[EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]: On the Cusp of Their First-Ever Headliner Stage, P1Harmony Reflects on Six Years of Grit and Self-Discovery, “Everything is Coming to Fruition.”

Photo: FNC Entertainment

It’s Saturday, October 17, the first day of the inaugural year of the 82World Festival in Los Angeles. P1Harmony is out to make history. Only a few hours from their first-ever festival headlining stage (and 82World’s own inaugural headlining set), The Kraze sat down backstage to hear from P1Harmony as they reap the rewards of six years of brazen, hard work. 

“We are so honored to be back in here as headliners in the show. And, of course, we always want to do a headliner show, so we put a lot of effort and a lot of songs in the show. It’s such an iconic moment in our career,” Jongseob says.

P1Harmony’s immense work ethic extends beyond headlining. As a group involved in every level of their work, from production to lyrics and performances, the members share their recent revelations, both personal and creative, that shape the way they move. And with that time also comes self-discovery, when it comes to balancing idol-work with creativity.

“I think it’s just a recent epiphany that I kind of realized myself personally, is that your one personality trait should never be your job. I think when you’re so immersed in your job and everything you do is about your job, it’s so hard to really take that away and be like, “Okay, what am I outside of my job? What am I when you take the job away from you? And I think I realized that last year, and I realized that, no, I need to have hobbies. I need to figure out who is Keeho without all of the music and the performance and whatnot. I took a long time to self-develop in what I like to do in my free time,” says Keeho.

 “And I think that really traces back into your creative space too, because I think you’re able to experience so much more, and you’re able to implement that into the music, and in your performances. You’re able to be a lot more thankful for the experiences that you do get to have. In order to balance it, it’s really about figuring out who we are as people outside of the hectic job that we have.”

For Intak, he’s proud to showcase his lyrical work on “Murmur,” a B-side from the 2025 EP Duh!.“It’s a song that’s written in a way that’s really pointed with its message, letting people know that every single word could be someone’s poison, could be something that’s life-threatening for someone.” 

For Jiung, the song that best exemplifies their growth is the fan-favorite “Stupid Brain” from their EP EX, a track that explores the mental burdens of anxiety, exhaustion, and overthinking. “When I always sing that song, I feel like we become a little mature? We became a little more adult.” 

Now, in their sixth year, a few 2026 moments stand out in particular. After a bit of teasing (“Well, today’s nice and all, but isn’t it kind of awkward to say that?”), Soul still settles on “TODAY!” as his favorite moment of 2026. 

Theo’s two picks bleed with pride: “Our Most Wanted Encore we did in Korea and KCON LA. When we did KCON LA, I seriously was really so surprised, and it was also like–”

“Have we made it, kind of talk,” quips Keeho, all the members bursting out in laughter.

“Right now, P1Harmony, we were honestly thinking like, “Hey, we’re actually pretty good, aren’t we? This kind of feeling,” says Theo.

“Guys, guys, guys, shouldn’t we headline?” Intak jokes. 

“Damn guys… P1Harmony’s kind of hot,” says Keeho, half-translating, half-reminiscing, “We got… we got motion! [...] Literally everyone in that crowd had a peace bong, during “ICE," it was insane. That’s when we first felt it.”

This level of confidence may well have been almost unimaginable to the group just five years prior. First debuting in October 2020, P1Harmony entered into a world and an industry in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. The group’s first time in Southern California was a year into their careers, in October 2021, with a series of small Korean cultural festival appearances paired with fanmeets in San Diego and Los Angeles, almost exactly five years to the day of the 82World performance. 

In San Diego in 2021, P1Harmony was joined by a few peace bong light sticks scattered across the rows of Balboa Park’s Spreckels Organ Pavilion. The remnant of the crowd (myself included) was drawn in by the premise of an idol-judged cover dance competition, free live music, a park-wide Korea Cultural Day event, and the first post-COVID K-Pop performance in Southern California. 

At the time, P1Harmony was a rookie name and a small one, with only two EPs to their name and a profound sense of hunger one year into a pandemic-stilted career. “It was like, half a K-Pop show; a quarter of one,” quips Keeho, “Looking back, it’s like we really did not know anything, but now we’re so used to being here.” 

“That time was really our first time in America, and everything was so new,” says Theo, “I really think that we have worked like crazy, looking back. And… since we have worked really hard, I honestly think that it’s because of that hard work that we’re reaping the rewards now. I think, from now on, we have earned the right to see it come to fruition.” 

“Agreed!” Intak chimes in, with Keeho adding, “We’re getting our flowers now, finally. I think… it’s… we deserve it. [...] Everything is coming into fruition, because we worked so hard.”

Rather than cocky or braggadocious, the atmosphere is wistful and jubilant, each of the members smiling faintly, nodding along in agreement to Theo’s refrain: “We earned the right”, “We worked really hard,” “We will continue to work hard, so please show us lots of love.” 

They would later take this exact moment to the stage, straight to the crowd of P1eces and festivalgoers. 

“We did start off really, really small. We started off in a small theater [when we first came to LA]. And the fact that we’re able to headline in the same city is something that’s honestly so honoring and something that we’re so thankful for.”  Keeho shares onstage, as they closed out their breakneck sixteen-song headliner set, “Something that Theo said earlier, and I don’t know how this is going to come off, but we did work really, really hard. Ever since the beginning, we worked really, really hard; we never stopped. I think we grinded until the very end, and obviously, there was hiccups and ups and downs and certain turmoils that we bumped into along the way, but we worked really, really hard. And I truly, truly believe that we deserve this.”

P1Harmony’s humble origins are a far cry from where they are today. Now, their career spans nine Korean EPs, an English mini-album, a full album, six consecutive Billboard Top 100 entries; two cracking the Top 10, over 2.2 million album sales, several successful world tours, and, of course, the thousands of P1eces and attendees packing into LA State Historic Park to witness their headlining stage. The two-day festival ultimately drew 11,000 total attendees.

There’s one last moment over these six years that the members are sure to do: their pre-show chant. “We do a little chanting thing, all together, always. We can show you!” says Keeho, “P! One!” the members yell in unison, “P1Harmony Woo!”

“And then we go onstage.” 

P1Harmony headlining the 82World Festival. Photo Courtesy of Hello82.

Thank you to P1Harmony, FNC Entertainment, and Hello82 for the interview. Be sure to tune in to P1Harmony’s newest release “BLOW UP” on November 6.