EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: RE:WIND's Inspiring Debut Journey
- Rosa Gulliver
- Apr 21
- 8 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Rosa Gulliver of TINYGMUSIC | April 21, 2025
RE:WIND is not just a debut; it’s a thrilling journey that encapsulates passion, creativity, and the relentless pursuit of achieving one's dream!
The Asian-American K-pop group RE:WIND (리와인드) made their official debut with their first single “FOREVER” on March 28. Earlier this month, TINYgMUSIC had an exclusive interview with the group to discuss their “Dreams Do Come True” debut journey.
The three-member Asian American group comes from very different backgrounds, each bringing a unique story and cultural heritage. The common denominator was to create a group that would bring that Y2K nostalgia back to pop music. The group’s name “RE:WIND” means rewinding back to a specific time, era, feeling, emotion or memory. They aim to achieve this by transporting us with their music.
RE:WIND is made up of former K-pop idol trainees in South Korea who alas put their dreams on hold after facing challenges within the industry such as age limits. Each member brings unique perspectives and talents, creating a vibrant tapestry of ideas that spark magic.
Lei (레이) is the eldest member, a Chinese-American. He played a key role in writing RE:WIND’s pre-debut single “RE:SET.”
Elaya (엘라야) brings Hispanic flair to his Japanese roots! With a mother from Japan and a father from Mexico, Elaya (엘라야) is a vibrant blend of cultures.
Eddie (에디), the vibrant maknae (youngest member) of the group, infuses his Korean-American heritage into the group’s dynamic! Eddie (에디) took part in crafting the exhilarating pre-debut single “RE:SET” and their electrifying debut single “FOREVER” for RE:WIND.
The debut track captures the essence of early 2000s pop music, evident in their outfits, the music video, and the debut single itself. It transports us back to the sounds of iconic tracks from *NSYNC, Britney Spears, the first generation K-pop group SHINHWA, and SHINee. These artists inspired the group’s debut concept, capturing the 90s and 2000s boy band vibe.
The song follows their pre-release track “RE:SET,” which burst onto the scene on February 22, 2025. It enthralled many with its vibrant melody, energetic raps, and soulful vocals, making waves everywhere! It achieved over 20,000 streams in its debut week, indicating heightened interest.
The team behind RE:WIND, ALLELE Entertainment established a nurturing environment for the artists. This has allowed them to explore their creativity and craft a narrative that resonates deeply with audiences, blending innovative storytelling with captivating visuals. RE:WIND return to the spotlight with renewed purpose.
Get ready to experience something truly special as we share with you RE:WIND’s story in this exclusive interview. We travel back with the Lei, Elaya and Eddie, get to know their emotions and their new hopes and dreams that promises to leave you inspired.
May I take this opportunity to congratulate you on your debut! First things first: can you describe to us the first few days and weeks of being part of RE:WIND? How has idol life been so far?
Thank you so much! It has really been so surreal. I don’t think it really hit us until the music video was released to the world.
- Eddie
This is just the first step and we are excited to see what’s next and keep going and working hard.
- Lei
As Asian Americans pursuing K-pop, you have faced unique struggles with identity and cultural differences. How has your heritage shaped your music and your journey as artists?
I think all of us had different experiences in how we expressed our heritage and how music aligned with that. Being from America, we were exposed to all sorts of music of different genres and eras. For our artistry, we wanted to be able to combine all of those influences in the music we make. Whether that be from Western artists like *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys, or Asian artists like S.E.S, Shinhwa, and H.O.T.
- Elaya
The Debut
Can you describe the moment you found out about your official debut date and how you celebrated as a team?
We actually filmed the music video and recorded our song before we had a set official debut date. So there was definitely a lot of anticipation. We took our time to show our pre-release single, “RE:SET,” and let people in on what we are doing here with RE:WIND. So when we were ready to release “FOREVER” we were so excited but also nervous.
- Eddie
It’s great to hear that you’ve made it. You will now continue to inspire other artists. Speaking of inspiration, can each of you share what artists inspired you and helped you decide to pursue a career in music?
I really love Yoona from Girls Generation. Seeing her from a young age inspired me to pursue this and realise that I could be a singer as an Asian-American.
- Elaya
I also grew up listening to Girls Generation, being raised in a Korean-American household, but it was specifically BTS when they released, “Fire,” that I knew I wanted to do this.
- Eddie
I listened to a lot of different artists growing up in differing genres from Motown music to classic rock to pop music and acapella. I’m really inspired by *NSYNC’s music and BTOB.
- Lei
Can you tell the readers what the story is or what the message is behind your debut single "FOREVER," and how does it represent RE:WIND's identity?
