Cravity Are K-pop’s Endearing Rookie Rule Breakers

In their electrifying debut single "Break All of the Rules," the nine members of Cravity boldly claim, "I’ll be what I want to be / I paint my future as I visualize It's a confident declaration for an audience so new — a whole week old — in a competitive industry like K-pop where futures and successfulness aren't habitually guaranteed. And although, coming from these voracious rookies, it sounds more like a promise than an empty platitude. Even their album title is, in part, a command — Hideout: Remember Who We Are.


needless to say, hailing from a firm like Starship Entertainment, residence to superstars Monsta X, affords them a sense of confidence that's equal parts intimidating and invigorating for the young artists. Those perplexing emotions are expressed while in the release's seven tracks — from the rebellious spirit urging them to let go of expectation on "Break All of the Rules" and "Blackout," to the vulnerability on softer B-sides "Stay" and "Star." In several ways, the album is a dramatic expression of the push-and-pull of youth. The members, ranging in ages from 16 to 21, can relate to these constantly changing feelings; one minute they're all bravado and wild instinct on the best of the Chain," and the next they're in need of a guiding light via darkness of adolescence.


"We wish to be a Hideout for our fans, to give them comfort and happiness," dancer Hyeongjun tells MTV News amidst a hectic promotional schedule. "It’s a message to let the world know about Cravity, to remember us, so each song contains our strong ambition," vocalist Wonjin adds. That ambition is even reflected in their name, a portmanteau of the words "creativity" "gravity" plus a reference to the "center of gravity" they find any time they're together.


They're fresh from their debut showcase on April 14 — streamed online in light of the global coronavirus pandemic, which has put concerts and events on indefinite hold — plus it still feels surreal to members Serim, Allen, Jungmo, Woobin, Wonjin, Minhee, Hyeongjun, Taeyoung, and Seongmin. Soon considering that, just a couple of weeks back they were still trainees pulling all-nighters in practice rooms. So, how did they celebrate the big milestone? Cake as well as a spread of their preference foods, of course.


"After showcase, all of the personnel members prepared a cake for us, and we all celebrated with each other leader and rapper Serim says. "We were truly thankful, some of us even cried because we were just also happy," Hyeongjun adds.


Below, the members of Cravity tell MTV News how they really feel about their debut, where they get their confidence from, the lessons they learned from their time as trainees (including the opinions that Monsta X's Joohoney gave them), and reveal just how several rules they've damaged in real life.


MTV News: Congrats on your debut! Does the reality of debuting match the expectations you had in your heads? 


Serim: I thought performing in front of our fans, so I was a little disappointed that I couldn't do it because of the situations going on worldwide. Although I still imagine and dream about the efficiency in front of our fans.


Wonjin: I don't think I have ever believed I should make my debut with such good interest and love from a lot of people. It made me promise myself to do my best for the debut, and I became more thankful to our fans who gave us support and love.


Taeyoung: It was unthinkable! I think it was filled with more excitement and happiness than I ever imagined.


MTV News: You all worked really hard as trainees to achieve your dreams of debuting. What's the largest lesson you learned as a trainee? 


Seongmin: I learned to habitually survive with gratitude.


Jungmo: Don't give up, try hard, and trust yourself with persistence.


Allen: I learned that in the event you don’t give up on your dream, you could achieve it. Some days I wanted to give up on it, although I think I was able to create my dream come true by only looking forward and putting all my efforts in it.


MTV News: What's each of your preference songs on your debut album, Hideout: Remember Who We Are, and why? 


Serim: It is a song called "낯섦" [English title "Stay"] because I generally adore listening to the songs that are emotional — the ones that are wonderful for the dawn.


Allen: My preference song is "Top of the Chain." It is the opening track of our debut album, and I think it completely fits our grandeur appearance. Once I listen to this track, I get a strong sense of confidence.


Jungmo: my preferred song is "별" [English title "Star"]. The stars in the lyrics resemble our fans and the members being a guiding light, hence it is very emotionally touching.


Hyeongjun: my preferred is "Star," also. I like the fact that it is metaphoric in terms that it contains the message that Cravity wants to deliver to the fans — they are guiding us.


Woobin: I like our title song "Break all of the Rules." It is a song that indicates our unique, eye catching sounds. For myself, I think it is also the song that expresses Cravity the most.


Wonjin: For me, it's "Cloud 9." While I listen to this track, not only do I feel good, although it also gives me energy and excitement. I think it is easy to listen to.


Minhee: It's a song called “Jumper." Other songs are good also, however As soon as I listen to this track or any time I’m performing it on the stage, I like it the most.


Taeyoung: I really like "Blackout." I think it could be cool to imagine us performing this song on stage. It has a lot of energy.


Seongmin: "Break all of the Rules" is my preferred. It's a catchy song with an addictive melody that circles around my ears repeatedly.


