Le Sserafim Shared What K-Pop Means To Them And Their Favorite Part Of Their EP "Antifragile"

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This is an excerpt from Daebak Weekly, the BuzzFeed newsletter about all things K-pop. You can sign up here.

This interview was originally published November 18, 2022.

Global rookie girl group Le Sserafim, comprised of members Kim Chaewon, Sakura, Huh Yunjin, Kazuha, and Hong Eunchae, have returned with their sophomore EP, Antifragile.

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They are no strangers to the spotlight— their explosive debut with Fearless landed No. 1 on iTunes Top Albums chart in 13 countries and they received multiple award show wins with their performance of "Fearless." 

Now, they've returned with Antifragile and are already breaking records. Through this album, Le Sserafim earned the title of the fastest girl group in the history of K-pop to enter Billboard 200, debuting straight into the Top 15 at #14, only 6 months after their debut. They also are the first and only K-pop group that debuted in 2022 to top Billboard’s World Albums Chart.

BuzzFeed sat down with the girls of Le Sserafim to chat about how they feel about their success, being HYBE's first girl group, and more.

What is your go-to food/drink order?

Instagram: @le_sserafim

Kim Chae-won: Iced chocolate. Tteokbokki.

Sakura: Iced vanilla latte with extra shots. Kimchi stew with extra tofu, always.

Huh Yun-jin: Iced hazelnut americano.

Kazuha: Cafe Latte. Pastries.

Hong Eun-chae: It used to be iced chocolate, any cold drink with chocolate in it, or light iced Americano. But I recently tried strawberry latte and I’m in love with it.

As a rookie group that has made waves from your successful debut with Fearless, did you expect to reach this success so quickly?

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Kim Chaewon: I’m so thankful and proud to receive so much love since our debut. I want to continue to work hard to be the best artist I can be.

Sakura: I didn't expect it, but I felt grateful and rewarded that people recognized all of the hard work that we put into our debut.

Huh Yunjin: Not at all! The love and support for our debut album we received took us all by surprise, and we are always grateful every time someone covers or plays our songs.

Kazuha: I was surprised, but also excited that so many people beyond what we could have imagined loved our songs.

Hong Eunchae: I'm so grateful and honored that we've received so much love right from the start with our debut album. I'm still surprised whenever I hear our song on the streets or I see so many people participating in our dance challenges. When someone recognizes me, I’m like "Me...?" I still can't believe it’s real.

As HYBE’s first-ever girl group debut, did you feel extra pressure to be successful?

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Kim Chaewon: It was not just us but also our staff who put so much care and effort into the debut, which made us want to do our very best. On top of that, with being the first girl group from HYBE and people’s high expectations that come with it, I did feel a bit of pressure. But I tried to remind myself to be thankful for all of their attention and tried to enjoy it.

Sakura: I did feel pressured. I always feel the weight of our title and want to become an artist that goes beyond that title one day.

Huh Yunjin: Of course. It’d be a lie to say we didn’t feel any pressure. I think though it pushed us to work harder and be someone people could be proud of. I think I personally am working on being someone others, myself, and my members can be proud of.

Kazuha: I can't say that there was no pressure, but rather than giving in to that pressure, we focused on putting our all into showcasing the best performance possible.

Hong Eunchae: For me, it was more of an honor to have the title of the first girl group under HYBE. I was thrilled, and I think it was a good motivation for us as well.

How did you build confidence for your debut?

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Kim Chaewon: I believe you can be confident if you’ve tried your best. So I put my best efforts into preparing for our debut to build my confidence.

Sakura: I think it's all about hard work. If you work hard, you can be confident about your efforts regardless of what others might say.

Huh Yunjin: Lots of practice. Both physical practice and mental, spiritual practice, telling myself I am strong, I am powerful, and I am doing well.

Kazuha: I think practice is the only way to build confidence. I think it's important to keep trying and rehearsing until you feel certain.

Hong Eunchae: Actually, I didn't have a lot of confidence while preparing for our debut. But I kept telling myself that I'm great and that I'm proud of myself for just being able to make it to our debut which I've dreamed of for so long.

If you had to choose a B-side to describe each member, which one would you choose and why?

Instagram: @le_sserafim

Kim Chaewon: For Sakura, I would say "Good Parts.” When I make a mistake or when I'm not satisfied with myself, Sakura always cheers me on and tells me that it's okay and that I did well.

Sakura: I think Chaewon is "Good Parts" because Chaewon's voice is so beautiful and it fits the song perfectly.

Huh Yunjin: I would say that Kazuha is “Impurities.”

Kazuha: Yunjin is "Impurities." It's an R&B track which Yunjin loves.

Kazuha: For Eunchae, I would say "Antifragile." The choreography in the chorus fits well with how cute and playful she is. 

Hong Eunchae: I think Sakura is truly "Antifragile." The third debut is not an easy thing for anyone to do, and I think she is so amazing for doing that. The fact that she chose a difficult path on purpose without being afraid of taking on challenges really makes her 'antifragile' and become stronger.

What are your goals as Le Sserafim and as individuals?

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Kim Chaewon: Going on a tour is the top goal I have for Le Sserafim. Personally, I want to continue to grow as an artist who tells and expresses her own story through music. 

Sakura: I’d love for Le Sserafim to tour around the world and personally, I want to delve into more songwriting. 

Huh Yunjin: For the group, I would say a world tour. As an individual, to release more original music and have a song on our album.

