Click here to read the full article.
Ask Uprize what makes their sound unmistakably theirs, and the seven-member group doesn’t point to a hook or a genre. They point to each other.
“We won’t set limits for ourselves,” says member Leon. And across the conversation,
that refusal to be boxed in becomes the closest thing Vietnam’s newest idol group has to a mission statement.
Uprize didn’t start as a band – it’s formed of seven finalists from “Show It All,” a Vietnamese televised talent competition that dominated ratings on national broadcaster VTV3. Today, the group is Vietnam’s first idol act built on the K-pop model — backed by a joint venture between management agency SYE, YeaH1 Group and Sony Music — and armed with debut album “Thăng,” released in June, that has topped the iTunes Vietnam chart and trended on YouTube Music.
The group’s seven members – Leon, Lavm, Dylan, PN, Wônbi, BeX and O.D – say the album grew out of the seven of them working as one, without any fixed songwriting or performance roles.
“We want to convey to all audiences our youthfulness and energy, as well as the fact that we always try our best and won’t set limits for ourselves,” Leon says. “We always want to try new things in music and send our audience our confidence.”
The band’s creative team has described “Thăng” as a title track built from seven distinct musical “puzzle pieces,” reflecting that collective process. “We don’t divide roles rigidly,” Lavm says. “All members sit down together, and each has a role in building the foundation for the song.”
The group has been open about drawing on Korean expertise – training from specialists who have worked with K-pop idols – while insisting its sound remains distinct. “What we bring from ourselves is our musical identity, our style, Vietnamese culture, as well as the colors of the seven of us,” Lavm says. “We don’t consider ourselves a copy. We see ourselves as a strong biological weapon, invested with power from both Korea and Vietnam.”
That balance between global format and local identity runs through the group’s approach to language as well. Despite operating in an industry increasingly shaped by English-language crossover hits, Uprize says it intends to keep singing primarily in Vietnamese.
“English isn’t the only medium for us to take our music further,” Dylan says. “Audiences all over the world listen to Korean, Japanese, Spanish and Brazilian music without understanding the language, because they can feel the energy and the emotion. Above all, we are proud to be Vietnamese, and we want the Vietnamese language to accompany us throughout this journey.”
The joint venture with Sony Music has been a central part of Uprize’s rollout. Dylan says the backing has sharpened rather than altered the band’s original ambitions.
“Having the investment and companionship of Sony Music is something we’re very grateful for,” Dylan says. “Our dream hasn’t changed, but with that support, it has become more realistic and much clearer.”
Performance has been positioned as central to the group’s identity, following stage appearances at events including Coca-Cola Fest and a 10-hour Y Concert marathon. PN said the band’s live shows grow directly out of studio sessions rather than being choreographed separately.
“The sound really moves us, and it inspires how we look at the stage,” PN says. “We always want to move with the sound. It’s like a moment when we’re happy, and we live with the music, and we just have fun with each other.”
Asked what Uprize hopes to communicate beyond entertainment, PN points to the band’s fanbase, known as Rizer, and the broader experience of young people navigating pressure and change. “We all love music, and we all love the support of our fans, and we also care about the community and everything that happens around us,” PN says. “We’re really honored if we have a chance to represent the power of youth, to walk together and go through struggle together.”
BeX says Rizer’s early support has been a marker of the group’s momentum – the band sold out its pre-order run before the album’s official release. “That’s one of the milestones we’re very proud of, and something that also created curiosity among fans overseas,” BeX says.
Wônbi frames the scrutiny of being one of Vietnam’s first idol-model boy bands as motivation rather than burden. “We won’t dodge the pressure — we’re proactive and we’re ready to embrace it,” Wônbi says. “The bigger the pressure, the higher Uprize’s determination will be. We’re here to face it, to overcome it and to prove ourselves through our music.”
Asked which song they would play for a listener encountering V-pop for the first time, the group points to “Thăng” itself, whose music video — shot over two days — depicts each member with a distinct superpower, a visual echo of the band’s “seven puzzle pieces” framing.
“We wanted to show how much we’ve progressed since the show, and the song captures our musical mindset and personality as a group,’ O.D says.
Looking ahead, Uprize’s plans extend beyond Vietnam. YeaH1 Group is organizing a world tour later this year, including a U.S. stop under the banner “V-Beyond,” which the band frames as a foundational step toward the global stage.
“We are so excited, and in the coming time Uprize will have a concert, and we promise that we will release the second album as soon as possible,” PN says. “In the U.S., it’s something very new for us. Through the ‘V-Beyond’ concert, we want to gain a deeper understanding of the audience and the market, and to experience something new.”
