DKZ (Formerly DONGKIZ) Reflects On Their 1st-Ever Music Show Win, What The Group Means To Them, And More

The members of DKZ (formerly known as DONGKIZ) have reflected on their past year and shared more about themselves with Harper’s Bazaar!

After Jaechan starred in the hit BL drama “Semantic Error” earlier this year, several of DKZ’s past songs began belatedly climbing up the Korean music charts, including “CRAZY NIGHT” and “LUPIN.” This buzz led to some major changes for the group, including their name change from DONGKIZ to DKZ, the departure of Wondae, and the addition of new members Sehyeon, Mingyu, and Giseok.

In April, DKZ made their first comeback after adding new members with “CHASE EPISODE 2. MAUM.” In the first week of its release, the single album recorded over 100,000 sales, absolutely obliterating DKZ’s previous first-week sales record of 1,482. Following their latest September comeback with “CHASE EPISODE 3. BEUM,” DKZ scored their first-ever music show win on “The Show” with their new title track “Uh-Heung.”

With 2022 winding down, DKZ sat down with Harper’s Bazaar to introduce themselves, look back on their recent successes, talk about their first win, and much more!

Jaechan explained that he was in charge of rap and producing within DKZ and described his charms as an “onion,” as there are many layers of himself that he has yet to show. Regarding the group’s first music show win, Jaechan shared, “I’ve always dreamt of the goal of first place, so these were happy promotions because we were able to achieve that. It’s become our strength to move forward even more diligently in the future.”

When he was younger, Jaechan revealed that his dream was to become an astronaut or a scientist. Now, being a “cool adult” to Jaechan means “someone who maintains their integrity in their own way.” Jaechan chose his mom as his role model in life, with his musical role models being Colde, DPR LIVE, and Leellamarz.

Picking Mingyu as the member he has the best chemistry with, Jaechan commented, “[Mingyu is] my very own comedian.” On what DKZ means to him, Jaechan answered, “[DKZ is] like home.”

Looking to the future, Jaechan shared, “For our next album, I want to try out a hip hop concept. My ultimate goal is making music that can be of comfort to the public.”

Kyoungyoon introduced himself as DKZ’s “deep voice” and added that his charms were his kindness, attention to detail, charismatic looks, and athletic ability. On what differentiates DKZ from other groups, Kyoungyoon shared, “We don’t limit our concepts and are growing. Later on, I’d like to make music that people all around the world can trust and listen to. Personally, I want to become strength to the public with my own music.”

Thinking back to DKZ’s win, Kyoungyoon commented, “It feels like receiving a big present from fans so I’m thankful. I also want to say thank you to my members, who have endured with me up until now. To be honest, we had first place expectations for this album so I was so happy that it really came true.”

Kyoungyoon described DKZ as his family and commented, “I want to forever remember the moment we all cried together when we won first place for our promotions with ‘Uh-Heung.'” On what makes a cool adult, Kyoungyoon shared, “Someone who has a humble attitude, the more successful they become.”

Lastly, Kyoungyoon shared, “I want us to grow into a global DKZ. I hope we can showcase music that everyone can enjoy, regardless of age and gender! One day, I also want to try [making] a ballad album that is jam-packed with our six voices.”

Sehyeon is DKZ’s second-eldest member who has unexpected charms. Regarding DKZ’s first win, he shared, “I still can’t believe that we got first place on a music show, which isn’t easy. I’m thankful to fans who gave us results that were even greater than what we anticipated.”

Sehyeon explained that DKZ is his life and shared that a cool adult is “someone who knows how to step up without hesitation, no matter the situation, and move forward while trusting in themselves.” In the future, Sehyeon hopes that DKZ grows as a group that isn’t confined to a certain concept and shared their plans to try out various genres.

Mingyu explained that he was in charge of DKZ’s “charming voice” and revealed that his secret weapon was his sexiness. Looking back on DKZ’s “Uh-Heung” promotions, he shared, “We were gifted so many happy memories throughout these promotions, not just our music show win. I want to become a DKZ that does not settle with this first place [trophy] and grows even more.”

If he were to become a YouTuber, Mingyu shared that he would want to showcase music content with him covering songs of various genres. On what DKZ means to him, Mingyu explained, “[DKZ is] like my parents. There’s a lot to learn from my members. Whenever I see them give way to each other, they look cool.”

Lastly, Mingyu shared his opinion on what makes a cool adult. “Someone who fulfills their assigned role perfectly. Of course I know that ‘perfect’ is not easy but I believe that the process of working towards that is also important.”

DKZ’s youngest member Giseok described himself as someone who is “as clear as water, as clean as white paper, and as essential as oxygen.” On DKZ’s “Uh-Heung” win, he remarked, “These were my second promotions since debuting and since the vibe was completely different from the previous song, I prepared even more diligently, but these were promotions I still feel regret for as I was so nervous. However, it was a time I’m so thankful for as we were gifted the present of No. 1.”

Touching on his diverse childhood dreams, Giseok shared, “I had a lot of dreams, including gym teacher, convenience store boss, amusement park owner, hotelier, and more. Now, I’ve achieved my dream of debuting and have become DKZ. There was a time when I had to go to the hospital a lot and I have memories of being taken care of well by the nurses so I have a lot of interest for jobs in the nursing field. I actually enrolled in school for nursing.”

When asked what he’d like to resemble of each member, Giseok answered, “Kyoungyoon’s reflexes, Sehyeon’s attention to detail, Mingyu’s sense, Jaechan’s all-rounder character, and Jonghyeong’s leadership.” Giseok then shared, “[To me, DKZ is] like the sun. [DKZ] shines brightly and shares a warm heart.”

DKZ’s leader Jonghyeong chose his eye smile, voice tone, and brightness as his charms. On DKZ’s first win, the leader shared, “These were such meaningful promotions and I’m so thankful that we were able to achieve the results of first place, which I’ve dreamt of for a long time. We attempted a new concept this time and I’ve developed anticipation and courage that we will be able to showcase even more diverse images in the future.”

Jonghyeong chose his own self as his driving force and elaborated, “I want to become someone who I’m not ashamed of. In order to do that, I always try not to forget why I chose to walk down this [career] path.” He added that he feels the most courageous whenever he’s in a space with his DKZ members and their fans.

Regarding what makes a cool adult, Jonghyeong commented, “Someone who admits their differences with others and does not force their thoughts onto others. They should also be open to hearing the opinions of others.”

Jonghyeong described DKZ as his youth. Looking ahead, he commented, “I want to become a turtle-like group that makes music for a long time. Because turtles are the icons of longevity! I hope that I’ll be able to do the work that I love with even more people!”

This week, DKZ will perform at the 2022 MAMA Awards as the winner of Mnet Plus’s “Road to MAMA Awards.” DKZ’s full interview and pictorial will be available in the December issue of Harper’s Bazaar!

Check out Jaechan in “Semantic Error” here:

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