As it happened: Fifty Fifty's 'Love Tune' album press conference

Girl group Fifty Fifty begins its new chapter on Friday with four new members and a fresh look in its album, "Love Tune." The Korea JoongAng Daily will cover the press conference live.

Girl group Fifty Fifty pose for a photo during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

Girl group Fifty Fifty begins its new chapter on Friday with four new members and a fresh look in its album, "Love Tune."

The album comes a year after the girl group’s last release, “The Beginning,” a compilation of remixes and songs sung by the original members without any new tracks. It is also the first major project under the Fifty Fifty name since its meteoric single “Cupid” (2023) that put the group’s name on the global music map.

Fifty Fifty released a prerelease track titled “Starry Night” on Aug. 30, giving a sneak peek into the new album.

The stage of girl group Fifty Fifty's showcase at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Friday [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

Fifty Fifty will meet with the press at 2 p.m. after the album's release at 1 p.m. to explain the band's new project in detail at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul.

The Korea JoongAng Daily will cover the press conference live.

2:00 p.m. The showcase begins with introduction videos of each of the members: Keena, Chanelle Moon, Yewon, Hana and Athena. Host of the showcase, Yoo Jae-phil, walks onto the stage.

Chanelle Moon poses for a photo during the girl group Fifty Fifty's press showcase held at Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

Chanelle Moon poses for a photo during the girl group Fifty Fifty's press showcase held at Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

Chanelle Moon poses for a photo during the girl group Fifty Fifty's press showcase held at Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

2:03 p.m. Chanelle Moon walks onto the stage for the photo time section. Yewon is the next on stage.

2:05 p.m. Up next is Keena, the original member of the group.

Member Yewon of girl group Fifty Fifty poses for a photo during a press showcase held at Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

Member Yewon of girl group Fifty Fifty poses for a photo during a press showcase held at Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

2:09 p.m. Athena takes the stage for her photos.

2:11 p.m. And up last is Hana.

2:13 p.m. Then the other members join for group photos. Keena: "Thank you for coming all this way."

Keena, the original member of girl group Fifty Fifty, poses for a photo during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

Keena, the original member of girl group Fifty Fifty, poses for a photo during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

2:16 p.m. Keena: "Hello, we're Fifty Fifty."

Chanelle: "Hello, I'm Chanelle Moon of Fifty Fifty."

Yewon: "Hello, I'm Fifty Fifty's Yewon."

Keena: "I'm Keena of Fifty Fifty. Thank you so much for coming all this way today."

Athena: "Hello, I'm Fifty Fifty's Athena."

Hana: "Hi, I'm Hana of Fifty Fifty."

Member Athena of girl group Fifty Fifty poses for a photo during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

Member Athena of girl group Fifty Fifty poses for a photo during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

2:17 p.m. Host: "How do you feel today? Thank you so much for being here with us. A lot of effort has gone into today, and I'm honored and excited to show you everything we've been preparing."

Member Hana of girl group Fifty Fifty poses for a photo during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

Member Hana of girl group Fifty Fifty poses for a photo during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

2:18 p.m. Host: "We'll move straight onto the performance of the lead track of the album, 'SOS.'" The members walk off the stage to prepare for the performance.

2:28 p.m. The performance of "SOS" finishes. Fifty Fifty members come back on the stage. Host: "How do you feel about performing it for the first time?"

Hana: "I was so nervous and I still feel my heart pounding. But I feel happy to be able to have shown you this stage with the rest of the members."

Fifty Fifty members perform ″SOS,″ the lead track of the group's second EP ″Love Tune″ during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

Fifty Fifty members perform ″SOS,″ the lead track of the group's second EP ″Love Tune″ during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

2:29 p.m. Host: "This must be so meaningful for you Keena."

Keena: "I've felt a lot of things and thought about a lot of things. But thanks to everyone who supported me, I could keep holding onto the opportunities I was given and got to be here right now. We'll always be a Fifty Fifty that tries its best and shows you the best."

Fifty Fifty members answer questions during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

Fifty Fifty members answer questions during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

2:31 p.m. Host: "The global makeup of the group has fans excited too. How do you all feel?"

Chanelle: "Becoming a singer has been my lifelong dream. I've been preparing for so long to show you a good performance. To be able to perform as a member of Fifty Fifty is just such an honor. I'll cherish this moment forever."

