KCRUSH America Interview with D-Crunch

 

D-CRUNCH (디크런치 in Korean) is a 9-member Korean hip-hop group signed under All-S Company led by Lee Jong-seok, the producer of now disbanded girl group Girl’s Day. The group officially debuted on August 6 of 2018, with the single album 0806. The group released its first mini-album M1112 (4colors) three months later. D-Crunch went on to receive the Focus Award at the Asia Artist Awards just four months since their debut, and their second mini-album M0527 dropped in May of 2019.

D-Crunch explores many genres in creating music and O.V, Hyunwook, and Hyunoh form a songwriting team, G.I.G. All 9 members take part in providing ideas and concept for their music and cite Bangtan Boys (BTS) as their role model. A massive thanks goes out to all the members of D-Crunch and their staff, for making this interview happen. KCrush America Magazine wishes you the best!

 

*Please introduce yourselves to our readers.

Hyunwook: Hello, this is Hyunwook. I am the main vocalist of D-Crunch!

Hyunho: Hi, everyone. I’m Hyunho, the oldest member and rapper in D-Crunch.

O.V: Hello, I am O.V, the leader of D-Crunch, who is in charge of managing the various.

Hyunoh: My name is Hyunoh. I am the sexy one of D-Crunch and the vocalist.

Hyunwoo: Hey, I’m the world’s strongest, Hyunwoo the vocalist in D-Crunch.

Minhyuk: I’m Minhyuk and I’m the rapper and reactionist of D-Crunch.

Chanyoung: Hello, this is Chanyoung and I’m the rapper and in charge of the performance.

Jungseung: Hello, my name is Jungseung and I am the rapper of D-Crunch.

Dylan: Hello everyone! My name is Dylan. I’m the rapper and I’m the maknae and the cutest member. � 

 

*How did you debut as a band and what were your dreams growing up?

Hyunwook: I’ve always dreamt of becoming a pop singer since I was very young. As I enrolled into an arts high school, I naturally began to pursue that dream. 

Hyunho: I wanted to be a model when I was younger. But by chance, I was asked to audition for a spot in an idol group and gradually, so I began craving to become a singer after spending time on rapping and dancing with the other members.

O.V: I think I wanted to be a rapper when I was very young. But I really got immersed in dancing, so I made the decision to become an idol singer. I took numerous auditions that were held at my hometown and flunked in all of them. I started to wonder if this wasn’t the route I should be heading. I got to audition at our company when I had just begun to give up my dream, and got in. I’ve now made it in the group and debuted as a D-Crunch member after training with the other members.

Hyunoh: I am still at a point where I am steadily heading – one foot at a time – towards my dreams. It was a dream of mine to be a singer when I was growing up. I auditioned many times and failed many times. I felt devasted while pursuing my dreams, but I persevered and kept telling myself that I wanted to become a singer so I can tell my story and comfort other people… Then I met D-Crunch.

Hyunwoo: I wished to be a singer since I was growing up but wasn’t able to prepare for it, due to the circumstances at home. I had to take up jobs when I got into high school and began taking lessons on singing, dancing and all that. I was really lucky to pass the audition to become a D-Crunch member at an early stage.

Minhyuk: Since I was young, I wanted to be an actor, so I enrolled into Hanlim Multi Art School, to later take up an acting career. I was initially interested in acting and all that but after making friends at school who were singers or in idol groups, I gained interest in that field too. I auditioned for a place in an idol group and got accepted at All-S Company, which is our current company. 

Chanyoung: I was into dancing since I was young, so I wanted to become a dancer at first. I really enjoyed being on stage and loved communicating with the people who like and support me, so I got to debut as a singer in this band.

Jungseung: My goal was to be an actor when I was young, which was also what my mother advised me to be. I started learning how to sing and dance later on, and began to admire all the singers who were on music shows ~ that’s when I made the decision to become a singer.

Dylan: I was born in New Zealand and I was there until I was age 5. Then I came back to Korea and graduated Primary school here. I decided to go back to New Zealand and graduated intermediate school there. I happened to watch BTS’s performance at Mnet Asian Music Awards and started dreaming of becoming a K-pop artist.

 

 

 

 

*How would you describe D-Crunch’s musical sound and the band’s uniqueness?

Hyunwook: I think our music has the kind of energy that only D-Crunch can showcase.

Hyunho: The fact that all 9 members have our own special uniqueness. 

O.V: I guess, we concentrate more on creating explosive music than just focusing on expressing a lot of energy. Our uniqueness as a band is that we have different tastes when it comes to music and we’re all good at different things.

Hyunoh: Our uniqueness is the fact that all 9 of our members all write lyrics and compose; in result, we come up with very diverse ideas.

Hyunwoo: I think D-Crunch’s uniqueness is that we can express whatever genre of music – in our own special way.

Minhyuk: D-Crunch can cover choreography and song lyrics in diverse ways – and I also believe there’s a sense of honesty and sincerity in how we perform. 

Chan young: I think D-Crunch will be able to show different genres of music in many different styles.

Jungseung: Rather than just focusing on one thing, we all make the effort to make various types of music and sound.  

