ILY:1: “WE ARE A FAMILY AND PRECIOUS FRIENDS RUNNING TOWARDS ONE GOAL”
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
EVERLAST KOREA is proud to present an exclusive interview with the multicultural female K-Pop group, ILY:1! The members recently released their 1st Mini Album titled, A Dream of ILY:1, further showcasing their fairy-like charms. ONLY:1, (ILY:1's fandom) has grown both domestically and internationally since their official debut. After a successful collaborative giveaway event between ILY:1 and EVERLAST KOREA, we are excited to share some new details about the group, the members individually, as well as what they are looking forward to in the near future. We hope EVERLASTERS and ONLY:1 enjoy this exclusive interview with ILY:1!
LET’S WELCOME ILY:1
ILY:1: Hello, everyone! We are a multicultural female-group with six members that combine two Korean, two Japanese, and two Taiwanese members! We are ILY:1, who debuted last year.
ILY:1 is a combination of “LY” and “I,” which means “~ly,” and tied up with one (1. ONE) to show the members’ colorful charms in harmony as one.
HANA: Hello, it’s nice to meet you. I’m the main dancer HANA!
ARA: I’m in charge of the sub vocals, pink bunny princess ARA!
RONA: I’m in charge of the well-proportioned figure, RONA!
RIRIKA: I’m the main vocalist, RIRIKA!
ELVA: I’m the main rapper, ELVA!
NAYU: I’m ILY:1’s leader, NAYA!
HELLO, WE ARE ILY:1
Video Courtesy: FC ENM.
EVERLAST KOREA: Using three words, how would you describe ILY:1 as a group?
ILY:1: Beagles, pure, and fresh.
EVERLAST KOREA: What makes ILY:1 unique as a group? This can be from a music standpoint, the members relationships, and/or concepts.
RIRIKA: Our strong friendship and teamwork! Good songs and performances make ILY:1 a unique group as well.
EVERLAST KOREA: What does being part of ILY:1 mean to all of you? Especially since it's been nearly a year since all of you debuted as ILY:1!
ILY:1: We are family and are precious friends running towards one goal.
EVERLAST KOREA: Using one word, how would you all individually describe your charms and personalities?
RONA: Refreshing.
ARA: Energetic.
NAYU: Warm.
ELVA: INFP.
HANA: Kind.
RIRIKA: Humorous.
EVERLAST KOREA: If you could tell a new ONLY:1 to watch a specific video of ILY:1, which video would you tell them to watch? Other than a music video!
ILY:1: Our own YouTube series, GOGO ILY:1.
1ST MINI ALBUM: A DREAM OF ILY:1
Video Courtesy: FC ENM.
EVERLAST KOREA: Congratulations on releasing your 1st mini-album, A Dream Of ILY:1! What can you further reveal about ILY:1’s musical sound, and overall concept as a group?
ILY:1: A more mature innocence, and a dreamy atmosphere that emerges from a fairytale.
EVERLAST KOREA: You released a music video for “별꽃동화 (Twinkle Twinkle),” and it gave off a very magical, colorful, and whimsical feel to it. What was it like shooting this music video? Do any of you have memorable moments from behind-the-scenes while shooting this music video?
ILY:1 We remember the last scene in the camping car! It felt like we actually went camping. If we ever get the chance, we would want to go camping together.
EVERLAST KOREA: As ONLY:1 continues to grow and continues to support your music and content, what would you like to say to your fans?
ILY:1: Thank you for always loving us; we hope to see you more often! Thank you for being next to us! We’ll be a group that can make you proud!
EVERLAST KOREA: You have 4 instrumental tracks on this mini-album! If you could use these instrumental tracks in a film, what film genre do you think each instrumental track could be featured in?
ILY: “Twinkle, Twinkle” would be Fantasy. “Secret Recipe” would be a movie about cooking. “Tasty” would be a romantic comedy. “Thanks to...” would be a growth story.
EVERLAST KOREA: The photo concepts for this mini-album were DAZZLING! What did you all think about the photo concepts for this mini-album? And do any of you have a particular concept or outfit you liked the most?
ILY:1: The main concept outfit is my favorite! The skirt with purple flowers is the main point of the outfit.
MOVING FORWARD INTO 2023
Video Courtesy: FC ENM.
EVERLAST KOREA: It’s been nine months since all of you made your debut, and you all must have learned so much within this span of time. What is one thing you have learned individually or as a group, and will continue to implement throughout this year (2023)?
ILY:1: Since we’ve been on many stages, we learned about etiquette on stage. We think we’ll be able to show great performances confidently and leisurely on bigger stages.
EVERLAST KOREA: Since all of you will be celebrating your 1-year anniversary this year, how are all of you feeling about your journey as artists so far? Is there anything all of you individually or as a group would like to accomplish this year?
ILY:1: We were conducting promotions without knowing that time had passed because we were with our lovely fans. It’s just the beginning of ILY:1, so please look forward to us! And we really want to win first place on a music show this year!
EVERLAST KOREA: Will there be more opportunities for all of you to meet with ONLY:1 in-person this year? We’re sure ONLY:1 is always waiting to show all of you their support in-person!
ILY:1: We are ready to go wherever ONLY:1 calls us!
EVERLAST KOREA: While you just released your 1st mini-album, can ONLY:1 look forward to hearing new music this year? We’re sure ONLY:1 is always looking forward to hearing new music from all of you.
ILY:1: It’s still a secret (laughs).
CREDITS
We want to give a big thank you to REELS Corporation for allowing EVERLAST KOREA to cover ILY:1’s promotions for their 1st mini-album. We also want to give a big thank you to ILY:1 and FC ENM for allowing EVERLAST KOREA to conduct this interview! REELS Corporation Inc. was founded in 2020 and works as a public relations and consulting agency based out of Seoul, South Korea. It is also a subsidiary of REELS America Investment, Ltd. REELS Corporation helps with decision-making required for labels to rise within the global market via data & consulting services. As the phenomenon of the Hallyu Wave has already taken over the world, especially within the past decade, the company’s mission is to make K-Pop break the status quo of being a niche genre and help transition it into becoming a mainstream genre of music.
SOURCES
All photos and videos are credited to FC ENM.
