Meet the smiling youth of K-pop: YOUNITE

They debuted just a few weeks ago, but YOUNITE, the boy group born under Brandnew Music, has a clear view of their future and what they want to achieve for the YOUNIZ (their fans). The group consists of 9 members: EUNHO, EUNSANG, STEVE, HYUNSEUN, HYUNGSEOK, WOONO, DEY, KYUNGMOON and SION. They debuted with the album YOUNI-BIRTH and their MV 1 of 9 already reached over 10 million views on YouTube. The refreshing vibe and strong vocals are just two of the ingredients that make this group worth keeping an eye on.

Panorama.it talked with them.

Congratulations, boys, on your debut. Can you please introduce yourself to the Italian public?

YOUNITE: Y-O-UNITE! Hello, we’re YOUNITE! Our group name YOUNITE is a combination word of YOU and UNITE, and it means that we will always unite as one with fans. We’ll share our variety of charms from each of the nine members!

Let’s start with your album name: YOUNI-BIRTH. How was working together as a group for the first time?

EUNSANG: Our debut album [YOUNI-BIRTH] is an announcement of the group’s birth and the beginning of our very own glittering universe storyline. It is only the first album to show our endless possibilities, so please look forward to it, as we have prepared this album very hard.

You have two title tracks: “1 of 9” and “Everybody”. Can you tell us more about them?

EUNHO: Our pre-released title track “EVERYBODY” is a funky, old-school hip hop track. It sends a message of getting out of busy daily life and enjoying the day with YOUNITE’s free-spirited energy.

KYUNGMUN: Our main title track is “1 of 9”, which focuses on each member’s distinct personal charms. It has a cute message of choosing or voting for a member and an addictive chorus.

The EP includes six tracks. Do you have any suggestions for the listeners? Which is your favorite song on the album?

DEY: I’m personally drawn to “EVERYBODY” because we could really show our powerful and free energy through this track.

EUNSANG: I’d choose “1 of 9.” This song sends fresh energy of the early 20s, and it also suits our actual average age, 20.5 years old.

Your name means You and I: we are connected. It’s significant after a period in which the only connection was virtual thanks to the Covid lockdown. How do you plan to connect with Youniz?

EUNSANG: Recently, we’re getting more chances to meet our fans offline, which we’re very thankful for. It was exciting and thankful to feel something together in the same space with our fans. I hope to have more chances to meet our fans with constant album releases and activities.

EUNHO: We’re also very active on our social media to keep communicating with our fans. I expect to meet more YOUNIZ everywhere with more offline events happening currently.

“1 of 9” MV is really refreshing and full of positive vibes. Can you tell us some behind the scenes while shooting it?

HYUNGSEOK: I actually was surprised by a hidden camera while shooting the “1 of 9” music video! I fell asleep for a while during break time since the shooting lasted until late at night. Members soon woke me up and said the shooting was finished, so I got up to change clothes and head back to the dorm. That’s when everyone started laughing and I realized the shooting was still happening and they played a hidden camera on me.

Also, in the MV you keep smiling all the time. I found this detail so powerful. A smile can be the best answer to a lot of questions, do you agree?

DEY: Our smiles in the music video actually came out naturally while having fun with each other, so everyone can have their own view on our smiles in the video!

HYUNSEUNG: I agree because we smiled for different reasons in each scene of the music video!

How do you feel now that have you debuted?

SION: Great joy came first, then a bit of nervousness came along. I thought I have to work harder on many aspects, so I’m constantly trying and practicing to be better in front of our fans every day!

EUNHO: Because I’ve been training for quite a long time, debuting actually felt a little weird for me. I was expecting the moment of debut would be pure happiness and excitement, but I actually felt half worried and half excited. I still can’t believe I’ve debuted.

Do you have any role models in the industry?

EUNSANG: My role model is IU. I really like her lyrics, and I respect her strong and unchanging personality too. I would like to become a hardworking, constant musician like her.

EUNHO: I look up to Baekhyun from EXO. Seeing him working hard on stages, TV shows, and acting motivated me to become a true all-rounder.

You have just started, but what’s your dream as a group?

HYUNSEUNG: I’d love to have a fan meeting, so I can communicate and hang out with YOUNIZ! I also want to show an amazing performance with a different concept from our album at a fan meeting event. We have dreamed about performing in front of our fans while watching other senior artists’ performance videos before the debut, so I hope our pre-debut dream comes to life soon.