EXCLUSIVE: DKB open up about what they love about themselves & what inspires their nonpareil musical genius

Holding potential beyond belief, DKB is one of the most promising K-Pop groups in this generation of K-Pop. Boasting some of the most extraordinary vocals, visuals, and compositional talent, the members are undeniably powerhouses in their own right. When it comes to choreography, the intensity they hold at their fingertips is formidable, to say the least. As expected of Brave Entertainment artists, DKB is an absolute unit and they’re back with their 1st Regular Album ‘The Dice Is Cast’, setting forth the perfect power play to establish themselves as fully realized artists. 

In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla’s Ishani Sarkar, co-ordinated by MAXPERIENCE (MPE), DKB opened up about the rationality and inspirations behind this album and what makes it such a seamless and coherent conclusion to their four-part series. With the members personally participating in the songwriting and production processes, ‘The Dice Is Cast’ is undoubtedly a personal piece of art, both for fans as well as for the artists themselves. 

Keep reading to know what DKB had to say and stay tuned until the very end for a special shoutout! 

It has been a year since you debuted and you have already taken us on a full-fledged journey of youth. What should fans expect from the conclusion of this four-part series?

E-CHAN: It would be nice if you could look forward to a new start. For the past year, starting with youth, and at the end of love and growth, we ended the series of four parts by predicting another beginning, meaning that there is no place to back down. There is no definite decision yet, but I think I can promise that the albums to be released in the future will definitely appear more mature and cooler than before. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of story will unfold again.

TEO: The end of the four-part series and the first full album, 'The dice is cast', has the ambition of 'I'll jump right into the music industry' since the dice have already been thrown and there is no place to back down. We threw a vote for jumping into the music industry, so we would be grateful if you could look forward to what kind of music we will come to next.

How would you say you have evolved from your debut until now, both musically and personally?

D1: After our debut, in the process of releasing and preparing for a total of 4 albums, we were able to come into contact with and get to know a wider variety of genres, and thanks to that, I think we have been able to think with more diverse directions when writing lyrics and composing. And as we worked as a team, teamwork became solid in the process of agreeing with each other.

YUKU: At the beginning of my debut, I really didn't know anything. I haven’t been to Korea so I couldn’t speak Korean well. But the members helped me a lot, so my Korean language has improved a lot now! These days, my hyungs saying that I look like Koreans and calling me ‘KIM YUKU’.

Why do you think the message of knowing oneself and loving oneself before loving someone else is important? 

GK: I think it's very difficult to love other people if you don't know how to love yourself. so

I've been trying to love myself as much as I can lately.

E-CHAN: I think that if I know how to love myself, I can also know how to give love to someone else. Of course, you can love someone and find out how to love yourself, but first of all, I want you to put yourself first and love you. I think other people will want it too.

The choreography of ‘ALL IN’ is incredibly power-packed and expressive. Can you take us through the steps of creating such a unique choreography yourselves?

D1: First of all, I make the whole frame and convey my opinions to the members who seem to make it well ”I want this kind of concept”. Each of us set the choreography, then organize it together to make it work.

In your own lives, have you ever gone “all in” for something?

D1: First of all, I want to tell you that I have gone ‘all-in’ to become a singer. My home is in the province, but I came all the way to Seoul, even worked a part-time job, practiced and joined the audition. And even now, I am ‘all-in’ for my dream.

TEO: I think the best 'all-in' in my life is right now, at this moment. I've been doing music all the time before, and I would love to be able to do my favorite music in the future by making my debut like this now, and because I can do it with the fans I love.

HARRY-JUNE: I am 'all-in' in what I am doing now. This is because we are working hard to show better performances and practice with the members every day.

You’re exploring a lot of new genres on this album and creating newer sonic aesthetics while also retaining the classic DKB sound. How do you go about deciding on which genre a particular song should be?

GK: First of all, when we make a song, the producers and the CEO give us their opinions and discuss it together. So, I think that’s how we can create the new style while maintaining the existing style of DKB.

A lot of the members participated in the composition and songwriting of this album. Where did you draw your inspiration from? 

