[Interview] PICKUS: "We're a Hexagon Group... Confident We Can Do Well!"

Another boy group born from auditions has emerged.

PICKUS (Ricky, Mingeun, Kotaro, Hyeonseung, Yura, Nam Son) is a rookie boy group that debuted through MBC M's 'Fanpick', composed of multinational members from Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.

From the team name combining 'PICK' and 'US' to form PICKUS, they stepped into the music scene with a resolution to always be 'us' with the fans.

Meeting PICKUS, who wants to perform globally, not just in Korea, we heard various stories about their debut.

◇ The following is a question-and-answer session with PICKUS

Q. First, please tell us your feelings about the official debut.

Yura: It still doesn’t feel real, but I want to show our various sides in the future. I want to show you a cooler and growing side.

Hyeonseung: It doesn’t quite feel real to me either. I think a lot about the old days. I started preparing to be an idol at 15, and I was really bad at it. I felt self-loathing because I wasn’t improving even with practice, but I got here with a love for dancing and a desire to shine on stage. I plan to continue with that heart.

Mingeun: I’m happy to debut with the six of us together. I want to have fun with these friends for life.

Kotaro: I’ve admired being an idol since I was young. I’m so happy to debut with the members.

Nam Son: I really wanted to be a K-pop idol too. I'm so happy to finally debut.

Ricky: I'm a bit nervous but looking forward to it. In fact, there was a time when I wanted to give up (on debuting), but the fans supported me a lot, so I got my act together and debuted as PICKUS. I want to thank everyone.

Q. Ricky, have you been active before?

Ricky: I’ve appeared in variety shows in China before. I also participated in an audition program called 'The Coming One' in China. At that time, I became friends with Vivi from Loossemble and Xiaojun from NCT.

Q. Debut song 'Little Prince'

Mingeun: Our debut song 'Little Prince' has impressive lyrics. They are poetic, cute, and beautiful. There’s also a lot of flying choreography in the dance routine, so you might find it cute when watching the stage. I think we’ve expressed the lyrics and music well on stage.

Q. There was some unfortunate news just before your debut. Hyesung suddenly withdrew; did that cause any difficulties?

Hyeonseung: We had already shot everything up to the 'Little Prince' music video, so you can see Hyesung’s appearance there. The challenging part was the stage, but right after Hyesung left, we went into adjusting our positions. The overall formation only changed positions, but there were some confusing parts during practice.

Ricky: We all understand why Hyesung withdrew. We talked a lot, and he had strong dreams about other things. We decided to support each other's dreams.

Q. The team has many foreign members; how did you all decide to debut in Korea?

Ricky: Since I was young, I wanted to be a singer. Then I saw Jungkook of BTS performing, and I was amazed, thinking, ‘Is there another person who dances and sings like this?’ Since then, I wanted to be a K-pop singer. Another interesting thing is that I was a back dancer for BTS at the 2016 MAMA. That made my dream of debuting in a K-pop group even bigger.

Nam Son: I’ve loved singing since I was young. I grew up dreaming while watching music videos of Big Bang, 2NE1, and Girls' Generation. Someone was a K-pop fan, and that influenced me a lot. I really liked it from a young age.

Yura: I was interested in being an entertainer from a young age and wanted to be an idol in Japan. But in my first year of middle school, I got to know K-pop, and then I wanted to debut in Korea. So, I eventually came to Korea.

Kotaro: I was cast via SNS for the program and ended up debuting. I had been doing ballet until university, but then I had another dream, dropped out, and was posting practice photos and videos by myself. I was preparing for auditions in Japan originally, but I participated in 'Fanpick' after being contacted, and ended up debuting.

Q. Since we’ve started talking, Hyeonseung and Mingeun, please also talk about your debut process.

Hyeonseung: I started dancing as a hobby, but it was so much fun that I got more involved. I went to academies, got on stage, and wanted to become an idol that shines on stage. My personal role model is Son Dongpyo from MIRAE, and I think being an idol is a job that brings joy to fans. I want to be an idol like Son Dongpyo, who shows that well.

Mingeun: I grew my dream by imitating Infinite since elementary school. When I had a talent show in elementary school, I performed with Infinite's songs. I kept practicing dance and singing after school, and before I knew it, I was a trainee. After five years of trainee life, I achieved my dream of debuting.

