South Korean group P1Harmony – Keeho, Theo, Jiung, Intak, Soul, and Jongseob – have been on the radar since their 2020 debut, wielding a superhero origin story as their signature narrative. Their latest mini-album, DUH!, isn’t just another chapter in this; it’s a declarative statement that they’re done asking politely for recognition. Five years in, they’re now demanding it.

The music video opens with a silver SUV, nearly identical to the one on their Killin’ It 2024 album cover. It’s a detail so precise it feels like a thread pulling their past and present into one seamless story. “That was definitely not something that we, the members, decided on doing,” Keeho shares over Zoom, mid-promo chaos. “We have an amazing creative directive team. I don’t know if it was actually intentional, but when we saw it, we were like, ‘This is the exact same car as the Killin’ It cover photo.’ I’d like to think they did it on purpose.” He leans into the intent: “We’ve always had this superhero concept since debut, so making sure the albums connect visually or even sonically is something we really care about.”

That concept is a deliberate visual thread linking their work. Later in the “DUH!” video, another motif emerges: white T-shirts emblazoned with the track title and the members’ own faces. The fashion toes the line between self-parody and self-celebration — a perfect snapshot of the group’s confident, boundary-pushing identity.

It was Keeho’s idea, and he shares the story half-apologetic but clearly proud. “In the Korean lyrics, it says ‘우리를 새긴 plain white tee’ which literally means us printed on a plain white tee. I thought it’d be kind of funny if we just literally wore T-shirts with our faces on them,” he reveals. “We felt that kind of unapologetic confidence is exactly what we wanted to exude in this song. So I just thought it’d be really funny if we had big pictures of our faces on a T-shirt. It’s kind of funny, kind of weird — maybe even a little self-obsessed — but that was the point. Wearing that T-shirt made us seem more confident and pushed that narrative further, visually.”

Keeho’s explanation of the shirt choice cuts through the performative, showing a group that understands the power of narrative control: wearing your own image literally makes you unmissable.

That narrative — of self-assurance, even defiance — doesn’t stop at the visuals. The production is confrontational, full of hard-edged ‘90s hip-hop and bratty energy. This is not a group asking to be noticed. It’s a group fully aware they already should have been.

For Intak, that bite came from a raw place. “There’s rage and stress and a kind of anger, almost,” he says. “When I was writing my verse, there’s a line where I say, ‘This is a highlight scene.’ And for me, that line was about saying, ‘Please — look at us right now. This is the highlight. This is the moment.’” His voice doesn’t sound bitter but resolute. “You’re missing out if you don’t see it. It came from that eagerness to show the world who we are. And genuinely, if you’re not on this train right now, I feel bad for you. At this point, it’s not like, ‘Oh, please listen to us.’ It’s more like, ‘Okay — your loss.’”

It’s that sharp shift — from yearning to detachment, from hopeful to unbothered — that gives “DUH!” its power. It’s angsty, bruised, lived-in. Keeho echoes that with defiance. “It’s been five years since we debuted. And personally, I still think we’re really underrated. I genuinely believe we have so much to bring to the table.” His delivery is calm, but it’s the voice of an artist who knows the difference between being overlooked and being underestimated.

To call themselves “underrated” is a reclamation. There’s justified rage at being overlooked, but also deep gratitude for the ones who get it. There’s also something sacred about being a fan of a group you know the world is sleeping on – and that’s the energy “DUH!” taps into.

‘Underrated’ isn’t the only word they’re reclaiming. That same edge cuts deeper on the fan-favourite B-side “Pretty Boy,” where P1Harmony stretches their confidence into something more confrontational: a critique of the narrow ideals of masculinity projected onto them, especially under the Western gaze.

“There’s always that norm and stigma where masculinity comes in a certain shape or form that’s so socially accepted,” Keeho, one of the track’s songwriters, says. “Even when I lived in Canada and we were seeing K-pop become such a big thing, when Korean groups came over to America, a lot of people just said things like, ‘Oh, they’re just so pretty,’ or ‘so feminine,’ or ‘they look so fragile and teeny.’” The implication, he adds, was always the same — that “pretty” meant less than masculine, less than powerful.

