Photo = S2 ENTERTAINMENT

 

[Hanteo News = Reporter KANG SUYOUNG] KISS OF LIFE is aiming for its second summer with 'SWEAT.'

 

KISS OF LIFE met with Hanteo News at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 29th and talked about their new single and activities. HANEUL said, “We could not miss this summer,” adding, “We have always made comebacks at intervals of three to four months, but this time as well, we prepared quickly and made this an album that could target the summer.” NATTY said, “When people think of KISS OF LIFE, they think of summer queens, so we prepared even harder,” adding, “Because so many people loved us, we wanted to show a new KISS OF LIFE this summer as well.”

 

The title track 'SWEAT' is a genre that combines Latin and electronic pop based on Afrobeat rhythms. BELLE explained, “We thought the passionate feeling unique to Latin pop matched our atmosphere well, and because the beat and rhythm are also a genre that we can bring to life well performance-wise, we thought it was a song we could take as one of our strengths.” The song’s core message is “Don’t let them see you sweat,” meaning not to show others your sweat and effort. BELLE said, “It is not simply ‘sweat’ in the sense of sweating because it is summer and hot, but we wanted to emphasize that everyone sheds so much sweat and puts in so much effort behind the scenes, and that even if someone looks perfect on the outside, they are actually shaken a lot and learning a lot behind the scenes.” JULIE added, “Rather than delivering the message that you should never let others see you flustered or sweating, we want to say, ‘We know it all too, because we are the same, and still, you are amazing.’ We hope people gain strength from listening to this song.”

 

The difference from their previous song 'Sticky' is also clear. BELLE explained, “'Sticky' is also an Afrobeat song, but if it carried a refreshing image like blue skies, clouds, and clear weather, this 'SWEAT' has a slightly more mature and deeper KISS OF LIFE feel, to the point where you can imagine the members dancing barefoot on sand under the sunset.” When asked for keywords to describe the song, HANEUL chose “return of the summer queens, healthy beauty, wannabe, and hot girl,” while JULIE added, “female warriors.”

 

'SWEAT' was a song they were confident in from the moment they first heard it. BELLE said, “I personally brought in the demo for this song as the representative, and we had a listening session together with the members,” adding, “We discussed which song would suit us best and should come out this summer, and the moment we heard this song, I intuitively thought it was really good.” She continued, “The genre itself fit us perfectly, the performance came to mind, and the visual and performance potential that the keyword ‘SWEAT’ could carry aligned with our image, so we unanimously chose it.” The pre-release performance at WATERBOMB also gave them even more confidence. BELLE said, “Because we pre-released it by playing just a very short part at the very end of the setlist, everyone seemed really surprised. But just from hearing the chorus, they gave such a great reaction that it gave us confidence, and our anticipation to start promotions quickly grew even more.”

 

During the process of choosing the title track, there was also conflict with the B-side track 'What.' JULIE said, “There was enough conflict that we worried, ‘Should this be the title track?’ or even while filming, ‘What if this gets a better reaction?’” adding, “There was a place where we pre-released the new songs to a small number of fans, and even there, opinions were divided. Both songs are of such high quality that I am looking forward to and curious about the promotions.” Regarding the B-side 'What,' BELLE introduced it by saying, “It is a song that I thought was both a new color of KISS OF LIFE and KISS OF LIFE itself,” adding, “It is an EDM genre track that can show KISS OF LIFE’s coolness most intuitively, and it contains a new flavor that KISS OF LIFE has never brought before. It is a song that will shine when we hold concerts or stand on various festival stages in the future.”

 

The performance includes new attempts. JULIE explained, “I think the composition of performing together with cool female dancers will be a fun point,” adding, “We prepared it by carefully arranging moves that are easy enough for even people who cannot dance to see and follow gently, while also including difficult choreography that can show our skills when we perform among ourselves.” NATTY said, “Aside from the point choreography, it is so difficult that I would say it is the hardest choreography among all of our dances,” adding, “That is because we run without rest.” They will also show a barefoot performance for the first time. NATTY said, “When I heard 'SWEAT,' I imagined a scene of dancing on sand under a summer night sunset, so I suggested the idea. It was really fun that they accepted it and we were able to include it in the music video.” When asked whether they would also perform barefoot on stage, HANEUL drew laughter by saying, “If there is an opportunity to take them off, or if we win No. 1, I will take them off.”

