By Patricia Fontejon & Stephanie Tran

On October 6, Japanese singer-songwriter Joji and Korean boy band Enhypen, held a concert together, featuring songs from their newest respective albums, “Smithereens” and “Dark Blood.” 

After the airing of the Korean pop (K-pop) survival group show, “I-land,” the group Enhyphen made their debut in 2020. Now, a few successful years later, the group is on tour once again with their newest mini album “Dark Blood” which was released in May. The album includes six exciting new tracks. Enhyphen tours the U.S. across seven different cities, performing some of their biggest hit songs, including “Bite Me” and “Sacrifice (eat me up)” from the new mini album along with some of their older popular songs such as “Fever” and “Drunk-Dazed.” 

Joji typically sings songs more on the sad side, and aren’t that upbeat. His music genre is perfectly described as trip-hop, a musical genre that is a combination of hip-hop, jazz, and electronic music to create a unique sound.

“My favorite part of the concert was when Joji sang ‘Slow Dancing In The Dark’ and this disco ball came down and started spinning, with the lights imitating stars. You could hear everyone singing as well,” junior Gianna Caro said. “It was such a great experience. I would recommend going to a Joji concert, even if you only have an interest in one of his songs. It was such an interactive performance.” 

The 4th generation K-pop group, Enhyphen, performed their setlist starting off with some of their older songs including “Let me in (20 Cube),” “Future Perfect (pass the mic),” and “Blessed-Cursed”. Then, went on with dance breaks and variations of their songs including “TFW (That Feeling When)” and “Just a Little Bit.” They went into the crowds while they performed “10 Months” and “Polaroid Love” while dispersing out to interact with fans in the crowd. 

Unlike Joji, their music is mostly upbeat with a very distinctive hard-hitting bass in the background. They often like to experiment with R&B as well. 

Joji’s setlist was a complete contrast to Enhyphen’s with sad and melancholic songs such as “Glimpse of Us,” “Die for You,” and “Like You Do.” Similar to his “Smithereens” album, the songs that he played are centered around a guy who just experienced a heartbreak. He’s either still hung up on that relationship, maturing, or staying static emotion-wise. 

While both Joji and Enhypen have different music styles and influences, the concert worked. The blend of Joji’s R&B and emotional lyricism complemented Enhypen’s high-energy and intricate choreography. 

Fans who attended the Enhypen and Joji concert were captivated by their engaging onstage personalities and how intimately they interacted with their fans. 

“I’ve been a fan of them ever since they debuted and I’ve kept up with them ever since,” junior Justina Estur said. “I think the love I’ve built up for them for the past 3 years really came through at this concert, which is what made the whole experience so enjoyable; many people could feel the love that these bands have for their followers.”