Catch The Young is an alternative pop rock band from EVERMORE Entertainment consisting of five members, Sani (bass, sub vocals), Kihoon (guitar), Namhyun (main vocals), Junyong (keyboard, vocals) and Jungmo (drums). The band who describe their sound as “youth pop rock” sings about the most brilliant moments of youth. They made their debut on November 1 with their first mini album “Catch the Young: Fragments of Youth.”
The self-written and composed album with the help of fellow singer-songwriter AIVAN, “Catch the Young: Fragments of Youth” depicts the feelings and images that come to mind when thinking about the brightest days and brilliant moments of youth.
The seven tracks on the album fully capture the emotions the five members have felt and developed, and express relatable moments of youth that everyone has encountered in their lives whether it be experiencing the heartbreak of first love, finding your way in life, or facing the fear of the future.
‘Youth!!!’ MV
The song ‘Cactus Boy’ is aa tale resembling a short musical about a lone wanderer who wants to be alone and with someone at the same time, yet they are afraid of hurting the person who likes them, thus being a “cactus boy.”
KpopWise spoke with Catch the Young to dive into the musical journey of the band.
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Hello, Catch The Young! Congratulations on your debut!
Two, three! Hello, we are Catch the Young! We are a brand new band that debuted about a month ago. We have fieeeve members: Kihoon, guitar and vocals, Sani, bass and vocals, Namhyun, lead vocalist, Junyong, keyboard and vocals, and Jungmo, drum and percussion. It might sound unfamiliar, but we play a genre called Youth Pop Rock to share the energy of youth with all of you.
Can you tell us about your album “Catch the Young : Fragments of Youth”?
Sani: “Catch the Young : Fragments of Youth” is our debut album which marks the beginning of Catch the Young. All the tracks on the album are a reflection of the genre and contain the messages that we want to convey.
Kihoon: Starting with “My Own Way,” this track talks about navigating your life. “YOUTH!!!” is about turning the pain of youth into positive energy. “Talking to Myself” is a song about hesitation when it comes to someone special on your mind. Then there’s “First Crush,” which talks about unfulfilled first love or an unspoken longing. It is followed by “If You Love Me,” which calmly delivers emotions rather than bursting them out. “The Way To You” portrays subtle happiness when one loves someone. And lastly, “Cactus Boy” is there to heal those with a wounded heart who wish to be with someone but stay alone. We tried to make songs that people could relate to by talking about things that everyone would’ve experienced through their youth.
Sani
Where do you get inspiration from when writing songs?
Sani: Since we aim to convey a message of “Youth” and “Energy” with our music, we try to write songs based on experiences that everyone has probably had at least once in their lives instead of using our personal experiences.
Jungmo: Rather than special events, we get our inspirations for our daily lives and the emotions we feel because of them.
What is everyone’s favorite song on the album?
Kihoon: For me, it’s “YOUTH!!!” It’s a song that marks the beginning of our fearless and audacious journey, which I believe could give strength to people to tackle their challenges while listening to our music. That is why I like this song!
Sani: For me, it’s “Cactus Boy.” I had no major difficulty while working on this song, thinking that it was going to be a song based on my experiences. So, I was able to finish this song smoothly. Even now, I occasionally listen to different versions of it and recall my memories.
Namhyun: I believe “Cactus Boy” allows me to immerse myself the most in this album when I sing, and I particularly love the guitar solo part.
Jungmo: My favorite song is “The Way To You.” The reason I love this song is simple: going to meet someone always makes you excited.
Junyong: My favorite is “My Own Way.” I love it because the title and lyrics resonate with my values of living life my own way!
What was a funny moment filming the music video?
Kihoon: I enjoyed filming the music video for “YOUTH!!!” We filmed it in the quarry. Although it was difficult since the weather was very hot, we enjoyed the moment as it was part of a process leading to our debut. It was interesting and fun.
Jungmo: I remember the scene where we were camping together. We always talked to each other about going camping, but never did since we had to practice and prepare for our debut. It was a secondhand satisfaction.
How long have you guys played your instruments for?
Sani: To be exact, I started playing bass guitar at 17, so, it has been like 5~6 years by now.
Junyong: I learned piano when I was young, but started playing seriously about a year ago.
Kihoon: I also think I’ve been playing guitar for around 6~7 years now.
Jungmo: I started playing drums when I turned 19, so it’s been like 4 years.
Namhyun: I started playing piano in elementary school, and played guitar in middle school with the school band.
What made you want to become a musician?
Sani: We all got into music when we were very young. I discovered a Japanese rock band, ONE OK ROCK, when I was 14 years old. I was mesmerized as soon as I saw them and started playing the instrument. I started writing songs naturally as I played instruments.
Kihoon: I became interested in band music through a TV drama that I started watching by chance. After I quit sports, I really focused on playing guitar and as a result began to take music seriously.
Namhyun: I used to get consolation from listening to the music of Park Hyo-shin. I always wanted to sing like him and started doing music when I was preparing for college admission.
Junyong: I learned piano when I was little. Later, I decided to pursue music when I played in a musical as a child.
Jungmo: Compared to our members, I started music relatively late. I had an opportunity to play drums one time, and then I started going to auditions and ended up joining this group.
Do you have any role models?
Sani: I discovered ONE OK ROCK when I was 14 years old. They became my first love as soon as I saw them performing. After I started playing instruments, I fell in love with THE CHARM PARK. I love and respect his music and it has influenced me in many ways.
Namhyun: For me, it’s Park Hyo-shin. The reason I started singing was the comfort I got from Park Hyo-shin and his songs. I started thinking that I wanted to give this comfort I got to other people by singing like he did to me.
Junyong: My role model is Crush. I loved how he could dominate the stage during his concert, all by himself. I wished to be like him as I watched his performance.
Kihoon: I really liked John Mayer when I started playing instruments and got interested in how to improve my skills. However, my current role model is Richie Kotzen.
Jungmo: Since I am a drummer, I was most influenced by Larnell Lewis and Aaron Spears.
Is there a song you want to cover?
Junyong: Of course. There are so many that we’d like to cover. When we do covers, we try to make them in the style that only we can show. So, every time we hear a great song, we think of covering it in our own style. That’s why there are so many. In fact, all the covers we’ve done so far started with the same motivation. We are preparing more covers right now, but it is a secret. It’s not fun to spoil.
What is something you want to achieve by the end of 2023?
Sani: There’s about a month left to wrap up this year. We are already preparing for the goal that we want to achieve, so finishing the year perfectly has become our new goal. We are preparing for a special concert on Christmas Eve, which is a new challenge for us and we hope to finish it successfully.
Do you have a message to your fans?
Hello, everyone! We are Catch the Young. This is probably your first time hearing our name. As our name suggests, we try our best to deliver energy and “youthfulness” to everyone with our music. We will continue to release songs that give you strength and make you excited, so please remember our name. We also hope to see you all at our live performances and meet you all in person. Thank you.
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