The girls of H1-KEY are back. Seoi, Riina, Hwiseo and Yel are burning things up and are hotter than ever with their new third mini-album LOVE or HATE and title song “Let It Burn.”
If you haven’t heard of Grandline Group’s powerhouse performers, then you must be a rose growing in between the cracks of a building. H1-KEY rose to extreme fame and popularity after the release of their hit song “Rose Blossom” back in 2023 which was written by Young K and composed by Day6’s well-known producer Hong Jisang. After becoming viral sensations, H1-KEY are high key everyone’s roman empire since their hit girl crush concept left us wanting more.
Now, the delicately sweet yet driven girl group met with ZAPZEE to share their thoughts on their youthful comeback track while also taking the time to reflect on their own high school days before debut and personal fashion sense. If you feel like getting personal and want to know each members’ mind a little more then our exclusive interview will be just the thing you need to read.
Q1. H1-KEY came back with a chic rocker theme for “Let It Burn” from the third mini-album LOVE or HATE which really left a big impression. How did the members feel when they first heard the song?
Seoi: I felt from the beginning that it’s a very H1-KEY coded song. We’ve never shown this style before, but we thought we could show our colors more clearly with “Let It Burn.”
Riina: I loved this song because it was impressive and unique right from the first verse. I listened to it a lot before it was released because I felt refreshed after.
Hwiseo: At first, I felt that the song was difficult. However, the more I practiced, the better things became. When I listened to “Let It Burn” with the members’ voices, not the guide, I loved that each part of the song had a different feeling to it.
Yel: When I first heard “Let It Burn” it was a mix of funky sounds that we’ve never tried combined with a rock-band sound I felt we are good at. I thought we could do the song justice. I think that’s how we started working on the album based on that belief!
Q2. The MV showcases the girls’ high-school rebellion phase. Can the girls tell us about their high school life? What was it like and what did they enjoy most about high school?
Seoi: I really liked school! I was a student who enjoyed all the things school had to offer; my school uniform, my friends, my clubs, etc. – so my school life was a little far from rebellious! I liked to be active so I continued student council from middle school through high school. When I was in middle school, I formed a theater club and oversaw it as a general manager!
Riina: I loved school life so much that I put in a lot of effort to work really hard during all my activities. I really enjoyed the little moments when I was in class with my friends and playing during our breaks.
Hwiseo: I graduated from an art high school, so I usually had recreational classes rather than subject-based classes, like dancing, singing, and acting. Studying with my friends was fun. During break time or lunchtime, I enjoyed playing with water guns in the summer, snow in the winter, and taking pictures under the cherry blossoms and fallen leaves in autumn.
Yel: Actually, I never had that kind of teenage high school experience. I was really quiet and studious during class but I was still a trainee and had to go somewhere and I disappeared every weekend! I think I got good grades because I had many good friends by my side. However, I don’t really have any core memories with my friends.
Q3. The school-style costumes in the MV and stage outfits showcase quite the different image. Do the girls prefer their punk rock image more or something more simple in real life?
Seoi: No matter how simple it is, I usually dress street casual or wear something that has a fashionable point. I also wear quite a bit of punk rock styles!
Riina: I like punk rock styles, but I have a lot of simple clothes. I think I like simple yet sophisticated images.
Hwiseo: I’m the type to change my style depending on what I like or the style I like on that particular day rather than a preferred style. I do however prefer flashy styles rather than simple ones!
Yel: I think I prefer street and hip fashion rather than simple neat styles! Even if it’s simple, I think it needs some accent points!
Q4. Tell us about the lyrics: what message do you want fans to understand from this song?
Seoi: The main message is “Don’t be vague, let’s be clear.” I want to tell our fans M1-KEY “Let’s burn up even hotter!”
Riina: Instead of living ambiguously the lyrics say to be sure in making things clear and definitive.
Hwiseo: Instead of doing something lukewarm, I want to tell others, “Let’s ignite our passion until it’s burning hot!”
Yel: “In the future, let’s not do things halfway but let’s burn together.” It feels like this song contains my passion and greed in the lyrics! We’ve told our fans M1-KEY that we have many different sides of ourselves, but we haven’t had a chance to show them that much yet. So the title song “Let It Burn” is a hope that we’ll get even hotter as we burn.
