The Joys of Seeing N.Flying’s “DWUW” Tour
I’ll confess: I don’t think it would have been possible for me to be more excited for N.Flying’s Atlanta show.
“Do What You Want (DWUW)” is the group’s first proper tour of the United States since their debut and only their second time performing in North America. Thursday night’s show at Buckhead Theater was nearly sold out, with fans packed to the very back of the venue. It made me happy and emotional to see so many people come out to support the group.
Since their formation in 2013, N.Flying, led by Seunghyub (vocals, piano, guitar), Hwe-seung (vocals), Cha Hun (vocals, lead guitarist), Jaehyun (drums), and Dongsung (added in 2020 on bass), has occupied a nebulous place in K-Pop. They’re not dancers or even traditional idols, but “idol musicians” who now have full control over their output.
Their music, Seunghyub said Thursday night, “Gives a feeling of loneliness. We have our own vibe: It’s emotional.” His observant, oftentimes clever, songwritings carved the group into a space where very few groups occupy. Their music can be groovy, like “4242” or it can feel like it will rip apart like with “Monster”. They play both effortlessly.
I found N.Flying through Seunghyub’s 2021 solo debut “ON THE TRACK ''. I could relate to how Seunghyub described his personality while promoting the title track “Clicker” and how he wasn’t interested in being a perfect idol. “My mood is not so high on my own, and people may think that I’m in a bad mood,” he admitted in 2021. “But that’s not it; it’s just how I am.
Until 2019, N.Flying released music to a small but mighty fanbase. But then magic struck: A song Seunghyub uploaded to his SoundCloud page titled “Rooftop Room”, went viral and hit number one on the Korean charts.
Four years later, almost to the month, N.Flying reaches North America. Their catalog is tighter than ever thanks to over ten years of music, plus a new album titled “Dearest” that marked their highest sales ever. “Our fandom name is N.Fia for flying plus utopia,” Seunghyub explained in English after the first three songs. He continued with a promise, “We will make all of you N.Fia tonight.”
“I hope you can make the most unique memories of your life tonight in Atlanta,” Jaehyun added enthusiastically in his opening.
The band delivers on these promises – and this is where they have fun. Their show is a thrilling display of the group’s incredible growth since their first release ten years ago. “Monster”, the most unexpected highlight from their “Dearest”, explodes into chaos live with Seunghyub, stage right on a platform, holding a megaphone shouting the lyrics. There’s the favorites, too, such as “I Like You” (the new single which multiple audience members hummed along to before the opening) to “Rooftop", but due credit is also given to the songs from early in their career.
Each member is also given an opportunity to show what makes them so talented, including an insane guitar solo from Cha Hun and a loud as hell drum solo from Jaehyun, which was picked up by nine mics. “We prepared very hard for this tour and it was a lot of pressure,” Hun admited after his solo. “But you all make me very happy.”
More than any group I’ve seen recently, N.Flying did not shy away from excavating music you may have totally forgotten about. I had never listened to several songs on the setlist, and maybe that’s what made their performance so enigmatic. It’s insanely fun to watch the guys tear apart “One N Only”, from their debut EP, or – thrillingly – choose “Bitter Sweet”, a song buried so deep inside their discography that it sits as a b-side on their Japanese debut single from 2013 and has not been resuscitated live until now.
Time has been kind to N.Flying’s discography. Even the absurd, “Hot Potato '', feels prophetic and witty in retrospect: “I’m a hot potato/ a famous man/ Say my name.” Seunghyub participated in writing the song when the band was still relatively unknown. Hearing it on tour alongside a nearly sold out North American crowd is a sweet full circle moment to be a part of.
The group also knows how to create a viral moment with “Hot Potato”. Before the song began, Seunghyub told the crowd that when he yelled “Stop, everyone freeze and don’t make a sound.” When the moment finally came, the band froze with instruments slung midway in the air and Seunghyub fell into an aegyo pose. It was so genuinely funny that not everyone could stay silent.
“You all make Seunghyub very happy when you’re quiet in that part,” Dongsung said with a laugh.
Without this tour, I’d have to fly to Korea or catch a quick set at a festival to see N.Flying. Appreciation is due to Studio Pav, the tour’s promoter, for bringing this group and several other excellent mid-tier K-Pop groups such as Brave Girls and OnlyOneOf to North America. Without them, I don’t think there would be such a consistent home for these groups to meet North American fans. My luck to attend the show was driven home during the “Rooftop” performance. Of course, the band wouldn’t be here without “Rooftop”: That song made their career. And that is the irony: “Rooftop” was entirely Seungyub’s lyrics and production. After years of only letting Seunghyub participate in songwriting, “Rooftop” gave N.Flying the band the freedom to be who they are now.
“I have a request,” Seunghyub asked after “Rooftop”. “We plan to meet you until we’re 80 years old. Please spread the word about us and come out again to see us.”
This review is my part in fulfilling Seunghyub’s request: Go see N.Flying if they come anywhere near you. Now do your part.
