The year 2022 has been an eventful year for ASTRO. With their growth as artists, they have also ventured into sub-units creating music in diverse ways. With the New Year, the group’s first sub-unit MOONBIN&SANHA kicks off 2023 with brand new music and an interesting outlook on their camaraderie. It’s been ten months since their last release REFUGE. And now they are back as they dropped their third mini-album, INCENSE earlier this month. With the new album, while the sexiness is through the roof but more importantly, the soundscape has evolved. There’s more ‘Madness’ to their voice and tranquillity in this cohesive story.
MOONBIN&SANHA are the first sub-unit from the K-pop group ASTRO under Fantagio. The unit consists of two members, MOON BIN and YOON SAN-HA. While the group debuted in 2016 with their mini album, Spring Up, MOONBIN&SANHA dropped their first unit album mini-album, IN-OUT, in 2020. The viral track ‘Bad Idea’ brought a lot of attention to their unit and their stage presence sent the fans into a frenzy.
Bringing in their irresistible charm and modern sensuality with INCENSE, the new mini-album contains six new tracks including the title track, ‘Madness’, which is a pop dance song with an intense bass sound and elements of EDM and big band. There’s a diverse range of music – disco-rhythm pop, addictive R&B, hip-hop to strong bass and EDM – which truly showcases their growing musical spectrum. MOONBIN&SANHA also participated in writing lyrics and composition for the album, including their solo tracks.
In an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Hungama, MOON BIN and YOON SAN-HA discuss their new album, their creative process and celebrating their upcoming 7th anniversary with ASTRO.
Congratulations on ‘INCENSE’. What was the idea behind the album name and how do you both resonate with it?
MOON BIN: We thought that, out of the five senses of humans, the sense of smell is the most memorable one. We want our music to be long-lasting and memorable as well, so we decided to build this album around the concept of ‘scent’.
What are the emotions both of you are feeling as the album sounds so mature?
MOON BIN: I believe this album is a good representation of MOONBIN&SANHA.
YOON SAN-HA: I agree! I think this is the album where you can really feel our music.
“Madness” is a bop. What kind of ‘madness’ did you feel while recording the track and filming the music video?
YOON SAN-HA: There are many scene changes in the music video. I’m sure you’ll have fun watching the music video because I had a lot of fun shooting it as well!
MOON BIN, you participated in writing the title track. How do you think you’ve evolved as a lyricist over the years as compared to a performer and singer?
MOON BIN: I participated in writing lyrics for the title track “Madness” and also composed my solo track ‘Desire’ for the first time. There were challenges while working on the album, but I think I evolved by participating in the overall making of the whole album.
I listened to your album before it was released, and it feels like a cohesive work showing the growth of both of you as musicians. Can you break down the process of creating this album?
YOON SAN-HA: I think this is the album that included a big portion of our opinions. BIN participated in writing lyrics for the title track, and we both composed and wrote lyrics to our own solo tracks. It’s very special in that sense! It was my first time composing and writing lyrics, so I remember asking for BIN’s opinion after I completed the song.
The album is compelling and showcases your strength. What was the best part about the album making and the challenging aspect?
MOON BIN: While recording ‘Your Day’, it took me a long time because I focused a lot on pronunciation.
YOON SAN-HA: This album was full of new challenges for me. I tried rapping for the first time when recording the title track ‘Madness’. It felt a little awkward because I had to use a new type of vocalization, but it was a good experience.
This marks your third album as a unit after ‘IN-OUT’ and ‘REFUGE’. Though both of you have been members of ASTRO for several years, do you think your relationship has evolved with each other while working as a unit? What’s the key to this teamwork and how does it reflect in your unit albums?
MOON BIN: I think it’s pretty natural for us to have good chemistry and teamwork after spending so much time together. Unlike group activities, unit activities require us to fill the whole stage with just two of us. However, our time together over the years helped us to work well as a unit when performing.
What is the one quality of each other you admire the most? Has ‘INCENSE’ led to any personal learnings or discoveries about yourself as musicians?
MOON BIN: I think SAN-HA definitely became more experienced.
YOON SAN-HA: When I was having some challenges and felt pressured while recording, BIN gave me good advice and offered help. He looked really cool then.
Both of you also participated in writing and composing the solo tracks. What was the journey like creating those tracks? What was the demo like and how did the final version come to be?
MOON BIN: I’m a fan of R&B songs, so I made a melody with another composer for ‘Desire’. It expresses the strong attraction between two people who are completely opposite from each other.
YOON SAN-HA: ‘Wish’ has two different meanings in Korean. One is ‘wind’, and the other meaning is ‘hope’ or ‘wish’. This is the song that shows my gratitude to our fans, AROHA. I wrote this song wishing my voice to be delivered through the wind to AROHA’s hearts.
In this album, I feel ‘Perfumer’ has such a vibe, whereas ‘Madness’ brings out the wild side, whereas other tracks showcase solid vocals of both of you. Which song from the album represents you the most and why?
MOON BIN: I think ‘Perfumer’ expresses us well because it is dreamy. Also, it reminds me of an instantly strong scent.
YOON SAN-HA: I think it’s ‘Chup Chup. It is a bright and happy song, and it’s easy to imagine us performing that song on the stage!
Being a musician and in the spotlight isn’t an easy task. So, how do you find time for yourselves? When you do, what do you like to do the most?
YOON SAN-HA: I usually just relax at home or go to cafes with my friends!
ASTRO will complete 7 years in the industry in February 2023. It must be a surreal experience to have witnessed so much growth as musicians and love from fans. How do you see your journey?
MOON BIN: I just want to thank our fans who always support and love us. We just sing and dance because we like to, and our fans love watching us enjoying our performance. Seeing them always motivates and inspires me.
YOON SAN-HA: I agree with him. We’re motivated by AROHA, and that is why I wanted to deliver a special message to our fans through my solo track in the new album!
Have you set any goals for yourself in 2023 as you embark on the New Year with your new music?
MOON BIN: Since we’re back as a unit at the beginning of 2023, we’ll continue working hard to show various sides of us as a unit and as individuals.
YOON SAN-HA: I have a lot of goals for the New Year. I wish to try many new objectives this year, and I’ll work hard to show many charms of MOONBIN&SANHA.
Have you ever had a chance to watch any Indian movie or heard any Indian songs? If yes, then what was it and what did you love about it?
MOON BIN: Sadly, I haven’t got a lot of chances. But I’d love to hear your recommendations so I can catch up!
AROHAs in India have been eagerly waiting for ASTRO to visit here and perform for the fans. Do you think that can happen someday? Do you have a message for the fans?
MOON BIN: We’ll work hard until the day we meet Indian fans in person. I hope you enjoy and love our new album which includes the title track ‘ast’ and other great tracks. Stay safe and healthy!
YOON SAN-HA: We’ll work hard so we can visit India and meet our fans there. I wish we could make more happy memories with the new album opening the New Year! Happy New Year!
ALSO READ: ASTRO’s Sanha to skip INCENSE unit comeback activities after Covid-19 diagnosis; Moonbin tests negative
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