[FLNK MAGAZINE] INTERVIEW WITH H1-KEY 💟
H1-KEY, who comforted us with <건물 사이에 피어난 장미 (Rose Blossom)>, is back. In this 2nd Mini Album [Seoul Dreaming], H1-KEY talks about our dreams, saying, "Let's dream together" because "Hope is in the air."
After listening to it all, for some reason, you would find yourself feeling sentimental and overwhelmed by H1-KEY's unique music.
Congratulations on your comeback. Can you give us a five-syllable introduction to your latest album, [Seoul Dreaming]?
HWISEO Hope is in the air. The title track and the rest of the album have a dreamy, can-do, cheer-up vibe.
RIINA Let's dream together. It's an album about dreams, so if I had to sum it up in five words, I think that's the one that best captures our main message.
Let's talk about it in more detail. I loved the message of your last title track, <건물 사이에 피어난 장미 (Rose Blossom)>, so I'm looking forward to the message you'll be delivering through your music this time. What kind of message did you put into this album, [Seoul Dreaming]?
SEOI This album is a continuation of <건물 사이에 피어난 장미 (Rose Blossom)>, and the story we always want to tell is "inner health." This time, we tried to use this theme as a base to tell the story of people following their dreams and support them.
RIINA There are two title songs, <불빛을 꺼뜨리지 마 (Time to Shine)> and <SEOUL (Such a Beautiful City)>, and they are different but similar. <SEOUL (Such a Beautiful City)> is a symbolic representation of a city and has a message of encouragement for all the dreamers in cities worldwide. The light in <불빛을 꺼뜨리지 마 (Time to Shine)> refers to the light that you always turn on when you work, and it also refers to your passion. So it carries a message of not turning off that light but keeping it on and pursuing your dreams.
After <건물 사이에 피어난 장미 (Rose Blossom)>, you're working with composer Hong Jisang and your senior Young K again. What was it like to work with them again?
SEOI In a word, "I was super happy." It was great to collaborate with the composer Hong Jisang again and learn a lot musically.
RIINA He gives me a lot of vocal advice on singing and practising when recording. He also asks me if I have any difficulties in my activities and tells me a lot about his experiences, which makes me feel warm whenever I work with him.
HWISEO Hong Jisang also tries to give me much of his life advice. I met Young K at an event, and he instilled confidence in us. He gave us encouraging words like “you're doing a good job” instead of telling us what to do. I'm very grateful.
Did you experience anything new or have any remarkable stories to share while preparing for this album?
SEOI As the song is titled <SEOUL (Such a Beautiful City)>, we travelled around Seoul to shoot the music video, and I realised that even if I lived in Seoul, there were many places I didn't know about yet. It was impressive to feel the urban side of Seoul and the laid-back, relaxed atmosphere simultaneously.
HWISEO We searched hard for our childhood journals and photos and put them in a photo book for this album. It was cute to think that we've been dreaming so hard since we were little.
YEL That's right. It's interesting because we all have wanted to be singers since childhood.
We've seen some significant challenges from you this year. RIINA and HWISEO: You've just completed the <Queendom Puzzle>. How did you like it?
RIINA It was a huge challenge. It wasn't easy to make a stage and compete with seniors and juniors who are professionals, but I think it was a time to test myself to see how far I could go. The people who made the stage with me put their hearts into it. Of course, I had worked hard too, but I was able to learn what I was missing from them. I debuted during COVID-19, so I didn't get to interact with other artists, but I made new friends this time, and it was a great experience.
HWISEO When we prepare for a comeback, we usually take a few months to practice and go on stage, but this time, we had to create several stages quickly, which made us get better at it. Even the final stage was done in three days, from recording to performing. I kept thinking, "Is this working?" Another good thing was being on a big stage and having more colleagues that I could rely on and relate to.
SEOI and YEL took on the duet <비가 쏟아진다 (It's Raining)>, and many people commented on how your vocal harmonies stood out in this new style of song. Do you have any memorable stories from the process?
SEOI It's the first time I've ever had lyrics like that. Our albums have always been about confidence and health, but it's a love song. (Laughs) It's an entirely new style, so I struggled with it. When we were filming the video, we kept laughing at the cut sign, but when we were recording it, everyone told us that our voices sounded good together, so we worked hard to make it sound good.
YEL I was freaking out when practicing because it was my first time singing a ballad love song like this, and I was also worried about whether I could express it well when I was recording. Still, I appreciate the positive response during the recording process and for the final result.
This whole "inner health" thing that H1-KEY has been talking about since your last album is significant. How do you folks take care of your "inner health"? Petty things matter.
