.
K: I want to go back to L.A. again because the last time I visited it was so memorable!
Q: Which member would you choose as your partner in a zombie apocalypse?
H: I want to go with Gyehyeon. I think he wouldn’t be scared so much, and he can think logically. Also, the most important reason: he is strong.
G: I would choose Yongseung. I think I would survive longer with him.
YH: I would like to be partners with Yongseung. He always makes plans. I think he will be able to make plans to survive in the zombie world.
YS: I would team up with Hoyoung to overcome the apocalypse. He is nimble and has a lot of ideas.
On behalf of The Kraze, we thank VERIVERY for taking the time to speak with us and share more of themselves with fans! Be sure to check out their latest release, and see more VERIVERY coverage in our past and our future.