Q. Hyeonseung mentioned Son Dongpyo as a role model. Do the others have other teams that impress you as a group?

Ricky: TWS. I like their bright appearance and feel, so I refer to them a lot.

Nam Son, Kotaro, Mingeun, Yura: We also refer to TWS.

Hyeonseung: I refer to Sung Hanbin from Zerobaseone. I've been doing waacking dance, and not many idols do waacking now. But Sung Hanbin came out and did waacking, so that was impressive.

Q. 'Fanpick' was broadcast to global K-pop fans. Do you feel the popularity overseas?

Mingeun: I don’t really know how many fans we have overseas yet. However, I heard that Nam Son has many fans in Vietnam.

Ricky: Also, I heard we have many fans in Indonesia and South America. I heard that many people from Indonesia voted for me, and I’m really grateful for that!

Mingeun: It was a global audition, so it seems that many people from various countries participated. We recently had a video call with a fan, and that time it was a person from Indonesia. Meeting a fan who supports us from afar made me feel different and more motivated to work harder.

Q. But it feels like it took a bit longer to debut compared to other audition programs.

Mingeun: Right, it took a bit longer, but we prepared a lot in the meantime. We practiced a lot and built up our teamwork over six months.

Hyeonseung: Previously, during our monthly evaluations, we got scolded for 'not showing teamwork.' That day we all gathered and shared honest thoughts about what’s been tough lately. There were members who cried... We became much closer through that.

Q. Which member cried?

Hyeonseung: Yura cried.

Yura: I think I was feeling really mixed up at that time.

Hyeonseung: (As this was our first time preparing for a debut together) there were times when it was tough for all the members. Whenever that happened, our leader Mingeun hyung was good at catching and adjusting it. Thanks to him, I think we were able to overcome well.

Q. Now, please tell us about PICKUS’s strengths and charms.

Mingeun: First of all, having members from different countries is a strength. I think we can communicate well wherever we go. And we are confident that we can all do well in pop music.

We are a hexagon group. The six members come together to form a hexagon. We are definitely doing well.

Q. Now, please talk about each member's charm or strength. It would be nice if you could talk about the person next to you in order. (※ During the interview, the members were sitting in the order of Yura-Hyeonseung-Mingeun-Kotaro-Nam Son-Ricky, but for reasons to be mentioned later, Mingeun's answer is mentioned first.)

Mingeun: Kotaro looks cute just by looking at him. His skin is very white, and his smile is beautiful, especially on stage. He has a cute image. He’s a friend with a lot of idol charm.

Kotaro: Nam Son sings incredibly well. Every time I listen, I’m amazed. Sometimes Nam Son and Ricky hyung sing together, and their voices are so clear and make me feel happy. He has a cute appearance and is very charming.

Nam Son: Ricky hyung is like my second father. He takes great care of me. When Ricky hyung and I go to a meat restaurant, he always tells me to eat a lot. And the important thing is he’s very handsome.

Ricky: Yura does both dance and singing really well in PICKUS. When I was evaluating the dance, I was really surprised watching Yura's solo stage. I thought, ‘Did she do this well?’ I think she can leave good stages and works.

Yura: Hyeonseung has a lot of talent. I think he would be very helpful if he goes on variety shows in the future. I think I have a lot to learn from him.

Q. Hyeonseung, if you want to brag about yourself, you can.

Hyeonseung: Honestly, I want to start with my story. (Laughs) I was active as a dancer and creator, and a reel I posted by chance got a lot of views, so I kept being active. I think I have a talent and charm that many people watch.

And Mingeun hyung is very leader-like. In my opinion, Mingeun hyung is like the identity of PICKUS. When we lacked skills, Mingeun hyung pulled us well, and our skills improved a lot. He’s playing a crucial role at the center.

Q. Thank you for sharing. Finally, could you tell us about your future activities, aspirations, goals, etc.?

Mingeun: First, we seem to be appearing on music broadcasts, and we have a fan signing scheduled. We also have a schedule to perform in Hanoi, Vietnam. In the future, we want to let the world hear more of our PICKUS music. This seems like the biggest goal as a K-pop artist.

Moreover, I really want to thank the fans who have waited for a long time. We will bring you joy several times greater than the waiting!