Kazuha: I’d like Le Sserafim to perform on a worldwide stage and be able to bring joy to many people with our performances. My personal goal is to be a person who is a positive influence to others whether I’m on or off stage.

Hong Eunchae: My goal for Le Sserafim is to go on a world tour and meet FEARNOT around the world. For myself, I’d love to be an inspiration to others!

What is something you would like fans to know about your latest EP Antifragile?

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Kim Chaewon: I hope that our fans could pay attention to the message that we want to get across. I believe they know what we wanted to convey through this album. I also hope that they will enjoy themselves together as they see us enjoying ourselves on stage.

Sakura: I would love for our fans to know that we put in a lot of effort and time into working on our choreography again for this album.

Huh Yunjin: Every song is genuine.

Kazuha: We worked hard to prepare various performances for this album, so we hope that our fans will enjoy all of them along with the music.

Hong Eunchae: While preparing for this album, we put a lot of time and effort into working on our performances, so I hope people would know how much we enjoy ourselves on stage and that we’re great at performing. We made a promise among ourselves to have the most fun we can on stage. I’d like people to feel that we have a great chemistry on stage and that we are passionate about performing.

Some of the members contributed to upcoming tracks on Antifragile. For those members, what was your favorite part about the song making process?

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Sakura: The theme for “Good Parts” exactly expresses what I always feel and think about so I wrote the lyrics without having a second thought. I was so glad to find out that my lyrics were chosen.

Huh Yunjin: Just how much creative freedom we had with it, we honestly just wrote what was on our minds, and it ended up working out well. I honestly just wrote what I was feeling, where I was feeling it. That just so happened to be in a massage chair, waiting room, and hair salon.

What is something that came as a surprise to you when you began live performances? Was there anything you wish you knew before your first performance?

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Kim Chaewon: When we debuted, I was focused on doing everything perfectly so I didn’t get to enjoy myself as much. So I tried not to overthink and enjoy it a bit more this time around. The phrase ‘You can’t beat someone who enjoys the challenge’ came to my mind.

Sakura: It was so nice to finally hear our fans' voices again. It made me think 'Ah, I am an idol!"

Huh Yunjin: Don’t stress!! I remember stressing out and getting really nervous for our first “Fearless” stage.

Kazuha: Looking at the camera. When I debuted, I had a hard time even knowing where to look. Then I learned that it's important to look at the camera and be able to hold the exact facial expression you want to deliver while dancing.

Hong Eunchae: I initially thought I was shy and not good at talking, but I was surprised to find out that I could be very confident when I got to host a show or perform on stage. I didn't actually get very nervous and had so much fun being on stage! . Also, it would have been great if I knew sooner that I have to care about everything down to the smallest details which I initially thought wouldn't even be on camera.

What choreography have you had the most fun learning and performing?

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Kim Chaewon: “No Celestial.”

Sakura: For me, I had a lot of fun learning “Impurities.”

Huh Yunjin: “Impurities” was so fun. It is probably my favorite choreo to do.

Kazuha: I enjoyed learning the choreography for “Impurities.” I loved the song itself, and its choreography has a lot of beautiful hand gestures. I had a lot of fun learning it.

Hong Eunchae: I had the most fun with learning the dance break we performed at The Fact Awards. We’ve never done a dance break before, and it was so fun to practice the dance moves even though I was sad to miss the actual performance. I feel that it’d be exhilarating to have actually performed it on stage.

What concepts would you like to try in the future?

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Kim Chaewon: I want to try hip-hop.

Sakura: I’d like to try a darker, more modern concept.

Huh Yunjin: Hip Hop.

Kazuha: A performance that incorporates elements of classic music.

Hong Eunchae: It’s not a specific concept, but whatever we do, I’d like to focus on telling our own stories in our music first and foremost. Since we tried the Latin genre this time, I’d definitely love to keep exploring a wide spectrum of genres.

Do you have a message to FEARNOT and our readers?

Instagram: @le_sserafim

Kim Chaewon: FEARNOT! Thank you always for making us be better people. ❤

Sakura: Thank you so much for your continuous love and support. We’re looking forward to meeting FEARNOT around the world. Hope to meet you all soon!

Huh Yunjin: Thank you for being part of our journey. We promise to keep on bringing you great music and performances.

Kazuha: We always get so much energy from our fans who give us so much love and support. We’ll try our best to give back the same energy to our fans through our music and performances. We love you!

Hong Eunchae: FEARNOT! I never imagined that we would receive this much love. I really missed FEARNOT while I was preparing for this album, and every time when there was a challenging moment during the course, FEARNOT have been a big source of strength for me. Even when I was sick, I saw FEARNOT in person and I became fine as if I wasn't even sick. I hope you don't forget how amazing you are and how much strength you give to others. Thank you so much and because of FEARNOT, I always think that I made the right decision to become an idol. Thank you so much and I love you.❤ I will continue to work hard to become a person that deserves all of your love and support.

What does K-pop mean to you?

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Kim Chaewon: It’s my life.

Sakura: Hardships, yet challenges I should overcome.

Huh Yunjin: My life’s biggest turning point.

Kazuha: For me, K-pop is a challenge and a world that I can discover new sides of myself.

Hong Eunchae: I loved K-pop so much growing up so most of my playlist is made up of K-pop. My love of K-pop led me to this path where I got to debut with incredible team members and receive so much love from FEARNOT so it’s also something I’m very grateful for.

Stream Antifragile and follow Le Sserafim on Instagram and Twitter!