MTV News: Your debut single "Break All of the Rules" is really bold and sends a powerful, nonconformist message with lyrics like "I’ll be what I'd like to be / I paint my future as I visualize Are you this confident in real life? 


Serim: I'm not the person that is usually confident about myself, yet being a member of Cravity made me stronger. I have a lot more confidence now.


Allen: Yes, I wouldn't have dreamed of becoming an artist if I did not have confidence.


Jungmo: I habitually hope to be a confident person and myself and our members are all working hard on it. As a member of Cravity, I feel much more confident. I am happy and delighted of myself.


Woobin: there really are times as soon as my confidence diminishes, yet I think that those are the times any time As soon as I grow the most. I can perfect from those moments.


Wonjin: I didn't have much confidence in myself. So, I routinely agonized a lot about my future and had experienced harsh times alone. Nevertheless, I was able to withstand and defeat all of these worries with [my] members, who were routinely beside me hear what I’m saying. As well as, our fans who have sent us a lot of cheering messages made me become more confident.


Minhee: I think my confidence is a little bit lower than the bold, powerful lyrics of our title track. Nevertheless I am trying my best to have the same level of confidence once I’m on the stage. I think I can increase more confidence by being with my members.


Hyeongjun: As our title song contains our strong and bold ambition towards society, I think I am a newly debuted rookie filled with enough confidence. Yet as soon as I'm with the members who support and give me energy, it makes my confidence go up.


Taeyoung: All of our members are quite confident, however I think among the members, I am most confident.


Seongmin: I generally attempt to believe in myself, and this belief makes my confidence grow. Although I think I was able be to sign up for Cravity because I worked very hard and did not give up on it. Right now, I feel that I’m the one who can and will achieve the target if I have one.


MTV News: Once did you realize you wanted to be a performer? Was there a certain moment or artist that inspired you? 


Serim: When I was young, I was so happy to dance in front of people Whenever I was in a dance club. So, I attempted to be a celebrity.


Allen: When I was in my first year of middle school, I did a dance cover of SHINee's "Lucifer." Being on a stage was very exhilarating for me and I enjoyed performing in front of others. From then, I dreamed about being a K-pop idol and wanted to be like SHINee one day in the future.


Jungmo: My role model and artist who inspired me is V from BTS. I am learning by watching V's facial expressions and efficiency. He made me dream of becoming a singer.


Woobin: When I saw the efficiency of TVXQ's song, “MIROTIC," I knew that I wanted to be a person who sings and dances on stage.


Wonjin: I began out as a child actor, and at first it was interesting and fun, however that feeling did not last long. Then I began dancing, and I wanted to feel how felt As soon as I was on stage in a tiny show, so I developed my dream as a singer.


Minhee: It was Monsta X. Any time Once I first joined the firm, I was amazed by their performances. They made me hope to work harder.


Hyeongjun: I felt impressed While I saw EXO's "Growl" efficiency, and I had a clear dream of becoming a celebrity since I was in ninth grade.


Taeyoung: I became interested in dancing immediately after I did a talent show As soon as I was in elementary school. Yet I didn't dream of becoming a singer up until I was street-casted for the initial time. [Ed. Note: In the Korean entertainment industry, it's usual for casting agents to scout popular locations and recruit young talent for their companies.] That's any time it began to be real for me.


Seongmin: The idea of dancing and singing on the stage was routinely impressive to me, nevertheless my dream of becoming an entertainer grew little by little. I seen a music show by chance and the excitement of it made me wish to be a performer.


MTV News: You guys seem to have excellent chemistry as an audience. Are there general interests that you share, or ways that you've bonded as a team? 


Seongmin: After the day-to-day schedule, we get with each other and talk, and we talk a lot. We have time to monitor each other, encourage each other, and fix each other's inconveniences, and I think we can get along well without fighting because of those possibilities. We can all converse with each other because we have faith in every other.


Jungmo: We try our best and care about each other a lot.


Wonjin: We all like jokes. Any time we are with each other, we joke around, laugh, and talk, and I think we have become a team with good chemistry.


MTV News: Joohoney from Monsta X produced the high-energy track "Jumper." What was that experience like? What did you learn from working with a long-established artist like Joohoney?


Serim: He taught us a lot of ways to perform with energy onstage. He took the time to teach us although he was busy, and he helped us a lot by letting us know about how to create gestures and key points. I think our team's efficiency was more complete thanks to him telling us about his actual experience.


Minhee: I still have a long way to go, nevertheless I was able to learn every single sense of singing and performing from him. There really are so several things I want to learn and ask, so I hope I get another chance to meet him.


Wonjin: It was excellent to learn and feel the individual energy that he has. We were able to finish our debut stage well because he taught us a lot of things that we couldn't know without actually experiencing it.


MTV News: Joohoney mentioned he worked really hard to showcase each of your strengths as artists. So I'm wondering: How would you each describe your strengths?


Serim: I think my strength is that I have my own fashion. While preparing for this efficiency, I attempted to express the charm that I can show by researching and thinking of various gestures. My objective is to let several people know my own style.


