Founded in 2002, boy band Energy electrified Taiwan’s music scene with a signature combo of amped-up pop and slick choreography they sustained through several roster changes until 2009. After a hiatus of more than a decade, the enthusiastic reception that greeted the original lineup’s guest appearance at a Mayday concert in 2023 sent the band back to the studio for an EP’s worth of new material. Below, the reunited band give Apple Music a peek at how HERE I AM came to be, with stories behind some of the tracks. “Here I Am” Milk: “The title cut is an energetic dance track that seems to declare, ‘After breaking up and reuniting, we’re back on stage again!’ And it calls our fans together, saying, ‘We’re all here—and that includes you.’ The glorious return of Energy’s 22-year legend requires all five of us—plus you!” Kunda: “We incorporated war dance elements into this song, adding fierce fist pumping and fighting steps to announce that our music and dance will reach right to everyone’s heart.” Toro: “Production on this record took about half a year, but it felt like Energy has been preparing for 22 years. Every song has a flesh-and-blood story we hope listeners will enjoy.” “星期五晚上” [“Friday Night”] Shuwei: “At the track selection meeting for the new album, out of all the tracks we heard, the demo for this song made us all agree, ‘This is the one!’” Ady: “I used to feel ‘Energy’ was just the name of a band, with its surface-level English meaning. For this comeback, we hope to bring a positive, vibrant energy to our listeners. We hope that the positive, joyful energy of our dance music will get everyone, no matter their age, dancing with us!” Toro:: “We used to be called a killer boy band, but now I feel we’re a little gentler. We want to convey hope and joy.” Milk:: “To capture Energy’s fighting spirit and to show our hard work and sincerity, we put in a request to our choreographer to increase the difficulty, leading to the E16 squats in the song. Dubbed the Friday Night Challenge, it’s a series of 16 squat jumps that’ll squeeze your thighs dry! Accept the challenge and see for yourself! But don’t forget to do warm-up stretches first.” Kunda: “You’ve got to warm up before the challenge or you’ll pull a muscle!” “分合” [“Reunite”] Milk: “It’s not easy for a group to reunite, especially since you’ve got to collectively return to everything you did back then, including the various issues you encountered. But I believe that as long as we share one goal, we can solve and overcome any problem, no matter how hard.” Toro: “Over the years we’ve watched from a distance as our lives have changed, from ‘us’ into ‘me and you’—and then back to ‘us’. For me, Energy’s friendship is strong enough to be each others’ pall-bearers.” Kunda: “It’s marvellous to be reunited. And I look forward to the sparks that will fly when we collide with each other.” Ady: “There’s so much regret in life, so many ifs. But in real life there are lots of times you don’t even have a choice. We’re very fortunate to have this second chance. We want to complete it with no regrets this time—and find an answer together.” Shuwei: “Like Energy, I hope we all will have no more separation.” “二次西游” [“Second Journey to the West”] Toro: “It’s thanks to Mayday that Energy is able to return. Their invitation for us to perform as special guests in 2023 gave us an opportunity to reunite.” Kunda: “We were truly moved by the audience’s warm reception at the Mayday concert and the enthusiastic response from fans online.” Shuwei: “Why was the audience so excited when we were Mayday’s guests? Because everyone thought it was impossible! If we could do it, you certainly can too.” Toro: “Our rebirth came during two songs we performed with Mayday, ‘放手’ [‘Let Go’] and ‘孫悟空’ [‘Sun Wu Kong’]. The meaningful lyrics, ‘If there’s a day/To return to glory/Remember to find me/My good friend,” aptly express our hearts’ desire to reunite after so many years. ‘Good friend’ might refer to the five of us—or to Mayday, who have performed alongside us for two decades. This song reinterprets Journey to the West in our own language and incorporates our stories from that time. The song will be the most Energy-like thing you’ve heard in 20 years.”