SuperM: Armed With The Power Of Hope

Everyone needs hope – that bad days will end and that good days will last. It’s this very hope that K-pop septet SuperM have tried to deliver – and succeeded in -with their much-anticipated debut full-length album, ‘Super One’.

A collaborative project between SM Entertainment and Capitol Records, this one-of-a-kind group – which brings together SHINee’s Taemin, EXO’s Baekhyun and Kai, NCT 127’s Taeyong and Mark, and WayV’s Lucas and Ten- are superheroes in the own right. With an album that’s equally fierce and hard-hitting as it is cathartic and encouraging, Taeyong describes the album succinctly in one impactful word – hope. He says, “We want to bring people feelings of hope and positivity”.

Affectionately tagged “The Avengers of K-pop”, SuperM are using this hope to remind everyone that together we can weather any storm with their combined powers of impactful music, intricate choreography, and natural charisma.

It’s really no surprise that a band founded on the values of coming together as one in celebration of their individual and shared strengths picked a similar theme for their debut album.

Speaking of the inspiration behind the concept, Baekhyun says, “Everyone’s going through a tough time right now, and we wanted to do something that would provide hope and strength during these times. My hope is that’s what we will do with this album”.

Ten adds, “With this album, we wanted to talk about hope and uniting to overcome difficulties, and with our combined strength we can get through any obstacles. There are also so many genres on this album that we hope everyone finds a favourite”.

On the topic of favourites, the members delve into their personal favourite tracks from the 15-track productions with Lucas revealing his fitting selection, “Better Days”, which further elevates the band’s heartfelt hope for brighter, happier dawns after long sombre nights. He says, “My favourite is ‘Better Days’ because it’s a better day when you listen to it!” with Kai continuing, “I’d say ‘Tiger Inside’ because if you listen to it in the morning it will give you all the energy you need”.

As a group who are the epitome of the idea “finding strength in differences”, this endless energy they share with their fans is further enriched by their dynamics with each other. Talking about how they inspire and influence each other, Taeyong says, “We all come from different backgrounds and came together into one group, so we all have our experiences to share”.

“For me personally, I really like listening to the older guys in the band because they have so much experience and stories to share and it’s inspiring and I learn a lot from them. I think that’s our greatest strength, that we all share and learn from each other.”

With their focus so sharply honed in on sharing and learning in order to evolve, the band is acutely aware of their own growth. Delving into what stands out most about their growth as a band, Taemin states, “With the last EP, it was our debut and it was the beginning of SuperM. With this album, ‘Super One’, we are closer and know each other better,” he reiterates the powerful message of the record, revealing, “This album is also about the message that the world needs right now – positive energy to whoever listens to it, and a hopeful message”.

In spite of the hope they imbued in themselves and fans with this album, the band misses their fans just as much their global fanbase misses them. Baekhyun speaks on behalf of the entire group when he says, “We just want  fans to know we miss them”.

In a move that’s highly relatable to any fan who might watch hours of fancam footage of their favourite artists to comfort themselves, he opens up, “I was watching clips from some shows the other day and I just really, really miss it and the moments we’ve had with our fans”.

Expressing genuine concern for his fans, he  further adds, “Honestly, we miss performing for them, and we cannot wait to perform for our fans again, but health and safety come first, so until we can meet again, we hope everyone stays safe and takes care of themselves”.

As the first Asian artists to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 2019’s The 1^st Mini Album ‘SuperM’ EP, the band has so much to look forward to with this album and beyond.

Looking forward,  the group revealed at their global press conference – which aligned with the release of their album – the collaboration that solidifies their position as the Avengers of K-pop… SuperM is partnering with Marvel Entertainment on a limited edition package collection, with further plans for co-branded content, products, and live fan experiences. As Marvel fans themselves, the band are understandably excited about the collaboration. However, what they’re most excited about is simply meeting their fans again.

Echoing Baekhyun’s statement, Mark speaks of their bucket list, saying, “We want to tour the world again and see all our international fans again. Really, that’s the dream right now”.

Being reunited is a dream that might seem far away for most of the world right now, but armed with hope as their superpower and positivity as their strength, the world is made a lot brighter with Super M’s presence in it.

United by music and beyond, they help the world rise from the shackles of sadness that holds it back.