KanStarPress Interview

Korea’s new “Summer Queen” debuts in Japan! Beautiful older sister K-pop girl group H1-KEY makes their debut in Japan with a new song ｢You Were Summer｣ ―”My favorite summer memories are…”

The group’s name is derived from English slang for 〝cool〟, and the title song of the same name “Rose Blossom” from their 1st mini-album released in January 2023 became a long-running hit, going backwards on the charts. H1 －KEY―― is a Korean girl group that combines excellent visuals like a beautiful lady next door with high performance. They made their debut in Japan on August 27th (Wednesday) with their 1st Japanese mini album 『Lovestruck』 (Love Track) Japan debut showcase and release events.

This work is a Japanese version of the album of the same name released in June in South Korea, with all songs released in Japanese for Japan. In South Korea, the title song ”Summer Was You” became a hit, and with its lively and refreshing appearance, it earned the title of 〝New Summer Queen〟. He then traveled to Japan and made unforgettable summer memories with his Japanese fans.

Korean star! Now, during H1－KEY’s promotional visit to Japan, we conducted a new still shoot and interview in Tokyo. This is their fourth interview, and the girls who appeared at the interview site were truly refreshing and adorable 〝summer angels〟. RIINA, who is good at Japanese, answered almost all questions in fluent Japanese.

H1－ For everyone at KEY, each interview was very popular, and this is the fourth time Here is the appearance of 〝 Korean star! Interview 〟To, Osooseyo ～Welcome!

RIINA “(in Japanese) Hello!　 I’m RIINA and I’m good at Japanese. I’d love to!”

SEOI “(in Japanese) Hello, I’m SEOI, the cute leader of H1－KEY!”

HWISEO “(in Japanese) Hello, this is HWISEO, the main vocalist of H1－KEY!”

YEL “(in Japanese) Hello, YEL, charming youngest of H1－KEY!　 I’d love to!”

――H1－ KEY made their long-awaited debut in Japan on August 27th. Congratulations!

All “～in Japanese Wow!　 Thank you!”

RIINA “(in Japanese) It was a long-dreamed-of moment, but I was really happy to make my debut in Japan, and I worked hard to prepare for showcases and release events. The Japanese fans have always been kind and supportive, and I am filled with gratitude. At the release event, when I said that I liked “Takenoko no Sato”, they made me a support board with my face on it, and I was impressed (lol)”

SEOI “we were really happy to see all the fans enthusiastically cheering us on throughout the showcase and release event!　 When I saw them cheering me on with a cheering board decorated with beads and other cute things, I thought 〝in Japanese～〟 that was cute (lol”

HWISEO “Even before my debut in Japan, I had come to Japan for joint live shows and release events, and each time I made good memories. It was special to be able to meet all the fans after making my debut in Japan!　 It was really nice of you to make eye contact and cheer me on when we were live”

――HWISEO is a girl group that was born from the Korean survival audition program “QUEENDOM PUZZLE” EL7Z UP Are you also active in Japan?

HWISEO “When we came to Japan as EL7Z UP, many of our fans came to our debut activities, and we were filled with gratitude”

YEL “as Mr. HWISEO said, I’ve been on stage in Japan several times, but this was my first time on stage under the name 〝Japanese Debut〟, so I was nervous, but I was especially happy. The tension and excitement I felt when I debuted in Korea came back to me, and I felt like I had returned to my basics”

――Me too H1－ KEY landed in Japan for the first time “IDOL RADIO SUPER ROOKIES” We covered and it was a big hit, wasn’t it?

All “(in Japanese) Yes!　 Thank you!”

――With this debut in Japan, I’m sure some of you don’t know about H1－KEY yet. Once again, please introduce what kind of group H1－KEY is

SEOI “the group’s name comes from the English slang word for “cool” 〝lol〟, and I say it myself (lol), but all the members are tall (lol). In Korean 〝키〟〝 means 〟height〝, 〟high〝 means 〟tall〝, so it also means 〟tall girls. H1－KEY’s “Rose Blossom” was a long-running hit, and I think they are a group that can resonate with everyone through their songs and deliver courage.”

Speaking of ――H1－KEY, the unadorned beauty of 〝the beautiful sister next door〟 is also a big attraction

All “Thank you (in Japanese)!”

――Now, please introduce our debut mini-album in Japan 『Lovestruck』

HWISEO “『Lovestruck』 is a re-recording of an album previously released in South Korea, all songs in Japanese, to coincide with their Japanese debut. The title song “You Were Summer” reminds me of my youth, the band’s sound “Good For U”, “One, Two, Three, Four” about campus love, and the cute atmosphere “My Name is the Sea.” “It’s great”, and all the songs are perfect for summer”

――again, what’s the title track, “You Were Summer”?

RIINA “(in Japanese) “You Were Summer” is a summery song with a band sound, the lyrics of which are identical to the original Korean version. It expresses 〝summer〟 our dreams, loves, and 〝shining moments〟 in our lives. I would be happy if everyone could sympathize with me”

――When I listened to it, I thought it was perfect for a soft drink commercial song

RIINA ” (in Japanese) Thank you. That makes me really happy lol”

――Everyone speaks beautiful Japanese, as if it were sung by a Japanese person, and shows off their reliable expressiveness and refreshing singing voice. How was recording in Japanese?

