“Hip Song” is INTAK’s Viral Breakthrough

As his group P1Harmony is on the verge of superstardom, the group’s rapper INTAK suddenly went viral by covering a decade-old hit from RAIN. The opportunity is not lost on him.

INTAK backstage at M Countdown, FNC.

Three weeks ago, P1HARMONY’s INTAK made his solo debut on M Countdown. He was not there to promote his own song “Green Light” or a P1Harmony comeback, but to perform his viral cover of RAIN’s “Hip Song”. First released in 2010, the single has survived over a decade of highs and lows in RAIN’s career. Like many of RAIN’s most well-known singles – “Rainism” or “IT’S RAINING” – the song is horny and a little bit campy. The “killing point” of “Hip Song” is the hip thrusting, which INTAK did at P1HARMONY’s Horror Haven Fan Meeting, where it suddenly went viral.

What happened next is a bit of magic that seems to occur every so often in K-pop: the performance video – both fancams and an official video on the P1Harmony YouTube account – took on a life of its own. It drew over 3 million views, and the fancams garnered millions more. Like RESCENE or Brave Girls before him, INTAK suddenly became in-demand. He secured a sponsorship with Dior, and RAIN agreed to do a dance challenge.

The performance had gone viral because of a mixture of INTAK’s filthy choreography – he thrusts better than RAIN himself – and the fact that “Hip Song,” like all of RAIN’s hits, is camp itself. RAIN’s music tends to mythologize his sexuality as a “bad boy” (“Rainism”) and as someone who “lets the music control my body” (“It’s Raining”). But RAIN, like INTAK, became famous because he balanced his sexuality with a deep sincerity. He lost his mother in a tragic death before his debut. His mentor, J.Y. Park, called him RAIN because he noticed deep sadness in RAIN’s eyes, perhaps from losing his mother so young or from growing up in abject poverty. Becoming a singer was a way to rise above the pain and prove himself.

INTAK’s story is less tragic. His mother was a fan of RAIN during his most popular years, so INTAK grew up listening to the singer. Like RAIN, though, INTAK has had to fight for recognition. His group P1HARMONY debuted in 2020 and barely cracked 50,000 albums sold in their first week. Over the years, the group has experienced highs and lows as they’ve wobbled to find their sound. Things seem to be paying off: their latest mini-album UNIQUE sold half a million copies in its first week. The group is now performing in arenas, and at KCON, where I last saw them in August, they seemed to best the headliner ZEROBASEONE.

FNC has been intentional about keeping the group on brand. They have stayed relatable and a little quirky. While other groups have tended to shift concepts every few comebacks, P1 remains a fun group of guys who preach self-love and authenticity. As the group became more popular and held their first arena tour last year – much to the surprise and shade of many K-pop fans – the lyrics of the group's single “Duh!” seemed prescient: “You never paid attention to our stage, of course you’re shocked now.”

"A lot has been changing in my life lately,” INTAK admits in a new vlog about the explosion of “Hip Song”.

In the vlog, he visits RAIN to film the dance challenge and diligently shows how much he’s studied the choreography. “I’ll be watching you,” RAIN tells him as INTAK bows deeply. “You’re gonna blow up,” he says, grabbing his hand. “You’re gonna do great!” It feels like a first-generation leader is passing the crown to someone younger. INTAK is young enough to be RAIN’s son, and I remember how, when INTAK debuted, I thought that they looked alike.

At M Countdown, INTAK admits that he’s as nervous as he was for his debut stage with P1HARMONY. The night before, he couldn’t sleep, as happens whenever he has a big event. “I’ve been doing this for seven years,” he thought to himself, “why am I making such a big deal about this?” But backstage, he noticed that it felt different being there, maybe even more important than a P1Harmony stage. “I’ve always been a big fan of solo artists,” he says, and you can tell he’s imagined, now and then, what it would be like to fill a stage on his own.

Watching his performance on M Countdown, I thought about how P1Harmony is an excellent example of what happens when things go right in K-pop. They are a group who have worked relentlessly hard to become popular. They’ve clawed their way up to the level of major groups like Stray Kids or Enhypen – but without the support of a major label. To last as an idol without a major company's support, you need a strong foundation. You must dance well; you need to know how to sing; you must have charisma. INTAK has always had these things. At their Most Wanted Live in North America tour last year, he came close to mainstream recognition with his solo performance of “Good Kisser”. But “Hip Song” is where it all aligned, where K-pop’s past and present collided to give him the first push to be a star.

That night back at the dorms, following the performance, INTAK went live for twenty minutes to thank his fans for their support. The past few days had been overwhelming and gratifying. “I’ve never felt this much love or attention on me before,” he said. It felt indescribable. “I’ve had these strange delusions,” he admitted with a self-conscious laugh, “that something big is going to happen.”

Here, between the buzz of the biggest performance of his life and the hope that this might lead to the breakthrough, he changed into his pajamas, lay in bed, and finally let himself cry.