An unlikely rock band has arrived on the K-pop scene — bringing together a Berklee student, a former DJ and a “three-year-old” star drummer all under one name: hrtz.wav.

“Each of us has such a distinctive style that we could easily have clashed,” said vocalist Riann during the band’s debut showcase held in western Seoul on Wednesday, ahead of the release of its first EP, “The First Wave.”


“But just like different colors come together to create a rainbow, we naturally found harmony — so I don’t think we had that much difficulty working as a team.”

Pronounced as “hearts wave,” the band was formed through Mnet’s band audition program “Steal Heart Club,” which aired from October to December last year. The program was produced in collaboration with Kakao Entertainment, which now manages the band.

The five members each won first place in their respective positions on the show: keyboardist Youn Young-jun, who has been active as a DJ before competing on “Steal Heart Club”; vocalist Riaan; bassist Dane; guitarist Keiten, a performance major at Berklee College of Music; and star drummer Hagiwa, who had already established a significant following on social media even before joining the audition program.

Hagiwa, in particular, stands out for his unique stage persona in which he says was born three years ago in “Hagiwa World,” located somewhere in Japan. Hagiwa is known for his cheeky and playful stage demeanor, always appearing in a mask and a rabbit-eared hat and speaking in an altered voice.

“Ever since Hagiwa was born three years ago, the only thing Hagiwa has had in mind was making everyone in this world happy with music,” Hagiwa said in his signature altered voice — enabled with a special microphone — while referring to himself in the third person.

He acknowledged concerns that his distinctive persona might stand out too much in a group setting.

“Though it’s true there were worries before deciding to compete on ‘Steal Heart Club,’ Hagiwa thought that he should overcome those fears,” the drummer said.

As viewers connected with his music and style through the program, Hagiwa added, “Now Hagiwa wants to give joy to people not only as Hagiwa from Hagiwa World but also as a member of hrtz.wav.”

“Even if it may not seem that way at first glance, we actually get along really well, like a family,” said Dane, in support of his bandmate. “So we’d really appreciate if everyone could show Hagiwa lots of love and support.”

The band’s debut EP, “The First Wave,” features six songs: lead track, “Nineteen,” along with B-sides “Dream,” Highlight,” “I am so fine,” “Outta my mind” and “Close To Me.”

“Nineteen” is a pop rock track centered on memories of being 19 years old, with all five members credited with writing the lyrics.

The band’s name combines the words hearts, hertz and wave, signifying the group’s ambition to create a new wave in music, an idea proposed by Keiten. And true to its name, the band says it hopes to bring a fresh wave to the scene.

“You should always dream big, right?” said Dane. “So my personal dream is for us to become a band that leaves a lasting mark on the music scene.”

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]