RIINA “(in Japanese) Since we are Korean, we practiced carefully with Japanese pronunciations such as 〝tsu〟, but it was still difficult. Personally, when I received the Japanese version of the lyrics, I wanted the lyrics to be close to the nuances of the original, so I suggested that 〝setsunai〟 would be a better fit instead of 〝transitory〟. It was adopted”

SEOI “Japanese pronunciation sounds very beautiful, so I enjoyed recording it while being careful to make the most of it. I used to study Japanese well, but I was busy with my activities in Korea, so I couldn’t do it for a while. But as I talked to my Japanese fans, I started remembering words one by one, and I think I’ve improved a bit since coming to Japan (lol)”

HWISEO “This time, I sang it in Japanese and received compliments from many Japanese fans 〝for their beautiful pronunciation〟. I don’t really understand it myself (lol), but I think it turned out well. But one thing that was difficult was the word 〝promise〟 in “I wish my name was Umi”. Even in Korean, it’s similar to 〝Yakso (약속)〟, so sometimes I got confused and couldn’t sing it lol”

YEL “I wanted to understand the meaning of the Japanese lyrics and put some emotion into them, so I practiced by examining each lyric one by one. As SEOI said, I used to work really hard on studying Japanese (lol〝, but this time I read and studied before coming to Japan, and 〟what words should I convey to my fans? I did my best, wondering if I would be happy if I could get it.”

――Now tell me the key points of the dance

YEL “The title of the song is “You Were Summer”, so there are movements like avoiding the sun with your hands, and 〝hot～〟 movements like fanning with your hands, but the most important point is the butt-shaking dance. (lol. Please watch it and watch it!”

――So, tell us what the music video is about and the story behind its filming

SEOI “There’s a scene where fireworks are set off, and that scene expresses youth itself, so I highly recommend it. Actually, I shot it towards the end of filming, so my face might look a little tired (lol), but (in Japanese) it’s my personal 〝favorite scene〟”

HWISEO “Although the filming itself was difficult (lol), there was a scene where he ran by the seaside, and it also had a youthful atmosphere, so I really want people to see it!”

――In the broadcast activities of “Summer Was You”, it is a popular Korean music program “Music Bank” ☜here’s the report〝 and many other shows, and it was also called the 〟New Summer Queen, but is there anything that left an impression on you?

YEL “〝smiling shyly〟 this summer, I was active feeling like a summer queen lol. The costumes were pretty simple, such as shorts and a shirt 〝maybe it would be better to be more flashy?〟 I was a little worried. But all the members are tall, so I was actually happy that they complemented their good qualities. I felt like I was a little good at it because I could feel the gaze of all the performers (lol)”

RIINA “(in Japanese) This dance was intense and a little tough, but I think it was a chance to dance energetically. Dancing to my heart’s content on stage felt really good, it was fun, and it was a great experience”

Please tell us about your ――summer memories〝 in connection with 〟”You were in summer”

YEL “This summer in Japan looks like it will be the most memorable!　 It was my debut in Japan, and I met a lot of Japanese fans, so it was a great summer (lol)”

HWISEO “I remember playing a lot of summer events at H1－KEY so far, such as water festivals and university festivals. And this summer, I was really happy to be able to work with the song title, which is often used on Korean social media 〝it was summer 〟여름이었다)”

SEOI “This summer has been really hot lol. As HWISEO said, we played a lot at summer festivals and almost melted away (lol). Summer in Japan was really hot, but I was blown away by meeting all the Japanese fans!”

RIINA “(in Japanese) Speaking of summer memories, I remember eating shaved ice with my family and going to the beach. But my fondest summer memories are this summer!　 I was able to make my debut in Japan, and I was also very happy with my activities in Korea. I think it will be a memorable summer in our lives, and in the lives of our fans.”

――Now, tell us about your recent TMI (too detailed and wasteful, but nice for fans)

RIINA “(in Japanese) Before coming to Tokyo, there was a release event in Osaka, but my schedule was full and I didn’t have time to go sightseeing. But 〝I just have to see Dotonbori!〟 So I went alone early in the morning when I was moving to Tokyo (lol)”

YEL “lately, I’ve been into baseball (lol). Speaking of Japan, Shohei Otani is very famous. That’s why I thought I’d meet him when I came to Japan, but since he’s in MLB (Major League Baseball), I couldn’t (lol). But there were so many photos in town that I felt like we had met!”( Everyone burst out laughing

SEOI “when I was walking around Tokyo on a non-scheduled day, dressed casually and buying drinks from a cafe, a foreign student thought I was Japanese 〝may I interview you?〟 That’s what I was told (lol). I’m surprised 〝excuse me～!〟 I ran away (lol)”

HWISEO “I really like Disney, so I went to the Disney Store by myself while looking at a map on my smartphone. But on the way home, I forgot the name of the hotel and couldn’t go home (lol). But remembering a nearby convenience store, I searched and managed to get home!”

――Finally, please give a message to your Japanese fans

RIINA “I’m really happy to be making my long-awaited debut in Japan (in Japanese). I will continue to do my best in Japan, so please keep an eye on me. Thank you!”

SEOI “I’m really happy that my dream debut in Japan has come true. I think all the fans are happy too?　 I want to cherish this moment as a happy memory forever, so please continue to support me a lot.( In Japanese) Thank you!”

HWISEO “I’m really happy to have worked with the members for so long. H1－KEY has made the Korean summer more exciting, so Japan’s summer will also be carried by H1－KEY! I will do my best with this feeling (lol)”

YEL “－in Japanese) Congratulations to H1－KEY on their Japanese debut, H1－KEY and M1－KEY ～Mikey/H1KEY fans! Everyone clapped and got excited. We will continue to do our best!　 M1 －KEY, love～♡”

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