Ever since SM Entertainment announced their new boy group, RIIZE, we have been craving to hear more about them, and thankfully, we were gifted with a beautiful, heartwarming song with a music video along with it, ‘Memories.’
As soon as we played the press for their ‘Siren’ performance video that was released as an introduction to the group, we knew they were going to blow our minds with a full-length song, and we weren’t wrong. Although the vibes of ‘Siren’ and their new single ‘Memories’ are very different from each other, ‘Memories’ is the blueprint of RIIZE’s sound, which is described as the “emotional pop” genre.
RIIZE came to us with both familiar and new faces. Shotaro and Sungchan used to be NCT members, and NCTzens are so happy to see them in their own group now. Even though they are no longer a part of NCT, the fans still wish the best for them and cherish them. The other two familiar faces are Eunseok and Seunghan, who we got to know as SM Rookies in 2022. We got the chance to get to know them more through the reality show Welcome To NCT Universe. We even saw them perform with Shotaro, Sungchan, and Shohei who was also introduced as SM Rookie along with Eunseok and Seunghan but sadly had to take a break from his activities due to injury, at SM Town Live. And mind us, they were fire. Even back then, the chemistry between Shotaro, Sungchan, Eunseok, and Seunghan was something else, and we all wanted to see them together in a group.
Luckily, our wish was granted with Wonbin, Sohee, and Anton joining them. They have become RIIZE and gained our endless support immediately. The first day they were announced on their official Instagram account, RIIZE became the fastest K-pop group in history to surpass 1 million followers on Instagram, and it made us more curious about them and their most-likely-big-future-successes.
As a group, we got to watch them perform for the first time at KCON LA 2023, and their one-and-a-half-song performance was enough for them to gain respect as idols in the industry despite being rookies. When fans saw them on stage singing ‘Siren’ live, which is a hard song to perform with such an intense choreography, everyone thought, “Yep, they are definitely SM idols.” When we assumed we couldn’t get any more excited about them, the way they nailed this performance full of powerful movements, proved us wrong. We need to underline once again that not only was it their first performance as a group. KCON LA was also the first time the fans of this new, fantastic group heard ‘Memories,’ their first single.
‘Siren’ showed us what talented dancers RIIZE are, and ‘Memories’ showed us how angelic they sound, and we absolutely loved hearing and seeing it. We knew they had killer visuals, we knew they could dance perfectly, so the last step was vocals and rapping, and we couldn’t be satisfied enough about those. As they sing about the start of their story and the beautiful memories they will make as a group, the song and the music video also gives us the meaning behind the name RIIZE, which is the combination of “rise” and “realize,” meaning they will grow and achieve many successes together. Also, we really enjoyed seeing the boys having their best time together as a group, with their already incredibly matching vibes.
We can only guess how excited they are and can’t wait to see their incredible achievements in the future. We already know they will make their mark in the K-POP industry just like their seniors, and we are lucky to have witnessed it from the beginning. The next step is the release of their first single album, Get A Guitar! We already know RIIZE will be big, so pre-order their album here. We already ordered. Come join us and become a part of RIIZE’s memories.
What do you think about RIIZE so far? Are you as excited as we are to see more of this gorgeous, talented group? Let us know in the comments below or by tweeting us @TheHoneyPOP! You can also find us on Discord, Facebook, and Instagram.
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