This is an excerpt from Daebak Weekly, the BuzzFeed newsletter about all things K-pop. You can sign up here .
This interview was originally published November 18, 2022.
Global rookie girl group Le Sserafim, comprised of members Kim Chaewon, Sakura, Huh Yunjin, Kazuha, and Hong Eunchae, have returned with their sophomore EP, Antifragile . They are no strangers to the spotlight— their explosive debut with Fearless landed No. 1 on iTunes Top Albums chart in 13 countries and they received multiple award show wins with their performance of "Fearless."
Now, they've returned with Antifragile and are already breaking records. Through this album, Le Sserafim earned the title of the fastest girl group in the history of K-pop to enter Billboard 200, debuting straight into the Top 15 at #14, only 6 months after their debut. They also are the first and only K-pop group that debuted in 2022 to top Billboard’s World Albums Chart.
BuzzFeed sat down with the girls of Le Sserafim to chat about how they feel about their success, being HYBE's first girl group, and more.
SOURCE MUSIC What is your go-to food/drink order? As a rookie group that has made waves from your successful debut with Fearless , did you expect to reach this success so quickly? Kim Chaewon: I’m so thankful and proud to receive so much love since our debut. I want to continue to work hard to be the best artist I can be.
Sakura: I didn't expect it, but I felt grateful and rewarded that people recognized all of the hard work that we put into our debut.
Huh Yunjin: Not at all! The love and support for our debut album we received took us all by surprise, and we are always grateful every time someone covers or plays our songs.
Kazuha: I was surprised, but also excited that so many people beyond what we could have imagined loved our songs.
Hong Eunchae : I'm so grateful and honored that we've received so much love right from the start with our debut album. I'm still surprised whenever I hear our song on the streets or I see so many people participating in our dance challenges. When someone recognizes me, I’m like "Me...?" I still can't believe it’s real.
SOURCE MUSIC As HYBE’s first-ever girl group debut, did you feel extra pressure to be successful? How did you build confidence for your debut? If you had to choose a B-side to describe each member, which one would you choose and why? What are your goals as Le Sserafim and as individuals? Kim Chaewon: Going on a tour is the top goal I have for Le Sserafim. Personally, I want to continue to grow as an artist who tells and expresses her own story through music.
Sakura: I’d love for Le Sserafim to tour around the world and personally, I want to delve into more songwriting.
Huh Yunjin: For the group, I would say a world tour. As an individual, to release more original music and have a song on our album.
Kazuha: I’d like Le Sserafim to perform on a worldwide stage and be able to bring joy to many people with our performances. My personal goal is to be a person who is a positive influence to others whether I’m on or off stage.
Hong Eunchae : My goal for Le Sserafim is to go on a world tour and meet FEARNOT around the world. For myself, I’d love to be an inspiration to others!
SOURCE MUSIC What is something you would like fans to know about your latest EP Antifragile ? Kim Chaewon: I hope that our fans could pay attention to the message that we want to get across. I believe they know what we wanted to convey through this album. I also hope that they will enjoy themselves together as they see us enjoying ourselves on stage.
Sakura: I would love for our fans to know that we put in a lot of effort and time into working on our choreography again for this album.
Huh Yunjin: Every song is genuine.
Kazuha: We worked hard to prepare various performances for this album, so we hope that our fans will enjoy all of them along with the music.
Hong Eunchae : While preparing for this album, we put a lot of time and effort into working on our performances, so I hope people would know how much we enjoy ourselves on stage and that we’re great at performing. We made a promise among ourselves to have the most fun we can on stage. I’d like people to feel that we have a great chemistry on stage and that we are passionate about performing.
SOURCE MUSIC Some of the members contributed to upcoming tracks on Antifragile . For those members, what was your favorite part about the song making process? What is something that came as a surprise to you when you began live performances? Was there anything you wish you knew before your first performance? What choreography have you had the most fun learning and performing? What concepts would you like to try in the future? Do you have a message to FEARNOT and our readers? What does K-pop mean to you? Kim Chaewon: It’s my life.
Sakura: Hardships, yet challenges I should overcome.
Huh Yunjin: My life’s biggest turning point.
Kazuha: For me, K-pop is a challenge and a world that I can discover new sides of myself.
Hong Eunchae : I loved K-pop so much growing up so most of my playlist is made up of K-pop. My love of K-pop led me to this path where I got to debut with incredible team members and receive so much love from FEARNOT so it’s also something I’m very grateful for.
SOURCE MUSIC Stream Antifragile and follow Le Sserafim on Instagram and Twitter ! View comments