Seventeen million global fans knew talent when they saw it. That’s how many fans voted during the reality competition show Project 7, selecting the final members of the k-pop group Close Your Eyes. The show began with 200 contestants from South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Ukraine, the U.S. and Australia. The competition ended with seven winners : Jeon Min-wook, Ma Jingxian, Jang Yeo-jun, Kim Sung-min, Song Seung-ho, Kenshin, and Seo Kyoung-bae. Close Your Eyes officially debuted on April 2, 2025 with their first mini album, Eternalt, which sold 316,000 copies within a week. They released their second mini album Snowy Summer that July, selling over 200,000 albums the first day. Their success may have something to do with their flawless choreography and making musical choices that redefine the boundaries of k-pop.
In November they released their third mini album titled blackout, a musically rich album that blends R&B and house-inspired dance music. The album’s opening track is “X,” an R&B infused dance track with lyrics written by Min-wook. The album includes “Chic,” a song with a catchy playful hook; the R&B influenced “2.0,” and the dreamy “Who’s Dat? (Jane Doe),” but the album’s most arresting track might be “SOB,” a collaboration with Grammy-Award winning producer, Imanbek. The house-inspired dance song has a beyond-infectious beat and features a hyper-energetic rap in which members boast about being so cold “I have ice on my ice.”
“Many people see our team as having a soft and sentimental image,” said Yeo-jun. “But we wanted to show that we can also pull off powerful music and performances. This new song captures that side of us, it’s strong and intense, but still has our own unique color that makes it stand out.”
The dark music video for SOB features dramatic flashes of lightning, angsty camera moves, aggressive choreography and Min-wook soaring through the air to mysteriously convene with an extraterrestrial. While a few members of Close Your Eyes have attempted wire work in previous music videos, Min-wook spent a considerable amount of time flying in this video.