Welcome back to Fan Chant, a weekly column for K-pop fans, stans, and newbies alike. Today, an interview with promising new girl group KiiiKiii. If you enjoy what you’re reading, feel free to subscribe to my companion newsletter to get Fan Chant delivered right to your inbox each week!
K-pop groups never actually come out of nowhere; those familiar with the genre know that anything that feels like a sudden appearance on the scene involved months — if not years — of training, lineup shifts, and concept development. But when new Starship Entertainment girl group KiiiKiii arrived with pre-debut track “I DO ME,” they did carry a noticeably easygoing air, emboldened by the dreamy aesthetic around the single and its accompanying music video.
“We couldn’t believe it when we finally saw that our music video was released,” KiiiKiii member Haum shares. “We all worked really hard to prepare for our debut, so it felt surreal that everything was released and the world was reacting to our music.”
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“We were nervous but very excited for everyone to see everything that we had prepared,” echoes Jiyu, the leader of the five-member team. “We received a lot of love and interest once the video was released, so we felt more energized to practice.”
To be tasked with capturing a “girl next door” vibe is not an easy assignment, but that’s where Jiyu, Haum, Kya, Sui, and Leesol have found themselves. When authenticity, relatability, and friendliness are the aims, how can those traits be targeted without being inherently performative?
“We are always learning from our seniors to see how they perform and how they make music,” offers Leeseol. “They help us to learn what kind of attitude we should have on stage.”
“We have a lot of fun together during dance practice, but we also make sure to have a more serious approach to practicing and perfecting our performances,” adds Sui. “Our leader, Jiyu, always helps us stay focused and helps us catch the details to make our performances better.”
At Starship Entertainment, KiiiKiii were preceded by girl groups like IVE and Sistar, who both offered markedly different energy to the K-pop market; for IVE, that looks like elegant glamor, while Sistar led with infectious confidence. Meanwhile, KiiiKiii was designed to conjure up the idea of carefree laughter, right down to the name. “We try to show our most natural, fun and KiiiKiii-like selves in our photoshoots and music video shoots, so it usually just feels like we’re hanging out and having fun,” explains Kya.
“I DO ME” is part of the group’s freshly released EP, UNCUT GEM. For some of the visuals, the group jetted off to New Zealand, which the members recall as a bonding opportunity. A team dynamic is essential for the success of a K-pop group, and the girls are excited to develop that part of their bond further.
“It feels like we’re classmates or friends,” shares Leeseol. “We’ve trained together, practiced for our debut together, and we live together, so we’re all very close. Now that we’ve begun our journey as KiiiKiii together, our teamwork will become even better.”
“I’m so thankful that we’ve made our debut as KiiiKiii with these five members,” confirms Kya. “We all make sure to listen to each other, be thoughtful, and individually do our best to prepare great music and performances so our teamwork becomes stronger.”
More New Music from j-hope
j-hope of BTS, photo courtesy of BIGHIT MUSIC
j-hope of BTS isn’t wasting any time. His new single, “Mona Lisa,” was debuted at his New York concert, but is now available on streaming and accompanied by a very fun music video.
Song Rec of the Week:
The sun is shining in Nashville and I am desperate to be on a patio with a drink in my hand while this song is blasting. DESPERATE.
Content shared from consequence.net.