K-pop boy group Omega X compose a ‘Story Written in Music’ in first full-length album
K-pop boy group Omega X’s name takes inspiration from the Greek letter omega, meaning final or end, but the release of their first full-length album “Story Written in Music,” a genre-eclectic journal of 13 songs, conveys that their stories are just beginning.
Omega X’s origin story is also a comeback story for its 11 members, who were either artists in previous groups or contestants vying for stardom à la singing competition shows. This is reflected in the name of their YouTube reality series “Loading One More Chanx” — thankfully, Spire Entertainment did just that when they took a chance on each of the members to forge their respective redemptions. In June last year, the group made its successful debut with their EP “Vamos,” which sold out all 20,000 copies of its initial batch in less than a week.
Having just reached a new milestone with their first full-length album, Omega X members Jaehan, Hwichan, Sebin, Hangyeom, Taedong, Xen, Jehyun, Kevin, Junghoon, Hyuk and Yechan chatted with NextShark via a translator about the crafting of their biggest project so far, as well as other exciting new chapters in development.
A summer to “Play Dumb”
Serving up a sporty and fun summer concept, the new music video of the track “Play Dumb” highlights a youthful departure from the group’s usual fiery, hip-hop laced anthems such as “Vamos,” or the dark, sexier vibes of “Love Me Like.” Composed and co-written by the group’s eldest member, Jaehan, “Play Dumb” represents multiple “firsts” for their first full-length album, featuring themes of first love and being goofy around the person you like.
Even though the music video is practically coated in sunshine, Jaehan says they almost skipped the first day of shooting their video’s outdoor scene because it was pouring rain, which halted everything for five hours. With a little CGI magic, however, it looks like it never rained at all.
From Omega X, For X
With such a personal first album, it’s easy to think of the group’s songs as love letters to For X, their fandom. But Omega X doesn’t just write and dedicate songs to For X – they also credit them as storytellers.
A bonus 13th track titled “For Baby,” written by Jaehan with Yechan and Hangyeom assisting with the rap verses, lists For X as songwriters. During a V Live broadcast, Jaehan and Yechan asked them for their ideas for song lyrics. Yechan shares that their fans “asked us to actually accept some requests from them because they wanted to send some messages to us. We decided that we could really accept those lyrics through the fan cafe.”
“It actually took us a long time to really organize and put those lyrics together because a lot of them were just so beautiful, we didn’t want to waste anything. We wanted to make sure that we include every bit of detail and those messages from our fans,” he adds.
“For Baby” is only part of the physical version of the album. Unsurprisingly, Omega X set a new personal record for number of physical albums sold, surpassing 100,000 on Hanteo’s charts since its June 15 release.
New chapters
Despite everything Omega X has achieved so far, the group never had the opportunity to perform in front of their fans due to COVID-19 – until now. While speaking about their fans’ presence during their performances, Kevin says, “It actually makes a lot of difference. It feels amazing that we can finally hear them and see them. Seeing them doing our fanchants along to our song is great in our showcases or music shows. It feels very good and it gives us very positive energy all the time.”
Until just recently, none of Omega X’s members had a designated position, such as rapper or vocalist. Jaehan is now the group’s leader and is responsible for keeping the group’s momentum going.
He is grateful for this new responsibility, saying, “I was thankful to my members and the company for having trust in me enough to appoint me as the leader of the team. Honestly, it’d be a lie if I said I never felt pressured about being a leader. Even though I know my members well, it is still a certain position to take responsibility for the group.”
“Actually, I like to keep a bit of nervousness and pressure to keep myself really sharp,” he admits. “I try to be the best leader by letting them lean on me when they have a hard time and really listen to the members. That’s my goal, to be a good leader.”
Beginning, middle and more stories to tell
While discussing their new album, Omega X reflect on their beginnings, the present and the stories that have yet to come.
Xen, who was in a boy group called 1Team with Jehyun, appreciates that his former group mates are supporting his successes now.
“There was actually a friend who was calling from his military training congratulating me on the album,” Xen shares. “There was one member calling to say that he was sorry to miss the showcase. It just feels good to know that they always support me… even though we are walking on different paths now we just know that we support each other no matter what.”
Meanwhile, Junghoon is inspired by his time with both Omega X and his former group Enoi.
“This album made me think more about the experience from then and the fans from the previous group and Omega X currently happening right now,” he shares. “I definitely got inspiration from moving forward and having this new experience and new challenge as a new team. It definitely inspired me to write the song for the fans.”
Second chances are indeed the common ground that pulls them all together. “I think what makes us so different from the other groups would be that we have a very close relationship even though there are 11 members, but we keep it very tight and very personable amongst ourselves,” Sebin says.
Yechan is hopeful for a second season of their reality show “Loading One More Chanx,” saying, “We heard a lot of plans about Season 2 but nothing confirmed, but maybe it’s going to be more honest and funnier than Season 1 since we got close to one another.”
Hangyeom jokes, “Well, I guess Yechan knows more than me about this new season because I haven’t heard anything about it.”
Featured Image via Spire Entertainment
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