2019 is off to a great start for debuts. The beginning of January saw two boy groups make their official debuts with striking different releases – one was dark, the other a bright, nineties concept.
Given the first boy group from Jellyfish Entertainment are well known for their dark concepts, you might have expected their younger brother group to follow in there footsteps. But not so with VeriVery, a youthful, seven-member group from the same company as senior boy group VIXX and older sister group gugudan.
This isn’t the first we’ve heard from the group, however. In September last year, VeriVery were introduced one by one before releasing pre-debut single, ‘Super Special.’ The song was made to promote and accompany their pre-debut reality show, Now VeriVery, which saw them take a team building trip. What struck the most about this first release was the image. The nineties sound palette provided a lot of playful energy, with bright colours abound. It’s fitting for both the ages of the boys and for their name – the Veri is meant to stand for “Various, Energetic, Real, Innovation.” This acronym seems to be one way in which they match with their older brothers VIXX!
The members, whose birth years range from 1995 to 2003, exude youthfulness and boundless energy. Dongheon, the eldest member and leader, is a main rapper and lead dancer. He also trained with a member of Oneus, who were the group that made their debut on the same day as VeriVery. Hoyoung is the groups lead rapper and lead dancer, and having studied in New Zealand, is pretty good at English too. Minchan is the lead vocalist and visual of VeriVery, Gyehyeon is also a lead vocalist, and Yeonho is the main vocalist. Yongseung is the main dancer, whilst also helping with vocals. And then there is maknae Kangmin, a vocalist and rapper, who has caused a little bit of a stir among some netizens for his “fresh-faced visuals.”
All seven members are skilled dancers, having shown fans powerful covers of songs in the build-up to their debut. Their vocals are also impressive for rookies as seen in their acoustic versions of ‘Super Special.’ By the time 9th January came around, a lot of people were anticipating a solid debut, and VeriVery delivered. Following from the style of their pre-debut single, they released ‘Ring Ring Ring’ as the lead track. It’s a buoyant, bright bop that continues with the nineties theme and a catchy hook at its centre. The mini-album, ‘Veri-Us’, from which ‘Ring Ring Ring’ is taken, consists of four other tracks that are well produced and pulled off with similar skill by the boys.
Whilst it’s almost certain that the remaining year will prove to be a powerhouse for new debuts, VeriVery have started out strong, and might just become super special. Will you be supporting them? They’re going to be a boy group to keep an eye on, so check out their releases and let us know what you think!
