CNBLUE (Jung Yong-hwa, Kang Min-hyuk, Lee Jung-shin) emphasized that they are a ‘growing band’ even after 15 years since their debut.

CNBLUE‘s 10th mini album [X] is a new album with a full group released three years after their 9th mini album [WANTED]. The album name [X] contains meanings such as the 10th mini album, 10-fold growth, and an endless future.

A comeback highlighting ‘growth’ after 15 years, which is a time when one should mature in a field. Regarding this, CNBLUE said in an interview commemorating the release of their new album, “Our attitude toward music is the same as when we were rookies”.

Jung Yong-hwa said, “I try to approach music in the purest way possible. That’s why I think ‘musical growth’ is a dangerous phrase. However, we have grown when it comes to performances. We have gained a lot of know-how in 15 years, and we try not to become complacent. That‘s why we’re still a growing band,“ he said, explaining the meaning behind the album.

Kang Min-hyuk then introduced the new album by saying, ”This is an album that contains things we can show based on our experience and maturity. Also, we will grow beyond what we‘ve shown so far, so we expressed that possibility and anticipation through music.“
”We tried to bring out the sound in its original form. Our debut song ’Lonely Woman‘ doesn’t sound outdated even when you listen to it now. One of the reasons is because it wasn‘t a sound that was popular at the time. If you put in a processed source that’s popular, it often ends up sounding outdated later. That‘s why we focused on the original instrument sounds of the guitar, bass, and drums in this album as well.“ (Jung Yong-hwa)

”All the members thought about the sound with one mind. We discussed a lot about how to capture the original sounds of the instruments. I insisted more strongly as a drummer. ‘10’ may seem full, but it’s a new beginning for our 20th album, and since we‘re still young in our 30s, we worked in the direction of telling a new story of youth.“ (Kang Min-hyuk)
CNBLUE’s new album, full of their concerns, is made up entirely of songs written by the members. Among them, the title song ‘Is It You or That Time (A Sleepless Night)’ written and composed by Jung Yong-hwa is a medium-tempo rock song with an impressive introduction using a unique whistle sound. It depicts a situation where memories of an ex-lover linger in your head, and recurring memories and longing still linger.

According to Jung Yong-hwa, the title song quoted a verse from poet Ha Sang-wook and is a track he worked on this year. He said the melody came to him as soon as he saw the verse he happened to come across.

He said, ”While working on the album, I questioned what a title song would be. I wrote this song and was sure it would be the title song. Now that I‘m in my mid-30s, I think I should grow with my age even when writing a love song,“ looking back on the process of selecting the title song.

He added, ”’Is It You or That Time That I Miss?‘ is an open ending. I wonder if I miss that person or if I miss that time, and when I actually meet them again, there are cases where I miss the memories rather than you. My conclusion is, ’I miss the you from back then.‘“ He offered his own interpretation.

”There can be various interpretations depending on the listener. Doesn’t everyone have a moment or someone they miss? I hope this music will become an opportunity for each person to recall the longing they have.” (Kang Min-hyuk)

“And the title was interesting as soon as I saw it. It deserves attention as a title song.” (Lee Jeong-shin)

Including the title song, the album contains six tracks: ‘BAD BAD’, ‘RACER’, ‘To. My Love’, ‘Personal Color’, ‘Tonight’, and the ‘SKIT (CD ONLY)’ track was added only to the actual album.
Lastly, the band repeatedly emphasized, “This 10th album feels like a new 0, a start, heading towards the 20th album,“ drawing up a blueprint.

“There are times when the experiences we‘ve had over the past 15 years suddenly come back to us in a thrilling way. It’s something all three members are grateful for. Even when it‘s hard, we want to keep challenging ourselves and moving forward because we know that it will bring us great happiness later. We made this album with that kind of mindset and ambition.” (Kang Min-hyuk)

“‘If a K-pop book comes out, I hope CNBLUE is included.’ That’s our personal goal. We‘ve worked hard to popularize the band and want to continue to prove it. If you look at famous overseas bands, they perform in front of tens of thousands of people with hit songs even after they’re grandfathers. Young people also enjoy the music of their grandfathers‘ bands. We want to be like that. No, we will be like that.” (Jung Yong-hwa)

The album will be released at 6 p.m. on the 14th.
Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com reporter jhj@donga.com