‘Astro junior’ Lunate, debut “I’m not being pushed by Astro… My dream is to be a long-lived idol”

Astro's agency, Fantagio, presents a new boy group, LUN8, after 7 years. On the first day of their debut, Lunate revealed that their goal is to become a “longevity idol” who will be active for 20 to 30 years.

On the 15th, the Lunate debut showcase was held at Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.

Runate is a boy group introduced by entertainment agency Fantagio after 7 years since Astro. Jinsu, Kael, Takuma, Junwoo, Dohyeon, Ian, Ji Eunho, and Eunseop are 7 Koreans and 1 Japanese, totaling 8 members. The group name Lunate means 8 boys who embrace the moonlight that brightens the dark night. It contains the members' strong aspirations and confidence to deliver positive energy through powerful stages and music completed with charming emotional voices like the moon shining brightly in the night sky. Leader Jinsu said, "All 8 members put in a lot of effort and perseverance to stand on this stage.

Junwoo expressed his determination, "I want to become a companion of the public like the moon that revolves next to the earth." He also said, "I still can't believe that the album is coming out. I will work hard." Ji Eun-ho asked, "I prepared hard. Please look forward to it." Ian said, "I'm happy just thinking about the sound source with my voice coming out." Eunseop was delighted, saying, "I have been running towards the goal of debuting without rest. Since this is the beginning, I will become a hard-working Lunate."

Ian appeared on Mnet's survival program in 2020. Lee Ahn expressed his trembling heart, saying, "I went to survival 3 years ago, and I made my debut 3 years later. There was pressure to do better because I had an image that was reflected in the public once. I'm happy that my skills seem to be improving thanks to that pressure."

The first mini-album they present is 'CONTINUE?'. Even if you lose the game, 'Continue?' Just like pressing a button to start again, Lunate is also an album that contains the will to take on challenges without giving up on anything. Ian explained, "This album contains the will to grow together as a helper for those who listen to it."

Runate will promote with the double title songs 'Voyager' and 'Wild Heart'. Ji Eun-ho introduced, "As much as we promote as a double title song, we will show more charm. It contains our own spirit, so please listen to it a lot."

'Wild Heart' is a song that catches the ears with cheerful whistling sound and rhythmic drum sound. The lyrics contain strong confidence and ambition to show Runate to the world. Ji Eun-ho boasted, "When I first heard it, I listened to the whistle in the intro, and when the chorus came out, I thought it was 'good'."

Junwoo chose "the powerful choreography of the chorus" as the point choreography. Ian boasted of the 'whistle choreography' in the introductory part, and showed off the choreography with restraint as if blowing a whistle with Junwoo and Takuma.

'Voyager' is a lo-fi pop punk genre song with a dreamy synth riff and a refreshing electric guitar sound. The lyrics compare Lunate's new journey and bold aspirations to a voyage.
Ian introduced it as "a song that reminds me of the sea". Takuma emphasized the refreshing charm, "It's a refreshing song. It goes well with the hot summer. Listening to this song, the ambient temperature seems to drop by about 5 degrees."

In addition to 'Voyager' and 'Wild Heart', this album contains 5 songs including 'XX', 'We Like It', and 'Live In The Moment'.

Regarding Lunate's unique charm, Kael said, "Each member has a different personality and is unique. I think there is a synergy that is displayed when those personalities come together." Eunseob boasted, "The members have attractive and diverse voices. They can be digested regardless of genre."

When asked why he had the dream of becoming an idol, Takuma said, "It was while going to a BTS senior's concert. I saw the stage called 'Not Today' and thought that I also wanted to become a person who shines on stage." Ji Eun-ho picked NCT Mark as his role model and said, "The unique hip-hop feeling is cool, so I tried to imitate him." Eunseob said, "My role model is senior Yoon Sanha of Astro. He was cool when he played the guitar and sang acoustic songs, and I thought I would like to do that as well." Kael said, "When I was in elementary school, I dreamed of becoming an idol after watching EXO's MAMA stage."

Astro's direct senior Lunate. Dohyeon said, "They gave a lot of support whether they were passing by or in the hallway. Thanks to them, I got some advice. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to my seniors." Jinsu said, "Astro Jinjin sunbaenim gave me some advice. Astro sunbaenim has been active for a long time, so he said that skill is important for us to be active for a long time. We also want to become a group that can live a healthy 'longevity'." Kael also emphasized, "Isn't health more important than anything else? Our goal is to promote as a long-lived group." When asked if there was a modifier he wanted to get, Dohyun replied, "There is a refreshing song among the active songs. I want to get the title of 'Refreshing Idol'."

When asked if there was any pressure to show outstanding visuals as much as Astro, who is his direct senior, has excellent visuals, Junwoo laughed when he said, "I was a little pressured because Astro seniors are handsome." He pointed to Ji Eun-ho, who was sitting next to him, and said, “We are also confident in our visuals.” He also added, "I said it's a group that wants to live a long life, but we want to have fun working together for 20 to 30 years."

Lunate's first mini-album 'CONTINUE?' will be released on the 15th at 6pm on each online music site.

Reporter Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia bella@tenasia.co.kr