ENHYPEN Dashes to the Top of the K-Pop Scene with First Studio Album “DIMENSION: DILEMMA”

The rookie group battles the dilemma of new-found fame on their “hero’s journey” into the K-Pop industry.

Within hours of its release on Oct. 12, ENHYPEN’s first studio album “DIMENSION: DILEMMA” reached over 910,000 preorders and 501,000 sales on Hanteo Chart (a record of individual K-Pop album sales from South-Korean approved stores and websites).

Despite being only a 10-month-old rookie K-Pop group, ENHYPEN is set to achieve the “million seller” album status before the first anniversary of their official group debut on Nov. 30.

ENHYPEN originates from I-LAND, a 2020 reality survival show created by label BELIFT LAB for K-Pop male trainees. The label is part of South Korean entertainment company HYBE, which represents other well-known K-Pop groups such as BTS and TXT.

Formed on Sept.18, 2020, HYBE group ENHYPEN consists of the seven I-LAND finalists: Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo and NI-KI.

As HYBE’s first K-Pop group to be formed during the pandemic, ENHYPEN centers on the concept of connection, discovery and growth. Their group name is a mix of an em dash and a hyphen that connects different words to create a new meaning.

Their fans, called “ENGENE,” stands for ENHYPEN’s “gene” : people who can connect, discover and grow with the ENHYPEN members.

The recognition and fame that members gained from I-LAND and ENGENEs led them to have little time to adjust to their new careers and lives as K-Pop idols.

ENHYPEN's first studio album, “DIMENSION: DILEMMA,” illustrates ENHYPEN’s journey into the K-Pop industry.

Originally meant to be released in September, the album was released on Oct. 12 due to six out of seven members testing positive for COVID-19. All six members recovered before the Oct. 12 release date.

The album contains tracks “Intro: Whiteout,” “Tamed-Dashed” (also released as an MV), “Upper Side Dreamin,” “Just a Little Bit,” “Go Big or Go Home,” “Blockbuster” (ft. Yeonjun of TXT), “Attention, please!,” and “Interlude: Question.”

The tracks weave a story containing elements of Greek mythology as the ENHYPEN members start their “hero’s journey” to achieve fame and fortune and find themselves questioning their identities at the end.

ENHYPEN’s Korean-Australian vocalist, rapper, dancer and unofficial storyteller Jake narrates the mini opening monologue “Intro: Whiteout” in English: “The most precious things might be the things you have to give away in order to get the treasure. We’ve either got to go through a brooding monster, or a swirling tornado. Whatever we choose, we’ve got to run.”

The “brooding monster” and “swirling tornado” are nods to Greek mythological monsters Scylla and Charybdis, who hero Odysseus faces in The Odyssey. “DIMENSION: DILEMMA”’s three photo concepts are also named “Scylla,” “Charybdis” and “Odysseus.” In this album, ENHYPEN are Odysseus, sailing the sea of obstacles to achieve their goal.

ENHYPEN’s 17-year-old leader (and youngest leader in K-Pop history) Jungwon sings in the title track “Tamed-Dashed” in Korean: “Scorching sun show me the way, my compass please don’t leave me now.”

Loaded with bass-guitar, rock and EDM elements, “Tamed-Dashed” creates the upbeat sensation of ENHYPEN confidently throwing caution to the wind and sailing closer to their goal of fame.

EDM-focused “Upper Side Dreamin,” however, reveals that the members are quickly disillusioned by the material benefits that come with fame.

Eldest member, vocalist, center and “ace” Heeseung sings in Korean: “When we’re here, on the street, fancy car, a big house, even the scent seems to have changed.” Vocalist, dancer, and former professional ice-skater Sunghoon follows: “It welcomes us like a dream.”

Korean-American vocalist, rapper, dancer and mood-maker Jay adds in Korean in “Upper Side Dreamin:” “The dream becomes a reality, I’m sure it’ll wait for me.”

Further into their disillusionment with fame and popularity, ENHYPEN members’ confidence waver as someone they romantically admire expresses disinterest in their lifestyle of fame in “Attention, please!”

Japanese “maknae” (the group’s youngest member at 15 years old), dancer and Michael-Jackson-fanatic NI-KI sings in Korean amidst riffs of rock guitar: “Standing at the crosswalk, I can’t move an inch.”

Vocalist, dancer and ENHYPEN’s “professional selfie-taker” Sunoo follows in Korean: “I’m in a dilemma, I’m afraid I’ll really lose everything.”

The illusion of fame seems to break off from ENHYPEN as Jake questions in the mini ending monologue “Interlude, Question” in English: “So what is it I want? Is this correct? What should I do? What choice do I make? Who am I?”

In a video where ENHYPEN reacted to their online community pages for 1theK Originals’ YouTube channel, Jay explained in Korean the concept of “DIMENSION: DILEMMA.”

“There’s a feeling of wanting to enjoy freedom. But at the same time, we also want a lot of public attention. So in between those emotions, we’re in a dilemma,” Jay said.

Jay’s comment and Jake’s questions reflect the questions the ENHYPEN members may be asking themselves in reality. ENHYPEN’s trajectory of success in the K-Pop industry leaves them little time to adjust to the demands and expectations of their fans, label and overall industry.

Despite their fast-paced rise of success, ENHYPEN acknowledges with the courage of a hero that they still have a long journey ahead of them to connect, discover and grow as artists through “DIMENSION: DILEMMA.”

You can listen to ENHYPEN’s official “DIMENSION: DILEMMA” Spotify playlist here.