Happy First Anniversary ENOi. ENOi (잉-농아인) debuted with their first single Bloom on April 19, 2019, under the newly established KiTheWhale Agency.
The group is composed of 7 members:
Laon /라온 (Shin Kyuhyun) -Leader, Founder, Song Writer/Composer, Lead Vocal, event planner
Dojin/ 도친 (Jeon Yongtae) - Main Rapper, Barista, Meat enthusiast Hamin/ 사민 (Jo Hamin) - Main Vocalist, Piano, First recruit,
Avin /어빈 (Park Donghyuk) - Sub-Vocal, Chinese speaker,
Jinwoo,/진우 (Park Jinwoo) - Sub-Vocal, paper plane pilot
J-Kid/제이키드 (Han Jeonghoon) Choreographer, main dancer
and maknae
Gun/건 (Yang Hyuk) - Sub-vocal, Guitarist, Maknae
They were gathered from many areas by leader, Laon, to form the group ENOi (Which stands for wE caN dO It!). Although working in a different field he did not want to let go of his dream so he took matters in his own hands and went to find others who would join him. Each member had different thoughts about joining Laon in his endeavor but now all are fully invested in the group. While some of the members had taken longer to convince to join (maybe they just wanted more of the ttokkbokki incentive), it is obvious how much they have grown and how close they have become over the past year. (the pictures below from their debut (L) to comeback (R) with Cheeky)
Despite their passion and strong work ethic things were far from smooth sailing for this young group and their new agency. As they outline in their interview with the Korean Herald, where they talked about the value of teamwork and the difficulties of forming their group from the ground up and the difficulties they had. Their persistence in all the trials they faced is inspirational.
After a short promotion for Bloom on music shows they then had to create their own opportunities to interact with an audience. This included a road show ENOi: wE caN gO There where they did live performances in places like Busan, in the hopes of expanding their fan base.
The disappointing delays and a long hiatus brought them closer like a family as they endured intense practice sessions, often resulting in injuries and separation from family.
‘’ “All of us live in the same dormitory. Although we didn’t have an official group activity, we always spent time together, literally 24/7, even when going to movies and playing games. We never let any member eat alone. It was our way of staying strong during the hiatus,” Laon said.
J-Kid added, “We focused on our own self-improvement and honing teamwork during the break,” ‘’
They didn’t go home to their families for the holidays either (they had said they would go home once they won) which also meant their bond as “brothers” deepened even more.
They weren’t idle during this time though. In addition to their road show, they also spent time building a following through weekly Vlive sessions. This helped to develop some loyal fans, Rays as they are known, including a group of international fans, the self-titled ENOi Protection Squad, which ‘met’ in the comments during the Vlive broadcasts. During these Vlive and YouTube broadcasts fans were treated to games, cooking demonstrations, Hamin‘s solo, Laon writing and explaining the music, J-kid’s choreography, Dojin’s solo, Gun on guitar, traditional Korean activities, Seoul fashion week, crafts, the holidays and much more. These can be found on their Vlive and YouTube accounts.
The next disappointment they had to face together was when their comeback album, which had been scheduled for November 2019 had to be postponed until 2020.
This was a blow as they had been training so hard to perform onstage. Yet once again they focused on others by releasing the name of their fandom as well as a special set of songs dedicated to those who were supporting them. True to their nature it was titled To Rays, Realize all Your Star (as they wanted their fans to know they shine like stars too). They apologized for disappointing fans by not being able to keep their schedule. Fans however were more sorry for them having to face another setback and delay.
They also released a cover video of a Groove Over Dose song which held special meaning to Laon as he had wanted to do it even before he put the group together. His message of gratitude is below. Check out their MV
They had been spending time reaching out to others in need as well. In December, the members recorded some children’s stories for children with disabilities to listen to. Laon read the fairy tale “The Little Train Flying to the Sky”, Hamin read “Waiting Mom” and the others recorded enough stories to complete 2 audio books.
They were also recently appointed as Global Influencer at the Bucheon Fantastic Film Festival and continue to participate in other social impacting campaigns as mentioned in the Ksilbo article
Finally after a long wait they were able to release their album Red In The Apple 🍎 and promote with their song Cheeky which is nearing 850,000 views on their anniversary date.
Soon after their comeback their debut song Bloom received one million views on YouTube, which made Rays very proud.
Check out their time on Fact In Star as they discuss their individual colors, their dynamics as a group and show off their dancing skills.
We wish this multi talented group much success in the future and thank them for their hard work and dedication, as well as their care and attention to their fans.
HAPPY FIRST ANNIVERSARY ENOi
Congratulations and 고맙습니다
Keep an eye on these guys. They have great potential.
Follow their SNS
Twitter @ENOi_offical & @ENOi_Member_twt
Instagram enoi_official & enoi_members
as well as YouTube and Vlive. #HAPPY_ENOi_DAY #ENOi #Kithewhale #WE_ARE_ENOi #이엔오아이