They’ve been together for 15 years now, but they’ll tell you they’ve barely even scratched the surface. Finding new opportunities every step of the way—that’s how CNU, SANDEUL, and GONGCHAN have kept the B1A4 name alive.

You founded B1A4 Company, with all three of you as executive directors.
CNU: It feels like we’re stepping out into the world for the very first time. (laughs) It felt like we were being sheltered inside the walls of our agency before, but now we’re at a stage where things we couldn’t even see before are starting to come into view. We’ve always talked with each other about the group direction and what we want to do musically, but now when we look at what’s within our reach and what we want to go after, we’re factoring in practical matters like logistics and budgeting, too.

SANDEUL: Whenever the three of us are in a meeting, the thing we keep coming back to is, “Would BANA be into this? What would BANA think if we took things in this direction?” That’s the conversation we’re always having.

GONGCHAN: That’s actually made our decision-making a lot faster. When you start the whole conversation by asking what we and BANA would like, things move right along.

You shared footage from your first corporate retreat on YouTube—CNU sleeping on the floor while SANDEUL and GONGCHAN goofed around on the bed. It felt very unguarded and easygoing between you all.
SANDEUL: When this interview’s over, we’ll all shake hands and go “Great working with you.” (laughs) I’m kidding. When we say stuff like that, BANA’s just like, “Oh, there they go again.”

(laughs) What’s kept the relationship between you so strong all throughout 15 years of working together?
CNU: I think we’re really lucky. The fact that we’ve been able to stay together this long feels like a miracle to me. I honestly wonder if it’s even possible to find people you click this well with in the real world. (SANDEUL reaches over and takes CNU’s wallet) So even when he grabs my wallet like that … (laughs)

SANDEUL: I mean, look how cool it is. (laughs) But really, this is just the way we are. It just makes sense that we’re always on the same wavelength. Even when we see something differently, we always say, “Okay, I get it. I’ll work to understand where you’re coming from, so please do the same for me.” I think that’s how we’re still working together like this.

Your new album is called “SET,” which is a homophone for “three” [in Korean], and the lead single, “Rock Paper Scissors,” has three elements, too. It all seems to point back to your dynamic as a trio.
CNU: The starting point for the album was to be about the three of us and who we are. It’s also like “all set,” when you’re ready to start something new. We were thinking about what words could capture the three of us, and rock paper scissors came to mind. Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, paper beats rock, and we felt that was a lot like us, so it felt like a perfect fit.

SANDEUL: I loved the title the instant I heard it. You do rock paper scissors to decide who goes first when you’re playing something, and we always tell ourselves before going onstage to just go out and have fun, so it also felt like rock paper scissors was about making our shows even more enjoyable.

CNU: That’s why we felt like “Rock Paper Scissors” had to be the lead single—it’s the start of the game. The song actually came together a while back, when we were working on “REWIND,” the lead single off our last album, but it felt like this new single was there to root us on as we found new footing. Since this album is our first release under our new company, “Rock Paper Scissors” just felt like the right move.

“Rock Paper Scissors” is a song about solidarity where everyone comes together and has a great time. Why was that the message you ended up singing about in your 15th year together?
SANDEUL: As our contracts were coming to an end, we kept seeing how fans were worried we were about to go our separate ways. It honestly caught us off guard. It felt like the three of us had always conveyed how tight we are. I think the worry came from just how long we’d been at it, but we never even considered splitting up.

GONGCHAN: We’d already talked it through among ourselves—“let’s keep going.” So after my contract ended, I was just waiting on the guys. But it meant we needed time before we could clear things up with BANA, which we felt really sorry about. I guess that’s why we pushed for “Rock Paper Scissors” as the lead single. It was a way to show we were really singing about ourselves, and we felt the song captured what we wanted to say to them.

SANDEUL: We had a really hard time picking the lead single while we were putting the album together—there were so many great songs—but one day I put on “Rock Paper Scissors” while I was driving, and I loved it. It felt like it was kicking off the whole album—like, “Wanna to hear some music? Then lemme get you ready.”

CNU: It gave off that feeling of solidarity all over again—that we’ve always been tight, and we always will be.

