K-pop band Pentagon talk love, fame and taking time to shine after the success of new album Love or Take
- Do or Not, from the nine-piece K-pop band’s 11th mini album, is their first number one single
- Band members talk about exploring the album’s theme of love, and their five-year journey to success
It’s taken a long time for K-pop boy band Pentagon to make it to the top following their debut in 2016. But with the release of their 11th mini-album, “Love or Take”, and the single Do or Not on March 15, the nine-member group are pleasantly surprised to see how audiences are enjoying the romantic, springtime release.
“For me, I was shocked so I needed some time to realise we actually reached the first place,” says Hongseok about the single going to No. 1 on the Genie music chart; it was the first of the group’s singles to hit No. 1 on a Korean streaming platform. “It was quite awkward for me, because it was our first time and we had never had that much success. We didn’t know it was going to [happen] this time.”
Pentagon have seen some successes – 2018 single Shine was an effervescent hit with staying power in South Korea – but have also had a lot of ups and downs. Even this celebratory moment is a bittersweet: members Hui and Jinho are doing their national service in South Korea’s armed forces, and were unable to revel in the success with the rest of the group.
“The two of them mean a lot to us, so we shared all these kinds of feelings with them,” says Hongseok. “They were so excited.”
Although he was unable to promote the release with the rest of the band, the presence of group leader Hui is felt throughout the album, on which he sings and his songwriting talent guides much of the sound. Hui also appears in the music video for Do or Not, a bright pop-rock song which evokes the early 2000s.
