P1Harmony Say It’s Never Too Late to ‘BLOW UP,’ Citing Charli xcx As Inspiration
Categoria: Musica
The six-piece say they're ready to BLOW UP with a new hyperpop single after navigating compromise, career pressures and getting their label to listen.
Por Billboard | 06/11/2026
During P1Harmony ‘s first six years together, there was a stretch when members couldn’t articulate why they were working so hard. “What I felt was hardest in this process was when I couldn’t find a reason for running,” Intak tells Billboard during a sit-down in their downtown Los Angeles hotel hours before they fly home to Seoul. “There were times the company just had us run without a clear purpose or a point to reach and I think I got a little worn out the moment I realized that. ‘What is our purpose in this moment? What are we running this hard for? Is it even true that running like this will get us there?’ Every time I had moments like that, I’d suddenly feel drained and it was hard. But even if our steps were really small, we always climbed little by little.” Six years into their career, the six-piece of Intak, Keeho, Theo, Jiung, Soul and Jongseob has a much clearer view of where all that running is taking them. The K-pop act’s newest EP BLOW UP arrived Friday (Nov. 6), and its title doubles as a mantra for where the group stands today. After years of steady gains on the charts, in album sales, in concert audiences and in hard-won lessons inside the boy band, they’re ready to break through in a bigger way. P1Harmony’s performance at 82WORLD: LA , their first headlining slot at a U.S. festival the previous weekend, felt like proof. “The last time we did an outdoor thing was the first time we came to L.A.,” leader Keeho recollects. “It’s been like almost four to five years and that’s a really big, full-circle moment.” Numbers show how far that gratitude goes, with Intak saying he can track the group’s progress in chart positions. “Before, our goal was just to get onto Billboard ,” he says. “Just the other day we were at No. 60, then we’re getting into the top 20 and now the top 5. Because we achieved these things one by one, I feel reassured now and I think it’s good that we can show our fans we’re artists who can do at least this much.” P1H’s six albums’ worth of Billboard 200 history — all EPs — show just that: After first entering the chart at No. 51 with HARMONY : ALL IN during the summer of 2023, P1Harmony earned their first top 40 album with 2024’s Killin’ It (No. 39 peak), followed by SAD SONG (No. 16 in 2024), DUH! (No. 23 in 2025) and their debut English-language EP, EX (No. 9, their first Top 10 in fall 2025). Earlier this year, UNIQUE debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 , the group’s best showing yet, earning 58,000 equivalent album units in its first week. While they’re aiming even higher with BLOW UP , bigger shifts have been happening behind the scenes. “Because K-pop seems very exotic, people think it’s like, ‘Whoa, these guys have no control over their careers and whatnot,'” Toronto native Keeho says of outs