Q. What was most difficult or required the most care as you prepared this album?
“We put a lot of care into the choreography. We focused on the ability to express choreography and gestures, as well as the things that we wanted to impart, and because the song is upbeat and addictive, we wanted to deliver our energy to the fans so we wanted this to have that much more energy. So we generally increased our choreo practice time by a lot, and practiced and put a lot of care into the stage presence and teamwork aspects as well.” (Hyunjin)
Q. The members participated in lyric-writing for this album as well. Apart from that, did you also voice opinions on the conceptual side?
“In the past two albums, a lot of our visions and colors were reflected. This time around, it was wholly Ryan Jhun producer-nim’s vision that went into it. We honestly needed that kind of challenge a bit, and we have faith in producer-nim, so we followed and trusted in what he said. I think what we participated in this time was more focused around lyric-writing and maintaining our own selves well.” (Hyeju)
Q. The unit songs are noticeable. The units are structured into “Confessions” (Hyunjin, Go Won, Yeojin) and “Cotton Candy” (Hyeju, Vivi, Yeojin). And Yeojin, in particular, was part of both.
“That’s also my question. Why did I get into two songs like that?” (Yeojin)
“I think it relates back to Loona. Back then Yeojin didn’t have a unit. So I think you can see this as a linkage between the previous lore and the current lore unique to Loossemble, happening through this promotion.” (Go Won)
“You could see Yeojin’s role as bridging the two units.” (Vivi)
Q. Do you have a goal for this promotion?
“I was joking with Ryan Jhun producer-nim and asked, ‘What are you buying us if we get a show win?’ And he promised to buy each member an expensive bag. We are going to work harder. (Laughs)” (Yeojin)
“Since we prepared hard for this, we’d like to get on even more diverse kinds of stages, even more often.” (Vivi)
Q. Soon it will be your one-year re-debut anniversary (September 15). Looking back, how has the past year been?
“On the one hand I think “I’ve lived busily”, and even more so that “I spent it fruitfully”. We debuted and had a comeback and went on tour in between, too. I worked really hard and can honestly say that I filled up the whole year with diligent work, so this year feels really precious to me.” (Yeojin)
Q. Does it feel very different from the first Loona anniversary?
“Very different. It has been a long while since then, and this past year we did even more activities than that year, so we were able to grow rapidly. And with fewer members, each of us have bigger roles, so it’s an environment where you can’t help but grow more quickly. I think this past year was one that allowed us to take more responsibility in all aspects and to grow.” (Hyeju)
Q. It feels like the leader Hyunjin, who played a key role in the re-formation of Loossemble, would have special feelings about this.
“I feel some pressure but it’s the good kind of pressure, so I’ve been living happily these days. And the members trust and follow me so well, so I am grateful to them, and we have such good vibes right now. So taking these vibes forward, I feel like we’re going to pull off this promotion quite well. And bring back good accomplishments. The vibes are so good this time around that I think we’ll bring results.” (Hyunjin)
Q. During the Loona days there was no leader for the overall team. What are some pros and cons of having a leader like you do now?
“I think there’s a lot. Like distributing the script lines? Also since she’s the leader, when she says “Assemble”, we assemble right away. She gets sad when we don’t listen to the leader well. When we don’t listen, it’s not like “Why won’t you listen to me,” but it feels like “Please listen to me” instead. (Laughs) So she’s kind of adorable.” (Yeojin)
“There’s pros and cons (to being leader). When we distribute the script lines, I get dibs on the comments that I want to say. I take short lines and give out a lot to the members. If I had to name a downside, the members sometimes make fun of me. (Laughs)” (Hyunjin)
“Honestly I make fun of her a lot. It’s so fun when I tease unnie. Because you have to tease the person who’s entertaining to watch, right? She has the funniest reactions.” (Yeojin)
“As Hyunjin’s become the leader, I’ve gotten to see new sides of her, and since we’ve been together for a long time, it feels really new even just to select one person as the leader like this as we start over. And since we’re a team, sometimes it’s necessary for someone to come up with a suggestion and talk it out, and Hyunjin has been doing that really well, so I think that makes the team work well.” (Vivi)
“I have a wholesome story about Hyunjin unnie recently. Hyeju unnie was briefly sick so she went home first, and the rest of us were sitting in the practice room, and Hyunjin unnie suddenly went, ‘There’s a way for us to synchronize our choreography a bit more,’ and she started teaching us fundamentals. She taught us a lot, like ‘This way you can dance a little better.’ I really felt her leader’s side at that moment.” (Yeojin)
Q. Loona had a lot of ups and downs as well, but it feels like the members must also have a special attachment for the current team of Loossemble.
