Kiss of Life aims to blow fresh life into K-pop with debut

Girl group Kiss of Life may have debuted today, but its members are already set for the global stage. “Our members are from different countries and we can all speak many different languages; of course, we have plans to be active ...

Girl group Kiss of Life during the press showcase for its debut EP ″Kiss of Life″ on Wednesday at the Yes24 Hall in Gwnagjin District, eastern Seoul [S2 ENTERTAINMENT]

Girl group Kiss of Life may have debuted today, but its members are already set for the global stage.

“Our members are from different countries and we can all speak many different languages; of course, we have plans to be active overseas! We also plan on communicating with our global fans a lot,” the group's Korean American member Julie said.

Kiss of Life held a press showcase for its debut EP "Kiss of Life" on Wednesday at the Yes24 Hall in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul. The quartet consists of a member from Thailand, Natty, Korean member Haneul and two Korean-Americans, Julie and Belle.

“Kiss of Life, which is our group's name and the title of our EP, refers to the mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration method. Like the name, we plan on revitalizing and bringing fresh life to the K-pop scene,” Julie explained.

The EP contains six tracks, lead track “Shhh,” “Neverland,” and four solo tracks from each member — a rare instance for a rookie group — “Sugarcoat” by Natty, “Countdown” by Belle, “Kitty Cat” by Julie and “Play Love Games” by Haneul. All four members also took part in writing the lyrics and album production.

“I think the biggest differentiating factor is that we all have the ability to perform as a solo artist, and our synergy increases even more when we come together as a group,” Julie explained.

Girl group Kiss of Life during the press showcase for its debut EP ″Kiss of Life″ on Wednesday at the Yes24 Hall in Gwnagjin District, eastern Seoul [S2 ENTERTAINMENT]

Natty and Belle, were both active in the industry prior to the group’s debut. Natty appeared on JYP Entertainment’s girl group Audition program “Sixteen” (2015) and cable network Mnet’s 2017 audition program, “Idol School.” She also made her solo debut in 2020, with her single “Nineteen” receiving positive reception both in and outside Korea, including her home country Thailand.

“I debuted as a solo artist first, but I’m so glad that I’m on stage with such cool members,” Natty said.

Belle, on the other hand, first started her career as a music producer in 2021. She is well known to Koreans as the daughter of Shim Shin, a popular singer in the 80s and 90s, known for his 1991 hit song, “One and Only You.”

“I used to send my demo tracks to my dad, and he would give me feedback,” Belle said. “Debuting as a singer means that I’m also presenting myself and it’s very different [from being a producer]. I think it counts as a big challenge in my life, and a turning point.”

“To all our global fans, today we made our debut, it’s something that I thought of it for so long. I hope you guys are ready for us! Keep it tuned!” Julie said in English.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]