[Herald Interview] Vanner sings about ordeal of being young in 3rd EP ‘Burn’

K-pop boy group Vanner returns to the music scene with its third EP, “Burn,” on Monday, in which it sings about the hardships that youth face on their journeys to realize their dreams.

Such difficulties are familiar to the group that debuted in 2019, shortly before COVID-19 pandemic brought things to a standstill. "We did not get a chance to perform. But winning on JTBC’s idol survival program ‘Peak Time’ last year, we began to garner a lot of love from the public," said Hyesung of Vanner. "We want this album to be relatable to our young listeners," he added.

EP “Burn” carries six tracks led by focus track “Automatic,” an electro-punk and disco number.

Expect the performances of this song to be quite unlike the group's previous performances.

“We used to showcase powerful and energetic performances for our previous lead tracks. But for this one, we focused on pulling off the most of each of our members’ charms. We meticulously worked on our facial expressions and even the smallest details of our choreography,” said Gon of Vanner.

Vanner, a quintet consisting of Taehwan, Gon, Hyesung, Sungkook and Yeonggwang, is promoting the new album as a quartet because Sungkook enlisted in his mandatory military service in May.

Before enlisting, Sungkook was able to take part in recording “Be Together,” the last track in this album. He also wrote the rap part of the song, for which he was encouraged to write down everything he wanted to say to fans. “The melody is very hopeful but the lyrics are a bit sad. The contrast makes it a charming number," said Gon.

“He promises that he will return healthy and happy. He also says that it will be a temporary goodbye and asks fans to look forward to the bright future that awaits us,” said Hyesung.

From April 26 to July 1, Vanner went on its first standalone Asia tour “The Flag: A to V,” performing in Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong.

“It was definitely something we had dreamed of for a long time. Getting to perform in front of our fans made us long for more concerts. We hope to improve the quality of our concert and our goal is to hold one at the Seoul World Cup Stadium,” said Yeonggwang.

The group hinted that it may be headed abroad again before the year-end.

“We have fans in Europe and North America but we haven’t been able to meet them for quite a long time so we are currently working on it,” said Taehwan.