VERIVERY Chat Pursuing Dreams and Their Growth Together
As global superstars, you'd believe the seven members of K-pop group VERIVERY had already achieved their wildest dreams, but with their latest project, Liminality – EP.Dream, they prove the fantasy has never ended.
In their seventh mini-album, DONGHEON, HOYOUNG, MINCHAN, GYEHYEON, YEONHO, YONGSEUNG and KANGMIN realize that life's true importance is to always dream—whether it be in love, in friendship or in their career. Tracks like "JUICY JUICY" chronicle VERIVERY's innocent, hopeful heart in a new relationship, while "Raincoat" reveals the power of having a strong support system to support them throughout their endeavors.
Ahead of their release, Sweety High sat down with the septet to discuss the new music, the dreams they still have as VERIVERY and how they've improved as musicians.
Sweety High: EP.DREAM is the second chapter of the Liminality series. How does this story connect with the first chapter, EP.LOVE?
VERIVERY: The overarching theme of the Liminality series is about accepting the darkness we have faced in the SERIES 'O' series and searching for "elements of happiness." In our previous album, EP.LOVE, we talk about one of those elements, love, and in our new album, EP.DREAM, we discuss another element of happiness, which is dream.
We showed a more bright and bubbly side of VERIVERY to express the emotion of love in the previous album. From this album, we focused on expressing various sides of "dream" through us pursuing our dreams in a hopeful vibe and working passionately to make those dreams come true. Please show a lot of love!
(Photo Credit: JELLYFISH ENTERTAINMENT)
SH: We found the opening sound effect for "Crazy Like That" to be fascinating since the idea of "liminal spaces" relates to a transitional period in life. The sound effect almost appears to traverse different stations (or periods) before finally landing on the title track. Can you share more about the meaning of this production?
VERIVERY: Like we mentioned earlier, this album is about dream, which is the second element of happiness. We came up with the title, "Crazy Like That," because this song's lyrics express VERIVERY running crazy and pursuing dreams and goals with great passion.
This track actually has a twist because while the lyrics talk about being ambitious to achieve dreams, the melody is very dreamy and chill. A dream is something inevitable and essential for everyone, and it'd be interesting if you focus on how we chase and discuss our dreams.
SH: This EP is largely about pursuing a dream. What are the dreams you're still pursuing together as VERIVERY?
VERIVERY: We always aspire to become a group that motivates and encourages others through our art while continuing promotions for a long time under the name of VERIVERY. We hope the messages that we aim to deliver to our fans could comfort and energize them for a long time. It is our goal and dream to make good music and show good performances to everyone who listens to our music.
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SH: The two versions of this EP present two types of people: one that tends to prepare for the future and one that lives in the moment. Which type do each of you identify with most?
DONGHEON: Life is a series of events! I'm a player!
HOYOUNG: I'm a planner who likes to live every day as how I planned.
GYEHYEON: I'm a player, so I like to paint a big picture only then act according to each circumstance.
YEONHO: I'm a player who prefers making decisions spontaneously.
YONGSEUNG: I think living in the moment is important as well, but personally, I'm a planner. I think it is best to first prepare the general plan for the future and then enjoy exciting choices within that plan.
(Photo Credit: JELLYFISH ENTERTAINMENT)
SH: Do you have a track from this EP that you're most proud of your performance on? Or, a track that's lyrics/story resonate with you?
DONGHEON: I think "JUICY JUICY" expressed the emotion about love in a direct yet cute way.
HOYOUNG: As summer is approaching, I think "JUICY JUICY" fits very well with summer. Also, if you take a closer look at its lyrics, the song is written very well in a refreshing way.
YEONHO: Personally, writing the lyrics of "Raincoat" was an impressive and relatable experience because it required writing the story of VERIVERY, which helped me to put more emotions into the song and to resonate with the lyrics.
YONGSEUNG: I think the choreography for "Crazy Like That" came out really well to complete a great performance. In addition, two tracks written by us are especially memorable and relatable to all members.
KANGMIN: Since our members wrote the lyrics for "Raincoat," it contains the story of VERIVERY well which was easy to relate to.
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SH: This EP is the seventh mini-album in your career. How have you grown as an artist throughout these projects? Are there lessons that you learned early on that you still take with you?
DONGHEON: I think there is no limit to growing as an artist. It is true that I feel more comfortable and natural compared to when I debuted, but I believe there is much more to learn in the future.
HOYOUNG: Honestly, I am not sure if I have grown a lot as an artist. It is very hard to measure that myself. One thing I have realized since my debut is that I should never think lightly of my occupation and that I should be thankful to be able to enjoy the work I do.
GYEHYEON: After every promotion, I feel like my sincerity and passion for the stage grow bigger. That naturally leads me to be improved in various skills and to communicate better with fans. Also, one thing I learned at the beginning of my career is that I need to hold still for about three seconds after each performance, and I still keep that rule.
YEONHO: I still think I have a lot more to learn, so I take lessons and spend a lot of time practicing. Of course, there are areas in which I grew compared to my debut. For instance, I used to get too nervous and not look at cameras well. Over time, I gained more confidence and worked harder, and now we have our seventh mini album and on our fifth year as VERIVERY.
YONGSEUNG: I think my spectrum of expressions as an artist has become wider, and also I can communicate better with fans. In addition, I can manage myself in a more professional and systematic way, which I see as a huge growth for myself.
KANGMIN: I have a lot more room to grow and learn, but I feel like I have grown because I see myself more relaxed than before. Something that never changed is my ambition. I believe a good ambition leads to good results.
(Photo Credit: JELLYFISH ENTERTAINMENT)
SH: Anything else you'd like to share?
VERIVERY: We are back with the new mini album, Liminality – EP.DREAM! Along with the title track "Crazy Like That," there are our self-written tracks "Raincoat" and "Smile With You ( )" included in this album. Since the album's theme is dream, we packed our message of hope for fans and for each other. We wish you could gain the strength to achieve your dreams by listening to our album. Please give it a lot of love!
Curious about or other favorite K-pop stars? Read HERE to see what LE SSERAFIM had to say about their new album, UNFORGIVEN.