SEOI I think "inner health" is the absence of stress, though it's impossible to be stress-free. I recently played a game with our maknae (the youngest) in the cool air conditioning of our accommodation, and it was great.
RIINA Are you sitting at your desk doing something and playing a game?
SEOI It's all for my "inner health." (Laughs) I'm trying to relieve stress that way.
YEL Since we're a team, we talk a lot, we have hobbies together, and lately, we've been watching many films together to keep our "inner health" in check.
RIINA I'm all about opening windows! I open my windows to ventilate, breathe in new air, and maintain my "inner health." I always keep my room windows open because I think it's essential to have a change of air, even in the same place.
HWISEO I spend most of my time staring at plants or in a daze with a mellow song. We have a turtle, Boogie, together at the accommodation, and it's fun to watch it.
HWISEO, are you growing plants and have a turtle?
HWISEO I've been growing plants for about a year and a half. I started with a Monstera, and now I have a baby Stuckyi, a big Stuckyi, cacti, herb plants, happy plants, and many others. I felt like my place was dreary; since I have a lot of animals at home, I felt like my place needed life. Plants weren't enough. Because SEOI is allergic to dog hair, and YEL is allergic to cat hair. At the aquarium where I went with my friends, my eyes met a beautiful turtle, and I was instantly mesmerised and brought home "Boogie." I love animals, plants, and nature, so I hope to live in a quiet countryside like Gapyeong someday.
YEL I don't think so because of the bugs. (laughs)
RIINA HWISEO will wear pink sunglasses even in the countryside. (Everyone laughs) Pink sunglasses, pink skirt, pink slippers. She could be the jewelry lady on "What on Earth!"
RIINA, you keep a diary. Do you have any tips for keeping it up?
RIINA I think I keep a "dakku" (decorating diary as a hobby) because I love to decorate, and it's fun to do. Also, I often write because it helps me organise my thoughts and de-stress. Why does everyone stop?
HWISEO I tend to write in my diary like a random note, but RIINA unnie (older sister) makes her diary pretty by putting stickers on it and drawing on it, so I think it will last longer if she's that talented.
YEL, you have extraordinary energy in your onstage gestures. How do you keep yourself in energy?
RIINA She sleeps whenever she has free time.
YEL That's right. When I sleep, I'm more alert and less angry; when getting a lot of sleep, I'm in good mood and have much energy. Also, I love massages, so I’m a big fan of using a massage machine. I've heard that foot massages are good, so I wore my acupressure slippers today.
SEOI, you've become very interested in perfume lately. Do you have any recommendations for scents that match the album's concept?
SEOI I think the floral musk range is perfect for this album - the beauty, the glamour, and the nightlife of Seoul remind me of musk with the scent of fresh flowers. But maybe that's just because I'm hooked on musk scents these days.
What challenges would you like to take on as H1-KEY in the future?
SEOI I hope we have more opportunities to meet our global fans. Next week, we're going to Jakarta for our first-ever overseas show, and I hope that will give us more time to spend with our overseas M1-KEY. Of course, we'd love more opportunities to meet our M1-KEY in Korea.
YEL Right now, people know us more as <건물 사이에 피어난 장미 (Rose Blossom)> than as our team name, H1-KEY, but with this album, I want people to know H1-KEY more.
HWISEO: I hope H1-KEY, the four of us would like to do a lot of more enormous stages. We've gone through many events and done many music broadcasts, but I'd like to do more big stages that we haven't done yet.
RIINA: I agree with everything they've said, and what I'd like to achieve with this album is No.1 on the music broadcast.
Finally, do you have any words for the readers of FLNK Magazine?
YEL Taking pictures with this new concept today and even in the unit formation was fun. Recently, H1-KEY's b.stage was also opened, and I'm happy there are more communication channels with M1-KEY. Let's give M1-KEY more happiness! We will do our best.
SEOI Shooting with cute props in a vintage atmosphere was fun. We will continue to communicate with M1-KEY in the future.
HWISEO It was my first time shooting in a vintage space like this, so it was new and exciting. I'm looking forward to the future as there is another space to communicate with M1-KEY, as "H1-KEY, the king of communication."
RIINA Shooting was fun, and I was praised for being funny during the interview (laughs), so M1-KEY will have a long and fun time on the H1-KEY’s b.stage with "Fun-KEY."
H1-KEY X FLNK MAGAZINE SIGNED POLAROID EVENT! 💗
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Credit.
Artist : H1-KEY
Interviewer, Editor : Seungmin Lee
Art & Content Director, Photographer : Jihye Kim
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