Filipino ENGENEs were ecstatic to welcome K-pop boy group ENHYPEN—composed of Heeseung, Sunghoon, Sunoo, Jungwon, Jay, Jake, and Ni-ki—back to the Philippines, just a little over five months since their last visit.
On Tuesday, May 28, 2024, fans got closer to the group during the "Sweet Experience" fan meet with BENCH at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The event marked ENHYPEN's fourth visit to the Philippines, following their sold-out FATE Tour in New Clark City in November 2023, the Manifesto Tour in February 2023, and the BYS fan meet in December 2022.
Before the fan meet, members of the press, including PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal), had a quick chat with the group during a press conference held at the Grand Hyatt in Bonifacio Global City on Monday, May 27, 2024.
"It's been four months since our last visit in the Philippines," Jungwon said with the help of a translator.
Recalling their past visits, he continued, "Our last visit was during the FATE Tour in New Clark City, and in Manila, for our Manifesto tour which is around a year ago.
"The love and support we received during those concerts were very memorable."
When asked what keeps them coming back, Jake mentioned their fans. In his words, "I feel like whenever we come here, the energy is just incredible. The fans here, whenever we perform, they always give us the best energy so...
"I think we have so many good memories in the Philippines. So, I feel like, that's why we're always coming back."
Since this was their fourth visit to the Philippines, the group was asked if they still remember any Filipino words they learned during previous trips.
Sunoo, speaking on behalf of the group, mentioned the Filipino phrases "Kumusta?," "Mahal Kita," and "Salamat po."
However, he noted that one of the most memorable words he learned is "pogi," as their fans often call him "Sunoo pogi."
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ENHYPEN'S FASHION PREFERENCES
Despite the limited time, ENHYPEN managed to cover a wide range of topics during the press conference.
They discussed everything from their personal styles to their upcoming music.
At one point of the press conference, the members were asked who they think is the most stylish one in the group.
Jay answered, through a translator, "I think Sunghoon is the best because he dresses well with the trend."
For his part, Sunghoon said, "For me, all the members. They're really all fashionable."
Some of the members also described their current fashion preferences. Ni-ki mentioned that he enjoys dressing in street style, but is open to experimenting with other styles.
He said, "Actually, my old fashion style and my new fashion style are very different.
"But the style I really enjoy wearing these days is street style. But I'm very interested in trying different styles."
Jay, speaking in English, is also into street fashion.
He told the press, "I'm a really big fan of street fashion, so I like to [wear] loose fit clothes, the oversized ones."
ENHYPEN'S NEW MUSIC
Filipino ENGENEs will be thrilled to hear that their favorite group is gearing up for a music comeback.
Jake announced that they will be bringing "a better version of ourselves" for their summer comeback, slated for July 12, 2024.
This follows the release of their special album MEMORABILIA earlier this month.
Jake said, "We try explore new music, different types of performance... I feel like our upcoming album really portrays that.
"You'll get to see a lot of new stuff. I can't say too much for now, but it's gonna be something you guys haven't seen before.
"And it's have a lot of new aspects that most of our fans have not seen yet, so I just wanna say, please look forward to our upcoming album."
ENHYPEN: GRATEFUL TO FANS
Since their debut in 2020, the group's global success has made them feel incredibly grateful.
Jake personally feels "blessed" and "happy" to see that music brings people together, and seeing fans in the Philippines sing along brings them joy.
The K-pop idol said, "Even from the beginning, since our debut, we always wanted to go overseas and you know, become loved globally.
"That was always our goal from the beginning.
"And even though we're still in Korea and perform in Korean, people all over the world can relate to our music, relate to our performances.
"That's actually one of the things that made me realize, through music, everyone all over the world can bond together and enjoy our performance.
"Even here in the Philippines, we see a lot of fans singing along with our song. And I think, every time we hear them, I feel like, we feel blessed and happy."
Heeseung feels overwhelmed by being recognized as part of this generation's "K-Pop Powerhouse."
However, this recognition motivates him and the group to continually deliver better songs and performances.
Through a translator, Heeseung said, "Of course, we can not express in words how grateful we are to be considered a K-Pop powerhouse in this generation.
"We're speechless to have this recognition for our group, but we'd like to express our gratitude for the love and support of the fans.
"And with that support, we try give our best songs and performances to the fans every time."
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