Seventeen's Mingyu and Wonwoo to release 'Bittersweet' as a duo

▲ This photo provided by Pledis Entertainment shows Seventeen members Mingyu (left) and Wonwoo (right). (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap).

▲ This photo provided by Pledis Entertainment shows Seventeen members Wonwoo and Mingyu's new song "Bittersweet." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo provided by Pledis Entertainment shows Seventeen's member Mingyu. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo provided by Pledis Entertainment shows Seventeen member, Wonwoo. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, May 28 (Yonhap) -- K-pop act Seventeen's member Wonwoo and Mingyu will release their new song "Bittersweet" as a duo unit in order to begin Seventeen's new project "Power of Love" this Friday.

"Power of Love" is a project created by Seventeen that showcase various moments of love a person faces in life through music.

 "I wrote the lyrics, 'Why did love become love?' and I had a lot of thoughts. It's a lyric that makes me keep thinking, and every time I think about it, the answer is a little different." (Mingyu)

In "Bittersweet," Wonwoo and Mingyu sing about the subtle love that suddenly comes between three people who have been friends for a long time. Both Seventeen members participated in writing the lyrics.

"There is a moment when you have to choose one of the many emotions you feel in your life. The song started off when I questioned myself 'what would I choose between love and friendship?'," Mingyu said.  

Member Wonwoo chose the word "youth" in order to describe the feeling of "bittersweet." "I think a moment where it's both bitter and sweet would have to be during someone's youth. Also the word 'youth' kept roaming in my mind while I was making and recording this song, as well as when I was filming the music video."

Although Seventeen has always cheered on for the youths in Korea with refreshing and bright songs, "Bittersweet" has a relatively heavy sound compared to the group's previous music. The behind-the-scene videos of Wonwoo and Mingyu filming the music video and preview photos portrayed Wonwoo and Mingyu wandering the streets at night.

Wonwoo mentioned, "The members with voices that would nicely match the image of 'Bittersweet' were selected. The atmosphere of this song is slightly more mature than Seventeen's image."

"Bittersweet" also became an opportunity for Wonwoo and Mingyu to offer their vocal skills. While the two members are positioned as rappers within SEVENTEEN, "Bittersweet" allows the duo to express conflicting feelings between the sweetness of love and the bitterness of friendship as vocalists.

Songstress Lee Hi, who is known for her unique voice, has stepped forward as a featured artist in "Bittersweet."

"While I was making the chorus part for the song, I immediately thought of singer Lee Hi," Won-woo said. "I asked her if she could feature in our song and thankfully she was willingly to participate."

Since Seventeen's debut in 2015, the group has steadily built its fandom and has grown into a boy group representing K-pop both in Korea and globally.

For a boy band who have delivered positive energy to young adults in Korea, it only seems natural that Seventeen chose 'love' as the theme for their seventh debut anniversary project.

Mingyu also mentioned, "I hope to show everyone the power of love just like our project name, 'Power of Love.'"

Seventeen will release return as a full group with its eighth mini-album "Your Choice" next month.

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