Back when KEONHO was a swimmer, the only thing he was up against while tackling the 50- and 100-meter races in his lane was himself. Now, as he stands on the verge of debuting as a member of CORTIS, there are no clearly defined lanes or finish line. But moving forward, it’s no longer just him—it’s all five of them, striving together.

Congratulations on your upcoming debut. How do you feel? [Note: This interview took place on July 19.]
KEONHO: I’m so excited because we’re finally stepping out into the world. And judging by the reactions on social media, there’s a lot of people out there looking forward to our debut, too, and I want to give them something that lives up to those expectations. At the same time, since we’re the third group from BIGHIT MUSIC, and because we write our own songs and create our own choreography, there’s extra pressure to do a good job. I’m curious about what kinds of things are in store for us, like new opportunities including this interview, and how people will react.

Which of those new opportunities are you most excited or curious about?
KEONHO: The music. And performing live. I want to see people getting hyped and moving to our songs, including at our upcoming showcase. I hope we get a chance to perform at Rolling Loud someday, too.

I’m sure everyone will be hyped up when they hear “GO!” (laughs)
KEONHO: The standout part of that song’s how the word “go” gets repeated over and over, and I wanted to make some memorable moves to match when we were working on it. It’s a happy and pretty hype song, but the first verse is also laid-back. I want to bring that dynamic energy to the surface.

How?
KEONHO: This isn’t something I consciously set out to do (laughs) but I just focus on showing how much we’re enjoying it, instead of trying too hard. And for vocals, in “What You Want,” for example, the beat and the drums are intense and come together to give the song this tough feel, but the beat drops out for the hook, leaving just the guitar and the vocals of MARTIN and me. That part feels sort of emotional. There’s something about the sound of a guitar all alone that’s really moving, you know? I felt I needed more confidence to pull that part off, so I practiced just singing with my normal voice. I got a lot of help from my vocal coach so I could project better.

I feel like to gain confidence, not only do you need help from your coach, but also personal determination to push beyond your limits. Didn’t you find that challenging?
KEONHO: Well, I figured I’d need to be able to really sing while practicing alone if I’m going to be confident onstage. So I just dived right in, and it paid off.

Just jumping right into something new or running with an unfamiliar style already takes a lot of courage. Did you notice anything change once you stepped outside your comfort zone?
KEONHO: We actually filmed our own music video for “GO!” just using our phones. It’s been a while now, so I can’t really remember what the plan looked like at first, but I do remember us looking at which effects were trending on Reels and then trying to use them in fun ways. We even ran around with a 360 camera in our mouths and tried out cool effects that made everything look warped. Whatever we wanted to try out, we did.

How did it feel getting to try out everything you wanted to?
KEONHO: Some things turned out just as great as we’d hoped, but we also ran into some practical limitations. For this album, I was in charge of planning and storyboarding our personal music video and the official ones that are coming out soon. I tried to make the written explanation as simple as possible so that everyone involved could easily understand and help bring it to life, making it as close to our vision as possible. Writing it down wasn’t enough to get the point across sometimes, though, so I also drew pictures in Paint. I looked for videos that could serve as references, too, and used gestures to help them visualize how to shoot certain scenes when I had specific camera movements in mind. Since we worked on everything from the music videos to the lyrics together, all five of our ideas are heavily represented. If we ever had differing opinions, we settled on one or took all of them and coordinated with the label to make adjustments.

Bringing together different opinions and getting everyone on the same page is never easy, and since you make everything together, there must be times when you need to step up with ideas of your own, while at other times you likely have to mediate all the ideas going around.
KEONHO: I used to be a swimmer. When you swim you’re up against yourself, and you yourself are all you’re focused on. That’s why training and competing as a swimmer never felt too overwhelming or stressful. Now that I’m part of a group, often we need to get ourselves on the same page before moving forward. There’s definitely a lot more to think about.

In what way do you feel that change has affected you?
KEONHO: It definitely broadened my perspective. I’ve learned to look at things from a wider angle and try out different things, not getting stuck on one thing or in one moment. I feel I get a new kind of energy from that, too. When I first became a trainee, I actually had a bit of a hard time getting up in front of other people since I wasn’t used to it, but as I tried to adapt to the change in lifestyle, my personality changed along with it.

It sounds like a completely different life from what you were used to.
KEONHO: A lot of debut preparation involves expressing yourself through the act of writing songs and through dancing. Being an idol is all about getting up in front of other people. I remember when I was scouted, I was waiting at the bus stop to go to the swimming pool when these strangers came up to me and the first thing they said was, “Do you know BTS?” (laughs) Then they asked me where I go to school, how old I am, and my name. They gave me their business cards, and when I got home and told my parents and older sister, they were shocked—especially my sister, since she was listening to a ton of BTS back then.

What about you? How did you feel?
KEONHO: Honestly, all I thought at that point was, “I’m just gonna keep swimming …” (laughs) But my sister encouraged me to give it a shot, and my parents also thought it’d be good for me to try something new, so I decided to give the trainee life a try. I did feel a little sad about not being able to swim at first, but as I got more into training, I found it so fun that I just kept going.