D1: Watching a movie or drama, I get inspiration from indirect experiences, and sometimes I imagine and write a story while listening to the stories of friends around me. And I usually observe things and people around me well. I imagine a story about that object, that person's story.

GK: When you do something, you need motivation and confidence. In my case, I tend to get a lot of power and inspiration from my fans. If the fans say they like our music and listen to our feelings or impressions about this album, and cheer for us, it's very empowering.

‘The Dice Is Cast’ shows a more mature side of DKB as you explore the intricacies and complexities of true love. What is something each of you love about yourselves that you wish more people noticed?

LUNE: There are cases where I am not good at expressing myself. So, there are times when some fans feel sad, but even if I can't express myself well, I hope you know that I always think of BB and love BB.

GK: I would like you to know the charm of my soft Vocal. I am a rap member, but I am very interested in vocal parts, so I am working hard on vocal practice. In this album, I also did ‘singing rap’ by making use of that part! Please listen to it a lot!

Can you name something you truly love about the person on your right?

E-CHAN>D1: I think he's a smart, clever, and wise friend.

D1>TEO: He is handsome. He is so good at singing!

TEO>GK: Your deep voice is so charming, I love you!

GK>HEECHAN: I like it the most and feel most comfortable when I am with HEECHAN. I love you!

HEECHAN>LUNE: His presence alone shines. Undoubtedly he is the visual of our team.

LUNE>JUNSEO: JUNSEO is a friend who can make a big shot. He is not a lot of talk, but it's really fun that he drops one word at a time!

JUNSEO>YUKU: I think YUKU always makes people happy with a soft smile.

YUKU>HARRY-JUNE: HARRY-JUNE is a very cute maknae. Always make his brothers happy with a bright smile and innocence!

HARRY-JUNE>E-CHAN: I think E-CHAN hyung has a charm that is contrary to his image. I like that because he is usually cute, and he is very powerful and charismatic when he is on stage!

 Is there anything new that each of you have learned from the experience of making your first ever full album?

LUNE: Among the choreography, there is a movement called 'Worm', but I thought this movement would be easy to follow at first sight, but it was really difficult when I tried it. I think I practiced a lot and trained my physical strength to show the perfect performance. I am very proud of it because I seem to have grown in terms of performance.

YUKU: I learned the process of preparing a full album. And with the release of our first full album, we seem to be looking forward to our 10th full album. I thought I wanted to work harder in the future and be with the members for a long time.

HEECHAN: This time, for the concept of the full album, I felt it while losing weight and building up my body, but I learned that ‘there is nothing that I can’t do if do my best’. In the future, I will continue to work hard to show you the more perfect YANG HEECHAN and DKB!

If you could switch your position in the group with any other member’s, who would you switch with and why?

D1: I want to change positions with GK or E-CHAN. The reason is that I want to rap aggressively too. I think I can show my strengths a little more if I perform a stage with hip or open gestures while rapping, but not being able to rap properly is problematic.
 

LUNE: JUNSEO is quiet but he always throw a good joke once at a time. I would like to have a sense of humor that subtly bursts like JUNSEO.

JUNSEO: Like rapper E-CHAN hyung, I want to do a snake-wrapped rap later! E-CHAN is more professional and cool when he raps.

YUKU: I want to try to be a leader. But honestly, I don't think I can handle it, so I want to do it for a single time and change it back to the original

HEECHAN: I don't want to change. I love myself and I love it just way it is now.

HARRY-JUNE: I want to change the position with the D1 hyung. Because our D1 is good at everything. I want to resemble the all-round ability like D1 hyung.

Out of all the concepts you have tried so far, which one do you relate to the most? 

LUNE: I think the 3rd mini album was very suitable. Like the title song 'Work Hard', we always think about BB and work for BB. I think it suits us the best in that part.

What is a concept you think would perfectly suit the member next to you?

TEO: When I look at HARRY and YUKU, the refreshing concept seems to fit. They are also the youngest and their smiles are just pure and cute.

GK: I think E-CHAN's strong makeup goes well with a very strong hip-hop beat.

E-CHAN: In the case of HARRY-JUNE, I think BAEKHYUN’s ‘CANDY’ type of song would go well with him because he’s a bright friend. A song that we can enjoy while smiling brightly!

