DAVIDE K-POP

On June 13th, K-pop group TIOT kicked off their First Europe Tour in London, and oh boy, did they deliver! The talent was outstanding – incredible vocal skills and powerful dance performances showed that TIOT didn’t come to play, they came to SLAY.

Just before the show, I had the pleasure of chatting with the members to get to know them a little more, discussing their tour and what’s coming next.

Before diving into the interview, let me give you a bit of background. TIOT consists of Kim Minseoung, Kum Junhyeon, Hong Keonhee, Choi Woojin, and Shin Yechan. You might recognize Minseoung, Keonhee, and Woojin from their participation in Boys Planet. They officially debuted in April 2024 with their first mini-album, Kick-START, and have since delivered a string of catchy songs, including their latest EP, FLEX LINE. They recently wowed audiences at KCON Japan with an amazing performance (highly recommended, make sure to check it out after reading this!).

With this brief introduction to the group, let’s hear directly from TIOT. They have a special message for LOTI:

Davide: Hello TIOT! I’m Davide, thank you for taking the time for this interview. How are you all doing today? It must be an exciting time with your first Europe tour going on! Could you please introduce yourselves one by one to our readers? Including a fun fact or something unique about yourselves.
Minseoung: Hello I’m Minseoung, I’m the leader of TIOT, my nickname is hamster leader aka Hamlet. 
Junhyeon: Hello I’m Korean Super Energiser, Kum ​Junhyeon.
Keonhee: Hello my name is Keonhee of TIOT, my nickname is dinosaur because the shape of my face looks a dinosaur.
Woojin: Hello my name is Woojin and my nickname is cat, because my eyes look like a cat’s eyes. I will do my best.
Yechan: Hello I’m pink pink cotton candy Yechan, the youngest one from TIOT. 

Davide: Your group name, TIOT, is very interesting, can you please tell us the origin of it?
Keonhee: TIOT stands for ‘Time is Our Turn’ which means that from now on, it’s our era—it’s our time to take the stage. We think it’s a name that really brings out our unique colour the most. Just like the meaning of the name, we’ll do our best to express ourselves through the songs and performances we plan to show in the future.

Davide: Your latest music, “FLEX LINE,” came out not long ago. Now you’re going to Europe for the first time! How do you feel about sharing your new songs with fans in Europe so soon? What kind of feeling do you want to give them at your shows?
Minseoung: This is our first European tour, and we’re going on tour with the song Flex Line. We heard that many people in Europe really enjoy our music, and we actually had the chance to visit Germany once and connect with fans there. With this Flex Line EP, we wanted to show fans our energetic side and have more interactions with them—that’s what led us to go on this tour.

Davide: This is your first tour in Europe. How are you preparing to connect with your fans there and share special moments with them during your performances?
Junhyeon: Since our comeback, we’ve done a lot of performances, and we felt that we wanted to focus more on communicating and exchanging energy with fans—especially to connect with the unique, high energy of our European fans. To add to that, for every tour, we prepare different songs for each country’s fans. This time, we’ve prepared a variety of pop songs as well, and even in our unit stages, we made sure to create opportunities for more interaction with the audience.
Minseoung: We’ve prepared a variety of songs, including What Makes You Beautiful, Bruno Mars’s Leave the Door Open, and Kendrick Lamar’s HUMBLE. among others.
Davide: that’s amazing, I can’t wait to see it!

Davide: “FLEX LINE” has a very confident and dynamic sound. How do you plan to translate that energy and the distinct vibe of the new EP into your live performances on stage for the European tour?
Yechan: Flex Line is a song that’s truly full of energy, and because of that, during our performances, we plan to make more eye contact with fans, match our rhythm with theirs, and deliver the performance with sincerity. We believe that the more genuinely we perform, the more our energy will come across to the audience.

Davide: ​​With “FLEX LINE” having just dropped, what are your immediate thoughts on your next musical steps? Are you already brainstorming concepts or sounds for future releases, and can fans expect to see a new side of TIOT emerge in your upcoming music?
Minseoung: We’ve been staying active without taking a break, and while performing Flex Line a lot recently, we’ve also been talking a lot about our next album as we prepare for this tour—especially about the concept. As TIOT continues to grow, we want our music to reflect that growth by exploring more musical diversity. We’re preparing a variety of things so our fans can enjoy different sides of us too.

Davide: do you have any special message for your fans?
Keonhee: This is our very first time performing in Europe as TIOT, and we just did our sound check—we got a feel for the energy of our European fans, and now we’re really looking forward to the upcoming stages. We don’t just want to receive energy from our fans; we also want to give energy back to them. We hope to leave behind a strong impression that will make fans remember us and look forward to our next visit.
Minseoung: As this is our first time performing in Europe, we’re truly grateful to the fans who came to see us. We promise to keep growing and to perform on even bigger stages in the future.
Woojin: Since this is our first European tour, we hope all our fans can just have a great time and enjoy it with us.

Davide: Thank you so much for taking the time for this flash interview! It has been an absolute pleasure and I really appreciate it! I look forward to listening to your new music and see your energy on stage! Thanks! 감사합니다

Chatting with them was a very sweet experience; they were friendly, motivated, and genuinely excited to be in Europe for the first time! After the interview and a short break, it was showtime!

TIOT opened the London show with “Goosebumps” and “Time Is Our Turn.” From the very first beat, TIOT made it clear we were in for a show! They brought incredibly high energy from the beginning, showcasing all their talent in singing and dancing. After a brief introduction, they jumped into two of my favorite songs, “ROCK THANG” and “FLEX LINE.” Absolutely amazing! Even better than the studio versions.

After these incredible tracks, TIOT took a different turn, offering homage to other K-pop artists. They performed the smoothest choreography for ATEEZ’s “WORK” and the super fun and viral “APT.” by Rosé and Bruno Mars. The tribute didn’t stop there; they then performed covers that truly blew me away with their vocal skills. They performed One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful,” followed by another K-pop cover, NCT U’s “Baggy Jeans.” They then covered Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble” and Bruno Mars’ “Leave the Door Open,” pure emphasis of their talent.

It was now time to go back to their own repertoire with “가나요 (Moonrise)” and “Always.” Unfortunately, the show was drawing to a close with “Sweet Magic” and “Birthday,” marking the finish line of this fun and charismatic night!

I had a great time at the show and truly believe TIOT has all the right cards to soar even higher! They are extremely talented and possess that star quality only a few have. My only minor note was about the venue; it was a bit too small, and the lighting was occasionally harsh, but again, this has nothing to do with the amazing performance TIOT delivered.

Make sure to like and support TIOT, and I will eagerly look forward to their next comeback!