You’re such a good younger brother to be listening to your sister like that. (laughs)
KEONHO: She really looks out for me. We’re four years apart and we still get along really well. I can’t visit home often and she actually worries about me more than my 
parents do. When you’re a trainee, you have to keep practicing until you’re given the chance to debut, and it’s a tough, continuous process. And my sister would always say to me, “Don’t get cocky, and make sure to keep in touch.”

So do you keep in touch much?
KEONHO: I mean… I do, but I think I should do it more. (laughs)

You ended up making it through that tough trainee period and now you’re finally going to debut like you set out to. I’m sure there are probably moments where you are not necessarily trying to be cocky, but still want to show off how hard you’ve worked.
KEONHO: It’s important to come across as cool, obviously, but I’m also focused on becoming a better person as a whole. Back when I swam, my coach emphasized good manners when interacting with people. Because of all that influence, I feel like even if someone’s really talented, I find it hard to like them if they don’t have good manners. (laughs)

You swam competitively for five years, from the age of nine until just before you became a trainee. Swimming must have had a major impact on your life.
KEONHO: Definitely. Swimming is physically demanding, so it made it easier for me to be limber and build stamina, both of which are helpful for dancing. And for the concept photo shoot for the Weverse edition of the album, we each had an item that held significance for us, and for me, it was my swimming goggles.

What do swimming and goggles mean to you personally?
KEONHO: There were definitely times when I was a swimmer where I didn’t want to do it anymore, but when I’d go out to a competition, my competitive spirit would kick in, and I’d just keep going. I started with freestyle, the basic one that everybody starts with, but at one competition, I ended up adding backstroke as well. My time wasn’t bad, and it was just really fun, so I decided to keep going with it, and that’s how I became a backstroke swimmer. When I was in elementary school, I mostly did 50 meter and 100 meter, but if I’d kept at it, I think I would’ve tried middle- or long-distance races too. They’re really tough, but I always wanted to try 200 or 400 meters at least once.

Both backstroke and longer-distance swimming were challenges you wanted to take on. What made you more excited than nervous to try them?
KEONHO: For backstroke, where you start by jumping backwards into the water at the starting signal, that silence at the beginning makes you nervous, but there’s also something fun about it. And while you are competing with the people next to you, swimming’s really about competing with yourself to beat your own time. Of course, I made plenty of mistakes during races, but I found it way more fun when I didn’t think about them and just went for it.

It must have been really different going from always being focused on yourself to becoming part of a group. How did you adjust to that?
KEONHO: The time I spent swimming was time I was focused entirely on myself. That’s why I didn’t feel any pressure while swimming, and I was able to perform better because of that. But now, as part of a group, I do feel some pressure because I find myself thinking how I need to do even better with them.

How do you deal with that pressure?
KEONHO: Growing is about competing against yourself, and I focus a lot better when I’m doing that. I just focus on myself and practice, practice, practice, and that seems to let me keep growing bit by bit. I put in as much practice as possible, and I even meditate regularly. (laughs) I also watch old practice videos of myself to analyze how much I improved month by month, and compare myself to the rest of the group, too.

Have you noticed any changes after comparing yourself like that?
KEONHO: My fashion sense? (laughs) When we’re all sitting around talking at home or just bored, we try on whichever clothes suit our tastes. I personally like the rough, effortless look of just throwing something on, so I try not to intentionally coordinate my looks. Most of the clothes I buy are vintage, too.

Putting together effortlessly stylish outfits is actually harder than it sounds. (laughs)
KEONHO: The five of us go vintage shopping together sometimes. It’s so fun to browse and hunt for clothes all together like that. I remember going to a vintage shop in the US and buying this old, worn t-shirt. It was great. When we went to New Zealand to film a music video, there was a vintage shop near our hotel, too. They had so many styles I usually never see, so I bought a bunch of stuff. I’m still wearing the shoes and the hat I got from there.

What’s your favorite?
KEONHO: One of them was a hat from a skate shoe company. I’d never seen that before, so I bought it right away. The color’s this really pretty ivory, with a logo in the middle and some small details on the side. And then there’s a jacket that’s like something you’d see in the UK. It’s way tighter than what I’m wearing right now. It immediately gives British rebel vibes. (laughs)

You obviously have a unique eye for fashion. No wonder you’ve got a song called “FaSHioN” coming out soon. (laughs)
KEONHO: If I can give a tiny spoiler from the lyrics, one day MARTIN got these baggy pants delivered at home. I saw them and started teasing him, like, “These aren’t baggy at all,” and that actually inspired some of the lyrics. (laughs) Actually though, even though I was teasing him, everyone in the group has their own style and is working toward being even more stylish in ways that match their individual personalities. I really want our group to be a special one where everyone has their own distinct identity but where we have this striking vibe together as a group. I think that’s a good fit for the group’s energy.

You used to be in your own lane, competing against yourself, but now you’ve found your place as part of a group with whom you’re moving forward together. The lead single of your debut album is called “What You Want,” and has a line that goes, “That’s what we all looking for.” What have you been searching for as you worked your way through all that training to finally make it to your debut?
KEONHO: The stage—that’s what I’ve been searching for all this time. I want to be onstage and go absolutely wild. I went to a concert not that long ago, and everyone there was absolutely beaming with smiles. I want us, as a group, to be able to make our fans smile like that, to make them jump around and have fun. We’re going to get up onstage, perform our songs, and have so many chances to connect with everyone.