EVNNE Takes a New York City on Ride to Remember

Photos by Jean Libert

Not all rookie groups start out with a solid fanbase before debut, but for these former Boys Planet favorite contestants, this was the case. EVNNE, an acronym for “Evening’s Newest Etoiles,” debuted in September 19, 2023 with Jellyfish Entertainment and landed in the U.S. with their first North American showcase tour, RIDE WITH EVNNE this month. The seven members Keita, Park Hanbin, Lee Jeonghyeon, Ji Yunseo, Yoo Seungeon, Mun Junghyun and Park Jihoo graced New York City on August 11 with a practically sold out show at Racket NYC. Filled to the brim, fans filled out the venue to be part of EVNNE’s first ride across the U.S.

Starting with all cylinders on go, the septet was ready to take ENNVE (their fandom) into their world starting with their debut song “TROUBLE.” Right off the bat, it was apparent that this crowd knew their stuff. Singing along to each word, the decibels in the venue were through the roof. Each member in their jerseys emitted a confidence that belied their rookie status as they moved through the heavy beat of the song. “Because my name is trouble” is right as glimpses of Keita’s charming smile and Seungeon’s abs came through the beat of the song. This show was no joke and the guys were definitely ready to show New York what they were made of.

Moving straight into “K.O. (Keep On),” starting with Keita holding a mic as he would do throughout the show, and the members crouched around him, the song kept the drum and bass momentum going, as the guys worked through the formations of their choreography. Though Keita’s rap skills are known, Junghyun’s flow was smooth and the moments you’d see Hanbin’s pearly whites seemed to sparkle. Seungeon’s high note would be the highlight, proving that this group had some serious vocal chops.

Leader Keita took up the mic to welcome everyone to the Showcase Tour in New York next. Each member introduced themselves to great cheers. Yunseo stated, “We’re making such amazing memories in New York and I hope you fans make a lot of great memories tonight at our concert!” to the cheers of everyone there. Jeonghyeon noted that the lyrics on the next song were the words that they wanted to sing to everyone there.

Of course this would be “I <3 U (I love U).” Seated, the guys couldn’t be more adorable with choreography that awed with sweetness. The aegyo was out of control as the smiles and gestures built on endearing looks that couldn’t help but melt surviving ENNVE. With every member expressing their love, frankly there didn’t seem to be a heart gesture that wasn’t incorporated into its choreography, it was impossible not to feel the “Da-da-darara” love. 

Keeping the love alive with “Boom Bari,” the septet here focused on their fans in between their choreography. The call and answer nature of the chorus had one member moving while the others answered with their “boom bari boom bari boom bari” moves. Having a more relaxed routine gave them moments to interact with the floor that made the stage more fun overall.

As this is a “Showcase Tour,” the expected interactive portion of the show was next. ENNVE had a chance to write questions on post-its earlier which were posted on a board for the Q&A. It was time to get to know them better. Junghyun pointed to Keita stating, “I think the leader goes first,” Looking at a question, Keita went “OMG!” and read, “It’s my birthday, can you please say happy birthday to me?” The birthday girl who got her wish as all the guys wished her a happy birthday. Keita picked another question, “Can you sing a song you have written or your favorite song for us?” Yunseo suggested “Shadow,” which Keita noted, “many of you might not know, but this is a song that I wrote a while ago,” and then began to sing a verse to the delight of everyone there.

Hanbin’s question asked why he had changed his English name to Charles. Noting “when I was 16, I was living in Canada for a half year, and then my name was Mark, and the reason that I changed it to Charles was that the meaning of Charles is a free man.” As members picked questions, Junghyun danced with the crowd on the side in his one world. Jeonghyeon’s question asked him to perform a dance challenge. “Supernova” by aespa was suggested and they all joined into the challenge. Seungeon’s question had him teach a fan on the floor the choreography to “TROUBLE.” He also got to pick a pop song to sing, and sang Charlie Puth’s “Dangerously” to cheers in the room. The request to dance to “Walk” by NCT 127 was filled in grand fashion as the guys knew it. The most random question went to Jihoo, who recently got braces. It asked whether he’d prefer braces for life or to remove three teeth. Answering that he would remove three teeth, he smiled and without hesitation answered, “implants bro.”

With Q&A over, the guys went back into formation for “SYRUP” followed by “Role Model.” Both strong dance tracks that played to their abundance of energy. In the latter song, it was Jihoo’s moves that really stood out. With a natural fluidity, the hip-hop transitions were incredibly smooth. Hanbin’s impromptu, “I love New York” shoutout was met by cheers before it was time for the guys to head off for a much deserved break.

EVNNE’s VCR break was a hilarious look into their dynamics which proved that in the end, they’re still a bunch of kids at heart with strange talents that one could see being called upon to demonstrate on future variety show appearances.

Back in preppy ties and argyle, the guys began the English version of their latest title track “Badder Love.” The energetic, fun song has a great melody and it was fun to see it performed live. Junghyun with glasses puts him on a whole other level of adorable, while the cropped shirt over the button-up shirt on Hanbin only served to accentuate his form. The song highlighted every member's vocals demonstrating that they were all all-rounders with skills.

The next ment had them getting recommendations for New York pizza, before jumping into “Pretty Thing.” The lyrics, “Girl, you're unbelievable,” seem directed towards all ENNVE there. This choreography showed their chemistry and teamwork, as they moved at times in perfect unison while still demonstrating their strong points. “XO” has a great beat with a strong melody which hides the sensual nature of the song. The sweetness of smiles belied against lyrics that want to kiss and the not so subtle hip thrusts at the “oh” in the energetic choreography.

The guys let the crowd know after that the performance of “XO” was performed first for this tour. Cries of “sexy,” made it clear that others had noticed the sexiness in the choreography. Noting that the show was coming to an end, Hanbin proclaimed, “We would love it if you could wait until our next opportunity to return to New York. Today was really, truly, very, very fun!” Jeonghyeon followed, stating, “ I heard that New York is the city that never sleeps. I’m going to steal that passion from you tonight!” Keita reiterated, “We’re going to work really hard and come back as soon as possible.” With that they went into the “last” stage of the night, which was the energetic “UGLY.” Having the crowd energized until the end, Hanbin’s vocals stood out here as he was lifted by his fellow members in the choreography.

The floor cheered for their encore waiting to see them changed into their own merchandise. Returning onto stage, they started with “Festa.” Holding lightsticks, they guys were fully committed to giving attention to their fans. Keita in shades was the epitome of cool as went around letting fans have him close up. Jumping to the beat with smiles all around, Hanbin couldn’t resist opening a water bottle to spray the crowd, stating that he felt like a firefighter. Jeonghyeon noted that there needed to be more music before “JUKEBOX” started followed by an encore “Role Model.” With a few last words, the guys began the final song of the night, “Even More.” As the room swayed with the gorgeous ballad, the vocals of the crew overtook the space. Seungeon vocals again stood out, but you couldn’t discount the power of Jeonghyeon, Junghyun and Yunseo’s voices in the song. As the song ended and  house lights went on, the guys said their final goodbyes while seeing all the faces in the audience directly. WIth that, the ride was over for New York, but would continue onto other cities before the tour came to a close. With their heartfelt wishes in hand, those in the room knew that the crew that they just witnessed were true winners in their hearts and that the journey with them had only just begun.

Thank you to Jellyfish Entertainment, Helix Publicity and most of all to EVNNE for allowing us to join you on this ride.