On “Pretty Boy,” they don’t just reclaim that label but reframe it as strength. “It was kind of about reclaiming that word, ‘pretty,’ and just feeling like, ‘What’s wrong with being pretty?’” Keeho says, with the kind of clarity that comes from having lived through the misreadings.

Jongseob agrees. While he hasn’t personally felt constrained by styling or makeup, he recognises the weight of the conversation: “Even if it’s not something I’ve felt directly, it’s definitely a conversation that feels universal.” And in that universality, the message lands. It actively challenges Western stereotypes of K-pop masculinity as effeminate or one-dimensional and, by blending that vulnerability with confidence, P1Harmony pushes back against reductive narratives.

That’s what makes P1Harmony feel different, and necessary. They’re not just reflecting the culture around them, but pushing back at it. With humour. With guts. With music that turns their observations into something close to gold. This balance between accessibility and creative risk marks P1Harmony as one of the more promising acts pushing K-pop’s boundaries.

Across their catalogue, P1Harmony members take significant creative control, contributing to songwriting and production. This hands-on involvement signals their commitment to authenticity and artistic growth — qualities that distinguish them in the highly competitive K-pop landscape. Their message may shift from track to track — playful one moment, pointed the next — but one thing stays unshakably consistent: their sound is never just aesthetic. P1Harmony might genre-hop with ease, but they don’t shapeshift to fit. They bring the genre to them.

“Because we have such a strong understanding of our voices, tones, and the way we sing,” Jongseob explains, “as long as we stay grounded in our talents and tone, no matter what genre we try, we’re able to add our own mix to it.” That sense of rootedness acts as their anchor. No matter how wild the beat gets, their core never blurs.

Intak, Jiung, and Jongseob are deeply involved in the group’s songwriting, a fact that leaves fingerprints all over their discography. “We’re able to bring our own colour and twist to the songs,” Jongseob adds. In an industry where versatility can sometimes mean dilution, P1Harmony’s evolution feels more like expansion. They’re not searching for a signature — they’re refining one in real time.

Still, it’s not just the sound that’s matured this era, but the psyche behind it. Where early P1Harmony fixated on how to be seen, now they decide what’s worth showing. Jiung remembers their early years as a balancing act. “There definitely were a lot of conversations between us about how we wanted to be perceived — like, what we could do to be branded a certain way, what we could do on stage to really show people what we wanted to put forward.”

But somewhere along the way, the performance gave way to presence. “There's more understanding and trust within the group, and we know what we’re good at. We’re able to show a more genuine, authentic side of ourselves,” Jiung says now, “rather than worrying about how we want to be perceived.” In a genre often defined by reinvention, there’s something truly exciting about a group choosing to reveal rather than rebrand.

“We know what we’re good at and what we’re not good at, because obviously no one’s perfect,” Jiung says with steadiness. “But having that balance and knowing it is very crucial. We’ve kind of found our own thing, our own pattern.”

Keeho puts it more bluntly — growth is essential, but instinct is sacred. “I think everything can change. Everything can develop. It’s really important not to be stagnant and to always be open-minded.” But evolution only works if the foundation doesn’t crack. “The one thing that shouldn’t change is the trust we have within ourselves and in our own gut.”

In an industry built on polish and persuasion, that gut feeling becomes more than creative compass — it becomes armour. “There’s a lot of people telling us a lot of different things, a lot of people trying to tell us to do certain things, and we’re like, ‘I don’t know if that fits the vibe,’” Keeho says confidently. “Authenticity is the most important. That’s the reason P1Harmony has lasted — because we had that fighting energy and just knew when to say no.”

That refusal to be bent into shapes that don’t fit is perhaps their most enduring quality. And now, with their P1ustage H : MOST WANTED world tour approaching, that clarity is setting the scene – and the members already have favourites they’re excited to unleash.

