[Herald Interview] 'Queendom Puzzle' winners to debut as El7z Up

K-pop girl group El7z Up. (Mnet's "Queendom Puzzle")

The top seven finalists of "Queendom Puzzle" are aiming to show a never-before-seen girl group chemistry as El7z Up.

A total of 26 participans competed in the Mnet girl group reboot program over the past four months for seven spots on the project group El7z Up, to be launched next month.

One member each from seven different already existing or inactive groups compose the team: H1Key's Hwiseo, WJSN's Yeoreum, Rocket Punch's Yeonhee, woo!ah!'s Nana, Lovelyz's Kei and soloist Ye-eun.

The septet on Wednesday conducted a joint interview with the local media in celebration of their upcoming debut.

"I still can't believe four months have flashed by. It feels unrealistic that I'm debuting as El7z Up. I'm looking forward to the synergy the seven of us will bring," Kei, the eldest of the group said. She was a member of now disbanded group Lovelyz.

Nabbing the final trophy was Hwiseo, who debuted only a year ago as a new member of H1Key. Despite her short career, she says she's no stranger to the cutthroat K-pop competition.

"I trained for nine years, and I think the long years of practice and the confidence from the time had come through. ... I began the show hoping to just have fun and make myself known. But seeing others compete so passionately, I also become more and more earnest. Thankfully, I was able to get the top spot," Hwiseo said.

Nana, Yuki, Kei, Yeoreum, Yeonhee and Ye-eun came in next in the respective order.

Straying from the original system of Mnet's idol revival show, "Queendom," where the competition had been between the groups, "Queendom Puzzle" put the individual members against each other, granting opportunities for the girls to show what they couldn't as a group.

"As it's a survival program, I attempted different concepts in a short amount of time. I'm happy I could show various new sides and get a good result from them," Hwiseo said.

Yuki, the group's only Japanese member said, "All Purple Kiss songs are dark and mysterious, and we don't yet have a bright and upbeat one. 'Fighting' (by Seventeen) was especially memorable. I had so much fun doing it, laughing and cheering on the stage."

Kei said she also broke out of her own box, saying, "When I was with Lovelyz, I thought I could only do lovely kind of songs. Attempting new styles and concepts this time, I realized I have so much undiscovered charms inside myself."

Amid the relay of rivalries, not every moment was rosy for the girls.

"It was stressful that I had to continuously prove myself. The competition was never easy, but I was able to come through thanks to the fans and the people who supported me," Yeonhee said.

"Since it was a survival contest, it was inevitable to focus on the outcomes more than the process. But looking back, whatever the outcome was, there was no single moment that was meaningless. We all showed great synergy. I've come to think more positively about the results through the time," Nana added.

El7z Up is set to debut in September and carry out global promotion activities for a limited amount of time. During the time, the girls are expected to drop three albums as a group and hold concerts in and out of the country. The band currently plans to hold a gig at Omiya Sonic City Hall in Tokyo on Oct. 22 and at Grand Cube Osaka on Oct 24.

As most of the members are still a part of an active group, with Kei pursuing a career in musicals and Ye-eun as a soloist singer, El7z Up may face some confusions with the overlapping schedules. The bandmates said they will find solutions as they go.

In case of WJSN's Yeoreum, the group is currently in the midst of a reshuffle, with some members leaving the group due to contract termination.

"I know many people are curious about how our contract renewals are going. Right now, the members are going through a period where we focus on expanding our individual scopes. That's why I took part in 'Queendom Puzzle.' I'll give my best shot here so that I could later return more improved to WJSN," Yeoreum said.

Hwiseo, who is returning as H1Key next week, said, "Our pre-release is already out and we're coming back next week. I'll be taking part in all the schedules if possible."

Concluding the interview, the members shared their excitement for debuting as a new group.

"We were voted into a group (by the viewers), and I think this itself defines us. As we were picked as the best combination, I'm confident that together, we'll give the best performances possible," Yeonhee said.

The band's debut performance at the Mama Awards, the nation's biggest annual K-pop festivity hosted by Mnet, was the biggest event all seven members were looking forward to.

"I've always watched Mama from the screen and dreamed of taking the stage myself. I'm thrilled to finally make it happen. I hope we could also make a legendary performance at Mama," Kei said.

Nana agreed, adding, "Mama pops up first when I think of my year-end. There have been so many incredible performances that happened there that just thinking of Mama gives me the chills. I'll try my best to live up to the expectations."

By Choi Ji-won(jwc@heraldcorp.com)