Dylan: I would say that D-crunch can show a lot of genres of music. Our goal is to make songs that everyone enjoys and likes.

 

*Which Crunch-D song are you the most attached to?

Hyunwook: I’m OK – It’s the first track that we ever worked on since we were trainees.

Hyunho: STEALER is an upbeat song that showcases our explosive performance.

O.V: It’s I want. I like the song especially because it’s what most people can relate to out of all our songs that we’ve written the lyrics to or composed. I like how it has the playful side of emotions that only we can express.  

Hyunoh: I am very attached to all of our songs since we actually worked on creating them all. But if I were to choose just one, it’ll be I’m OK. Because it’s the first ever song that our members wrote, right after D-Crunch was formed as a band.

Hyunwoo: I’m OK is the song that I can reminiscence and recall the time when we created that song, so I like it a lot.

Minhyuk: I’m OK is what I listen to quite often still. It’s because the song is full of emotions, its lyrics are so great, and it’s actually the first song we ever recorded.

Chanyoung: D-Crunch – Love Letter – because it’s a song that tells a story about what we want to express to our fans.

Jungseung: Love Letter for me too. The song has a peaceful sound and the lyrics are about consoling others. 

Dylan: The song called Love Letter. Because I always feel touched when I listen to the song and read the lyrics.

 

*Which artist/musician do you respect the most and what song/album do you listen to the most often nowadays?

Hyunwook: Bruno Mars. I listen to Love Letter a lot these days, which is one of our songs.

Hyunho: WINNER sunbaenims. And I listen to their song AH YEAH frequently.

O.V: Beenzino sunbaenim. The record that I enjoy the most these days is IU – Palette. I love all the listed tracks, the more I listen to it.

Hyunoh: I respect BTS sunbaenims’ way of working hard and their musicality. I especially have an utmost respect towards Jimin sunbaenim of BTS. The song that I listen to a lot is BTS – Home.

Hyunwoo: I really respect BTS and BOL4 sunbaenims and the song that I enjoy listening to is BOL4 – Travel.

Minhyuk: Anne-Marie. I listen to Paul Kim’s So Long a lot.

Chanyoung: BTS sunbaenims. I listen to a lot of Taeyeon – All About You.

Jungseung: I really respect V Sunbaenim! Yoon Jong-shin – From January to June is what I listen to a lot these days.

Dylan: V from BTS. I often listen to Taeyeon – All About You.

 

*Let us know what your specialty or interests are, and why…

Hyunwook: I have a lot of diverse interests… Sports is one of them, and my hobby is watching sports.

Hyunho: I’m interested in many different sports: Darts and billiards is especially what I enjoy.

O.V: What I’m really interested in these days is human psychology. When I compose and write lyrics, I would select one topic which got me very curious about what other people think and how they act. My specialty is gaming and I consider myself to have a natural talent in that. Lol.

Hyunoh: I don’t get to do it that often lately, but I’m really into photography. I can clear my head and take the time to focus on myself when I go around and take photos on my own. I usually take photography when I need to release any stress that I have.

Hyunwoo: Playing musical instruments, soccer games and many others.

Minhyuk: I love listening to music by all kinds of artists. I can get rid of stress and gain serenity from listening to new and diverse songs.

Chanyoung: It’s sports and games. I can’t play that much games these days but I’ve gained new interest in working out.

Jungseung: Games for me! I really got into games while communicating and having fun with other gamers.

Dylan: My interests are watching dramas and playing football. My specialty is speaking English, as you can see 🙂

 

 

 

 

*Describe your personality in one word?

Hyunwook: My personality is “gentle”. *^^*

Hyunho: Hu-dang. *Hu-dang refers to a person who seems perfect from the outside but is actually clumsy in reality.

O.V: I’m “tiresome.” I can make life hard for people in the group.

Hyunoh: Lovey-dovey??

Hyunwoo: Simplicity.

Minhyuk: Active. ^^

Chanyoung: I think I’m quite Beagle-like!

Jungseung: Everyone calls me a country boy. They say it’s because I am so innocent but I don’t believe that is the case. *^^*

Dylan: Cute.

 

*Which color describes your personality or musicality the most?

Hyunwook: Black. Because black goes well with any colors.

Hyunho: Black and white, because they’re able to show two diverse sides.

O.V: Green? It’s somewhat very eco-friendly and I want to become an artist who is able to make music that can provide healing to the listeners.

Hyunoh: The color, purple. It’s very mysterious that gives off a feeling of warmth, the kind of vibe that I also want to give to others.

Hyunwoo: I can pretty much pull off any type of music given at any situation, so I think all existing colors describes me well.

Minhyuk: White. Because white can blend well with any color.

Chanyoung: Blue! Blue is a color that gives out a cool vibe.

Jungseung: Black and white. It’s easy to match the colors.

Dylan: Rainbow colors because I love a lot of genres of music.

 

*Where do you most like to take a trip to during the vacation season?? Have you travelled to anywhere lately?

Hyunwook: I haven’t travelled anywhere recently, and I want to visit England in the future.

