Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- Buoyed by its successful debut and strong support from fans, TXT, a five-member boy band produced by Big Hit Entertainment, revealed their ambitions to grab an honorous title -- the rookie of the year awards -- only a day after the boys released their debut album.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime award, so I'm craving for it. I will work hard to meet your expectations, though there are a lot of distinguished rookies," TXT leader Soobin said Tuesday at a showcase event in Seoul.

Because it was the first boy band created by Big Hit in six years after BTS, the new TXT has grabbed the spotlight as the brother band of BTS, fueling curiosity among fans.

Soon after TXT's debut album "The Dream Chapter: STAR" was released on March 4, it topped iTunes's top albums chart, operated by Apple, in several countries including the United States, Australia, Brazil and Canada. The title song's video garnered some 14.4 million views on YouTube in less than 24 hours of its release.

TXT members were surprised to get a good outcome from the beginning, saying it's like a dream to receive support too much from a lot of people. To meet expectations, they promised to work hard so that they would not hurt the reputation built by their brothers.

TXT targets teenagers with retro synth-pop songs which are different from BTS' hip-hop-based dance tracks. Like BTS, which communicates with young generations through songs, TXT members have messages embedded in their songs that could draw sympathy and compassion.

"CROWN", the debut song of TXT, is about the growing pains of teenagers. Its lyrics portray a story about a boy who suddenly has a horn growing out of his head. The confusion, pain and surprise of growing up are all melded into the song.
  In less than 24 hours of its release, Crown's lyrics were translated into multiple languages by fans and was uploaded onto K-pop fan communities and other music-related websites, with many teenagers expressing sympathy.

Soobin, the team's leader, explained the song is all about the "thrill and joy of meeting a friend who is similar but different from me." Even though people feel helpless when they are alone in adolescence, they feel as if they can do anything if they are with a friend, he said.

Other members said that they were relieved to meet each other and felt that they were not alone because they can share pains and work together to achieve a mutual goal. They all shared their thoughts about hardships they felt as trainees.

"As a trainee for four years, I've craved for my debut. Waiting was the hardest part," Yeonjun said. Beomgyu had to train for two years and felt hard to catch up with other members, but the 18-year-old thanked his teammates for encouraging him to become a part of the team.

TXT members spoke proudly of how they have received good advice from BTS and Big Hit founder Bang Si-hyuk. Beomgyu said BTS members advised him to think about the team more than anything and encouraged him to become a great artist. "They also didn't forget to tell me that they are watching and supporting us."

The new band aims to grab the rookie of the year awards. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime award, so I'm craving for it. I will work hard to meet your expectations, though there are a lot of distinguished rookies," Soobin said.

TXT should compete with other promising rookies. JYP Entertainment has unleashed its new five-member girl band "ITZY" that attracted some 14 million views on YouTube with its debut song "DALLA DALLA" in just over 24 hours of its release. South Korea's entertainment powerhouse YG Entertainment also plans to launch two new boy bands.