Yewon: "I've also been dreaming of this for such a long time. Being able to do so with such perfect members is just a dream come true for me. I'll always try harder every day."

2:32 p.m. Host: "Can you share some stories?"

Hana: "'Love Tune' has the word 'tune,' when using the radio and love. It's an album that tells the various stories that we encounter in our daily lives, like hearing them on the radio.

Host: "Any love stories?"

Athena: "I'm from Sweden and also the youngest so the members always take care of me. I feel like I'm maturing thanks to them and I want to keep on trying harder and growing with them thanks to their love."

Member Hana of Fifty Fifty poses for a photo during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [NEWS1]

2:33 p.m. The No. 1 track on the album is "Push Your Love." Keena: "'Push Your Love' is about the beginning of love. It's a message about cherishing the love that we all have within us all."

2:34 p.m. No. 2 track, "Starry Night," a song prereleased on Aug. 30.

Athena: "We prereleased this song, which is about confessing the love with each other under the starry night. It's about appreciating everything that the fans have done for us."

Host: "Foreign fans are also supporting you. Can you sing the song in English?"

Chanelle: "We have English versions of 'SOS' and 'Starry Night' on the album. We'll sing a little in English." She then sings!

Member Keena of Fifty Fifty poses for a photo during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [NEWS1]

2:36 p.m. The next track is lead track "SOS."

Hana: "'SOS' is the lead track of 'Love Tune.' We sometimes put ourselves in each others' shoes. We sign 'SOS' to ourselves in those moments. This song is about loving and cherishing ourselves amid everything."

Host: "What did you focus on recording this song?"

Athena: "I was in charge of the first bit. I was cast for my voice so I tried carefully to make it sound good."

2:37 p.m. Host: "Do you have any challenges ready for the song?" Yewon: "Of course. We have many ready. We'll show you right now."

Member Athena of Fifty Fifty poses for a photo during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [NEWS1]

2:38 p.m. It's time for the final track, "Gravity." Yewon: "The last track 'Gravity' is about pulling each other in love in this wide universe."

2:39 p.m. Host: "We've heard all the songs now. So now we'll continue our next performance."

Chanelle: "We'll show you the performance of 'Starry Night' to express our gratitude to the fans." All members: "Thank you!" Members walk off the stage to prepare for the next stage. The music video is played for now.

Member Moon Chanelle of Fifty Fifty poses for a photo during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [YONHAP]

Member Yewon of Fifty Fifty poses for a photo during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul on Sept. 20. [NEWS1]

2:45 p.m.The performance for "Starry Night" begins.

2:49 p.m. The performance of "Starry Night" ends and the stage is being set up for the Q&A session.

Members Moon Chanelle, Yewon and Keena introduce dance challenge moves made for its latest EP during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

Members Moon Chanelle, Yewon and Keena introduce dance challenge moves made for its latest EP during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

2:52 p.m. The members are back on the stage. Q: "Congratulations on your new beginning. This is a new beginning after a lot has happened. Was there anything you were worried about? How was it working together, the teamwork? And did you get the reaction you wanted with 'Starry Night'?"

Keena: "It would be a lie to say we didn't feel under pressure. But the five of us being able to show our new music was a promise we made to ourselves. We want to keep on showing good, sincere music to the public and fans. And we will keep on doing our best to make sure we can do that."

2:54 p.m. Chanelle: "It was like fate. We just fit each other so well. The members told each other to comfort each other."

Athena: "We're all differently talented. So we shared our knowledge and talent with each other."

Yewon: "After the release, so many people supported us. It's the support that keeps us going. We'll keep on being a Fifty Fifty that tries harder to show you good music."

2:57 p.m. Reporter: "You're a quintet now. How is it different from before? And [baseball player] Ohtani is becoming a global hit. Did you read the article [about him hitting 50 home runs]?"

Keena: "Fifty Fifty's five members all have different voices. When they come together as one, the song shines. I believe that's our strength."

Chanelle: "Thank you for your question. The fifty home run article is such a piece of history and good news. Congratulations. I'm personally from LA and a fan of the LA Dodgers, so the news felt really great."

3:00 p.m. Reporter: "Congrats on your comeback and re-debut. Keena, you said you had a lot of thoughts. What did you think of and how did you prepare for this comeback? And 'Cupid' was such a megahit song. Do you have any goals for 'SOS'?"

