ATBO ready to fly high with 3rd mini album “The Beginning: Take Off”

ATBO introduced its 3rd mini album 'The Beginning: Take Off' during a media showcase in Seoul on Thurs. (IST Entertainment)

ATBO returned to the K-pop scene after a seven-month hiatus with an album filled with bright energetic songs on Thursday.

“Not only have we always wanted to perform bright music on stage but also have our fans. We thought they would like to see us performing with happy facial expressions and freewheeling dance styles so we focused on that,” said Hyunjun of ATBO at a media showcase in Seoul on Thursday.

Unlike the band's previous albums, which had a darker, fiercer edge, ATBO’s third mini album “The Beginning: Take Off” comprises music of diverse genres including new jack swing, future R&B, pop R&B, and even a ballad.

The album is led by the track “Next to Me."

“Just like the title of our album, we want to take off and reach a career-high with this album. Our feature track sings about us enjoying every moment in aiming for a bigger dream and that we hope to enjoy the journey with everyone including our fans,” said Junseok, the leader of ATBO.

ATBO performed the song for the first time during the media showcase.

“We named the highlight dance move in this song ‘trance dance’ because we move our feet like crazy. Another one is spreading out our arms as if we are going to fly,” explained Rakwon.

In this album, all seven members took part in writing the lyrics for the first time.

They wrote the lyrics to “Just for Us” which is an acoustic pop ballad single composed with piano and guitar.

It sings about the group’s love for its fans.

This comeback comes after ATBO took part in a survival TV program “Peak Time” in which aspiring idol groups compete against each other.

“It was the first survival program that we took part in since our debut so we were both very nervous and excited. Our teamwork improved after completing various missions through the program. We practiced a lot to improve our live vocal skills and performance. Other participants were stimulants that made us do better,” said Junmin.

In about a month, ATBO marks its first debut anniversary.

“This album wraps up our ‘The Beginning’ series which conveys our growth story as a rookie idol. With this album, we want people to see how we are capable of doing diverse music genres,” said Yeonkyu.

By Hong Yoo(yoohong@heraldcorp.com)