“I think Loossemble to me is a new beginning. Because I got to do a lot in Loossemble that I never got to do in Loona, so to me Loossemble is a new beginning, a new challenge. It’s so new in a really positive way, and I’m so happy and content.” (Yeojin)
“We were in a situation where we could have never gotten back to the stage, never seen the fans again. As Loossemble I was able to get back on the stage, see the fans again after a short time, and achieve my dreams.” (Go Won)
“I’m so grateful for this group. As someone who loves the stage so much, I’m the happiest and have the most fun when I get on the stage with the members. As someone who values having fun the most, the happiness meter in my life is at its highest when I’m dancing with the members on stage. And Loossemble is what allowed me to do that. So that’s why I think I get really nervous when I perform every time. Because that’s how precious and important the performance is to me. So the members tell me all the time, ‘Why are you so nervous, why are you sweating so much?’ Every moment, the stage is so important. So I always want to thank the members, but I’m really shy so I can’t really say thanks. This is embarrassing but I want to take this occasion to thank them, and I want this album to do really well, and for us to be strong.” (Hyunjin)
“Debuting as Loossemble felt like one of the turning points in my life. I am a foreigner so I actually had a lot to think about during that time, but thanks to this good opportunity I was able to start over as Loossemble. Loossemble taught me a bit about myself as well and I loved that.” (Vivi)
Q. We heard that prior to re-debuting as Loossemble, Hyeju debated closing out the dream of being a singer. Have you thought about what it would have been like if you really quit at that time?
“Even if I were to go back, I would make the same decision. I would choose the challenge of being Loossemble and returning to the stage once more. Nothing would change even if I went back, and these current members are a collection of such different personalities and different tendencies that I’m sometimes really fascinated. Seeing us flow on without any big troubles, I think we’re looking out for each other a lot and doing pretty well. (Hyeju)
Q. You must hold special feelings for the fans as well. Do you feel anything has changed with the fans compared to the Loona activity days?
“I think I feel more emotional about the fans. After the whole incident during the Loona times, as I re-debuted as Loossemble, the fans said a lot along the lines of ‘I thought I’d never see you again.’ So I think we’ve grown more intimate with them.” (Yeojin)
Q. What do you think has changed about yourselves, the members?
“As we’ve gotten older and more experienced, a lot of things that were difficult and hard to understand have become comprehensible, because we experienced those things. And we’ve become more able to participate in lyric-writing, more able to express our ideas about albums, and grown as artists. As people, too, as we went through the hard times, the wounds have lost sting and we’ve learned how to get back up. How to get through difficult times, how to destress, we’re learning those remedies one by one.” (Hyeju)
Q. It feels like you and ARTMS, a group also originating from Loona, might inspire each other too. Do you keep in frequent contact?
“I contact Choerry unnie pretty frequently. Almost every day, I think. Unnie is on tour right now, you know. But she’s still good about texting back and we’re telling each other to come over to our homes. Recently ARTMS held a concert and I went to see them. They played Loona songs there and I danced in the stands, and the unnies also said ‘Yeojin let’s dance together’ from the stage so I really enjoyed that concert. I don’t think anything has changed between us. We’re like family, you could say.” (Yeojin)
“We understand so well about how each other was feeling as we were all starting over, so we feel a lot of camaraderie. And sometimes they inspire me a lot. Inevitably we are different groups now, so that gives us a nice kind of stimulation and it makes us want to show some new things or our improved selves.” (Hyeju)
Q. You’re all busy working in your respective arenas, but it feels like there must be a world where you all get back together someday.
“We are always open to it and the other members are always open too. It’s just that right now everyone is in the phase of starting over, so we’re focusing on that a bit more, and once we have each grown some more and the right timing has arrived, that’s when we’re wanting to meet the fans all together as one.” (Hyeju)
“I want to do that within a few years. And I’m curious, too. Once we have grown within each team and met again, how much cooler are we going to be by then.” (Yeojin)
Q. How do you want Loossemble to be remembered as a group?
“Honestly Loossemble is more unfamiliar to the general public than Loona, so I want this promotion to help reach the public with ‘There is such a group called Loossemble.’” (Yeojin)
Q. When the general public sees you, which feels better to you? Not recognizing Loona right away and realizing “Loossemble was from Loona?”, or recognizing the fact that Loona members are now promoting in these ways?