Keena: "The long break allowed me to think back on myself. I never had the time to do that before, but I looked back on myself. As a musician and someone who loves music, I continued to practice to improve my music skills. What I thought about for the comeback was to deliver music with more sincerity. The trailer video shows me really loving music and I wanted to show that to the public. I always practiced with the hope that people would see my sincerity. All members have their different routines so I didn't say anything particularly but we respected each other. We talked a lot about each other and how we'll continue into the future, especially because we've only been together for a relatively short amount of time."

3:02 p.m. Hana: "For 'SOS,' we're so grateful for the attention and support. The 'Love Tune' album is a compilation of all our different and beautiful voices. We're looking forward to the performance and the good memories that we'll share along the way.

Keena: "I have the same thoughts as the members."

Members of Fifty Fifty perform ″Starry Night″ during a press showcase held at the Yes24 Live Hall on Sept. 20. [YOON SO-YEON]

3:04 p.m. Reporter: "Congrats on the album release. I'm reading the introduction and your MBTIs are all F, except for Keena. Do you have any episodes related to this?"

Athena: "We're all F except for Keena, so personally, this is my first time out in the society! There were moments when I was shaken, but Keena let me hold on. She helped me learn a lot."

Keena: "I'm actually not into landscape photos. Sometimes when we're going home and the sun is setting, everyone takes their phone out to take pics. I just don't get why they do that."

3:05 p.m. Reporter: "This is a follow-up to the pressure question, especially because you were high up on the Billboard charts. How did the new members feel about joining such a big team? And Fifty Fifty was loved a lot and fans are excited to hear 'Cupid' with five new voices. Do you have any plans for that?"

Yewon: "Being a part of such a great team is such an honor, not just for me but for everyone. I'm practicing even more to make sure I deserve it. I'm thinking about the future and practicing, rather than feeling the pressure."

Hana: "When I first heard the song for 'SOS,' I felt it was so adorable. I felt joy to think that we'd fill this song with our voices. I was able to pour all my heart into the song thanks to that."

Keena: "We are preparing for a lot of things. We've made our comeback and re-debut with 'Love Tune,' so we'll really appreciate it if you focus on that for now. We're preparing for a lot of things so I hope you look forward to that."

3:08 p.m. Reporter: "'SOS' is about listening to ourselves during hard times, right? It feels a little close to your situation. What did you feel when you first received the song? And are there people you want particularly to listen to this song?"

Hana: "When we first heard 'SOS,' I felt it was a really bright song because of the melody but I was very consoled by the lyrics. I had my teen years and I questioned myself on who I am or what I liked. The thoughts that I had were carried in the song and the message, 'loving myself,' really hit home.

Keena: "Rather than Fifty Fifty's situation, I thought about what the listeners would feel and how we could deliver that. This is a song about healing and consolation so we ourselves naturally felt comforted by the song."

Yewon: "Like Hana said, we each have to progress toward our dreams, we need the time to look back on ourselves. So I hope to suggest this song to everyone walking toward their dreams, like students, or anyone else."

3:11 p.m. Reporter: "I have two questions. Keena, everything happened due to a miscommunication with the agency. How have you changed since then? And Athena mentioned that you were cast because of your vocals. What do the other members think?"

Athena: "As singers, Fifty Fifty is known for our vocals, so we focused on that. All the members have great voices, and we’re excited to show you good music."

Yewon: "Each member has a unique tone and pitch, so you’ll hear the range we can pull off across different songs. I hope people pay attention to that when listening."

Hana: "It’s not just about having beautiful and amazing voices. We really love music, and we’re excited to share music that comes from the heart."

Chanelle: "Each of us has a different vocal style and a deep love for music. That support from the group helped me do better and feel encouraged. I think we have something special for people to look forward to."

Keena: "We realized how important proper communication is. After everything, I’ve learned to communicate better — not just sharing my own story, but really listening to others."

3:15 p.m. Host: "This was the last question due to the time limit. Thank you for today and the members will share their last greetings. How did you feel?"

Keena: "To be honest, this was the most nervous day for me. But performing with the members made me feel supported by the others. I've gained confidence for our upcoming promotions. I always say that we'll be a Fifty Fifty that does music with the utmost sincerity. I'll emphasize this once again. Thank you so much for today."

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]