An eight-month predebut process allowed boy band TIOT to draw the blueprint for its journey. Now, with one additional member in the mix, the rookie group is finally ready to “Kick-Start” its proper launch.

“We’ve been drawing and going through the blueprint according to our plan, and I could feel that we were on track,” TIOT’s Kim Min-seoung said in a press showcase for the boy band’s debut album, “Kick-Start,” on Monday at the Shinhan Sol Pay Square in Mapo District, western Seoul, ahead of its 6 p.m. release.


Four of the members of TIOT — Kim Min-seoung, Kum Jun-hyeon, Hong Keon-hee and Choi Woo-jin — made a “predebut” last August with the EP “Frame the Blueprint: Prelude to Possibilities.” K-pop bands often release predebut albums with the goal of introducing their members to the general public while preparing for their official debut.

TIOT members, back then, were not shy to admit that they were “still in the process of drawing the blueprint” for their official debut. But now that they have already appeared at concerts, fan meetings, music shows and overseas activities, they are more confident.

“We are now ready to show the complete and real side of TIOT,” Kim said.

“With all the experiences we’ve garnered through our predebut, I think we were able to show a more relaxed side of TIOT,” said Kum, citing the group's Korean fan concerts, Japanese concerts in Tokyo and Osaka and “It's Live” YouTube appearances.


“We also intend to communicate better with our fans,” Kum added. “I feel like we can have more people like TIOT.”

With the official debut, TIOT also welcomes its fifth and youngest member, Shin Ye-chan, to the team. The press showcase was Shin's first performance in front of an audience.

“I was extremely nervous,” Shin said after the band performed its lead track, “Rock Thang.”

“But the members told me to just enjoy it, and I think that really sealed the deal.”

He recalled watching the band perform in Japan last year before being announced as an official member. Kum, he said, “told me to remember the audience at the concert; he told me that they would, one day, be my fans, too.”

The older members appeared supportive of Shin throughout the showcase, praising his skills and emphasizing him as a “befitting addition” to the team. Kum cited his “sexy vocals” while Kim explained that the youngest member felt mature, despite his young age.

TIOT’s debut EP, “Kick-Start,” features five tracks: “Goosebumps,” lead track “Rock Thang,” “Moonrise,” “Paradise” and “Baby Shark” — inspired by the popular children's song.

“Rock Thang,” which Kum and Kim were involved in writing, is a soul and hip-hop score that shows the band's energetic side.

“You are bound to go through a lot of emotions as you become adults. Sometimes you are sad, confused, afraid and more,” Kim said. “In the lead track, we are telling people to throw away such confusing thoughts with the help of music.”

But the band's strength, the members feel, is not in its recordings, but in its performances.

“The difference we have, compared to other groups, lies in the performance and the energy that we emit during our performances,” Hong said.

“We’ve prepared very diligently, so we hope to reach to more people with our EP,” Kum said.

And while the members are technically rookies on the K-pop scene, Kum hopes that many months of predebut experience will help them drop that title quickly.

“Instead of the [usual] 'monster rookie' moniker,” he said, “we hope just to be called 'monster TIOT.'”

To find out more about TIOT, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]