By Dong Sun-hwa

Music streaming charts in June and July are often dominated by uplifting summer bangers.

While many of the songs go unnoticed, K-pop boy group WEi’s 2021 release “Bye Bye Bye” recently gained belated recognition after being voted as the No 1 song deserving public attention in a recent survey conducted by the K-pop fandom app StarPlay.

For those who have been looking forward to WEi’s new summer anthems, the group released its sixth mini-album, Love Pt.3 : Eternally, on June 29.

Leading the EP is “Overdrive”, a feel-good dance track peppered with catchy guitar sounds. Through its lyrics, the six members – Daehyeon, Yongha, Yohan, Junseo, Donghan and Seokhwa – impart a message of comfort, telling people that it is OK to let their minds wander.

“We chose this bright song as our lead single because we wanted to give solace to people,” says Donghan.

“‘Overdrive’ brings our refreshing vibe to the fore, but it is not the only gem we have. Instead of defining our musical identity, we first want to showcase our diverse colours and demonstrate that we can pull off different things.”

Seokhwa elaborates: “We did not intend to return with a summer song. Our priority was to find the track that suits us best.”

Daehyeon expresses his pride in his bandmates’ musical growth.

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“I think our members have learned ways to make their voices sound beautiful,” he says.

“When we were recording our songs, I could see that our composers were satisfied with our performances. So I was so proud of us. It seems like we have become more proficient singers, with each of us seamlessly contributing our parts.”

On Daehyeon’s rapping skills, Yohan says: “‘Overdrive’ sounded more diverse with the addition of Daehyeon’s rap. It was a perfect fit. I knew Daehyeon excels in rapping, but I was actually surprised by his skills this time.”

“It is a track for our fans,” Seokhwa says. “We want to show our appreciation with this tune.”

Junseo, the youngest member of the group, says Lim encouraged him: “Lim told me that I will become a great vocalist if I practise singing a little bit more.

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“He advised me to take more vocal classes, so that I can discover my own voice. I have become more confident thanks to him.”

The members of WEi hope “Overdrive” can grab the top spots on music streaming charts.

“It is of high quality, so we hope we can see chart success,” Junseo says.

Daehyeon adds: “We are quite confident about our new mini-album, so it will be great if it can win the hearts of a lot of people. We also aspire to continue growing musically.”

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