“Unbox What You Wanted”
The new boy group In A Minute, comprised of members Juntae, Jaejun, and Hyunyeop, has made their highly anticipated debut with their 1st single album, “UNBOXING: WHAT YOU WANTED.” This release, launched on March 15, 2025, aligns perfectly with their central theme, “Unbox What You Wanted”– an intro to the group as they unbox their music and style to the fans.
In an exclusive interview, In A Minute discussed their creative process, personal interests, and more, giving fans a deeper look into how they want to position their group in the entertainment industry. During their recent visit to the Philippines, the trio received a warm welcome from fans during their numerous appearances and guest appearances in mainstream media.
During our not-so-short chat with the group, Juntae, Jaejun and Hyunyeop shared interesting stories that every INNING should know. Here’s what they had to say when we caught up with them—unfiltered, honest, and and freshly unboxed!
How did the three of you come together to form IN A MINUTE? What’s the story behind your group?
Jaejun: First, because Juntae and I were part of the same company, we were planning to promote as a duo after TAN activities. But when I visited TAN, I ended up suggesting to Hyunyeop that we form a team together, which led to the creation of In A Minute. The meaning of In A Minute is that within a single minute, we want to turn everyone who listens to our music or watches our performance into our fans.
What are your roles or strengths within the group? How do they complement each other?
Jaejun: I’m in charge of producing. Personally, since I’ve worked with Jun-tae and Hyun-yeop for a long time, I think I’ve developed the ability to really catch each member’s strengths and reflect that in the music.
Hyunyeop: I’m the youngest (maknae) in In A Minute, and I think I can show a lot of different strengths on stage.
Juntae: In A Minute, I take on the role of ‘ang galing voice’— I’m also working with Jae-jun on
music production and various other roles.
What are some of the biggest influences – musical or otherwise – that have shaped you as artists?
Jaejun: Because we have Philippine fans. I really enjoy imagining how our stage performances would look. Whether it’s when we’re making music or creating content together, we often think, ‘What kind of performance and song would make our fans happy?’ We think about that a lot.
Hyunyeop: I really love listening to music, especially different genres.And whenever I listen, I think, ‘What would this feel like if I sang it myself?’. There’s a lot of fun in exploring that.
Juntae: Like Jae-jun mentioned earlier, we’ve been thinking about what kinds of genres and images In A Minute can show.
Beyond music, what are some of your shared interests or hobbies?
Hyunyeop: First of all, we really like eating. So when it’s promotion season, we do diet together, but when we have cheat days, we enjoy eating meat together. Since the members are good at cooking, we like cooking and eating together too. Talking about music and just chatting in the studio is a big part of our everyday life—it’s a fun element for us.
How involved were the members in the creative process of “UNBOXING: WHAT YOU WANTED”?
Jaejun: The keyword ‘Unbox’ was given to us by the producer Shinsadong Tiger. So we thought hard about what we should ‘unbox.’ And we decided—let’s unbox In A Minute first. Then we thought, how do we connect In A Minute with ‘Unbox’ and create an album? That’s when we came up with the keyword ‘What You Wanted.’ The theme became: we’re unboxing the In A Minute you all wanted. So in the song ‘Unbox,’ you can hear the sound of ripping tape from a box throughout the track.
What was the inspiration behind “UNBOXING: WHAT YOU WANTED”? What message do you hope to convey with it?
Jaejun: Personally, I wanted In A Minute to be a ‘young, wild, and free’ team. Since this is our debut album through ‘Unbox’ and ‘What You Wanted,’ I wanted a genre that really embodies that vibe. That’s why I studied a lot of early 2000s hip-hop. So through that genre, we tried to showcase In A Minute.
Juntae: And for our next songs and albums, we want to continue showing off that unique, young,
wild and free image.
What’s one thing that fans might be surprised to learn about IN A MINUTE?
Hyunyeop: That we look younger than our age. *laughs*
Please give a nickname to the person next to you.
Jaejun to Hyunyeop: A troublemaker.
Hyunyeop to Juntae: Heaven’s voice.
Juntae to Jaejun: Tagalog King. His pronunciation and diction in Tagalog are really good—he’s got a nice nuance.
[To Jaejun] You’ve previously debuted with various groups before, how is it different from debuting with “IN A MINUTE”?
Jaejun: First of all, In A Minute creates its own content, so we take on more responsibility because of that. Of course, I had fun with my previous groups too, but during the break I had, I realized that the most important personal value to me is happiness. So instead of just focusing on how to promote, I wanted to focus on making the act of promoting itself feel happy—and In A Minute is the team that I wanted to do that with. (Read more: Lee Jaejun)
[To Hyunyeop] What was your initial reaction when you were approached to join the group and what were your first thoughts about the other members when you met them?
Hyunyeop: I met Jae-jun and Jun-tae at different times. first met Jae-jun through a survival show, and we became a team from there.I met Jun-tae for the first time when I followed Jae-jun to his studio. I became close with Jae-jun while working together, but Jun-tae was new to me. Still, I knew he was a really talented singer. When the three of us decided to team up, I wondered, ‘Will this combo work?’ But as we created and prepared music together, I started to feel confident.
Jaejun: That’s why, when I first suggested the team to Hyun-yeop, his reaction was lukewarm. He asked so casually, so I was just like ‘Yeah, sure~’ But then like – Yes~ ‘What? That’s it?!’
Hyunyeop: At the time, there were still a lot of steps to go through, so I was trying to express a positive response. In the end, Jaejun had good foresight.
Juntae: Ah, he did a good job bringing you in.
Hyunyeop: He brought the right people together and formed a good team.
[To Juntae] You previously worked with Jaejun as JT&MARCUS as duo but you are now a TRIO, how did you adjust to the changes, and what working style is different from before?
Juntae: When I worked with Jaejun during JT & MARCUS, it was just the two of us, but in In A Minute, we added Hyunyeop. That’s the only difference. When it was just the two of us, I relied on Jaejun a lot. Now that Hyunyeop has joined, I have another person I can depend on, which is great.
Jaejun: The biggest difference between JT & MARCUS and In A Minute is In A Minute is dancing boy band. Back in JT & MARCUS, Juntae only sang, but in In A Minute, he also dances—so it’s probably twice as hard. I’ll keep pushing and coaching him until the day Juntae becomes Korea’s best dancer.
Juntae: But since we split up the singing, and we’re working as a team, I think it’s possible.
Hyunyeop: With In A Minute, Juntae can show more sides of himself, so please look forward to what’s next!”
In A Minute is just getting started, and their journey is only going up from here. With their talent, hard work, and love, and from their fans, there’s no doubt we’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the future!
