[FLNK MAGAZINE] INTERVIEW WITH TIOT(티아이오티)
In a tough world, with friends who share the same dream and supporters by our side, we’re not afraid of any tomorrow. Among countless cheers, TIOT has just taken its first step as one united breath, and it's as smooth as a gentle breeze.
How was your photoshoot with FLNK Magazine?
JUNHYEON During the shoot, the photographer told us to relax and look at the camera, so we tried to be ourselves and be natural.
WOOJIN I love taking photos, but it was still a little awkward to pose and be a model because I've always been taking pictures.
Please introduce yourself, including your position in the group!
MINSEOUNG I'm MINSEOUNG, the group's ‘mathyung’(the eldest), and I'm good at acrobatics.
JUNHYEON I'm JUNHYEON, the guy on the team who keeps the sound tight properly.
KEONHEE I'm KEONHEE, the sturdy and straight guy.
WOOJIN I'm ‘maknae’ (the youngest) of the group, WOOJIN.
Congratulations on the release of your pre-debut album. TIOT has been on the road, from ‘Boys Planet’ to fan meetings to debut. If there was a time when you felt like "we've become a team," when was it?
JUNHYEON Right before we get on stage and then step onto the stage, I feel like we're a team.
KEONHEE We give a three-minute performance and close with a pose, and it's only when we're in that pose, feeling the synergy with each other and the crowd yelling and clapping, that I feel like we're a team.
MINSEOUNG I think it's similar to JUNHYEON and KEONHEE, the moment we talk to each other before we go on stage and say, "Let's do a good job," or the moment we feel each other's breath after we are done, we feel like, "We are a team." We can't help but trust each other on stage, so we are a team every moment when we are on stage together.
WOOJIN I feel that we've become a team when I step down from the stage to monitor and watch us perform together.
Before the debut, you could meet your fans from Korea, Japan, and Thailand at fan meetings. What was it like?
MINSEOUNG I was so grateful that I had the opportunity to have fan meetings in Korea, Japan, and Thailand before the debut. Therefore, I felt really sad when we had to say goodbye to them after the fan meeting. After my debut, I want to meet more fans like this.
JUNHYEON The stage experience I gained from doing fan meetings has been helpful in my pre-debut.
KEONHEE I was happy to give back to the fans supporting us since ‘Boys Planet’. We weren't perfect at many things, but they helped us in those areas, so it was an opportunity for us to make up our minds "to work harder, grow more, and look better."
WOOJIN I was nervous and anxious during the fan meeting but less worried during the music broadcast because of the fan meeting experience.
Your debut song <백전무패 (Unbeatable)> is a remake of Click B's song of the same name, <백전무패 (Undefeatable)>. How did you feel when you first heard the original piece?
JUNHYEON We were unfamiliar with the music, so we required an explanation at first. When we looked it up, we discovered it was from 2001. We realized it was similar to ours as we listened to the music and read the lyrics. We believed it might be an uplifting and motivating song for many people, so we listened to the original version several times, picturing ourselves singing and dancing on stage.
Can you tell us a little bit about TIOT's <백전무패 (Unbeatable)>?
JUNHYEON There are lyrics like "도망칠 필요는 없어, 널 믿어봐 (No need to run away, trust yourself)" and "내 세상은 내가 만들어가. 더는 지지 않아. I rule my life, 넘어져도 괜찮아 (I make my world, I’ll never lose anymore, I rule my life, it's okay to fall)." That's what we tell ourselves, and it's what we want to tell everyone who hears and watches us perform. We hope our song gives you the courage to try again, even if only briefly.
MINSEOUNG While Click B's version was based on a band sound and didn't have a lot of dancing, our version retains the hopeful message of the original song and is composed to showcase TIOT's strengths, including powerful performances.
The lyrics of <백전무패 (Unbeatable)> are very confident and assertive, such as "지금부터 우리는 절대로 안 져! (We shall never lose from now on!)." Who is the most challenging and fearless member of the group?
MINSEOUNG KEONHEE is the type of person who enjoys a challenge every day.
JUNHYEON KEONHEE can go on scary rides, and that's what it means to be fearless!
KEONHEE We're just getting started, so there will be many things we'll do together with something new to us, and instead of being scared by them, I'm going to step up and lead the way.
MINSEOUNG and KEONHEE, you released your first self-written song <BUNGEE> on this album. How did you feel about it?
MINSEOUNG I never dreamed our self-written song would be on an album, so I'm so happy. It was fun working with KEONHEE because it was my first self-written song, and we wanted to make it good, so we kept revising it until we were both satisfied with it. We also greatly cared about the message we were trying to convey, especially the hook, so we extensively modified it.
This year, 2023, is nearly over. If there's one thing you want to accomplish in the year ahead, what would it be?
JUNHYEON TMI!! I want to travel abroad.
KEONHEE I was told to dream big. Number one on the music charts! I'd love to make it happen.
MINSEOUNG We used to be called "레뽀즈 (Redstart Boys)," which is how we made our pre-debut as TIOT. We hope to imprint TIOT on many people's minds through our hard work.
WOOJIN I have some great memories of interacting with the fans at the fan meeting, and I would love to perform one more time in Korea before the year ends.
FLNK combines FAN and LINK, and we aim to be a platform that connects fans and artists. How do you want to connect to your fans in the future?
JUNHYEON I want to share even little things with my fans and connect with them.
MINSEOUNG I want TIOT to be a group that can perform and interact with our fans.
WOOJIN I want to connect with everyone who supports TIOT through the platform.
KEONHEE If TIOT is a tree, our fans are the fruit. We are inseparable! We feed off each other!
TIOT X FLNK MAGAZINE SIGNED POLAROID EVENT! 🧡
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Credit.
Artist : TIOT(티아이오티)
Editor : Seungmin Lee
Art & Content Director, Photographer : Jihye Kim
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