Hyunho: I haven’t been travelling lately but I want to visit Italy.

O.V: I take frequent trips to the studio for rehearsals. I’d love to visit the States, especially the Grand Canyon, which Dylan strongly recommended.

Hyunoh: I haven’t been on a trip lately, but I would love to go any place where there is great scenery, with the people who are precious to me.

Hyunwoo: I’ve not been on any trips recently, but whether I am at home or out travelling, the important thing is who I’m with, rather than where I’m at.

Minhyuk: I haven’t been anywhere much recently. I want to visit Busan because I’ve never been there before.

Chanyoung: I wish to visit New Zealand, where Dylan is from!

Jungseung: I haven’t been travelling as of late but I wish to visit Iksan, my hometown.

Dylan: I haven’t taken a trip lately. In the future, I would love to visit all European countries.

 

*How do you release/relieve stress?

Hyunwook: I like to release stress by eating tasty foods!

Hyunho: I relieve stress by watching TV series while eating delicious foods at home.

O.V: Well… getting stressed depends on the mindset of the person, so I always make the effort to control my mindset.

Hyunoh: Like I’ve mentioned just now, I can really find a peace of mind when I am taking photographs and focus on myself.

Hyunwoo: I can get rid of any stress, after playing instruments or eat something nice and then take a nap afterwards. ^^

Minhyuk: Eat nice foods, then take walks while listening to music and watch movies.

Chanyoung: I release stress by working out ~!

Jungseung: I tend to deal with stress by watching TV dramas, these days.

Dylan: By watching TV dramas.

 

 

 

 

 

*Do you have any bad habits that you’d like to fix?

Hyunwook: I really want to stop focusing on one thing too much. It’s because if I focus on just one thing, I can’t really focus on other things.

Hyunho: I want to fix making droopy lips, I want to show our fans that I’m always smiling.

O.V: I can never hide my facial expressions.

Hyunoh: It’s not really a bad habit, but I love shopping for clothes because I just love adorning myself. I intend to gradually minimize my shopping spree.

Hyunwoo: I think my bad habits are also my charm. ^^

Minhyuk: I bite my nails and I tend to do that unconsciously. Some of the fans were actually concerned about this habit of mine. I’m planning to kick the habit while focusing on work.

Chanyoung: I don’t have any. (<3)

Jungseung: I want to fix biting my nails!

Dylan: I bite my nails when I’m nervous.

 

*Which country/venue do you want to perform at in the future?

Hyunwook: We’d love to perform in every country that we are asked to perform at!!

Hyunho: We want D-Crunch to be known all around the world.

O.V: I can guess what the other members will all say, lol. Because we believe that every venue, regardless of the scale, is all equal, we want to go anywhere to perform where our fans want us.

Hyunoh: We want to perform anywhere in the world and have great memories from the experience.

Hyunwoo: We’re ready to perform for anyone who is expecting us.

Minhyuk: There are countless venues in the world… but my goal is to perform at all those venues.

Chanyoung: D-Crunch will perform wherever you want us to!

Jungseung: We intend to go anywhere that we’re called to…

Dylan: All the countries! We really want to meet International Diana!

 

*Please tell is about your hopes and wishes for the future; add something nice for the fans too. Thank you for your precious time!

Hyunwook: In the future, I hope more people would start liking our music and that they’ll gain new hopes and dreams through our songs! We want to bring great music to everyone. We’ll work hard so our fans won’t be disappointed in us. To our fan base, Dianas!!! We appreciate you!!!

Hyunho: We want to continue to grow and only want to make good music. It is our ultimate goal to become the best that we can be for our fans who always support us, so we hope to make them really proud of D-Crunch.

O.V: We’ll do our utmost to work hard so as to not fall behind. My biggest wish is to create music to provide positive vibes and energy to make the listener both smile and cry. We “promise” to all the supporters out there that we’ll repay their love, which we’re so lucky to have. Our fans are so crucial in our lives right now!

Hyunoh: I want to thank our fans for making my 20s so special, and will do my best to improve and promote D-Crunch as much as possible. We really care about you and love you! I am so grateful to have such great people around me.

Hyunwoo: I hope that I can spend my 20s really well, before moving up to my 30s later on, and have all these precious people around me for a long, long time! To our fans, we’re always so appreciative of you, let’s stay together. ^^

Minhyuk: I plan to show you the best, healthier version of myself in the future. I promise that “Minhyuk” will work hard to improve each day, and send out the love and joy back to the fans. Please stick around to build happy, loving memories from now onwards! Thank you all, we love you!

Chanyoung: I wish everyone around me would stay extremely healthy and happy in the future! I also want the public to get to know more about our music. To all the fans, we promise to work hard! Love you all!

Jungseung: I wish that everyone would stay in great health and I also want to spend more happy times with our fans in the future. I want the public to check our music out and be happy as well. Ha ha.

Dylan: I hope a lot of people get uplifted through our music and we really want our Dianas to be happy. In the future, we wish more people would listen and get to love our music. Love you all!

 

 

 

 

– J. Chung.