WayV is leaving their first trip to New York wanting more.
“We’ve been talking all the time about what we want to do in New York and what we plan to eat, what we plan to see,” says YangYang of the group’s multi-month anticipation for their visit. “But now, everything is happening so fast. I thought that four days was gonna be a long time, but now we’re going back.”
The five-member Chinese pop group, a subunit of Korean megagroup NCT, were in New York to perform during Central Park’s SummerStage concert series. WayV (minus one member, Ten) headlined an evening of pop music sponsored by the China Institute of America on Aug. 2.
The morning after their debut New York performance, WayV was still riding high from the experience.
“We hadn’t had that kind of atmosphere for a long time,” says YangYang. “We didn’t expect there to be so many people to be there to see us. It’s kind of crazy for us.”
The group approached the performance as a “mini concert” — a warm-up for this fall, when they’ll kick off their “Born This Way” concert tour in Seoul on Sept. 12. It’s their third group concert tour, which they’re heading into with the confidence of knowing what songs their fans most want to hear and see from them onstage. For New York, they packed all of their English-language songs onto their setlist, performing one track, “Low Low,” live for the first time.
“We know that the U.S. fans are in love with that song,” says YangYang. “ We wanted to surprise them with a lot of new things, and also songs that they can sing with us. And after yesterday, I think we did a good job.”
The group was surprised that the fans weren’t just singing along, but were sometimes singing louder than they were.
“We didn’t expect them to know the lyrics. But then they’re all singing with us, and at that moment I got really emotional, so I took off the in-ear [monitor] and I was like, ‘yo, you gotta listen to this,’” adds YangYang. “It’s such a shame that we just came here for the first time in seven years. After yesterday, I was like, we have got to come back soon.”
WayV
Courtesy
The group is also getting ready to release their eighth mini-album, “Vision Wings,” on Aug. 10, which blends traditional Chinese instrumentation with hip-hop and jungle beats.
“We’re all Chinese, but we never actually tried Chinese-style music, ever. But we’ve seen a lot of other people who try that kind of style so we were like, ‘Why don’t we try it?’” says YangYang, adding that they were excited to make their own mark on the genre, and hopefully expose new listeners to traditional Chinese instruments like the guzheng through pop appeal.
The Chinese name for the album is “鳶,” reflecting “a bird that flies to the sky.” “What we want to tell the fans is that no matter how hard or how many obstacles there are in front of you, we’re gonna fly together like the bird, like an eagle through the sky,” says YangYang.
“Vision Wings” album cover.
Courtesy of SM
The album’s eponymous lead single bookends the album with two versions, one recorded in Chinese and the second in English. “ The reason why we always record an English version for our title tracks is because we have global fans, and we want to enjoy that song with our global fans together,” says Kun. “That is WayV’s identity.”
YangYang adds that although it’s the same song, the lyrics resonate differently in each version; the album leans into that concept further by exploring the nuance of words that share the same pronunciation, but different meanings.
“We’ve tried a lot of different languages during these seven years [as a group],” says Xiaojun. “I think we have our own colors for different languages.” And on “Vision Wings,” each member lends their own color to the collective. A video teaser for the album concept introduces each group member through a different core value that drives the group forward.
Ahead of album release, the group was eager to share more of their identity with their growing global fan base.
“We want to show them that this is our culture, and we want to make you guys love it. The reviews that we’ve received from the fans from until now has been great: the visual’s great, the concept’s great. The music — it hasn’t come out yet, but I actually let some people listen to the music and they have great responses,” adds YangYang. “So I’m kinda nervous, but also excited to see the album release.”
“ For this album, I love all the songs, really. I always listen every time I drive,” says Xiaojun, adding that one of his favorite tracks on the new album is “After Party (5am),” a ballad marking the emotional shift during a post-concert celebration. “Everybody’s drinking and having fun,” he adds. “But suddenly, I’m missing my fans. I just wanna go back to my fans, and try to sing for my fans one more time.”
The group was leaving New York on a similar wistful note. But although their trip to New York was coming to a quick close, the group found time to pack in some classic New York moments. They stopped by Central Park, of course, and also stepped out in the heart of Herald Square to record content for their social media. And the upside to jetlag?
“Everyone woke up at 6 in the morning. But our schedule usually starts at 12, so we had six hours of free roaming time,” says YangYang. “I got myself bacon, egg and cheese on a roll. Just enjoying the New York vibe, and having our own time to take in everything and let it sink in.”
“ It’s the first time we’ve been in New York, but it feels like déjà vu, because we watch so many movies and games shot in New York,” says Hendery. “So being here feels like I know this city a lot — but this is the first time.”
For Kun, walking through New York offered the opportunity to gain a new perspective.
“What I love to do at home is [play] flight simulation, so the New York skyscrapers, I always looked at with a bird’s-eye view,” says Kun. “But then this time, I was actually down there. It felt kind of surreal to actually be there.”