Q5. Is there a song from the ‘LOVE or HATE’ album fans must hear or you recommend?
Seoi: “♥letter” because we participated in writing the lyrics this time as well, expressing our feelings for each other as members. It would be fun to guess and match which part was written by which member!
Riina: I recommend the song where the members share their inner thoughts with each other in “♥letter.”
Hwiseo: I will infinitely recommend our title song “Let It Burn.”
Yel: I chose our song for our members “♥letter” because it’s a song that melts my heart. I hope our fans M1-KEY can listen to it too and feel how much the members love and care for each other.
Q6. During this comeback, what was a fun or memorable moment you had with your fans?
Seoi: Right now, I remember the time spent during our one-on-one fan meeting. It was a precious time when I met many M1-KEYs up close and greeted each of them.
Riina: The time I spent with so many M1-KEYs during the mini-fan meeting was so precious. I think I was able to work even harder while performing “Let It Burn” on stage because I received so much support from M1-KEY.
Hwiseo: We had a mini fan meeting during our music show promotions and since it was held outdoors in the hot weather, a fan who was sitting there said that his butt was burning like it was on fire – like our song. He still waited and spent time with us! I’m so grateful and I think it’ll be a long-lasting memory.
Yel: Our Mini fan meeting! This mini-fan meeting was really, really awesome! Although the weather was burning hot, seeing M1-KEY playing games with us and having fun until the end made me feel like I gained more strength that day!
Q7. Since debut, H1-KEY has been different from other girl groups. What is something the girls think makes H1-KEY your ‘not-so-average’ girl group? What is your signature charm?
Seoi: I think it’s our relatable lyrics and the melody based on our own sound that sticks in your ear. I think these points have been our most attractive points since “Rose Blossom” which first made H1-KEY well-known.
Riina: I think our unique point is that we continue to make music that we want to do without wavering.
Hwiseo: I think our charm is that our music has the power of sincerity! Music that can instill not only comfort and hope but also passion and enthusiasm, and songs that have the charm of reviving memories of that time when you listen to them again like nostalgia – this is the power of H1-KEY’s songs and unique charm.
Yel: We did a special stage with a ballad song called “Rainfalls” and the fans really liked that stage too. I think our special charm is that we can express ballads and other sounds, through rock, hip-hop and more.
Q8. Is there any choreography you think is the most difficult to perform among your songs?
Seoi: There wasn’t anything too difficult but preparing for “Athletic Girl” was the hardest. Since we had to do intense choreography without rest, it took the most strength.
Riina: I think the choreography for “Seoul” is the most difficult because we have to control our own tempo well enough to be able to dance smoothly and beautifully.
Hwiseo: I don’t think there’s any yet! I want to try more difficult choreography!
Yel: Me too! There isn’t any. We need more difficult choreography. It’s not enough.
In the end, the girls of H1-KEY seem to crave more ways to improve their stages and evolve before their fans’ eyes! Destined to be on the stage, H1-KEY strives to succeed with each and every song and have a final message for their fans as they wrap up promotions for “Let It Burn” and begin preparing for their newest venture.
Seoi: Thank you M1-KEY for always cheering me on and loving me! Thank you for giving me another beautiful memory this time. Let’s quickly make more memories. I love you!
Riina: Thank you so much for believing in and cheering for H1-KEY. I will work hard to show you a cool and diverse side of me to repay your feelings. I love you so much!
Hwiseo: M1-KEY!Thank you so much for always cheering me on and sending me love! I will grow into an artist that anyone can be proud of and happy about, so please stay with me in the future! I love you!
Yel: M1-KEY! I was able to wrap up this album well because I was with our adoring M1-KEY! Thank you. To all the new M1-KEYs who became M1-KEY through this album, I will show you many new and cool sides in the future, so let’s make many more pretty and precious memories!
With that, H1-KEY finished up our interview and fully expressed just how much they love being with each other and their fans M1-KEY. In the end, H1-KEY proved they aren’t one-hit wonders and have continued to burn things up with their passion for success as idols and personally too.
If you can’t get enough of H1-KEY, don’t forget to follow the girls on Instagram and Twitter (X) and look forward to more original K-Pop content and exclusive interviews with ZAPZEE by following us too.