 

The point choreography also catches the eye. BELLE said, “In the chorus choreography, there is a move that looks like wiping off sweat and splashing it, and I think it is a catchy point that everyone can follow,” introducing it by adding, “In the post-chorus, there is choreography where we hold our heads with both hands and shake our hips from side to side. It is very exciting and intuitive, so I think everyone will want to follow it.” HANEUL said, “If you go to the beach, I hope you play our song and dance this choreography.”

 

The members’ level of participation in making this album was also high. BELLE said, “There were visual elements, such as the image of dancing barefoot on sand under the sunset, that we directly imagined and came up with ourselves, and we gave a lot of opinions when filming the music video and preparing the performance.” NATTY explained, “Julie unnie and I strongly said this time that we really wanted to dance a lot,” adding, “We realized that the reason people like KISS OF LIFE is because we enjoy ourselves on stage, dance with excitement, and understand the music as we perform.” JULIE shared, “We communicated with the company and worked out the details, such as wanting the trailer to have this kind of color and mood, wanting to include scenes of us dancing in the practice room to deliver this message to fans, and thinking that photos would come out well if we worked with certain photographers.” BELLE also felt a special sense of mission during the song-sourcing process. BELLE said, “As we continued promoting as KISS OF LIFE, I felt that because only we could know ourselves so well, I had to set the musical standard properly and make sure it did not waver. I felt a sense of mission that I had to take on that role.”

 

They also honestly shared their thoughts on KISS OF LIFE’s unique confidence. JULIE said, “When we were grouped under the keyword of suggestiveness, I felt very grateful that the public saw us in such a hot way,” adding, “We did not dance with that intention, but I looked at it with a positive mindset, thinking, ‘They see it that way.’” BELLE said, “We hope the public looks positively at the confidence that comes from within, from believing in oneself,” while JULIE shared, “We always want to convey to fans the message that honest, human sides, such as knowing how to acknowledge hardship, admitting what is wrong and learning from it, and being able to say ‘I did well’ when we do well, can look confident.”

 

They also never neglect monitoring in order to be a group that always takes on new challenges. JULIE said, “We always try to study every musical aspect, including performances and albums by overseas artists, as well as music from our seniors and juniors in the K-POP market,” adding, “While not losing KISS OF LIFE’s color, we try to meet the public’s needs.”

 

Parting ways with director Lee Hae-in led to growth for the team. JULIE said, “Because of Hae-in unnie’s absence, there were things we had to take care of more delicately, even in areas we had not needed to pay attention to before, so it was definitely a process through which we could grow tremendously,” adding, “Now we also have anticipation that we will be able to do more as even cooler artists.” NATTY added, “Since Hae-in unnie had watched us for such a long time, there were things she knew even without us saying them. This time, I think that was one of the reasons we appealed more and shared more of our opinions.”

 

At the end of the interview, when asked about their goal for this promotion, BELLE said, “I want to rank No. 1 on digital music charts,” adding, “That is because our previous song 'Sticky' went up to No. 2.” As for the modifier they liked most among those they have heard so far, JULIE said, “I think the modifier ‘miracle of a small-to-mid-sized agency’ is one I am even more grateful for now than I was at the time,” adding, “Going forward, rather than being the miracle of a small-to-mid-sized agency, I hope we can become a group that achieves new results and creates another new miracle.”

 

KISS OF LIFE’s 3rd single 'SWEAT' will be released today at 6 PM through various music sites. Attention is focused on just how hot this summer will be for KISS OF LIFE, who have returned with a more mature side.




키오프 하늘, 서머 퀸 굳히기 예고 "이번 여름 놓칠 수 없었다" [HT인터뷰 ①]

키스오브라이프 나띠 "이번 안무 난이도 역대급…쉼없이 달린다" [HT인터뷰 ②]

키오프 쥴리 "핫하게 봐주셔서 감사…당당한 퍼포먼스 계속 보여드릴 것" [HT인터뷰 ③]

키스오브라이프 벨 "신곡 SWEAT, 목표는 음원차트 1위" [HT인터뷰 ④]