[FanTalk] Kiss of Life scores '99 percent' of its goal in month since debut

A month into their debut, members of rookie girl group Kiss of Life are sure that they successfully brought a breath of fresh air to the K-pop scene by challenging themselves to things never tried before in the genre.

Rookie girl group Kiss of Life sat down with the Korea JoongAng Daily and Celeb Confirmed to talk about the group’s journey before and after its debut and answer questions from fans around the world. [CELEB CONFIRMED]

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A month into their debut, members of rookie girl group Kiss of Life are sure that they brought a breath of fresh air to the K-pop scene by challenging themselves to things never tried before in the genre.

"I think we achieved 90 to 99 percent of our original goal, lacking just that 1 percent,” member Natty told the Korea JoongAng Daily and Celeb Confirmed in an interview.

“I think we are definitely high up on the scale” Haneul, the youngest member of the group, said. “There were a lot of new things that we tried and showcased, such as shooting six different movies for each of our songs in the album and having four solo tracks, one for each member, and I think we did bring some freshness in the K-pop scene.”

The group’s debut album was unique in that it contained solo tracks sung by each member of the group — a feat not many girl groups could achieve from the beginning.

The group’s debut album “Kiss of Life” released in July features a total of six tracks, including the lead track “Shhh” and “Bye My Neverland,” followed by four solo tracks showing off the abilities of each individual member to the max.

The album cover for girl group Kiss of Life's debut album, ″Kiss of Life″ [S2 ENTERTAINMENT]

Natty’s “Sugarcoat” emphasizes the singer’s low-pitched vocals and superb dancing skills, Belle’s pop-rock score “Countdown” showcases her abilities as the team’s main vocalist, Julie’s “Kitty Cat” features Korean and English rap verses, while the team’s main rapper Haneul shows off a different side as she sings the upbeat track “Play Love Games.”

On the question of whether they felt pressure to work on their solo tracks from the start, the group’s leader and eldest Julie said they were ready for it.

“The group’s goal from its conception was to include members with distinct skills and abilities, so it didn’t come as a surprise when the agency said it plans to include each of our solo tracks,” she said. “And the agency chose songs for each member based on a full understanding of our backgrounds, skills and everything else.”

However, the fact that the members each have their own solo track isn't the only reason they are special. Each member also participated in the making of the song and lyrics for the debut album.

“The members probably had a tough time participating in the production for the first time, but they all have such a great understanding of music, they were able to follow my lead with no issues,” Belle, who has previous experience in song production, said.

While Belle may not be a familiar face to fans of K-pop compared to Natty, who’s been in multiple idol audition programs, including “Sixteen” (2016) and “Idol School” (2017), she has been working as a producer since 2021, composing a song for Purple Kiss and writing lyrics for (G)I-DLE Miyeon’s first solo EP. Belle also participated both in the songwriting and production of Le Sserafim’s hit track “Unforgiven,” which dropped just two months before Kiss of Life’s debut in July.

“We only started producing songs after we joined [S2 Entertainment,] and we were able to participate in the album production because Belle was by our side guiding us,” Natty said.

“Belle really helped us develop an interest in music production,” Julie said. “Instead of starting with a goal of making a unique debut album, we just spent time together two to three times a week making fun music, and I think that’s how we were able to end up with a unique debut album.”

The quartet sat down with the Korea JoongAng Daily and Celeb Confirmed to talk about the group’s journey before and after its debut and answer questions from fans around the world.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Girl group Kiss of Life [S2 ENTERTAINMENT]

Q. What are some of the unforgettable experiences and memories from your trainee days?

Julie: We shot music videos right before our debut, and the experiences we had during that period were the most memorable.

Natty: We went to Hungary and shot six music videos. We basically lived there for a month. It was very cold there, and we had a lot of scenes to shoot outside, but we were passionate with our shooting.

Now that it’s been a full month since your debut, has the fact that you’ve debuted sunk in?

Haneul: We had fans recognizing us during an outdoor shooting session that we had recently, and people have been telling us that they’re enjoying our songs. We even had people who wanted to snap a photo together, and I think that’s when I really felt that I'd debuted.

Julie: It truly kicked in when I saw our parents' expressions after they had watched our debut showcase in July. That’s when I got excited about our upcoming journey and it’s a moment that I will never forget.

Girl group Kiss of Life sat down with the Korea JoongAng Daily and Celeb Confirmed for an interview. [CELEB CONFIRMED]

Kiss of Life is a global and multinational group with members from different parts of the world. What's the advantage of being in such a global group?

Julie: I think Kiss of Life, being a group with members from different countries, can reach a global fan base with more ease. We also have members who have exceptional linguistic abilities, and I think it helps to communicate with our fans.

As a worldwide group, we also plan to perform in as many nations around the world as possible, meeting our fans around the globe. Our members shine the most on stage, and we want to show it to our fans. We are always available to perform, so please invite us!

Speaking of tours, where would you like to go first?

Belle: Julie is from Hawaii, Natty is from Thailand, and I was born in Washington State, so we do want to perform in those places eventually.

Julie: I don’t think there have been any K-pop performances in Hawaii, so we would be honored to be the first K-pop act to perform there.

Haneul: And I would like to perform in Japan one day.

Can you give us a recap of promoting your debut album?

Julie: Despite the challenges, such as having to perform in new environments and some health issues, I think there hasn’t been a single stage where we didn’t enjoy performing. And I think we were able to show that we were enjoying the stage to the audience.

One difficulty we had was maintaining our good health. We’ve all taken turns being ill during the promotion, so during our next run, we hope to stay healthy, from the beginning to the very end.

You said you are 99 percent there in achieving your debut goals. What are your next ambitions?

Belle: We will fill that remaining 1 percent and achieve our goals by 200 percent with our next album. So please look forward to it!

Natty: Our next goal is to blow it up. We will be prettier, more impactful and better in every aspect.

In an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily and Celeb Confirmed, members of girl group Kiss of Life made X's with their arms, describing that as a hint about their upcoming album. [CELEB CONFIRMED]

To find out more about Kiss of Life, visit Celeb Confirmed!

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