Allen: I think one of my strengths is ability to speak in different languages and to communicate with fans from various countries.


Jungmo: I think it is the tone I have. I was happy to begin the single with my voice.


Woobin: I'd like to mention that my voice is also my strength. I have a huge vocal length, so I have a collection of genres that I can show you. I think I'll have several chances to sing good songs.


Wonjin: Like Jungmo, I think the tone of my voice is an advantage. It has a unique color that you could notice, like, "This is Wonjin's part!" Nevertheless as a crowd, I think the facial expressions that we show on stage are one of our charms.


Minhee: I have a cool charm.


Hyeongjun: I wish to tell you about the strength of Cravity. The strength we have is that we habitually have fun dancing, and we bring that excitement and energy out in our performance.


Taeyoung: I am versatile in several ways and have enough confidence to create utilize my talent.


Seongmin: I think my clear, unique tone and various facial expressions are my strong points.


MTV News: What is something, other than performing and your fans, that makes you happy? 


Serim: I am interested in style, so I look for fashion-related things.


Allen: feel happiness any time As soon as I eat mouth watering foods.


Jungmo: After a day-to-day schedule, lying in bed and resting makes me happy.


Woobin: Cooking! I am interested in food and I like to eat, so cook Once I have time. I think it's killing two birds with one stone because cooking relieves stress and permits me to eat mouth watering food.


Wonjin: I think I am happiest As soon as I am with the members. Each of us is unique, yet we have a lot of fun with each other as nine. It feels like we are relieving stress. We some days play mafia games with each other, and that habitually makes me happy.


Minhee: I'm happy while playing games and watching movies alone.


Hyeongjun: These days, I'm reading the fans' messages on our official fancafe. I also look at the photographs posted by the members, and that makes me happy.


Taeyoung: Exercising and dancing are two things I love to do. And I habitually like playing games.


Seongmin: Watching movies or dramas while consuming food something tasty habitually makes me happy.


MTV News: Your debut album is titled Remember Who We Are, so what's your most memorable moment? 


Serim: I remember having a day out with my mom any time Whenever I was in middle school. I rarely came to Seoul at that age, although I remember going to Myeong-dong with my mom to play and eat tasty food. It's one of my preferred memories.


Jungmo: I lived in New Zealand for a few many years If I was young. I think because I went there any time If I was young, I remember being happy without any worries.


Wonjin: Whenever we were trainees, I invited Hyeongjun and Minhee to my residence. The next day was Hyeongjun's birthday, so I remember Minhee and I baked some food for his birthday. We saw the recipe and made it. It was my first time preparing it, so it was awkward and sloppy, however I was overjoyed that Hyeongjun enjoyed consuming food it.


Minhee: I still remember the opening time I saw all of the members. They're pretty memorable.


Hyeongjun: The moment of watching the music video of our debut song with the members right before our debut. It was so excellent because I knew all of the hard work we put into it.


Taeyoung: I remember Once I went residence and told my parents the news that I was going to debut with the categorize. It's my happiest memory.


MTV News: In the spirit of your single "Break All of the Rules," what are some rules you've broken?


Allen: There's a rule that nobody is allowed to eat in the vocal practice room. I have eaten a little energy bar very secretly.


Jungmo: We promised to go to bed at 2 o'clock [in the morning] in the dormitory, however we have reneged. I also promised my vocal teacher not to eat late night snacks for dinner, yet I ate ramen and sausages.


Woobin: I am routinely late in the morning, so I feel sorry for the members.


Wonjin: One of the rules of our dorm isn't to disturb anyone who is sleeping, nevertheless any time If I visualize the members sleeping they're so beautiful that I play pranks without even realizing it.


Hyeongjun: When I converse with the members, some days I speak informally.


Taeyoung: When I was in elementary school, I went up to the rooftop on the ladder beyond the school building and played, and I remember the school removed the ladder afterwards.


Seongmin: It is a little bit childish, nevertheless I used to play pranks on Wonjin. I'd spray water [on him] and hide his cell phone.


MTV News: A lot of trainees work hard with one objective in mind: to debut. Right now that you've debuted, what are some new objectives you've each been setting for yourselves? 


Serim: My first aim is to receive the Rookie of the Year award.


Allen: My aim is to introduce Cravity to several other people around the world. I wish to be a well-known, well-respected artist, as well as hope that our music could give a lot of energy and happiness to the people who listen to it.


Jungmo: First of all, I cannot wait to meet our fans. I want to have a concert, a fan signing event, travel with the members and do a reality show… I want to [chart] on Billboard.


Woobin: We aspire to show several people our hard work, which we have been practicing a lot for and putting our effort into for now. I am curious about the public's reaction.


Hyeongjun: I'd like to let the world know the four letters ["크래비티"] of Cravity.


Taeyoung: Starting with meeting the members, my aim is to meet good people who will be with me for the rest of my life.