Publication date and time: August 29, 2024 18:24
Updated: August 29, 2024 19:35
- Yoon So-young
- Yeongseoyoung@joongang.co.kr
Mistakes happen, but it's how you deal with them that counts, and girl group Le Sserafim was proof of that at their showcase on Thursday with their members' true professionalism and courage.
“We realize our performance at Coachella was lacking, but it was an opportunity for us to learn a lot both individually and as a team,” the group's leader Kim Chaewon told reporters at the showcase for the group's upcoming album “Crazy” at Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Thursday.
The album was released four months after the quintet's much-criticized performance at the Coachella music festival.
Le Sserafim came under fire for its members' disappointing vocal skills during their performance at an event known as one of the world's biggest music festivals. Member Sakura defended the performance a few days later, calling it their “best performance,” but this led to further public criticism.
“I was fortunate to be able to perform on so many stages so soon after my debut,” Kim continued slowly, each word deliberately.
“But Coachella was the biggest event for us, so we got excited and couldn't keep up the pace. We had our flaws, and we realized that our goal in life is to always experience new things and learn from them. We told each other that we should work harder to show our growth, and we believe this album is the first step towards that goal.”
“We hope you will watch us grow with loving hearts,” the leader added.
“Crazy” is the quintet's first release in six months since the release of their third EP, “Easy,” in February. The new album features five tracks: the title track, “Chasing Lightning,” “Pierrot,” “1-800-hot-n-fun” and “Crazier.”
Indeed, Le Sserafim has focused on raising the bar with their new album, especially when it comes to dance performances.
“There's a part in the song where we keep dancing with our legs raised,” says member Hong Eun-chae. “The movements were very tough, so we practiced a lot to strengthen our core. We even practiced singing with one leg raised in the recording booth. We did our best for the live stage, but to be honest, it wasn't easy.”
Still, the members seemed totally determined to make up for their previous failures.
“We wanted to show that we are taking things one step at a time and continuing to learn from our mistakes,” said member Heo Yunjin. “We believe that 'Crazy' will be the first step, and we will work hard throughout all of our schedules with the goal of delivering the best performance and music to our fans.”
Hong also apologized for comments she made during a live stream last year in which she appeared to mock a high school-aged fan, telling a fan who was studying for the SATs, “You have to go to school. That must be so hard,” drawing negative reactions from young fans who found her comments insensitive and sarcastic.
Hong said, “I thought I was just chatting with a fan and took the situation lightly. I know I should be careful with people close to me, but I didn't think about it carefully. I apologize for making unfortunate comments and showing my immaturity. I will try to be more responsible and cautious in the future.”
Amidst all the commotion, the members realized how passionate they were about their jobs – singing, dancing and being onstage with their fans – and so the album was titled “Crazy.”
“We've actually been working on this album since last year,” Heo says, “and we all agreed how lucky we are to be able to love something so much that we fall in love with it. It's such an amazing thing to be able to love something so much, and we realized how much we cherish everything we have right now. So the album started from there.”
The EP contains five songs: the title track, “Chasing Lightning,” “Pierrot,” “1-800-hot-n-fun,” and “Crazier.”
“Crazy” is an EDM, house music song that describes the moment you meet someone who makes you crazy. The song closes with stylish dance moves inspired by voguing. “Pierrot” samples legendary Korean songstress Kim Wan-sung's 1990 song “Pierrot Laughs At Us.” The lyrics are about enjoying the present rather than worrying about things that won't happen. “1-800-hot-n-fun” is the girl group's second English song, following their hit “Perfect Night” released last October.
“With this album, we want to show how much Le Sserafim has grown,” Kazuha said. “We've tried new styles of music and performance, so I hope you'll look forward to seeing what we show you.”
The final track, “Crazier,” with member Heo taking the helm as main producer, contrasts with “Crazy,” in that it sings about wanting to love but not being able to love madly.
“I believe we are all born with a seed of passion,” Heo said, “but as we go through life, we end up changing ourselves based on what other people expect from us and what they say. It makes us feel down and hesitate when the moment comes to achieve our dreams. That being said, being passionate about something becomes even more precious. I hope my songs can help people find the courage to achieve what they want in life.”
Yoon So-young [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]