DAY6 Discuss New Album Fourever, Songwriting and Upcoming Performances
There's a special kind of magic that happens when live instruments come together to create a song. This is something that DAY6 understands very well.
Composed of guitarist SUNGJIN, bassist Young K, pianist WONPIL and drummer DOWOON, the quartet is one of South Korea's most well-known pop-rock bands, and for good reason. Since their 2015 debut, they have made it a point to take listeners along for the ride with them, to feel every emotion their music evokes, whether it's sadness, happiness, regret or anything in between. Through stunningly profound lyrics, they manage to take you on an emotional ride with each song. It's been three years since the band released their last EP, The Book of Us: Negentropy, and subsequently went on hiatus for their military service, but they're finally back with brand new stories to tell.
"Welcome to the Show," the title track of their new album, Fourever, symbolizes a new beginning but also a mere turning of the page for the group with the same songwriting and emotion-filled vocals that fans know and love. The song is a heartfelt promise to My Days everywhere that the group will always be there for them. Across the seven-song EP, the group also explores the topics of heartbreak, love and more. In true DAY6 fashion, Fourever is an album that crosses a wide range of sounds and themes that are both familiar and exciting.
Ahead of the release, DAY6 hopped on a Zoom call with us to share more about the songwriting process, "Welcome to the Show" and their hopes and dreams for the band in the future.
(Photo credit: JYP Entertainment)
Sweety High: How does it feel to have a comeback after three years?
Young K: In between, there have been unit works like Even of Day and solo albums, but this time, it's going to be different because having a DAY6 album out is something special for us. It feels complete. It feels like doing something and coming out with music that we've been waiting for.
SUNGJIN: It doesn't really feel that different. We've always been DAY6 and we're trying to communicate through our music, and if it works, fine, and if it doesn't, that's also fine, but I hope you respond really well to our music.
WONPIL: We waited for a really long time for the comeback, but I always felt like it was there for us. It's been three years, but I finally feel like we are home.
DOWOON: As WONPIL said, we've waited a long time for this comeback. When we started the jam session, it really brought back the old memories of working together, and I'm really glad that we're finally releasing an album.
SH: A lot of time has passed since your last group release. How do you think you've changed during that time, and do you think those changes have contributed to your new music?
Young K: We've definitely grown. Time has passed and we've experienced more. We've lived more so definitely how we think or how we treat music will be different. The attitude, the entire process itself and the amount of music that we've made through our lives has probably changed how we put out music.
WONPIL: Even before we put out this album, we had a lot of individual activities and unit works, but what I realized and what I became really certain of is that I really love the music of DAY6. Not much has changed, but that's something that I became very aware of and became very certain of.
SH: Do you see this comeback as entering a new era for DAY6, or are you just picking up where you left off?
SUNGJIN: It does feel new in a way, but I personally think that it's kind of picking up where we left off. I don't think our music has changed much and we as people didn't really change that much either.
Young K: To add on to that, the change would be like we're not trying to be something that we are not. We're not trying to be something different that's awkward. There's probably going to be development but not something fake.
(Photo credit: JYP Entertainment)
SH: Can you explain more about the meaning of the title track, "Welcome to the Show?"
Young K: "The Show" is like life itself. In this show, there's not always going to be happy moments. There's definitely going to be a darker side to it, but I'm welcoming you to the show, and if you choose to be on it, I promise you I'll give my best.
SH: You guys recently announced several concert dates for April. What can fans expect from these shows?
DOWOON: I think fans probably expect us to showcase the new songs on our new album and also expect to see how we have grown as people during the time we were away.
SUNGJIN: Of course, the fans come to see us, but they come to our concerts to feel the vibes, and I think from the upcoming concerts you can expect a spectacle.
(Photo credit: JYP Entertainment)
SH: DAY6 is known for writing emotionally vulnerable and relatable songs. Do you draw from your own personal experiences when writing songs?
Young K: When you write something, you can't really take out the entire self. So even if you're writing a novel or fiction, there's going to be yourself left in some way. When I write something, I try to write it from a different perspective. I try to make up a character or a storyline or a scene at least. It doesn't start from personal experience but there's going to be some ego in it. It will be peppered with my little experiences.
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SH: When songwriting, how do you find the balance between a personal experience and a story your fans will relate to?
Young K: I guess it's like a continuous question. We can start off with an idea or a word or even a guitar riff and then finish it up with all the musical process and stuff, but at the end, I try to think, can somebody relate to it? Is it only my story or a certain character's story, or is it everyone's story? I try to make it more relatable so that you can enjoy it more and feel it more. With writing lyrics I feel like it's different from writing a poem or a novel. There's a limited time and a limited amount of words so we have to be very selective about what kind of words we're going to use. With those limited words, I try to make people feel like it's their story when they listen to it.
(Photo credit: JYP Entertainment)
SH: What are your hopes and dreams for DAY6 going forward?
DOWOON: My hope and dream personally is just to work on my music with these people, the four of us together, and I just want us to do what we do just as we have done so far.
WONPIL: My hopes and dreams are similar to what DOWOON said. I hope our music doesn't change, per se. Of course, we can grow and improve as musicians and artists, but I hope our musical style doesn't change and I hope our message doesn't change.
SH: Is there anything else you would like to add?
SUNGJIN: I hope you enjoy our new album and also I hope you can look forward to our work as performers and artists going forward.
Young K: To anyone who reads this interview or this message I wish them happiness.
WONPIL: I really hope that we can come and see My Day overseas as early as possible. That's my hope.
DOWOON: We will be here as we always have been, and I hope you can enjoy our music and us as a band.
(Photo credit: JYP Entertainment)
Looking to discover more K-pop groups? Click HERE to read our interview with CIX on their single album 0 or 1.