You shot the music video for “Rock Paper Scissors” against an all-white backdrop, with the three of you playing up your individual characters pretty freely. CNU, I understand you had a hand not just in the music production but on the video and the outfits too.
GONGCHAN: BANA loves the chemistry we have, but looking back at our old music videos, we felt like it never really came through the way it should, so we wanted to make a video that really captured that chemistry and easygoing attitude between us. Those white rooms are completely empty, but we wanted to take a swing and show that when the three of us come together, we can take over even an empty space like that.

What was it like getting everyone on the same page while you were putting the album together?
GONGCHAN: All I wanted was for CNU to be able to do and convey everything he wanted. He told us about so many new ideas, and seeing how much fun he was having made it fun for me too, so SANDEUL and I kept telling him, “Oh, this is so good,” and just trusted him as we worked on it. We always kept the conversation going to build on each other’s ideas, and it really was like rock paper scissors—sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes you tie. The whole process felt like a game between the three of us, and I think that fun’s here to stay.

SANDEUL: We’d say to CNU, “Just tell us what you’re thinking,” and he’d just go off. He’s the kind of person who, when he’s writing a song or putting an album together, the first thing he thinks about is what’s going to be best for all three of us and write around that. We’d talk things through as a group and progressively find our direction. The ideas would branch out like a mind map.

All three of you had a hand in writing the lyrics for “CPR.” SANDEUL, at the retreat, you passed around poetry printed on cards and said you found writing the lyrics hard. What exactly were you wrestling with?
SANDEUL: We ended up working on the lyrics together at CNU’s suggestion, but I was really struggling with it. I didn’t want to use any cliches. I was trying to write lyrics that paint a picture in your head as soon as you hear them.

CNU: “CPR” hits hard as a title. We looked at it as something you can save somebody’s life with, but at the same time, something somebody else can save yours with. We wanted to express that idea of CPR and tried to get it across with lines like “when I place my hands on your chest and touch our lips together.”

GONGCHAN: I thought a lot about the story and the flow of the lyrics. I asked myself under what circumstances would BANA or me need CPR and what that situation would even look like. That’s where the line “through a winding maze” came from—because whether it’s us, BANA, or anyone listening to the song, we all need help from someone when we’re lost in a maze. So I was thinking about breathing life into all those people while writing the lyrics.

The music for “CPR” is extremely emotional, but your vocals stay restrained throughout. The way it takes such dramatic material and treats it so tenderly makes it the kind of song that really stays with you.
GONGCHAN: When I first heard the songs for the album, I was thinking about our relationship with BANA, and the word that came to me was “beauty.” I thought a lot about how to bring out that beauty while recording the vocals, too. CNU was telling me, “Don’t force it, just sing whatever way lets you express yourself the way you want to. You’ll get the emotion and the detail we’re both after that way.” So that’s what I did.

What’s great is how GONGCHAN conveys the lyrical quality of the song with his vocals and SANDEUL’s more restrained technique gives it some extra polish.
SANDEUL: I had a lot of thoughts while recording this album, and I kept talking it through with CNU. I’d try singing it the way I had in mind, he’d give me his thoughts, then I’d make changes and try it again. We went through that over and over. With “CPR,” for example, I wanted to convey it from the perspective of the person receiving CPR. What I pictured in my head while recording was someone who’s been in this dark, suffocating situation, who starts to see the light again after getting CPR.

CNU: Our group’s whole angle is that we don’t have a lead vocalist. In “CPR,” GONGCHAN’s voice comes in first on the chorus, and I think that’s what pulls you in. We have SANDEUL, who’s an exceptional vocalist, but what I’m aiming for is to be a group where anyone can step into that role on an album.

The entire album spans a wide musical range. “5959,” for example, feels experimental in the way it blends a trap beat and an EDM sound within a single track and the way it’s totally focused on the beat at the end.
CNU: As you say, “5959” is an experimental track. There’s even a line that goes, “Why don’t we try something we’ve never done before / Everyone else is doing it, why are we the only ones steering clear.” The reason I wrote that was that it felt like B1A4 had become typecast. I wanted people to know that B1A4 has always done a ton of different things and that it’ll stay that way. Up until now I’ve always preferred to express things indirectly, but with this song I’m being totally direct. (laughs)

I feel like your group has always tried new things, like not rapping at all on “Like a Movie” or taking “REWIND” in a new jack swing direction.
CNU: For a while now, whenever I’d write a song, I’d see some comments like, “Oh, this is so CNU,” and as grateful as I was for the kind words, it also made me start feeling like I needed to express myself with more range. When I took the lead on production for our album “Origine,” I had this real hunger for people to hear some variety in the songs I wrote. Up until now, B1A4’s lead singles have almost always been love songs, but with “Rock Paper Scissors” it’s more like, “Let’s just have a good time.” And that felt new for us.

