ASTRO’s MOONBIN&SANHA talk new album and goals for the new year

MOONBIN&SANHA, the first sub-unit from popular K-pop group ASTRO, just released their third unit album titled INCENSE on Jan. 4. 

Their group, ASTRO, debuted in 2016 under Fantagio Entertainment. The group is known for their fun and bright concepts. 

MOON BIN, the group’s main dancer, and YOON SAN-HA, the lead vocalist, made their debut as the first sub-unit of the group in 2020 with the EP IN-OUT, followed by REFUGE in 2022. 

When asked if there is a connection between the three albums, MOON BIN says, "The first overarching theme over the three albums would be 'We'll make you happy'. Under that theme, we would add different concepts such as refuge, scent, and therapist. We always have the same message for all three albums."

INCENSE is led by the title "Madness" and five other tracks, two of which are solo tracks for each member. 

ASTRO 아스트로 문빈&산하 - Madness M/V

"For me, the most challenging part was recording the album because I took many new challenges. I hit the highest note I've ever hit in this album, so recording that part was a little difficult. Also, I tried rapping in 'Madness', which required a new type of vocalization, and I felt a bit awkward. Overall, it was a great experience though," says SAN-HA. 

Describing the concept of INCENSE, MOON BIN says, "For this album's concept, we thought of adapting one of five senses of human. Then we thought that the most memorable sense of all would be the sense of smell, so we decided to build the concept around the keyword 'scent'."

The duo took on a different style than that of ASTRO, with a darker concept and R&B elements. FOX 13 asked them if that was an important factor when becoming the first unit of the group.

"I think it is beneficial to have a little bit of difference between group activities and unit activities. Since ASTRO members are working and releasing music as different units, it's a good opportunity to show new performances or songs and present our similar yet various charms to the audience," MOON BIN answered.

MOON BIN says he thinks the track "Perfumer'' is the track that expresses MOONBIN&SANHA the best on this album. 

The music video for "Madness" was released along with the album on Jan. 4 and has gained over 11 million views in one week. 

According to numbers released by Hanteo, a South Korean music charting system, the unit’s third album sold over 130,000 copies in its first week. 

Fans sent in questions to FOX 13 for the unit, including the most frequent question asking about the possibility of a tour in the future.

In response, MOON BIN says, "We're discussing many things positively with our company, so we're expecting to share some good news sometime in early this year.

SAN-HA gives a message to their fans, known as AROHAs, saying "Hi AROHA, we're back with the third mini album with the title track "Madness." I'm sure you'll see our new side when you watch our performance or listen to the new album. We'll continue giving our best for each performance, so I hope you give lots of love. Also, we hope to meet more international AROHAs if we can, so please stay healthy until we meet. Thank you, fighting!"