FOREVER tells our story of struggles and hardships. If you look at the lyrics, we are saying that we don’t care how long it takes or what it takes. We want to take this dream that we have had so long and keep striving for it forever. (“I wanna lose my mind, forever. I wanna waste my time forever. Want you [English translation: Until you believe in me] let it ignite. No never gonna find no better, I’m forever.”) This track also doubles as a love song because we want our listeners to be able to apply our music to their lives no matter what they are feeling or going through. The song itself is reminiscent of the 90s/y2k pop boy bands. Our concept is to invoke nostalgia and transport our audience back into that time period of whatever emotions they felt at that time. For us, it’s our childhood and the start of us chasing this dream.
- RE:WIND
As a debut group, what have been the biggest surprises or challenges you’ve encountered in the music industry so far?
Honestly, when we came together just seeing that we were the 1st All-Asian American K-pop group was very surreal. There was an amazing K-RNB group from the 90s, “Solid,” who were all Korean-American. They definitely inspired us so much and gave us the confidence to step forward and do this as a K-pop group.
- Eddie
What's one thing you've learned from each other since coming together as RE:WIND?
I really learned a lot from Lei in the studio. He is a vocal master and really knows what he is talking about. He is a musical genius.
- Elaya
I learned how to perform in front of the camera from Eddie. Since he’s a working actor, he is so comfortable and natural. Elaya and I would be on the sides watching him on the monitor and seeing what worked and how we could do that too.
- Lei
From Elaya, I saw his attention to detail and how he sets an intention behind everything that he does. He sees everything from all angles and really knows how to perform.
- Eddie
Were you able to discover any new facets of yourselves through the process of preparing for your debut?
We all realised that because of the years of hard work we put into our training processes and just the drive we have had for so long, that we were able to learn the dance and the song fairly quickly. All those years definitely paid off and we realised that we have been so ready for this debut for so long.
- Lei
The members hail from diverse cultural backgrounds: Chinese-American, Japanese-Spanish-American, and Korean-American. Could we anticipate culturally blended music in the future?
We definitely want to explore that. I’d love to do a song in Japanese and a song in Spanish.
- Elaya
Eddie is credited as one of the lyricists for "FOREVER" and is also one of the choreographic contributors for the music video. Eddie, how does it feel to see your name on the credits? Can you walk us through how you work on it?
Yeah, it’s very surreal. Audrey, our CEO, and Joshua Hwang sat down to really talk about what needed to be said. I wanted to capture all of the emotions that led up to this debut and even led up to being in RE:WIND. Elaya mentioned that our biggest keyword is storytelling, and we definitely wanted to utilize that in our lyrics.
- Eddie
Time To Get To Know The Artists
What are some daily/weekly routines that you never fail to do as a group?
We all love singing together. Our voices are kind of the perfect stack for harmonies and since I’m the acapella guy I always love that my members want to try different harmonies with me.
- Lei
Can you give us two fun facts about each member?
I listen to animations every night and when we are together I am the member that drives.
- Eddie
I have a fixation on maple syrup and I’m a matcha fanatic.
- Elaya
I’m a cat lover and I used to play baseball.
- Lei
Do any RE:WIND members have a unique talent that would astonish their fans?
I can actually make my voice sound like a saxophone!
- Eddie
Eddie can also do whistle tones, which shocked me.
- Elaya
Oh and Lei can go subharmonic!
- Eddie
What is your favourite song to always sing in Karaoke?
Together, we like to sing FICTION by HIGHLIGHT because it was our first trainee evaluation song. It is really nostalgic to us.
- Elaya
We also like to sing anything from *NSYNC. Very on-brand for us.
- Eddie
What was the first concert you ever attended, and how did it impact you?
For me, it was Pentatonix and it’s also the only concert I’ve been to. Ever since then, I have been the acapella guy.
- Lei
The Future
What are your individual and collective goals for RE:WIND in the next year?
We would really love to perform live. It can be difficult to do so here in America, but we really want to get on a stage and do what we love, regardless of how many people are in the audience.
- Eddie
Are there any artists or groups you'd love to collaborate with in the future?
We are definitely staying consistent by saying *NSYNC, but it’s true. We love them so much.
- Elaya
Looking back, what advice would you give to your pre-debut selves?
To trust the process and believe in what we are doing. We have come so far and we can only go up from here.
- Eddie
Looking ahead, what kind of legacy do you want RE:WIND to leave in the music industry and in the hearts of your fans?
We want to make a dent in the industry no matter how big or small that is. We want to show that Asian-Americans can really be centre stage and we want to aid in Asian-American representation in the music industry.
- Lei
What message would you like to convey to your fans, RE:WIND's supporters, as you embark on this new chapter?
We hope that every listener can take our song and our lyrics and apply it to their own life somehow. We want you to know that it’s okay if you don’t reach your dream on the first, second, or even tenth try. Everybody’s journey is different and that’s what makes it so special.
- RE:WIND
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