Members of Korean band Catch The Young are gearing up for their performances in different music festivals in South Korea.

On Aug. 1, Catch The Young will be performing at the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival 2025 to be held at Songdo Moonlight Festival Park.

They will also perform at the 2025 Jeonju Ultimate Music Festival on Aug. 15 at the Jeonbuk National University Main Stadium.

On Sept. 14, Catch The Young will be seen at the Sound Planet Festival 2025 at Paradise City in Incheon.

In an interview with Manila Bulletin and other media outlets, Catch The Young discussed their upcoming performances, career and their first full-length album that has no release date as of this writing.

Catch The Young debuted in November 2023 with members Jungmo, Sani, Kihoon, Junyong and Namhyun.

About their Jeonju music festival performance, Kihoon said, “Last year, we performed at the festival too, and we felt like we were able to share our energy with a big crowd. But since we're getting the chance to perform again this year, we're working on putting together an even more polished and powerful performance.”

Sani said he feels nervous performing at music festivals but said he prepares by boosting his own confidence.

“I always remind myself before going on stage, ‘Out of all the people here, no one can do it better than you.’ Especially on big stages, it's natural to feel nervous, but I found that thinking 'I'm the best performer' inside my head and giving myself a high confidence really help calm those nerves,” he said.

Performing live before a big audience at music festivals and on TV shows is different, added Sani.

“At festivals, each team is given a set amount of stage time, and it’s important to stick to that for the teams before and after us and to provide the audience the best experience. So I think one of the hardest parts is creating and rehearsing a setlist that fits perfectly within the given timeframe,” he said.

Sani added, “Something we always feel is that, especially for this festival, instead of just performing one song at a time, we want to create a flow that feels like watching a short film with a story. The biggest difference from music shows would definitely be the live performance settings.”

They also performed at various university festivals in Korea, big events that are usually held in spring.

Namhyun said the experience was different.

“Since the audience was around our age, I remember how we got drawn into their energy during the performance. It felt different from a festival. While festivals are more about showing our skills and band sound to the fullest, university festivals were more about having fun together and giving comfort to students who are tired from studying. So we approached it with a more relaxed and playful mindset, enjoying the moment with everyone,” he said.

As a band, Catch The Young members play different instruments. They have different stories on how they developed their passion for each instrument.

Bassist Sani said, “I go to church, and there was someone there who used to play the bass, but when he had to leave for the military, that spot opened up. So I started practicing bass to fill in, and I really fell in love with the deep, low sound, which drew me in.”

Drummer Jungmo said, “The first time I tried drums was actually while experimenting with different instruments, and to be honest, I didn't stick with any of them for more than a month. But then one day, I was at a live concert, standing in front of a big amp, and the kick drum sound coming through the drum mic hit me and felt like it was shaking my chest. That powerful, heart-thumping feeling stuck with me, making me want to start playing drums seriously.”

According to guitarist Kihoon, “I used to be an athlete, and even back then, I really enjoyed listening to music while working out. After I quit being an athlete, I got introduced to guitars through a band club. I started practicing cool riffs that sounded amazing even on their own, and I ended up spending months trying to master just one of them. When I could finally play a full song, a few months had already passed before I knew it. As I kept learning one song after another, it naturally led me to keep playing the guitar until now.”

If they are given the chance to switch instruments with a member, Junyong said, “I'd like to switch with Sani and try playing the bass. Jungmo and I both know this feeling, but during performances, one thing we always feel a bit sad about is that we have to stay in one place, so we can't get close to the fans or the audience. We're always a bit jealous of the other three members who can run around the stage and still play their instruments.

Besides playing instruments, the members also take part in songwriting for their own music.

“When it comes to composing a song, you definitely need a lot of technical skills and music theory, so I rely on those a lot. But in the initial stage of creating one, inspiration is something you can't ignore. Whether it's from personal experiences, something I’ve seen, or even a piece of art, a film, or a book, I sometimes think about what emotions I would've felt in those moments,” said Sani.

He revealed that they jam together while arranging a song.

“Since we're a band, I think one of our strengths is the high level of skills and professionalism each member has with their own instrument. Beyond just recording, we often shape the song while jamming together during the arrangement process. Even from the demo stage, the members are involved by sharing ideas and directions, which often leads to changes in the final version. Many changes happen when recording, and honestly, there have been times when we've re-recorded everything from the top. Being a band allows for that flexibility and ideas to make our music better,” he said.

Catch The Young released the track “The Young Wave” as a pre-release single for their first studio album. The album has no release date yet.

Sani said they are preparing hard for the album.

“Since it's our first album, but not our first digital release, we're putting in our best effort to make it as strong as possible. We're adding a lot of new elements to try things we haven't done before and to show sides of ourselves that fans haven't seen yet,” he said.

Jungmo said, “All of our members are music majors, so we're really putting in the effort to make our first album more deep, meaningful, and musically diverse.”

Sani said fresh ideas come up during the process of creating a song.

“It's always surprising when an idea comes up that I hadn’t thought of. Since the process of writing a song and finishing it is quite different, those surprises often happen during arrangement or recording. Sometimes unexpected ideas turn out to be amazing, while other times they might not quite fit. But I think that's part of the fun of creating music together,” he said.

When asked to describe Catch The Young, Kihoon said, “If I were to describe our group, especially to people around our age, I'd say we're a team that grows together, creating music that feels like youth. We want to make songs that, when you look back one day, feel like cherished memories. At the same time, we want to be a group that does music that moves forward into the future and can grow and journey with.”

He said, “In summary, all five members of Catch The Young are very talented, which gives a huge pride to us.”