RE:WIND brings K-Pop to the US with debut song ‘FOREVER’

RE:WIND aims to revive Y2K pop as the 1st Asian American K-Pop Group from the US

RE:WIND is looking to bring the pop boy groups back to America. The three-member Asian American group made their debut with the song, "FOREVER," last week, marking them as the first Asian American K-pop group based out of the U.S.

RE:WIND is looking to bring the pop boy groups back to America.

The three-member Asian American group made their debut with the song, "FOREVER," last week, marking them as the first Asian American K-pop group based out of the U.S.

Elaya from New York, Eddie from Los Angeles, and Lei from Boston, came together to create the group that is looking to bring that Y2K nostalgia back to pop music.

"We come from very different backgrounds. Elaya was really deep into the K-pop industry and Lei has a big music production background, and me as an actor, we all have like a Venn diagram. We're so different, but when we come together, it works out really well," says Eddie.

From the songs, to the outfits, and the music video, their debut track, "FOREVER," embodies the early 2000s pop music we got from artists like *NSYNC and Britney Spears, two artists that inspired the group’s debut concept.

"They really were a big inspiration for us, and that’s really what started this 90s and 2000s boy band vibe," says Elaya, and Eddie adds that they were also inspired by first generation K-pop groups of the time, like SHINHWA and S.E.S.

"I think that really highlighted our identity as Asian Americans who wanted to pursue music, which I think is a very beautiful thing. Hopefully that resonates with a lot of people, too," he says.

For the members, debuting as K-pop idols was a dream, not fully taking in the fact that they had accomplished it until their debut day, says Lei.

The group released a pre-debut track called, "RE:SET,"

With their name being RE:WIND, and the track titles, "RE:SET," and "FOREVER," time is a big theme in their current concept.

"RE:WIND means rewinding back to a specific time era feeling, emotion, memory, and there's just so much power within music, and we really want to transport you back to that moment through whatever song we have," Elaya says.

Fans have shown love to the group online since before they debuted, and the members say those messages of support mean a lot, even if it is just a simple YouTube comment.

"Even if those comments on the surface aren't as deep, they mean the world to us. I think because it's nice to see people enjoying the work that we put out," says Lei.

Looking ahead, the members want to try more, but have a set goal for their music.

"We definitely want to evolve and explore other sounds and genres, but one thing that's going to stay consistent with RE:WIND is that sense of emotion and feeling, because we're trying to rewind it back to certain emotions, feelings, memories. You're always going to feel that sense of nostalgia or a certain feeling that'll be attached to our songs," says Elaya.

"I think something that I'm most personally grateful for is these guys' voices, the amount of versatility that they have, and I like to think that I provide something too..like the trio of our voices means that we have a lot of options that we can explore," Lei adds.

Being the first K-pop group based in the U.S., the members are paving their own path with their company, ALLELE Entertainment, to make their dreams come true.

In South Korea, numerous music shows and variety programs give new groups and artists the opportunity to show off their music, but the same can’t be said for the U.S., meaning the group has not gotten the chance to perform for fans just yet, but in the end, the chance to debut is fulfilling a life-long dream for them.

"I would love to do a live performance. I'm sure we all do, to meet all of our supporters and to be finally able to perform live, because we haven't yet..and even though our mission is set in terms of what we want to do in the industry, at the end of the day, it is just us catering to the little kids in our soul, who always just wanted to sing and dance together, so we’re going to keep doing that," says Eddie.

And in a message to fans, Lei says, "Thank you..and it’s never too late to start listening to us, and it’s never too late to try to achieve your own goals as well."