“‘Ive‘s younger sister’ glory, work harder at live” Kiki debuts, ‘eight colors’ full of zen beauty (comprehensive)[DA:On-site]

‘Ive’s younger sister’ and ‘Starship‘s youngest daughter’ KiiiKiii (Kiki: JiU, Lee Sol, Sui, Haeum, Kiya) has made her official debut. Since her pre-debut song ‘I DO ME’, she has garnered attention for her bubbly charm and excellent live skills, and this time she has gone through a 180-degree transformation with the included song ‘BTG (Been That Girl)’.

On the 24th at 2 PM, the release commemorative showcase for her first mini-album ‘UNCUT GEM’ was held at the Blue Square Mastercard Hall in Itaewon-ro, Seoul. On this day, Kiki performed the title song ‘I DO ME’ and the b-side ‘BTG(Been That Girl)’ and participated in a Q&A session with the press.

Kiya said, “I’m happy to be able to make the debut I‘ve dreamed of for a long time. I want to say thank you to all the people who supported and helped me.” Sol said, “The month since our pre-debut has passed quickly. I’m happy to be able to show my fans the stage directly and be with them through a music show stage. I was really nervous, but I remember my first music show stage. I felt like I‘ve grown a lot thanks to the support of many people during that time. I will continue to work hard to show you a cool side of me,” he confessed.


Kiki’s debut album ‘Uncut Gem’ is an album that is more charming because it is unrefined, like Kiki‘s declaration of war to the music industry. The six tracks are filled with Kiki’s endless questions toward youth. With beautiful and colorful melodies, she asks questions to the world and depicts her aspiration to move forward in a cheerful direction without forcing anything.

Kiki pre-released her pre-debut song ‘I DO ME’ last month and successfully completed music show promotions. The title song ‘I DO ME’ is a song that maximizes Kiki‘s bold charm, and it ranked first on YouTube’s trending videos for two days after its music video was released, and also settled on major domestic music charts.

Sui said, ”We prepared this while thinking that if we show people having fun and enjoying themselves, they will receive bright energy and smile happily. I‘m grateful for the love that so many people give us,“ and revealed her aspirations, saying, ”Like our group name, we will show various sides of ourselves and become a group that delivers laughter and happiness to our fans.“ JiU said, ”I stood on a music show stage that I had only seen on TV, but the fans cheered for me. I received good energy. I don’t think I‘ll ever forget that moment. In the future, I will not forget the emotions from that time and will work hard to show you an even better side of me,” she said. “In the future, I will become a KIKI who grows and works hard so that I can live up to the interest and love.”


KIKI, who received rave reviews for her outstanding live performance skills that were unexpected for a rookie during her pre-debut. JiU said, “All the kind words gave me strength and comfort. While practicing for my live performance, I wanted to show you the best stage I could, and I am grateful that you liked my live performance. We have also made up our minds to work harder and pay more attention to our live performances,” she expressed her gratitude.

Lee Sol said, “I used to be the type of person who pays a lot of attention to details both before and during practice, but as we repeated the performance, I started to think about the people who come to see our performance. I thought, ‘Once I get on stage, I’ll forget everything, enjoy the stage, and communicate with the people in front of me.’ “I think I was able to grow a little musically,” he confessed.

The debut album includes ‘I DO ME’, as well as ‘DEBUT SONG’, a self-congratulatory track with a minimal and sophisticated beat that ‘introduces the jewel-like KiiiKiii to the world for the first time, ‘GROUNDWORK’, a self-introduction that contains the witty charm of youth with 808 bass and vintage synthesizer sounds, ‘THERE THEY GO’, a fusion of vintage instrument sounds and vocal chop sampling, ‘BTG’, which breaks down the boundaries between hip-hop and EDM, and ‘ONE OFF’, a harmonious mix of retro Moog Synth and heavy Bass/Kick, showing Kiki’s infinite musical spectrum through a variety of tracks. boasted.

The follow-up song activities will continue with the included track ‘BTG’. Kiki said, “‘I DO ME’ and I thought it created a different atmosphere and that it was refreshing and suited Kiki well,“ and introduced it by saying, “‘I DO ME’ showed a natural and spontaneous point, but I think it would be great if you paid close attention to the different atmosphere and cool appearance in ‘BTG’.” Sui said, “‘I DO ME’ showed a happy appearance and laughter, but through ‘BTG(Been That Girl)’ we will show a great performance, cool rapping, and challenging various styles,“ and said, ”I hope we gave a fresh feeling. I will work harder to show you a good side of me,“ she said with determination.


Kiki, who is officially debuting as the next trainee after Ive from Starship Entertainment, said passionately, ”I debuted as the junior of Ive seniors, but rather than feeling burdened, I feel honored to be able to debut as the junior of such great and respectable seniors. Just like our seniors, we want to show that we are working harder with our own unique colors.“ Regarding the advice from her seniors, Kiya said, ”I was so grateful and happy that Ive seniors encouraged me and told me to fight and gave me a lot of advice and encouragement.“ JiU said, ”I have a connection with Ive seniors since I trained with them when I was a trainee. “I’m so grateful that senior Ive Leez cheered me on,” she said, expressing her gratitude.

Kiki also mentioned SM Entertainment’s new girl group Hearts To Hearts, with whom she naturally formed a competitive relationship, saying, “I think it’s an honor to be able to work with them at the same time. I hope we can stimulate each other positively as colleagues.”

Kiki also explained that, as a strength, she is “a group where each member’s individuality stands out, but when they come together as a team, there is synergy and natural charm.” They said, “We want to show a great image while creating our own unique color,” and chose winning the Rookie of the Year award and performing on a global festival stage as their goals.

Kiki’s first debut mini album, “Uncut Gem,” will be available on various music sites today (the 24th) at 6 PM (KST). Following the album release, a fan showcase to commemorate the release of ‘Uncut Gem’ will be held at 8 PM at the Blue Square Mastercard Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The event will also be live streamed on Kiki‘s official YouTube channel.

Jeong Hee-yeon, Donga.com reporter shine2562@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.