ComingSoon Lead Writer Varsha Narayanan spoke to H1-KEY about their group identity, their message, their music, including the H1-KEYnote project, and their future goals.
K-pop girl group H1-KEY released their second single “Deeper” as part of their H1-KEYnote project. The single, released on February 27, 2024, is the second song in their project. The first song, “Thinkin’ About You,” was released early this year, garnering wide appreciation. The group, consisting of four members, Seoi, Hwiseo, Yel, and Riina, rose to global success over their song “Rose Blossom.” Since then, the four-member group has largely made its presence known in the K-pop scene.
The group debuted on January 5, 2022, recently celebrating their second anniversary. With the “H1-KEYnote” project, H1-KEY aims to comfort people with the power of lyrics and melody. While “Thinkin’ About You” depicts an independent and strong self amidst heartbreak, “Deeper” urges people to hold on to their positivity during the most difficult times of their lives, sharing messages of self-healing using the group’s musical abilities.
For “Deeper,” H1-KEY once again joined forces with Young K of DAY6 and Hong Ji-Sang, who previously worked with the group on the massive hit “Rose Blossom.”
Varsha Narayanan: Could you share the message behind the group’s name and the message you send through your music?
SEOI: Our group name H1-KEY is derived from the term “high-key.” Our group tries to exude strength, energy, and healthy beauty. Starting from the release of the song “Rose Blossom,” we tried to make songs that give comfort to the listeners and give solace through music.
You recently completed two years in the industry. Congratulations!! Looking back on your trainee and early debut days, how would you all say you’ve evolved as an artist?
YEL: Compared to how we were when we debuted, we are less nervous now. We are currently in the stage where we can really enjoy ourselves during our performances. At first, we could tell from our facial expressions that we were nervous while on stage. But now we possess the ability to hide our nervousness, even in cases where we make mistakes on stage. So that is the one biggest difference.
As artists, you must have different styles and approaches to music. How does that help you create the music you do as a group?
HWISEO: Our experiences in the past have shaped our unique colors and styles as individuals very clearly. Having all of our different musical styles come together, we have really harmonized well and that creates synergy as a group. That is one distinctive factor of H1-KEY.
You’ve produced great music over the past two years. Needless to say, you’ve garnered considerable fandom and significant critical acclaim. Was there a turning point in your career where you felt you’d reached the stage you always wanted to?
HWISEO: The moment when our song “Rose Blossom” started climbing up on the music charts, we think that was the turning point for our group. It was an opportunity for us to really let H1-KEY be known to the general public and also earn a hit song.
You attained global success through “Rose Blossom.” What do you think was the song’s appeal that reached audiences worldwide?
SEOI: First of all, this song has an “easy to listen to” melody. Secondly, regardless of which language it has been translated into, we think everyone listening to the song can really resonate with it. It really connects to them. There might be some people who listen to this song because they find the lyrics really appealing or just because they find the melody really addictive. Regardless, these are some of the reasons why “Rose Blossom” has garnered attention from audiences all around the world.
What went through your mind when you launched the H1-KEYnote project? What would you say is the project’s overall message?
RIINA: Through the H1-KEYnote project, we wanted to show a different side of us because we’ve been really focusing on the performances up until now. Aside from that, we wanted to really start releasing songs focusing on the lyrics and our vocal abilities. This is what we’re trying to achieve with this project. Moreover, we would also like to share with the audiences that we are trying to give out a different vibe and showcase a variety of emotions.
“Thinkin’ About You” is a very comforting song. There’s both healing and strength in the lyrics. What made you choose that as the first song to be released as part of the project?
SEOI: As previously mentioned, through the project we as H1-KEY want to showcase our musicality. So “Thinkin’ About You” was the perfect song to kick that off because it really shows a part of our group that we never really showed to the public before. It’s also something that we haven’t tried before, including the harmony in the song. Likewise, the second single “Deeper” also focuses on our group’s musicality so we look forward to fans listening to that as well.
Please tell us more about your new release, “Deeper?” What was your inspiration behind it, and what message does it convey?
SEOI: “Deeper” talks about our will to overcome hardships, challenges, and pain. In terms of the inspiration behind the song, we think it comes from our daily lives. Everybody goes through a time where they have something that they want to achieve and they overcome hardships to succeed. We think and hope that this is another song that can resonate with many people.
What are your immediate goals with releasing the H1-KEYnote project? Do you have any special promotions or performances lined up that you would like to share with fans?
SEOI: In terms of the songs that we released as part of the H1-KEYnote project, it’s not really focused on being shown through music shows or broadcasts. But we are trying to focus more on the song, so promotions will be more centered around radio or other content platforms that are more closely related to the vocal aspects. For example, with “Thinkin’ About You,” we created a challenge where people can sing a duet with us. We hope people enjoyed doing that with us, and we hope people participated.
Are you planning to release more songs as part of the project? If yes, can you give us any spoilers exclusively for the fans?
SEOI: It’s a bit difficult for us to share the absolute details of this project. But we can tell you for sure that there are more great songs lined up as a part of the project following “Thinkin’ About You” and “Deeper.” So I hope people look forward to listening to all of that.
Would you like to say anything to your fans? Any final comments?
SEOI: We hope you listen to “Deeper,” resonate with the song, connect to it, and really focus on the musicality of H1-KEY. Moreover, in the year 2024, we are really looking forward to meeting our fans, M1-KEYs, not only in Korea but also abroad as well. So please continue supporting us and giving us your love and interest. Thank you very much.
You can check out H1-KEY on Instagram, Twitter, and other platforms. You can stream their music on YouTube and Spotify among others.
