The Members of DROP Became Friends. Then Made Their Debut.

The members feel their friendship and chemistry sets them apart from other groups. Now, they lay out how they poured their “blood and sweat” into succeeding together.

In January, DROP, a five-member boy group with a versatile lineup, made their debut. Unlike groups from a “Big Four” company like Hybe or SM Entertainment, DROP has pulled fans one by one through social media and live performances. Their biggest break came a week ago when the group performed at the Atlanta Korean Festival, sharing the bill with independent K-pop artists like from20 and Big Ocean. It was the members’ first time in America and as SEUNG WOO, the main vocalist, told me, “I think we performed even harder because of all the support we received from the fans.”

The group performed a short set that included their newest single “Wiki Wiki”, a track where the members created every detail from the choreography to the vocal arrangement. “People listening to or watching it might feel that there are areas where we still have room to improve,” CHEOL KYU, the oldest member and a sub-rapper, said, “but to us, it’s a song filled with our blood and sweat.” 

DROP’s members were all friends before they debuted, something that JAE WON sees as their strength because it means “our chemistry is really good.”

The members’ genuine friendship sets them apart from many groups that are formed without much teamwork or history. “Our training period was short, but we already knew each other beforehand,” JU SEONG, the group’s maknae, said. “So we were able to build chemistry quickly and become a team in a short amount of time.”

GYU EON, a sub-vocalist, emphasized that the group is passionate and ambitious. “Onstage, we want to show a cool image and give you powerful energy,” he said. “While offstage, we’re a group with an unexpected charm because we can make you feel comfortable, like friends.” 

Perhaps because of this, he considered, they can have too much fun together “but the moment we step onstage, everyone becomes completely focused, almost as if our personalities have changed 180 degrees.” 

In short, the members know how to lock in. 

DROP’s members all hail from Korea, with several all growing up in different regions of Seoul. 

CHEOL KYU considers himself a Gwangjin-gu native. “It’s the place where I’ve spent my whole life, so almost every corner of the neighborhood holds memories for me,” he recalled. One of his favorite memories was playing in a ball pit near where his mother worked after he would finish with taekwondo training. “I remember having so much fun,” he said. “Even back then, I was comfortable playing by myself and spending time alone.”

CHEOL KYU was brought into K-pop through his work as a dancer. “My job was to make other artists shine,” he said. But he loved the spotlight and the attention he’d receive from the audience. Over time he began to wonder if he could be on center stage as the artist. When he joined 1017, the company he’d debut under, he was still a new dancer. “So I worried a lot about whether I would be able to keep up,” he explained. “I practiced really hard because I didn’t want to hold the team back.”

SEUNG WOO was also a dancer who came from Seoul, but originally he was a soccer player. He played well, once even winning a soccer tournament. During the games, SEUNG WOO would listen to K-pop and eventually, he began to dream about being an idol. By the time he joined 1017, he had grown confident in his abilities as a dancer. “I had already been dancing and had even entered university as a dance major, so I wasn’t too worried about dance,” he said. “But since singing was completely new to me, I think I spent a lot of time practicing vocals.”

GYU EON grew up in one of Seoul’s trendiest neighborhoods, Seong-su. “When I was young, though, it was a neighborhood full of factories,” he said. “I remember running around the school playground with my friends and treating the E-Mart in Seongsu, which used to be E-Mart’s main branch, like our own little hangout spot.” 

Training was difficult for GYU YEON. Practicing every day, learning new choreography and working on his vocals was exhausting. “But the process of matching our teamwork as members and seeing ourselves improve little by little became a precious and happy memory for me,” he said. 

JAE WON grew up falling asleep on late night bus rides home to Goyang after he spent his days training in Seoul. On those nights, he often woke up much farther than his destination and his grandfather would have to come pick him up. “He never acted like it was difficult or inconvenient, so I still remember feeling both very grateful and sorry to him,” he said. 

Like SEUNG WOO, JAE WON studied dance in university. But he was not experienced in singing, so he received a lot of help from 1017’s CEO to improve. “Thanks to that,” he said, “I was able to improve a lot.” 

JU SEONG, the youngest, first became interested in K-pop after mastering rap. He’d watch the  Gocheok Sky Dome being built and think, “I want to perform there one day.” Training wasn’t difficult for JU SONG. “I was already very interested in K-pop and music, so I think I adjusted pretty quickly without too much difficulty,” he said. 

Their brief training period meant that their debut felt incredibly surreal. CHEOL KYU remembered not believing the news at first. “Once I realized that I would actually have to dance and sing in front of people, I think I became even more nervous while preparing than I had been as a trainee,” he said. JU SEONG described their debut as a “dopamine rush” because “I had finally gotten the job I wanted so badly.” 

For JAE WON, debuting meant he could achieve something that others before him couldn’t reach. “I’ve always loved dancing and showing off my personality, and I think part of it also comes from wanting to fulfill the childhood dreams that my aunt and my dad once had,” he said. Stepping on stage as an idol for the first time made the dream real. “At first, I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “But when our first song was released and I stepped onto the stage for the first time, I felt truly alive.”

The group knows that they have a lot to prove. They don’t benefit from coming from a large company that can easily get them on to music or variety shows, which is a goal the members have. “The members are pretty ambitious about making others laugh,” JAE WON said. But they emphasize that even as they encounter challenges they’re lucky to have each other, as friends. It makes dreaming about what’s next easier.

“Whenever things get difficult, I try to tell myself, ‘Just because we can’t see the results right now doesn’t mean we’re going in the wrong direction,’” JU SEONG told me. “Of course, we would be grateful to receive a lot of love from the very beginning, but I also think the process of gaining fans one by one and gradually making the name DROP known is an incredibly valuable experience for us.” 

Plus, the journey of fighting against all odds or of exploring new countries together, accomplishing goals they didn’t think was possible makes this feel more exciting. “I believe that someday all of the effort we’re putting in now will add up, and the day will come when many people know DROP,” JU SEONG continued. “I want to endure these moments well so that when that day comes, we can look back and smile and say, ‘We really worked hard.’”