Infinite celebrates 13 years with agency and album '13egin'

Infinite is celebrating its 13th year in K-pop with its own agency and a brand new album, "13egin." "We've been waiting so long for this moment," boy band member Nam Woo-hyun said to the local press in a conference held ...

Boy band Infinite poses for photos during a press conference held on Monday at The Riverside Hotel in southern Seoul in celebration of its new album, ″13egin.″ [NEWS1]

Infinite is celebrating its 13th year in K-pop with its own agency and a brand new album, "13egin."

"We've been waiting so long for this moment," boy band member Nam Woo-hyun said to the local press in a conference held Monday in southern Seoul. "We love Infinite so much. We're confident with our new work, and we've been preparing so hard for this, so we ask for your support."

Infinite released its seventh EP "13egin" on Monday, a visual twist of the word begin together with the number of years the band has spent together since its debut in 2010. The lead track is titled "New Emotions," and other tracks include "Intro: 13," "I Got You" and "Find Me."

This is the band's first new music with all members in five years since its third full-length album "Top Seed." The band's last single, "Clock," was released in 2019, and the band had been on hiatus ever since because of members carrying out their military duties and the ending of their contracts with Woollim Entertainment around the same time.

All members are signed with different agencies for their individual activities, but they have come together under an agency named Infinite Company newly founded by leader Kim Sung-kyu earlier this year for the purpose of managing and promoting the boy band. Kim is currently the president of Infinite Company.

Boy band Infinite poses for photos during a press conference held on Monday at The Riverside Hotel in southern Seoul in celebration of its new album, ″13egin.″ [NEWS1]

"We felt even more determined than we did in our debut days," Jang Dong-woo said. "Having founded Infinite Company and taking the initiative in every single process of making the album meant a whole different level of sincerity for us — so much more emotional. I think we tried even harder than we did in our early years."

Infinite debuted in 2010 as a seven-member band. Member Hoya, whose real name is Lee Ho-won, left the band in 2017 after his exclusive contract expired. Infinite is known for its hit tracks "Be Mine" (2011), "Man In Love" (2013), "Bad" (2015) and "The Eye" (2016).

The boy band will perform first at the KSPO Dome in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 19 and 20, followed by stops in Yokohama on Aug. 27, Taipei on Sept. 2 and Macau on Sept. 9.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]