Tomorrow X Together talks new music, upcoming US tour and closing 'The Star Chapter'
From detailing the coming-of-age process to highlighting harsh realities, the group tells their own story. And on July 21, Tomorrow X Together is back to close the chapter on their latest installment, "The Star Chapter" series.
"The Star Chapter: TOGETHER" is a bookend, building upon EP "The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY", released on Nov. 4, 2024, and its themes of salvation, empathy and connection.
"This was a pretty long series," Taehyun, 23, tells USA TODAY. "Sometimes we did question ourselves, 'Are we taking it too long?' But now that we are coming to a close, I felt a little bit sad that we had to say goodbye."
"The Star Chapter: TOGETHER" marks the group's first studio album release in nearly two years, and it reveals Tomorrow X Together's artistic growth and emotional depth.
"This album is really about us and 'you' together striving toward a better tomorrow, and it means so much to us because 'together,' which is part of our very name and essence, is included in the title," Beomgyu, 24, says.
How 'togetherness' shaped TXT's new album
The ethos of Tomorrow X Together's recent release is found in the latter half of its title.
"Without togetherness, we wouldn't have come this far with the story," says Taehyun. "When we think about togetherness, it could mean the five of us, but I think it also includes MOA (the group's fans), because without MOA, this wouldn't have been possible."
"The Star Chapter: TOGETHER" accompanies the five members through a track list of transformation.
"Because we have solo tracks in this album, a lot of the members wanted to really show their true colors by participating in many aspects of the album creation," Hueningkai, 22, says. "I think this album really shows how we have grown as artists."
Tomorrow X Together talks 'minisode 3': 'Never expected' fans to show 'this much love'
TXT's inspiration for 'The Star Chapter: TOGETHER'
Tomorrow X Together's past installments were "a big inspiration to writing tracks in this album," because the storytelling and narrative continues from them, Taehyun shares.
"When I look back on the past installments that I was part of creating, I think I get inspiration from a lot of different things," says the group's leader Soobin, 24. "It could be the members, my family members, the fans ... the themes that we talk about in our songs are something that's very everyday and something that everyone can really relate to."
For this album, the guys worked on solo tracks – a first for some, but not for members Yeonjun and Beomgyu. The former released his first mixtape "GGUM" on Sept. 19, 2024, while the latter dropped his solo project "Panic" on May 15.
"My solo work 'Panic' was one of my favorite genres. I thought it was really my vibe," says Beomgyu. "(For) 'Take My Half', which is my solo track in this album, I wanted to stick with my own vibe, but add a new twist to it."
"For 'GGUM', I focus mostly on rap and dance for that track, but for 'Ghost Girl', it's more about vocals," says Yeonjun. "This time around, it's a rock genre, and YUNGBLUD produced it for me. I really wanted to live up to his vibe. It wasn't very easy, but it was a very exciting challenge I was willing to take on."
As for the album's lead single "Beautiful Strangers," Hueningkai says "it's really about conveying the message that 'I can grow thanks to the power that you gave me.'"
"I think this was the perfect song that would really convey the message of the entire album and really wrap up and seal the narrative of 'The Star Chapter'," he adds.
'Where I live my dream': Tomorrow X Together on Madison Square Garden shows, tour-day-in-the-life
TXT's fourth world tour and hopes for the future
To accompany the album, Tomorrow X Together will embark on their fourth world tour, "ACT: TOMORROW." It kicks off on Aug. 22 in Seoul, South Korea, and the guys will set out for the States starting Sept. 9.
"We're going to meet MOA in the States, as well as all across the globe," Soobin says. "We're really, really looking forward to that."
Tomorrow X Together will make stops across seven US cities, including Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Newark, NJ.
As for Tomorrow X Together's future, the group hopes their music can continue to be a guiding light for those experiencing growing pains.
"We've been spending the past six, seven years singing about the growth of these boys and the circumstances that they face and the emotions that they experienced," says Taehyun. "There were times when I sung a song first, and then later that experience happened to me, or the other way around."
"This might be a little bit personal, but I just hope that we are seen as artists that give positive impact to people," Hueningkai adds.
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