Theo doesn’t hesitate with his choice: “WASP,” a unit song by Intak and Jongseob on last year’s SAD SONG mini-album. “As soon as it came out, I just knew it would be a really fun song to bring to the stage,” he says. He’s curious about the execution, and confident in the impact. “I’m really curious to see how the two will do it live, and I’m also excited to see how the audience will react. It’s definitely going to get positive feedback.” His enthusiasm is rooted in their creative chemistry: there’s a clear sense of pride in what Intak and Jongseob have built, and a genuine eagerness to watch it unfold live.

For Soul, “Flashy” is the exclamation point, and the track that feels custom-made to close a show. “It feels like the perfect hype song to close out the concert,” he says. He also highlights “Work” for its magnetic pull. “It’s just such a fun sound that I think we can all really get super entranced into.” Soul speaks in energy more than words — and with “Flashy” and “Work,” it’s clear he’s dialled into the textures that move both the group and the crowd in sync.

But what anchors everything — sound, style, stage — is the journey. And the biggest growth, they say, wasn’t technical. It was internal.

Keeho admits his biggest lesson was learning to let go of perfection. “When I first debuted, there was so much pressure — the members, the company, the fans — you expect everything to be super polished, and perfect, perfect, perfect,” he reflects. “I was so afraid to show even a little side of me that might be seen as a mistake.” Now, that pressure has eased into presence. “I feel it’s important to try and make mistakes, to learn from them. Because without mistakes, there’s no learning. So, I’m unlearning that it’s necessary to be perfect at all times—because no one can be perfect all the time. If you’re always trying to be perfect, you end up not even starting, period.”

Jiung expands the sentiment beyond stage performance. “I used to think I needed to be happy all the time. But, you know, life is like a roller coaster. There are always ups and downs. Nowadays, I try to remind myself you don’t need to be happy all the time. I even wrote a song about it. I’m unlearning that idea—that you have to be happy all the time. Just go with the flow.” Vulnerability isn’t a flaw for them — it’s the final step toward full control.

Starting from a relatively modest debut in a saturated market, P1Harmony’s journey has been one of gradual growth and increasing confidence. Their evolution reflects not just musical maturation but also a hard-earned freedom to express their identity on stage. When asked what would surprise their debut-era selves the most about where they are now, the answers vary but the subtext is the same: we’re making it, and we grew into it.

Jiung points to scale: “How big the venues are.” Jongseob notes their growth in confidence: “Everyone’s stage expressions have become more natural and mature.” Intak highlights freedom — both creative and emotional — and the joy of seeing people resonate with what they’ve built together. Keeho laughs as he contrasts his debut self with now: “During debut, I was all over the place — yelling, jumping off the walls. But now, I’m definitely a lot more calm.”

Theo finds meaning in the spotlight each member now commands: “Each of us has a moment in the show where we get to perform on our own… Getting to show that on stage is something I think debut-era me wouldn’t have expected.” And for Soul, it’s a moment that still feels surreal: “I never thought I’d get to see Les Twins perform live, let alone be on the same stage as them… Just knowing I was on the same stage… that was the biggest surprise for me.”

Together, the answers trace a truth: this isn’t just a group that’s making it to bigger stages — it’s one that’s grown into itself, individually and as a unit.

That clarity — of sound, self, and vision — is no longer one-sided. The world is finally catching up. With over 364,000 copies of DUH! already sold in South Korea, a number one on the Circle Album Chart, and their highest entry yet on the Billboard 200 at No. 23, it’s their most commercially successful release to date. The album also topped Billboard’s World Albums chart and placed third on the Independent Albums chart — the kind of global traction that suggests the shift they’ve been waiting for may already be underway.

Those achievements reflect not just hard work and growth, but the long fight for recognition. They've created meaningful music, cultivated an understanding fanbase, and developed a compelling live performance, proving their significance without seeking validation.

Now, with DUH!, P1Harmony no longer needs to ask to be seen — they’re simply stepping into the light. The rest is up to you.