Still in the pastel-grunge outfits worn during their earlier KBS Music Bank performance followed by a fan signing event, the six-member boy group jumped on a call for their HARMONY : ALL IN Album Release Party, showing not a hint of tiredness after the long day. After having powered through their packed schedule, the six were in high spirits, cheerfully introducing themselves to the virtual audience. The initial success of their just-released sixth mini album likely played a part in the joyful mood; their title track “JUMP” has received the most views out of any P1Harmony music video by far. It’s favourable, then, for them to carry this buzz with them as they venture across Canada and Latin America in the coming weeks for the next chapter of their P1ustage H : P1ONEER tour.
When we asked the boys about any backstage rituals they do to get in the zone for a concert, leader Keeho shared his elaborate routine: “Maybe it’s superstition but I love to make sure I’m in perfect condition. So before the show, I love to always take a shower because I need [the vapour] from the shower for my vocal cords. And then I love to have my tea, and then I have like three different types of candies for my throat, and then I like to do a warmup. I also like to do a warmup for my body, like to just shake my body out…I also need to have a meal before I perform - I need to not be hungry!”
It’s no surprise that a romantic, euphonious voice like Keeho’s needs to be well taken care of. The members have time and again demonstrated their polished talents on stage, and it’s fascinating to get a glimpse behind the scenes of their expertise. Through the HARMONY album series, we hear each of the members showcase their skill sets - whether that be intense rapping or sweet-sounding vocals - and it’s paired with new sounds each time they make a comeback. “Every member knows what they’re good at,” pointed out Intak, when asked how they felt about experimenting with musical styles. “[We] are very self aware of what type of songs or parts in a song [we] can really pull off. So within these new experiments… We’re so good at making that our own… Making it P1Harmony style.”
P1Harmony refuses to be caged into one theme. While their DISHARMONY series contained darker concepts, Jiung shared that it was fun to work on the HARMONY series in contrast as they got to wear brighter outfits and put out more fun, lighthearted music. Jongseob highlighted in particular feel-good afrobeats track “More Than Words'' (from HARMONY : ALL IN) as he hopes fans will take from it that there are different ways to express love, and Jiung added that he reckons it’s a fan-favourite: “They love the message in the song. I think they feel touched because we wrote [it] ourselves.”
The boys shared that they tried to be as explicit and direct as possible with this album, as opposed to their older releases that required more deciphering. They’re doing away with hidden messages and getting straight to the point - with a good tune. “Every single song has such a unique and different meaning and different topic that we wanted to touch on,” Keeho elaborated. “We hope that everyone kind of just takes the songs as [they are].”
Now that they’ve concluded the HARMONY series, the members teased that they will show something new in their next album theme - but they won’t tell us what just yet. There’s much ahead in the future of P1Harmony to be excited about, but having come so far in their journey already, the six were encouraged to look back on their lives for a brief moment, and share what they might tell to a younger version of themselves. The members burst into laughter when Soul, the second youngest, joked: “Please stay in school.” Jiung then ended their response on a sweet note, “You don’t have to take too much pressure. Just be relaxed, go with the flow, love yourself.”
