K-Rock band Catch The Young talks defining “youth pop-rock” and their plan to mesmerize audiences worldwide.
Pop-rock band Catch The Young (CTY) is carving out a unique space in the music landscape, driven by an ambitious goal: to establish their own genre, “youth pop-rock.” Mama’s Geeky sat down with them recently for an interview. The members – Sani, Namhyun, Kihoon, Jungmo, and Junyong – opened up about their creative process, the diverse nature of their music, and their deep connection with their fans.
The Blank Canvas: Showcasing a Wide Range of Styles & Charms
The core artistic strategy for Catch The Young is not about fitting into a pre-existing box, but rather showcasing their comprehensive musical capability.
Sani: “The singles we released this year were ‘You, Always,’ ‘The Young Wave,’ ‘Ideal Type,’ and ‘In Your Arms,’ four songs in total. I think the styles for each song are all drastically different. We wanted to showcase the wide range of songs we can do, which we’ll continue to do.”
This principle of diversity is so central to CTY’s identity that it forms the basis of how they conceptualize their entire group ethos.
Jungmo: “When I think about sharing Catch The Young’s color and identity and helping new fans immerse themselves, I feel it could really be anything. Our music is extremely diverse, which allows us to showcase our different colors and charms, and it’s something we will continue doing. So even fans with different preferences or styles can still enjoy our music and connect with us, creating our bond to understand each other. I definitely don’t want to limit ourselves to just one color. If I had to describe it, I’d say our team is like a blank canvas that can be filled with anything.”
Jungmo: “Our goal with music is to develop our own genre, youth pop-rock. We want to share it with everyone while expressing our own colors, so we hope people can enjoy our music even more this way. As I mentioned earlier, our group color is like a blank canvas, and some might say we don’t have a distinct color. The phrase ‘looking through colored glasses’ is often used negatively, but I think we can turn it to our advantage. It means we can be the color that people perceive us to be, however they want, and still remain true to ourselves. Our mission is to be a flexible, colorful, and harmonious team, and I hope that our music in our own genre and style allows us to achieve that.”
The Narrative Core: Comfort, Vulnerability, and the Meaning of “In Your Arms”
Beyond musical experimentation, Catch The Young grounds its work in sincere emotional expression.
Namhyun: “The story of ‘In Your Arms’ is about seeking a hug and comfort when feeling vulnerable. While it expresses that need for support, it also carries the message that we want to be there to comfort our Catchers and listeners.”
The emotional weight of the song was further illustrated by Namhyun’s vision for a potential short film adaptation.
Namhyun: “I’ve never thought of it as a short film before, but if I were to make one, I’d imagine a story of adults hugging and comforting a child in the midst of a war. It would be a short film showing adults offering warmth and care to a vulnerable child.”
The Meticulous Craft: Time, Detail, and the Creative Process
The sheer diversity of Catch The Young’s music is only possible through a dedicated creative process, often taking far longer than the industry average. Sani provided a detailed look into the timelines and trade-offs in their commitment to perfection.
Sani: “It really depends on the song. Sometimes we record songs that are already finished, and other times we create them from scratch. At the fastest rate, a song recording can go from preparation to completion in about two weeks. Since we have our own recording studio, it’s an advantage because we can make edits anytime we want, but that also makes the process longer, as we aim to perfect every detail. Because we often work on multiple songs at the same time, I’d say it usually takes around two months per song, on average.”
Despite the lengthy production, Sani pinpointed the moment of initial creation as the most exhilarating part of the entire process, emphasizing the pure joy of innovation.
Sani: “I’d say it would have to be when we complete the song. That could mean when we’re done recording, mixing, and releasing the song, but I think the first completion of writing a song and listening to the demo is the most exciting. The editing continues over time, so the first creative process is definitely most memorable since it’s something completely new.”
Sani: “‘The Young Wave’ wasn’t initially made for an album release, but it was more of an event trck for our concert. Our listeners really loved the song, and it was also a new challenge and attempt at releasing an instrumental song that other bands usually don’t, which led us to officially release it. The recording process was not easy because not only was it a long song, but also the tempo and key changes throughout the song. Additionally, we wanted to make it sound like a live performance as much as we could, so we minimized adding too many instrumental layers, but tried to keep each of our pure sounds. It took us more than two years to make and release the song. There’s definitely a sense of love-hate relationship with this song.”
On Stage: Delivering Energy and Connecting with the Audience
When Catch The Young steps onto the stage, their objective is clear: to deliver raw, positive energy to the audience.
Kihoon: “The mindset we have right before we go on stage to perform is to perform well and deliver good energy to the audience.”
The true reward lies in the live exchange of energy with the fans, an interaction that fuels the band’s excitement and reinforces their dedication to spectacular shows.
Kihoon: “During the performances, the interactions and energy you share back and forth with fans are always so exciting. I always remind myself and think that I want to mesmerize the audience with our music and leave them in awe when performing.”
This understanding of live performance dictates their setlist choices. For large festivals where the audience may be new, the strategy is all about immediate engagement and fun.
Namhyun: “When preparing a setlist for festivals, we usually work within the given running time, around 30-40 minutes. Since many attendees may not know us yet, we focus on making sure that the audience has fun rather than creating a storyline in our performance. So, we tend to choose exciting, energetic songs that people can dance and jump to.”
As for their solo concerts allow for the full spectrum of their versatility to be displayed, offering a more nuanced and dynamic experience for their dedicated fans.
Namhyun: “For our own concerts, performing only high-energy songs can be tiring, so we include calmer ballads and individual performances to give some break for the audience, while also showcasing diverse charms of Catch The Young.”
The Fuel: Gratitude, Motivation, and the Global Horizon
Ultimately, the driving force behind Catch The Young’s relentless work ethic is the overwhelming support they receive. The band members expressed profound and moving gratitude, recognizing the appreciation from their fans.
Namhyun: “I first want to thank everyone who gave so much love. Whenever we check the comments and see such positive reactions to our music and content, it really shows us how many people enjoy what we do. It’s amazing to see people love us simply for doing what we’re supposed to do, and we’re also so grateful to receive that much love for just being us. That love inspires us to have more fun and work even harder. Receiving that support motivates us to give back and always show even more to our fans.”
Looking ahead, this motivation is channeled into a clear ambition for global reach. Junyong delivered a heartfelt promise to their fanbase, ensuring them that their efforts would soon extend well beyond Korea’s borders.
Junyong: “We’re so grateful for all your love and support. We’ll continue working hard to meet your expectations, so please keep cheering for us. We also want and plan to perform worldwide beyond Korea, so please look forward to that as well. We’ll do our very best to make it happen. Thank you so much, everyone!”
About Catch The Young
Catch The Young is a five-member up-and-coming alternative pop-rock band from Korea. Debuted in November 2023, they were recently invited to perform at two of the biggest music festivals in Korea – the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival and Jeonju Ultimate Music Festival – for the second year in a row.
This is quite rare for new bands that have been active for less than 2 years, and it proves Catch The Young’s potential to become the next “it-band” in the Korean music scene. For their upcoming single “안아줘 (In Your Arms)” that will be released on September 28th, the band captures mature emotions in longing for a lover, finding traces of faded love in dreams, and asking to ‘hug me in your arms’ just like the old days.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.