E-Junkies: Members of new K-pop girl group Kiiras put teen life on hold for idol career , Entertainment News

AsiaOne

2 days ago

With their group name drawn from the Korean word for energy 'ki' and the English word 'rascal', they certainly live up to the youthfulness.
AsiaOne recently spoke with K-pop rookie girl group Kiiras, who were in Singapore for a collaboration video shoot with UOB before heading to Malaysia and Japan.
The sextet - leader Lingling from Malaysia, Kurumi from Japan as well as Kylie, Harin, Doyeon and Roah from South Korea - made their debut on May 29 and have released two songs, Kill Ma Bo$$ and Ziller!.
With their oldest member Lingling at 20 years old and youngest Roah turning 14 in October, all but one of the girls have stopped school to pursue their idol dreams.
Harin, 17, shared: "In junior high school, I studied hard enough to get first place but then suddenly I wanted to become an idol, so I quit studying and chose to pursue it."
Roah, who practised gugak (traditional Korean music) for three to four years, added: "I quit gugak , which I'd been doing for so long and switched to idol music."
Currently, only former child actress Doyeon, who turns 16 in December, attends school and only on days when Kiiras don't have activities or music shows planned. On school days, she has to wake up at 5am to get ready for lessons.
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For Lingling, Malaysia's first female K-pop girl group member, the opportunity to return home rarely comes by.
"I don't really have much time to meet my family, so whenever there are long holidays, I'll go back to Malaysia if I can. But recently, I've just been video-calling my parents every day," she explained.
The other members agreed, saying they video-call and communicate with their families in their free time. Adjusting to life as public figures
Kiiras debuted with their single Kill Ma Bo$$ on May 29, and its music video has surpassed seven million views on YouTube. They shared with us their most memorable moments on set.
For Doyeon, her pick would be meeting the donkey featured in the video, which she had initially been scared of but had become closer to while filming.
Roah described animatedly a scene they filmed in a studio. "When everyone sat down on the sofa, real feathers exploded instead of computer graphics. So we all pretended to be surprised but behind the scenes we were giggling, and the other girls said they were too scared to hold hands."
They were recently designated Mapo Police Station's Crime Prevention Ambassadors, teaching citizens "how to be responsible".
How do idols and safety correlate? Harin shared: "As public figures, we feel a responsibility to use our influence in a meaningful way. In our ambassadorship, we want to take part in more campaigns about kindness and safety." View this post on Instagram
A post shared by KIIRAS 키라스 (@kiiras__official)
On their more imminent goals, 19-year-old Kurumi said: "Now, our goal is to prepare for our comeback later this year, and we want to rank first on a music programme at least once."
Lingling added: "We want to participate in year-end award shows like Mama and go to Kcon if there's a chance. One day, we hope to grow bigger like Blackpink in the future."
Kcon is an annual convention and music festival held around the world to celebrate Korean music, beauty and food.
However, being just two months fresh out of their debut, the girls are still adjusting to celebrity life. Recalling their arrival at Changi Airport, 17-year-old Kylie said: "I feel different from when I was a normal person, especially when we went to the airport this time, our fans welcomed us so much that I realised again [that we are celebrities]."
Roah expressed: "It's hard to believe that it's already been two months since our debut, but in the meantime we've been active and made so many memories together, and I'm so happy and excited to be abroad with the group for the first time!" Sharing and learning cultural experiences
With members from different cultural backgrounds, they are also learning more than just music and being an idol.
Kurumi shared: "I think language is very important [when it comes to learning about cultures]. It's especially because we're going to Japan soon, I'm teaching everyone the language - the same way Lingling's helping with the English interviews in Singapore and Malaysia."
In addition, Lingling wants to integrate ethnic wear into Kiiras' performances such as donning traditional Malaysian attire in a Kill Ma Bo$$ performance.
Roah was surprised when she learned something Malaysian from Lingling: "There, people don't usually wear pyjamas at home - they just wear regular, everyday clothes. And in South Korea when we're at home, we wear pyjamas and lie in bed."
Watch our E-Junkies interview as they answer a series of "Who's Most Likely To" questions!
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