- It's one of the fastest growing music genres on the planet. Korean popular music, or K-pop, is capturing hearts and fans as it evolves into part of American culture. Helping to lead the charge is boy band P1 Harmony, a group of six young men who can sing, dance, and rap. Our Phil Lipof spent the day with the global stars to talk about inspiration, determination, and identity by putting their own individual spin on each song and routine that they put out into the world. We take you backstage in our latest Prime Playlist. [MUSIC PLAYING] [GUITAR RIFF] - Hey! ALL: Ah! - What's up? - What's up? PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): On a Wednesday night, not far from our nation's capital at the MGM Grand Harbor-- And you guys are all ready to go. - Yeah, we just have to touch up a little bit. - (SINGING) Hey, hey, hey! PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): --P1Harmony, a group of six rising K-pop stars, about to take the stage to the delight of thousands of screaming fans. [SCREAMING AND CHEERING] Just minutes before heading out-- - (IN UNISON) Plus everything. Hello, we are P1Harmony. - And we're on the Prime Playlist. - Yay! - Woo! PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): A shoutout to the Prime Playlist, here to profile the group and the phenomenon that is Korean pop music, now the seventh most popular genre globally. [SONG PLAYING] [RAPPING IN KOREAN] PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): On stage, it's easy to see why. - (RAPPING) Turn it on, baby. Back down. When it goes steady, back down! PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): At At its heart, K-pop bands are similar to traditional American boy and girl bands. Our Backstreet Boys-- - (SINGING) --but a party. Tell me why! PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): --then Destiny's Child-- - (SINGING) Say my name. Say my name. PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): ARE-- K-pop's BTS, BLACKPINK, and P1Harmony. - [RAPPING] Tell me what got money PHIL LIPO (VOICEOVER): Meet Keeho, Theo, Jiung, Intak, Soul, and Jongseob. - We're doing what we love we're making music. I think that's what makes us so fun and unique is that each member has, you know, their own thing going on. That's what makes like a big mix up of what P1Harmony is. - That's right. That's right. [SCREAMING AND MUSIC] PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): The fame, the fans, and the global success is the payoff, the reward, for the years of intense and, at times, grueling preparation. How much pressure do you feel, and what do you do to deal with the pressure? - That first time, I was like really shaking. My body were shaking. My voice were shaking. PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): It's all to impress one man, Han Seong-ho, the CEO of one of Korea's most prominent music labels. He could make or break a K-pop career, and his company standards are rigorous. The competition, fierce. - It's an environment where you can't be nervous. You just go in there, and you just, you know, you practiced. You gave it your all, and if they like it, they like it. If they don't, they don't. PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): A tough environment for anyone, but especially trying for these Gen-Zers, 17 to 21 years old. - At the time before this team was set, essentially, he's my competition. He's my competition. He's my-- they're all my competition because we don't know who's gonna make it. PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): Teens from all over the world come together for tryouts. Keeho, an art student from Canada, and Soul, a dancer from Japan. So once you are picked to come in, you're still not in. - Yeah, yeah. - To stay in. We have the, kind of, like, exam every week and every month. 20 or 30 people in company gather, and they're watching us doing some, like, performances. PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): Once chosen and a group begins to form, the training gets more difficult and specific-- [SINGING AND RAPPING] PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): --moving closer to being introduced to the world. What K-pop stars call their debut. - When we do the first performance, I was on the stage smiling. My body was really getting hot, and guys. It's about to go down. I was like-- I was like that. [SINGING AND RAPPING] PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): For the first time in K-pop history, P1Harmony's debut came along with a movie with big-time Korean celebrities making appearances all to get fans hyped about a new group. - [SPEAKING KOREAN] PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): The members of each K-pop group are as important as the music. Fans have what's called a bias or a favorite member. - Keeho! - My bias is Keeho as well. - Mine is Keeho. Just the best. PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): They line up for hours eager just to get a peek at the guys warming up before the show-- - (SINGING) Dun, dun, dun, dah, dah, dah, dah. What? Hey, hey, Hey! - We really appreciate you guys coming to soundcheck. PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): --each member bringing their own signature to the performance. - [SPEAKING KOREAN] PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): The guys don't come up with every song they released but take great pride in writing the rap sections of the music-- - [SPEAKING KOREAN] PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): --making each track their own. - (SINGING) Love, and it's true. You, you, you! - [SPEAKING KOREAN] - In lyrics, I think simple is the best. I don't want to, like, twist something really like in lyrics. - We are very involved in the melody making as well and the production and, you know, how the song sounds sonically as well. [MUSIC PLAYING] Our energy on stage is what we really like to have pride in. It's just really be good performers. [CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING] PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): Fashion, also a huge part of K-pop. - We have a stylist. This is actually none of our clothes. [LAUGHTER] They dressed us today. When it comes to music, fashion, style, everything, we all come from such different backgrounds, so it's all very, very different. If we sat here and wear all our own clothes-- PHIL LIPOF: Right, what would it look like? - --it would be a mess. PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): After our chat, a family-style feast and a taste of home-- Korean barbecue. - Ooh, this is-- tell her-- baegi-- brisket. - Try. Try, try. PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): So many dishes and flavors from pork belly and prime short rib to kimchi and steamed eggs, each member digging in and explaining how to eat their favorites. What would you put the brisket on? - Oh, the same with this. - Same side. - Whole thing, yeah. - Actually, whatever you want. - Yeah, really. - It can be this or this too. You can be experimental. - Yeah, I'm going to try the spicy one. - Yeah. Yeah, that tastes really good. - Actually, New York and LA has really good Korean barbecue. I feel that every single time we come. - Like authentic? - Yeah, it's pretty authentic. Yeah, I think because there is, like, a high volume of Korean population in New York and LA. [SPEAKING KOREAN] - These dumplings were so good. PHIL LIPOF (VOICEOVER): All their hard work, all the pressure, all the miles traveled. And at the end of the day, their love for music and their fans is what keeps P1Harmony going. [MUSIC PLAYING AND RAPPING] - We're so glad to be able to come here and be able to introduce more of Korean culture to such a big audience and especially in a country that's so multi-diverse. I think representation is so important, and so I'm very, very glad to be able to be a part of that wave of representation for Korean culture. And we're just very thankful. We're just doing what we love, and we're getting love for it. - [RAPPING] Gotta do it like this!