South China Morning Post
Advertisement
Advertisement
K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop
Get more with myNEWS
A personalised news feed of stories that matter to you
Learn more
Riize, K-pop agency SM Entertainment’s newest boy group, performing “Get A Guitar” in Seoul. They have racked up a million album pre-orders and more than a million Instagram followers since their debut this month. Photo: SM Entertainment
K-PopBands

Riize, new K-pop boy group by SM Entertainment, are ‘grateful’ to their fans for Instagram love and pre-orders, and aiming high

  • The seven-member group, who debuted on September 4, racked up 1 million pre-orders and more than 1 million followers on Instagram after opening their account
  • The group members have set their sights high for the future – revealing at an event they want to win the rookie of the year award and to go on a world tour
K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop
The Korea Times
The Korea Times
Why you can trust SCMP

By Dong Sun-hwa

K-pop agency SM Entertainment has introduced its first boy group in seven years – Riize.

Making their debut on September 4 with single album Get A Guitar, the seven-member group – consisting of Shotaro, Sungchan, Eunseok, Seunghan, Wonbin, Sohee and Anton – have swiftly gained widespread attention. Their debut marks the first major boy band launch by SM Entertainment since the introduction of NCT in 2016.

Riize’s debut release racked up 1 million pre-orders, and they gained more than 1 million followers on Instagram in the first four days of opening their official account. They have also partnered with RCA Records – a label under American multinational music company Sony Music Entertainment.

Riize performing “Get A Guitar” at their debut press conference in Seoul, September 2023. Photo: SM Entertainment

The seven band members looked nervous and thrilled during their first press event on September 4.

“I never imagined that we would receive this much spotlight from the onset,” Sungchan, a former NCT member, said during the event. “It still feels surreal. I am so grateful to our fans, and I will try to repay them with good music and performances.”

Eunseok added: “We will strive to live up to people’s high expectations.”

 

Get A Guitar carries two tracks: the lead single of the same name and “Memories”. According to SM, the former is a retro-tinged tune peppered with funky guitar sounds, which portrays how the seven members have formed a team to pursue their dreams as singers.

“All of us fell in love with the song as soon as he heard it,” said Wonbin, who has been playing guitar since he was a primary school student. “I think our followers will like it, too.”

Sungchan said: “We tried to highlight our hip vibe. Its mood is quite different from that of ‘Memories’, through which we emit our refreshing charm.”

As for future plans, Riize are already setting their sights high.

“I hope we can win the rookie of the year award – the prize that we can only notch once in our life,” Sohee said.

Anton, a former swimmer and the son of singer-songwriter Yoon Sang, added: “My goal is to go for a world tour as part of Riize. There is a huge stadium in New Jersey [in the United States] – the place where I used to live – and I think it would be great if I get the chance to perform there.”

Riize are scheduled to release two singles in November and December, and roll out a fresh album in 2024.

Read the full story at The Korea Times.
Post