P1Harmony reflects on loneliness and growth in new album 'Sad Song'

After a successful world tour and performances at several overseas festivals, P1Harmony is back with a new album full of challenges.

Group's 7th mini-album “Sad Song,” released Friday, comes about seven months after their first full-length album “Killin' It.” It has six tracks including the Lain-rhythm-themed title track. The album explores feelings of loneliness and emptiness, as well as the process of overcoming such emotions through the concept of superheroes.

“I imagined what it would feel like if I were a hero. After saving the world, motivated by love and care, how empty and lonely would it feel if people eventually forgot about me? I tried to express those feelings by imagining myself not as Intak, but as a hero,” said Ph1 Harmony member Intak.

“Just as heroes stand in front of people and bring them happiness, K-pop stars do the same. That’s why I think the loneliness felt by both heroes and idols is quite similar. I thought the loneliness and emptiness we feel could be expressed well through the medium of superheroes,” fellow member Jiung said.

Choosing a Latin-style song as the title track was a challenge. “The Latin genre is different from the hip-hop-based songs we usually do -- the beat is faster -- and it’s unique, so we had to interpret it differently than our previous songs,” said Intak.

The youngest member Jongseob, who actively participates in the group's lyrics, said that the title track “Sad Song” was the most challenging to write.

“I was torn between sticking to the style that I had shown and been praised for in previous albums, but as a creator, I felt it was important to create something new,” said Jongseob.

The album's release follows the six-member group's successful second world tour entitled “Utop1a” and a Zepp tour across Japan's large concert venues.

Jiung recalled performing at the Kia Forum in LA during their US tour — the same stage they stood on during the 2023 Jingle Ball Tour.

“It was such an honor to perform at the Kia Forum during the Jingle Ball Tour, but I remember Keeho saying it would be great if we could hold our own concert there. And just a year later, we filled that place with our stand-alone concert," Jiung said. "It was really fulfilling and made me more determined to work even harder.”

“During the US tour, we performed at a festival called Governor’s Ball. We were the first male K-pop group to perform at that festival. It was such an honor to share the stage with artists we deeply respect,” added leader Keeho.

“We’d love to perform at iconic places like Tokyo Dome in Japan. I also want to perform at The Sphere in Las Vegas,” noted Jongseob.