It feels like the essence of B1A4 is this combination of always having something new to show musically while staying the same close-knit group.
CNU: Something I’ve been thinking about lately is how much I’ve come to rely on the others. I tend to be really cautious and kind of afraid when I’m doing things on my own, so having them there is a real comfort. I can tell how much the three of us mean to each other. It’s what keeps the group going, I think.

GONGCHAN: We actually have more and more fun and feel closer the more time we spend together, so I’m excited for next year, and I think the year after that’s going to be even better.

What do you think keeps you grounded like that?
CNU: I almost feel embarrassed saying it, but I think we’re really authentic. I personally don’t like putting on a front or wearing something that isn’t me.

SANDEUL: (pointing at the two rings on CNU’s fingers) Are you sure? Doesn’t seem that way.

CNU: (clicks the two rings together like an instrument)

SANDEUL: Oh, they’re castanets. I had no idea. I thought they were just rings.

CNU: (laughs) That’s why I have this desire to show people the real deal. My Instagram ID’s “realcnu,” which was actually inspired by the nickname “Realslow” that Wheesung used. My goal is to convey that authenticity—showing that absolutely everything I do comes from a genuine mindset—and I think B1A4 is doing just that. And I don’t think the effort we put in is ever going to change, because it’s all built on real things that aren’t faked.

SANDEUL: If someone asked me the reason I can’t give up this group, I could tell them right away: BANA. We always say among ourselves that without BANA, there’d be no B1A4. I’ve never once thought about not being a part of B1A4, because we were there for BANA’s school days, we’re part of their memories, and we’ve grown to where we are today through their love. So I think we have to keep giving them shows with good music and performances, and I think that’s the only way we can give back.

Your feelings for BANA seem just as strong as ever, even after all this time—like in the “Love, always you” video at 2026 HAPPY SANDEUL DAY when SANDEUL retraces the steps fans take waiting outside music show venues, or how GONGCHAN still regularly posts on the fan cafe forum even as fans have largely moved on to other sites.

GONGCHAN: I started posting on the fan cafe because I was like, “How do I keep BANA from feeling bored there and help them think of us?” Mondays are tough because everyone’s back at work, so I’d post something to cheer them on at the start of the week, and on weekends I’d post something telling them I hope they get some rest. Those might seem like small things, but BANA would say things like, “GONGCHAN posted again today, I feel so much better,” or, “I’ll try to get through another day.” I couldn’t stop after seeing that. When I don’t post, they wait until I do, so I feel like my posts have found a real place in BANA’s hearts, and that’s what keeps me going.

On a scale from one to 100, after everything you’ve been through with BANA, how close do you feel you are to achieving your goals?
CNU: We have some clearly defined goals, and some of them won’t be easy. Even when we make it, we might never really feel finished, so I don’t think we’ll ever hit 100. I’d say we’re currently at one …

SANDEUL: Oh, that’s exactly what I thought you’d say. (laughs)

CNU: Because I honestly think we’re just getting started. It feels like we’re finally taking our first real step. We were working toward that before too, obviously, but now it finally feels more certain, more set in motion. We’ve taken that first step, and now we have to keep walking. And I’m such an ambitious person that by the time I die, we’ll be at 99. (laughs)

Certain things you’ve kept consistent for 15 years, but I can tell you’re also clearly driven to keep reinventing yourselves.
SANDEUL: In a way, we were the icon for kids. There’s this assumption that once you’ve been around long enough, you can’t go back to that, and I want to change that view. I hope “Rock Paper Scissors” takes off with kids eventually.

GONGCHAN: Sometimes BANA who were kids at that time come back to us as adults. Every time that happens, I do the math on how much time has passed and it just floors me. It’s easy to forget the things you loved when you were that young, but seeing BANA come back after keeping us in some deep place in their hearts all this time makes every bit of the last 15 years feel worth it, and makes me want to work even harder. I want us to be the kind of group that gets people saying, “Those guys are a lot of fun.” The energy between the three of us, and the love and affection we have for BANA—that’s never going to change. We want to keep showing that on and on.