ENHYPEN’s ‘DARK MOON: The Blood Altar’ surpasses 200 million views, deepens fan connection
ENHYPEN‘s ‘DARK MOON: The Blood Altar’ surpassed 200 million cumulative views and was later adapted into an animated series, which helped bring ENHYPEN to this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.
The members spoke with reporters in San Diego on July 24 (local time) and discussed how storytelling has strengthened fans’ ties to their music and wider content.
Jay said:
Storytelling plays a huge role in K-pop,
When people become fans of something, they naturally want to explore more related content. Our fans can enjoy not only our music, but also our performances, videos and additional content like ‘DARK MOON’. I think that’s what makes our group special.
Unlike many groups that drop hints of fictional worlds in music videos and lyrics, ENHYPEN has expanded its vampire-themed storyline through the ‘DARK MOON’ webtoon and web novel series since 2022.
Jake said:
We’ve been building this story since our debut, and it’s reflected in our album lyrics as well,
I think that helps fans become more invested. They enjoy both ‘DARK MOON’ and ENHYPEN together.
The members also said they take part in shaping the story. Jay added that the creative team regularly interviews them about their personal thoughts, emotions and experiences, and those answers get woven into both ‘DARK MOON’ and ENHYPEN’s music videos.
Jungwon said:
I realized there are a lot of people who see ‘DARK MOON’ as its own animation rather than just idol content,
That was really surprising.
When asked about appearing if the series became a live-action drama, Sunoo laughed at the idea of taking big acting roles but left the door open for smaller parts.
Sunoo said:
I don’t think we’re good enough at acting to be cast,
But we’d definitely be open to making a cameo.
After the interview, ENHYPEN held ‘DARK MOON Blood Night’, a vampire-themed fan event at the House of Blues San Diego. Six hundred fifty fans, chosen through a lottery, attended in vampire-inspired dress. The group performed six songs tied to its fictional universe, including ‘Bite Me’, ‘Karma’ and ‘Criminal Love’.