EXCLUSIVE | Kingdom share plans of their fantasy series and ‘History Of Kingdom Ivan’
Kingdom is finally back with their much-awaited album ‘History of Kingdom: Part III. Ivan’ and the title track ‘Black Crown’. As the third part of their series, this comeback focuses on Ivan and the fight between good and evil. With an intense and dynamic album and an equally engaging music video for ‘Black Crown’ that is full of plot twists, the K-pop boy group has outdone themselves for their latest album.
Kingdom continues to surprise fans by weaving in cinematic elements and making the musical experience that much more immersive for fans. MEAWW had a chance to ask the K-pop group about their ambitious plan for the 32-album storyline and their future projects. Well, in an exclusive interview with MEAWW, Kingdom talks about their inspiration behind ‘Black Crown’, the idea of a K-drama about the Kingdom universe and more.
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MEAWW: Congratulations on your newest comeback! We have to talk about the title track ‘Black Crown’ first. What were your first impressions when you all heard it for the first time?
Kingdom: The first impression of 'Black Crown' was "grand magnificence". As the previous title tracks did, this track sounded just like "KINGDOM’s music".
MEAWW: What is each member's favorite b-side track that you would like to perform live?
Dann: I want to perform ‘Night Air‘ and ‘Eternity’. Both of them are ballad tracks from our previous albums. I love to sing, so I want to sing these two tracks live, and interact with Kingmakers.
Arthur: ‘Night Air’ and ‘Make Us’. ‘Night Air’ is a comfy track of which calm melodies would pacify you. ‘Make Us’ is a song for the Kingmakers, and by the Kingmakers. I want to perform it live and deliver our sincere messages.
Mujin: ‘ON AIR’! First, it is not that hard to perform. And we had so much fun recording it! The whole recording process was full of joy, thus this track reminds us of cheerful memories.
Louis: Among the b-side tracks of this album, I’d like to perform ‘We Are’ live.
Ivan: I personally want to perform ‘We Are’ as well.
Jahan: I want to perform either ‘Fallen Star’ or ‘Burn’. Both tracks are my favorite, so I’d love to perform them live in front of our fans.
Chiwoo: I want to perform ‘ON AIR’ live with members. I think it would be so fun!
MEAWW: Ivan, this album focuses on you, but if you could switch parts in ‘Black Crown’ with another member, which one would it be?
Ivan: I want to try Jahan’s part since his part caught my eye. I am a bit hesitant, however, to switch parts with him since I’m the main character of this album. Haha.
MEAWW: What was your inspiration while working on this album?
Dann: Ahead of filming our music video, we gathered together to watch 'The Lord of the Rings' series. We put ourselves in the protagonist’s place, applying “The Ring” to “Black Crown”. It helped us a lot with acting for the music video.
MEAWW: Any fun behind-the-scenes stories while shooting the music video?
Louis: There is a scene in the music video where the members' quarrel, encircling the "Black Crown". You might be curious about what words we were speaking. In fact, we were talking nonsense, since we were all so tired. Once we burst into laughter, none of us could keep a straight face. We couldn’t stop laughing facing each other! Hahaha.
Also, our concept was the ‘Kingdom of Snow’, so snow powder was sprinkled all over the studio where we filmed the music video. While dancing, the powder got into our eyes and throat, making us cough. It was a discomfort back then, but looking backwards, it was a pleasant memory.
MEAWW: Other than the fact that this album focuses on Ivan, how is it different from your previous ones? What is something new that you want to show with this comeback?
Arthur: This time, we do not use stage props such as swords and fans. That may be the biggest difference. Our performance would be stunning, even without fancy equipment. We want to show you the details of our performance, including our gestures and facial expressions.
MEAWW: This is the third album in the ‘History of Kingdom’ series. Fans have come up with all kinds of theories as to what happens after it ends like crossovers of different kings or futuristic concepts. Can you give us a hint as to what to expect next?
Ivan: We have no clear idea yet -- we are looking forward to the next story as well! In my personal guess, after the seven albums introducing each of the seven kings, the theme would be focusing on KINGDOM as a unified team!
MEAWW: Dann and Mujin once again have participated in this album. Are the other members also interested in composing or songwriting?
Mujin: The other members are interested in composing and songwriting as well, yet still practising and developing their skills. I hope they keep practising and get their names on the song credit in the next album.
MEAWW: Your group's concept is related to different historical elements and myths. Do you have any favorite characters?
Ivan: I am interested in Ivan, the king in our fictional universe. I would like to interpret his character deeply since I’m sure no one would favor him more than myself.
MEAWW: Fans absolutely love the concepts that you guys have done so far from Oriental to Western. What is one concept that you would like to try in the future?
Arthur: We tried diverse concepts, yet mostly grand, dramatic and sharp ones, in order to adhere to our fictional universe. Thus I want to try something new -- a sexy concept or a bright, refreshing one that would reveal the new charming colors of KINGDOM!
MEAWW: What is your dream collaboration? Any artist that you think would suit your Kingdom project well?
Jahan: It is too hard to pick one since there are so many talented artists we look up to. I want to take the chance to collaborate with all of them.
MEAWW: You and your fans have shown excitement and interest in the Kingdom universe being turned into a movie or a drama. So if that did happen, have you guys thought about the plot? What would you like to title it?
Dann: That is what we dream of! If that happens, the plot may introduce the seven kings and kingdoms in the first season, and develop the narrative with a series of events in season 2. That would be the perfect adaptation of our albums! The title could be something like 'Seven Kings'!
MEAWW: Your fans are waiting to see you perform in person. Any plans for an offline concert soon?
Chiwoo: We will begin arranging a face-to-face fan meeting! You would be able to attend our concerts in the near future if the pandemic situation gets better quickly.
MEAWW: Finally, any last words for your fans?
Kingdom: Sincere thanks to all the Kingmakers who waited three months for this comeback! We hope you love our third mini-album and its title track ‘Black Crown’! We love you, Kingmakers!
Watch the music video for ‘Black Crown’ below.