“Personally I want them to learn about Loossemble first. We are a team starting over, after all, so once they learn about our unique charms and begin to like Loossemble, honestly there is going to be way too much information about us. Once they get into us, there’s a lot of information and a lot to see, so I want them to first fall for Loossemble’s charms, and I want to make Loossemble become more known. And honestly Loona and Loossemble have different musical styles and group colors, so in my opinion our charms are different.” (Hyeju)
Q. When you have no schedules, do the members hang out together often?
“We have a lot of introverted members, so we spend a lot of time at home.” (Go Won)
“I have a dog, so I always spend time at home no matter what. Doing nothing and spending time with my dog. Because I just came home from working outside, so going outside again is too tiring.” (Yeojin)
“Honestly when we’re promoting, we have a lot of break times and long standby periods, so we have plenty of time to meet and chat then. So there isn’t really the need to do that even after work or on days off… (Laughs)” (Hyeju)
“Once in a while I do hang out with Go Won unnie. Once in a long while. But the routine goes like this. Suppose practice ended early, then it’s ‘Wanna eat? Wanna go to the cafe? Wanna play the claw machine?’” (Yeojin)
Q. The five of you have such great chemistry. Have you ever fought?
“I don’t know if I can say this. We had a huge fight. (Everyone laughs)” (Yeojin)
“Recently during choreo practice, I guess Hyunjin unnie and I were feeling some kind of conflict mentally. Some days you’re just in a bad mood, you know. We started talking and there was a bit of trouble, and the spark blew up kind of big, so we ended up taking some time to all gather around and have a talk.” (Hyeju)
“Suddenly I got pulled into it too and I felt hurt and cried at home.” (Yeojin)
“After we poured out so much of what was on our hearts, after taking that time, I think we became able to speak more easily. We fought that time and made up that same day. We don’t really hold grudges like that.” (Hyeju)
Q. When you rest, how do you find comfort and destress?
“This is our third album within a year, right. So we haven’t had very long breaks. So my way of resting is just staying home and doing nothing, and exercising helps me destress a lot too.” (Vivi)
“My stress levels go down when I wash my hair. I shower at home and lie down still. When you lift your legs, that gets the blood circulating, right. Then I feel the stress going away. That’s how I control it a bit.” (Hyunjin)
“Lately I’ve been building Nanoblocks. It requires a bit of creativity, and that actually allows me to have fun without thinking much. I just got into it.” (Go Won)
“I have a dog and she’s so cute. She makes my stress go away. When she runs around the home instead of me and makes a mess, I clean up after her going ‘Sheesh.’ I’m the mom. The little one influences me so much, and I wish everyone would have a dog and do well by them. I also raise a lizard. His name is Gaeko.” (Yeojin)
“I don’t have a ton of friends, so I honestly make plans like once a month if that? I like hanging out with my family, so I destress as I eat and chat with them. Since they are the people on my side who give me absolute support. They join in with me when I want to complain about somebody, and when I’m having a hard time they empathize with me and encourage me that I’m doing really well. I think hearing it from family gives me more strength than hearing it from anyone else.” (Hyeju)
Q. Lastly, anything you want to add?
“To be honest, recently I was going through a bad period mentally. It was so tough having to work on promotions when I’m going through this. And in the past, Hyeju unnie would have just said things curtly, but unnie was speaking to me softly, and I realized that made me feel a little better. I guess the members, Hyeju unnie, were really important to me. For example, even when we need to practice, Hyeju unnie doesn’t say much. But for this promotion, she would tell me, ‘Hey Yeojin, let’s go practice,’ and I would think, ‘This unnie is going through a lot too but she’s doing all this for me. I should work, too.’ Since it was mentally tough, I used to go home and cry. And when I got texted ‘Let’s gather at this time tomorrow’ I would reply ‘Yes’ and go back out. It’s gotten a lot better. Hyunjin unnie told me, ‘You are doing so well right now’, and Vivi unnie cries together with me. And I don’t know about Go Won unnie. Unnie already plays along with me and listens to me the best, as it is. So for this album, I wanted to tell Hyeju unnie how grateful I am. It was such a difficult period mentally, and Hyeju unnie was willing to be my rock.” (Yeojin)
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