Can you describe your favourite song from your album with only 3 words?

D1: real love- Loved you, regret, sorry

TEO: Flower - Love, One-sided Love, Link

E-CHAN: I will go with my song 'Fondue' - Chocolate, sweet, splash

Finally, do you have anything you want to say to your BBs all over the world and especially in India who love and adore you endlessly?

E-CHAN: First of all, unfortunately, even though I haven't been able to see you, I am receiving a lot of strength from you loving and supporting me. Even though we didn't actually have a chance to meet each other, the heart that cheers us on and cares for us is being conveyed up close.

D1: We can't meet you directly because the situation is bad, but we communicate hard with various contents and we will definitely visit you when the situation improves, so please wait awhile! Love you!

TEO: Indian BB~~ Thank you so much for supporting and loving us even from a distance,

If this situation improves now, we definitely want to go to India to perform. we'll think about Indian BB every day, so let’s cheer up little more until then~~

GK: Our Indian BBs, did you enjoy our interview? Thank you so much for always supporting us and we look forward to the day we can meet!

HEECHAN: Indian BBs who support us even from a distance~! We want to perform in India as soon as possible. Although apart, we will continue to show a lot of images through various contents, so please support us in the future. Thank you!

LUNE: First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the Indian BBs who like, love and support us a lot despite being far away. Hope that soon, when things are getting better, I want to meet with BB in India as soon as possible. As much as you support us, as much as you expect, as much as you like us, we will always try to show only good images in the future. We always love you BB!!

JUNSEO: Namaste! This is DKB’s JUNSEO! First of all, thank you so much for loving us, DKB!!!

We will always do our best in the future. Everyone, please stay tuned. Thank you.

YUKU: Thank you for always supporting me, even if you are far away! I want to go to India quickly and do a concert and I want to see Indian BBs. And introduce to me a delicious Naan restaurant!

HARRY-JUNE: Indian BBs ~ I want to see you soon. Please look forward to DKB’s next move in the future~ I love you

That’s not all! We didn’t forget about all the lovely questions BBs sent us for DKB. Keep reading to see if your question got answered!

Out of all of DKB’s songs, which song do you think best describes DKB as a group (both lyrically and performance-wise)?

D1: I think it's our debut song, ‘Sorry Mama’'. Since it's our debut song, I think it's a song that represent us the best!

TEO: I think it's the title song of our first regular album, ‘ALL IN.’ I want to give everything to BB!

Which member has impressed you the most in this comeback?

E-CHAN: I think it’s HEECHAN. HEECHAN made exposure this time. I really wanted to praise and be impressed because he worked so hard for the concept.

D1: It’s HARRY-JUNE and E-CHAN. I was really impressed that because their hair was transformed into an unconventional way.

JUNSEO: This time, I was impressed because HARRY-JUNE's hair style was so good on him. I hope he tries new hairstyles in the future!

What's your favourite memory from working on this album? Which song was the most fun to write and record?

D1: I enjoyed working and recording ‘Real Love’ the most. The song is an exciting atmosphere with a rock hip-hop feel, so I was the most excited when we sang that song altogether.

YUKU: It was really fun to practice until dawn with the members and record songs. We were proud of our efforts until dawn, and since it is the process of preparing our first full album, so I think we prepared it with more expectation.

TEO: I had the most fun when recording ‘Real Love’! This song has many parts we had to sing together, so the members went into the recording booth and sang it by 4 members each, even the lyrics are sad, but the appearance of the members singing so boldly was so much fun.

DKB is well known for being a self-made-idol group. What do you guys do when you have a creative block? Has this ever happened?

HEECHAN: Look for various choreography videos. Arrange it in my own way and try it freestyle

I also get a lot of inspiration while dancing freestyle.

E-CHAN: To be honest, we also have a lot of worries about creation, but there are many times when inspiration does not come to mind. In that case, I think I do a lot of things that consume physical strength, such as emptying my head and playing ball. Then there are times when I get inspiration instead.

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Which DKB song do you relate to the most? Share your thoughts with Pinkvilla in the comments section down below!