When Day6 first ventured into the competitive K-pop world, where rock isn’t exactly a mainstay, the bandmates never expected to get this far.

As the only rock band managed by JYP Entertainment, the up-and-coming pop-rock sensation has slowly gained traction since its launch in 2015 with an evocative rock sound that blends perfectly with K-pop charm. Now, with hits like “I Loved You,” “You Were Beautiful” and “Shoot Me” under its belt, Day6 has made its way into the pop-oriented industry and even vaulted beyond Asia, garnering a loyal international fan base and touring Japan and the US.

And with its latest album, “Remember Us: Youth Part 2,” which features lead track “Days Gone By,” the band scored No. 1 on iTunes charts in more than 10 countries around the globe.

“What we really feel proud of is that we’ve released so many songs under our name in the last three years. As the only rock band in our company, we feel very special and grateful to be making our own music in this scene,” said Wonpil during a recent interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul.




The band’s new single takes a nostalgic approach, inspired as it is by a phenomenon called “city pop” that was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. The artists explained that before crafting the song, they dug up some early pop memories from musicians like Michael Jackson and Cyndi Lauper. Smitten by the retro sounds, Day6 decided to go all the way in pursuing the genre they loved.

“After the song was confirmed by our head producer, Park Jin-young, we tried to making everything retro, from our outfits and hair to our music video for the song,” Young K said.

Wonpil also said, “We’ve been making songs that kind of shared similar tones, but we thought the new song could bring out new sides of us, like a challenge.”

The eight-track album also features tracks like “Painful Road,” “Headache,” “121U” and “Beautiful Feeling.”




After juggling between genres like hip-hop, gospel and classic, the Day6 singers couldn’t hide their excitement for what’s to come on their forthcoming albums.

Wonpil said he hoped to experiment with the electric guitar and its acoustic sound, while Young K said he hoped the band could collaborate with a DJ.

After several overseas performances, Day6 said, the energy it receives from fans from different countries thrills and empowers them all the time.

“In the past, we could feel that fans were feeling awkward about our music when we performed. But now, it’s like throwing a party -- everyone enjoying our music. And we feel that energy onstage, rather than on charts,” Sungin said.

Dowoon said, “There was one fan who couldn’t hear our music.” The person was deaf but loved the band just for existing. “And it was so touching. I was so grateful,” he added.

The five-piece act released two full-length albums and 25 singles last year through its yearlong monthly release “Every Day6” project. This meant releasing two songs every month with concerts before each release from January to December last year. These songs included “I Loved You,” “Hi Hello,” “Congratulations” and “Better Better.”

Day6 is set to hold a Christmas concert titled “The Present” in late December and continue its world tour in Europe in late January.

By Hong Dam-young (lotus@heraldcorp.com)