It’s been three years since W24 debuted and the quartet has played on stages all over the world in that short, but action-packed time. Comprised of members Kim Jonggil (drums), Chung Howon (vocals), Park Aaron (keyboards,) and Kim Yunsoo (guitar), have been with JARMY Entertainment since their debut. Even though a good chunk of their career has been during the COVID-19 pandemic, these musicians haven’t let anything stop them. From singles, to albums, to reality shows, and more, they’ve continued to connect to fans. Their dedicated fanbase even extends to Latin American thanks to their Chile and Peru-raised member Howon who has created a unique tether to the South American continent.
Since their debut in 2018 with “Singing Dancing,” the Korean rock band has worked hard to make their music and their unique rock sound heard. Earlier in 2021 they won 1st place in the competition ASIAN TOP BAND, shortly followed by their 3rd anniversary as a group. Their most recent release in May 2021 was “Once Upon a Time,” a single that took the shape of a driving ballad infused with an ever-present rhythm guitar, poignant harmonies, and lyrics that remind one of innocence and the bravery we all once possessed as children. It is the second part of their Home Recording Project that have fans on social media buzzing.
Kpopconcerts.com had a chance to catch up with the band who has stayed quite busy during the Spring and Summer of 2021.
KPC: Could you please introduce yourselves and share a recent TMI?
W24: Hello everyone we are W24! We are a band named “World 24 Hours.” Our band wants the world to hear our music for 24 hours, which is why we chose W24. A recent TMI we can share is that we are making new music! Lots of things coming from W24.
KPC: Each member of W24 is unique, so how do you come together to write music? Does each person take charge of a different song, or do you work together to mix a part of each members’ style?
W24: That is very true! We each are different from each other so at first, it was hard to write music together. We normally each write our own music and then come together to rearrange lyrics, song forms, chords, etc. We are trying our best to actually make a song together, but it’s not easy. There always has to be someone leading the song. When we rearrange songs we talk about instruments in a lot of depth as well as the lyrics.
KPC: We saw you released “Breath” for the Home Recording Project #1. How is that project going? One of your fans asks, “What is the most difficult aspect of the Home Recording Project?”
W24: Yes we did! We actually released our second one which was “Once Upon a Time,” so we hope you guys check it out. We are actually in the midst of making the third one and currently making even more songs. The arrangements of the songs are taking a while to finish so please look forward to all the handwork we have put in our music! The most difficult aspect is that we do everything on our own. We actually have never learned professionally to mix and master songs so it does take quite a while to finish the process.
KPC: You won “Asian Top Band” this year. Congratulations! When it is safe to join festivals in person, is there any festival in the world you would like to be a part of?
W24: Thank you very much for the congratulatory message! Big or small, any kind of festival would be awesome! Especially any rock festival would be great! One festival that we definitely want to be at is the Lollapalooza rock festival. Yunsoo also really wants to go to London’s Glastonbury Festival.
KPC: How have you maintained your musical drive and creativity throughout this difficult time?
W24: As we have mentioned, our Home Recording Project is definitely something that has driven us to never stop writing music. It helps us stay together, united, and it keeps us communicating with each other. Our own variety program, “Eat, Play, Sing” also has helped us maintain a packed schedule.
KPC: How significant do you think Korean offline and online busking culture is in the formation of artists/musicians like yourselves?
W24: Concerts and performances are very necessary for artists and musicians. Having this busking culture in Korea is so nice for us because it helps us breathe from the thirst for performing in front of people. That is why the “Nodeul Busking” we are doing right now is so significant for us.
KPC: What was your earliest memory of falling in love with music?
Jongil: My dad always turned on cassette tapes for me in the mornings. This was definitely a road for me to fall in love with music.
Yunsoo: I fell in love with music after starting to play instruments in middle school for the school band and also winning a prize.
Aaron: I can’t remember the exact time but it was around kindergarten.
Howon: It was when I first saw a violin.
Cheon Howon (Cr. JARMY Entertainment) Kim Jonggil (Cr. Cr. JARMY Entertainment)
KPC: For singer Howon, how has your Chilean upbringing helped you as a member and helped you reach out to foreign fans?
Howon: When we first heard the news that we had so many fans checking us out on social media we were really surprised. The only thing I did was talk in Spanish in some lives and videos and they had become viral. Thanks to all the love we got from Chile, Ecuador, Argentina and all the other Spanish speaking countries we were able to actually say that our South American fans gave us so much support. It definitely helped us stand out more among the other bands. It was definitely a blessing.
KPC: If you could have a guest band member, who would it be?
W24: We would love to have the singer Sunwoo Junga. She is amazing at making music, singing, and even arranging new music. We all love her music so it would be awesome to have her with us and create some good stuff!
KPC: What are your favorite memories while filming your “Eat, Play, Sing” series?
Jongil: It was when we did the campfire and ate meat together.
Yunsoo: It was when I went to the cafe with Howon. I had lots of fun.
Aaron: I had lots of fun just being able to see the winter ocean.
Howon: It was definitely the strawberry farm. The strawberries were amazing!
Kim Yunsoo (Cr. JARMY Entertainment) Park Aaron (Cr. JARMY Entertainment)
KPC: What’s next for W24?
W24: We are currently making new music and thankfully we were chosen as part of the “Muse On” crew. We are getting ready for a new variety program for that project and also we have just finished filming our “Eat, Play, Sing” season 2! Look forward to all the new things as well as currently going on schedules for W24. Thank you very much!
KPC: Lastly, do you have any messages that you would like to say to your international fans?
W24: First of all thanks to kpopconcerts.com for this interview, we are very happy to be able to do this interview! It is always nice to know that our fans come from different countries in the world. We are always thankful for your support and love. We love you very much and miss you so much that we could even fly tonight to get to you! Hope to see you guys very soon and please stay safe and healthy until we meet!
Thank you to W24 and JARMY Entertainment for taking the time to talk to us. While waiting to see what this talented band comes up with next, please check out their latest release, “Once Upon a Time” on YouTube and Spotify and follow them on their socials below.
Soy lágrimas 😭 mis bebes también los extraño tanto!!!!! 🤧 Espero con ansias el 8 de agosto para poder verlos aunque sea de forma virtual 🥺❣🌟
Sigamos haciendo estream a “Love me” y “Once upon a time” 💜💜💜
Gracias por realizar la entrevista a W24, estuvo muy entretenida y variada 💜