Concept photo for K-pop group Cravity's extended play 'Evershine.' Photos courtesy of Starship Entertainment

MANILA — Since debuting in 2020, Cravity has explored an array of sonic styles. Earlier singles like “Break All the Rules” and “My Turn” had the K-pop boy group leaning towards hard-hitting hip hop, flaunting cool and charismatic images.

But a pivotal moment came in March 2022 with the release of “Adrenaline,” the single fronting the second part of Cravity’s first full-length album. The funk-driven track about young love saw the nine-member act beam in youthful exuberance — a vibe that would become the group’s signature, maintained in succeeding releases like the shimmering disco-pop “Groovy” and easy-breezy “Ready or Not.”

It’s this bright and youthful energy that the group hopes to share with more people.

“I feel like we do such a good job with these feel-good, happy types of sounds that I feel like it’s such a shame that not a lot of people really recognize us for our signature sounds,” member Allen said in an interview with ABS-CBN News.

“I just hope in the future, more people will be able to vibe with our sound even more, [so we can] bring more feel-good energy, more happiness into their lives,” he said.

“Because I see people complaining all the time [like] ‘Why don’t boy groups release these fun songs anymore?’ and then our fans in the comments, they’re like, ‘Oh, literally Cravity.’ I have my hopes up. We’ll make it one day,” he added.

But being recognized for fun songs does not hinder the group from experimenting with fresh sounds and concepts. Case in point: their latest single “Love or Die,” an anthemic pop-rock track that expresses one’s desire to die instead of living without love.

The song may be a departure from Cravity’s euphoric offerings, but the group continues to explore themes related to youth, singing about young love with an angsty approach.  “When I first heard the song, I felt, ‘This is it, this is Cravity!’” said Serim, the group’s leader.

For Seongmin, “Love or Die” is reminiscent of anime theme songs. “So I felt like the song was gonna be really good, a bop,” he said.

Through “Love or Die,” Cravity accomplished another career milestone. On March 8, the group ranked first on “Music Bank,” marking the team’s first-ever win on a public broadcast music chart show — an achievement that  left some of the members in tears as they thanked fans at the end of the live program.

“Love or Die” fronts the group’s seventh extended play (EP) “Evershine,” which Allen described as a continuation of the previous release.

“For this album, ‘Evershine,’ we want to continue off our previous mini album, ‘Sun Seeker,’ talking about how now that we found the sun, we want to keep on shining, whether that be our present or our future,” he said.

Each of the six tracks on “Evershine” offers a unique experience to listeners, from the feel-good groove of “Cherry Blossom,” the thumping club-ready beats of “Mr.,” to the sinuous feel of “Worst Thriller.”

Asked about genres that they would like to try in future releases, Hyeongjun answered, “I want to try jazz because I listen to a lot of jazz types of [songs] these days. Even if it’s not for a title or lead single track.”

Manila concert

Last year, Filipino LUVITYs (the group’s fandom name) had the chance to personally experience the infectious energy of the Cravity members, who also include Jungmo, Woobin, Wonjin, Minhee and Taeyoung.  

In August, the group went to the Philippines for the first time for the local stop of its “Masterpiece” concert tour, staged at the New Frontier Theater.

Looking back at the concert, Allen said, “It feels so good to meet our Filipino LUVITYs because we know they’ve been there, they’ve been waiting for us ever since our debut during the [COVID-19] pandemic.”

READ: Fans make Cravity’s first Manila concert ‘perfect’

“We felt those years of holding back, not being able to cheer and make noise due to social distancing regulations. We felt that they really held that back. And after everything got better, we really received good energy from them,” he said, adding that the group would love to perform again in the country.

Apart from their music and performances, the boys are also able to show their fun side through the YouTube-based reality show “Cravity Park,” where they engage in games, skits and similar activities.

Taeyoung picked the episode titled “Geupjjo teukjjip” (translated as “An improvised special”) from the fourth season as his favorite. “We were supposed to go to the beach but the weather was really rainy so we went indoors and hung out with each other. That was really fun,” he recounted.

Jungmo, meanwhile, chose the sauna-set episode from the third season as his favorite. “We played in the water so it was fun to me,” he said.

‘Family’

It’s apparent that the boys have grown to enjoy each other’s company in the years spent together as a group. With the team set to celebrate its fourth anniversary in April, the members were also asked about the “best thing” about being a member of Cravity.

“It feels like a family. Because it’s nine members, there’s no [time] to be bored,” Serim said, bearing similar answers with Jungmo and Minhee.

Taeyoung, meanwhile, considers the group as a sort of “mini world” composed of people with unique personalities. “I think it’s good to experience many people and their vibes, to grow yourself,” he said.

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