SEVENTEEN follow up 2023’s FML, the best-selling K-pop album of all time, with a seven-track victory lap that gives all 13 members of the boy band a chance to shine. A play on the English phrase “in seventh heaven” (which means to be exceedingly happy), the EP’s title references the success and joy found by the group in the seven years since their debut in 2015. SEVENTEEN is known as a “self-produced” group in K-pop, with vocalist WOOZI in particular contributing lyrics and/or composing credits on all seven songs (the eighth track on the EP is an instrumental version of funky lead single “God of Music”). American electronic music producer Marshmello lends his talents to “SOS”, an upbeat English-language track that offers comfort to its listeners. SEVENTEEN has a lot of members—even by K-pop standards. The group partially relies on sub-unit songs to give all 13 members a moment in an album. On SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN, three of the songs are performed by sub-units: “Monster” is helmed by the hip-hop unit (S.COUPS, WONWOO, MINGYU, VERNON), “Back 2 Back” gives the performance unit (HOSHI, JUN, THE 8, DINO) the mic, and “Yawn” is a track specifically for the vocal unit (WOOZI, JEONGHAN, JOSHUA, DK, SEUNGKWAN). The album is rounded out with two tracks—“Diamond Days” and “Headliner”—that are explicitly dedicated to SEVENTEEN’s fandom, known as CARAT. Below, the members of SEVENTEEN share further insight into the album’s tracks. “SOS” WOOZI: “Working with DJ Marshmello itself was a great experience and I enjoyed it a lot. ‘SOS’ has a very strong, positive energy, so I’m hoping the audience can really feel that from the track.” “God of Music” S.COUPS: “I hope ‘God of Music’ makes CARATs full of happiness and positive energy. Our 11th mini album tells our own story as we’ve always done, and it’s full of colourful tracks as well. I hope CARATs enjoy every single track like a holiday present.” HOSHI: “‘God of Music’ is a festive track pumped with joy and happiness. Its chorus was so addictive that it kept popping up in my head even after recording, and shooting the music video was a lot of fun as well. It’s a fresh, energetic song that is perfect for SEVENTEEN at this point in time.” “Diamond Days” THE 8: “‘Diamond Days’ is a continuation of our debut pre-release track ‘Shining Diamond’. It’s a very joyous track with an addictive rhythm.” SEUNGKWAN: “The track speaks about keeping our promise made to CARATs that SEVENTEEN will always make them shine.” “Back 2 Back” JUN: “I think ‘Back 2 Back’ is a genre that the performance unit has never explored before. Listening to the track will make you wonder how we will translate it into a performance, so please show lots of love for this one.” DINO: “An image of two people leaning back-to-back serving as its initial motif, ‘Back 2 Back’ speaks about having strong faith in one another and sharing a bond. It’s the first time the performance unit is trying such a genre, so as we look back on the times we spent recording and listen to the complete track, we’re excited to find out what CARATs think of the track.” “Monster” MINGYU: “When I was working on ‘Monster’, I thought a lot about the performance that we would put together. Just thinking about different ways we could perform this track made me excited, as it can go well with a wide range of concepts. You’ll also see that its addictive hook is the highlight of the track.” VERNON: “‘Monster’ is a B-side track that is rather conceptual.” “Yawn” JEONGHAN: “I would recommend everyone to listen to the track while paying attention to the lyrics, as it will really allow you to truly feel the song in its depth.” DK: “I focused on highlighting the track’s lyrics while recording ‘Yawn’ to deliver each line’s intended emotions and meanings. I hope CARATs gain comfort listening to the track and enjoy the vocal unit’s voices.” “Headliner” JOSHUA: “CARATs can definitely hear the matured vocals of the 13 members. I personally very much like this song among the new tracks.” WONWOO: “‘Headliner’ is one of the tracks that we worked on with CARATs in mind. That may be the reason why I’m more attached to this song and keep returning to it. Our wish to remain together for more days to come, even longer than the days we have spent together so far, is captured in this track.”
- 2019
Featured On
- Apple Music
- Apple Music
- Apple Music
- TOMORROW X TOGETHER
- ENHYPEN