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hrtz.wav talks collaboration, creative growth with new EP ‘The Second Wave: MOMENTUM’
Following their debut, hrtz.wav is breaking onto the K-pop scene with their second EP, "The Second Wave: MOMENTUM," building a growing fanbase while continuing to develop their sound and chemistry as a band.
After competing as individuals on the global band-making project "Steal Heart Club," five multi-national musicians were chosen to debut as the K-pop industry’s latest band, hrtz.wav.
The show brought together vocalists, keyboardists, guitarists, bassists and drummers, challenging contestants to combine their individual talents in the hopes of forming the final band.
YOUN YOUNGJUN, RIAAN, DANE, KEITEN, and HAGIWA were ultimately chosen as the final lineup, and they made their official debut with their EP, "The First Wave" on April 8, 2026.
Coming from a music survival show, the members had to adjust quickly from competing as individuals to working together as a band.
While they shared the same common goal, finding their rhythm as a team took time.
"At the very beginning when hrtz.wav formed, because we were also really new, it was a little bit awkward. But when we started preparing for "The First Wave," we had about four months until the debut. That's when we really had to work together," says member KEITEN.
Their debut track "NINETEEN" quickly gained traction with fans of the show and new people, reaching over 3 million views since release.
Seeing the physical album for their debut EP was a particularly meaningful experience for RIAAN, who previously worked as a singer-songwriter.
"I used to be a singer-songwriter, so it was very fresh and we could see it, so that was very touching for me and the members as well," he says.
Recently, the group made their return with their first comeback EP, "The Second Wave: MOMENTUM."
The EP's title track, "ALIVE," featured RIIZE member SUNGCHAN.
Collaborations between newly debuted idols and established artists are not always common, but hrtz.wav saw the feature as a way to push its music further.
"It’s not really common for brand new idols to collaborate with other artists, but in our case, when writing ‘ALIVE,’ we noticed that we needed something fresh, and we needed something more than our sound," RIAAN explains.
He adds that it was a way to help develop their sound in these early stages of their career together.
The music video for the song has already doubled the views of their debut on YouTube with over 6.2 million.
As musicians with a heavy hand in the writing of their music, perfection comes with a lot of drafts and work, but the members say they didn’t feel like their second album was ready to release until later on.
"I think it was after we filmed the music video. We had a lot of extras join us for the shoot. We filmed the pavilion scene together, capturing everyone enjoying our live performance. It gave me a sense of what we’d experience when we began promoting our second album, and helped me picture how we’d make music and perform as hrtz.wav going forward. That’s when I felt we were ready to share the song with the world," DANE explains.
The group’s growth over their short career is noticeable in online metrics and social media reach, but it is their personal growth that is the most important for them.
"We’ve done a lot together in the short time since our debut, from filming all kinds of content to performing on stage. Of course, we still have a lot to learn and room to grow, but everything feels much more natural now than when we first debuted. We’ll keep building on those experiences to bring you even better performances," adds YOUN YOUNGJUN.
The group has continued to build their fanbase following the release of their six-track "The Second Wave: MOMENTUM" album in September, and they are continuing to build their group bond as well as their bond with their fans.
"We work hard so that even people who don’t know hrtz.wav can hear us and think, ‘They make great music.’ I hope everyone can feel our sincerity. We’re always learning and working hard, so I think we have the potential to show you so much more in the future," DANE says.
As hrtz.wav continues to grow as a band, the members are looking to build on that momentum and show listeners just how much more they have to offer.
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