From promising rookies to rising stars really quick, ILY:1 is a dream come true. Read all about our charming encounter with the K-Pop idols in this exclusive interview!
The year was 2022 when ILY:1 debuted with "Love In Bloom". While it may have only been 10 months since they stepped into the Hallyu spotlight, this enchanting girl group has already bloomed beautifully.
Under the guidance of FCENM, Hana, Ara, Rona, Ririka, Nayu and Elva are continuously navigating the spectacular waters of K-Pop with one successful comeback after the other. "Que Sera Sera" was a follow-up to "Love In Bloom", and now, the girls are back again with "A Dream of ILY:1". Never straying from the fairytale concept that fits them so well, this ensemble brought magic and dreamy wishes to life in their newest offering. ("Twinkle Twinkle" playing as you read this very sentence)
PopMachine had the opportunity to chat with the septet to talk about their comeback album, "A Dream of ILY:1", their real life fairytale experiences, their love for ONLY:1, and even the latest thing they added to cart.
Are you ready to get to know your idols more, ONLY:1? Because your dream of ILY:1 is now a reality.
★ POPMACHINE: Congratulations on your comeback! What was your favorite part of bringing "A Dream of ILY:1" to life?
NAYU: "First, the title song 'Twinkle, Twinkle' is the best… but I think I had a lot of affection for 'Thanks to….”
ARA: "NAYU’s solo music 'Tasty' is my favorite song~"
HANA: Honestly, I liked all the songs! So, it’s hard to choose only one… But If I have to choose. I will choose our fan song “Thanks to….”
ELVA: "For me, 'Secret Recipe' is my favorite! It’s lovely."
RIRIKA: "I have the most affection for the title song 'Twinkle, Twinkle.'
RONA: "I love the cute lyrics of 'Secret Recipe' too."
★ POPMACHINE: What was the best off-camera part of creating this magical album?
NAYU: "There is a scene where we are doing a pillow fight while shooting the music video. I remember everyone coughing and laughing because the feathers in the pillows kept getting into our mouths."
★ POPMACHINE: Your music video for "Twinkle Twinkle" radiates dreamy fairytale energy. What was the inspiration for the concept?
ILY:1: "The story of six girls living under the sky, the light that lights up the world with star flowers…
Looking out the window, dreaming, sitting on the roof, counting stars, counting the petals, and writing lyrics.
We thought of a pure concept of singing toward our dream with affection and earnestness."
★ POPMACHINE: ILY:1 has quickly gained a lot of popularity. What makes your group unique among other girl groups?
ILY:1: "We think ILY:1’s differentiated charm is that we show a dreamy and innocent charm on stage, although we usually look playful."
★POPMACHINE: Is there a concert or fan meeting in the near future for ILY:1 and Only1?
ILY:1: "We are ready to go anywhere to those who support us."
★ POPMACHINE: The end of the "Twinkle Twinkle" music video shows you all making wishes on a star. What is your biggest wish? And what is the best wish that has come true, so far?
ILY:1: "We all have the same wish. To perform on the year-end stage as ILY:1 and win first place on a music show!
And the best wishes that have come true so far were to debut as ILY:1 and participate in writing songs for our fans!"
★ POPMACHINE: Aside from stars, sunflowers play a leading role in the same music video, and they add lots of optimism to the theme. If you were to give your co-members a gift, would you choose flowers or stuffed toys?
ILY:1: "All the members are the type to give gifts that they usually need, rather than flowers or puffed dolls, and we like to write letters, so we want to write a letter to each other!"
★ POPMACHINE: Did any of you write lyrics or compose music for the album?
ILY:1: We have participated in the lyrics of the fourth track, “Thanks to….”
★POPMACHINE: What are your nicknames that fans don't know about yet?
HANA: Sehana
RONA: Jang RONA
ARA: Yong Kkung
NAYU: Gimeon, Glet
RIRIKA: Ri-chan, Kim-ssi-da-RIRIKA, Babo-Unnie
ELVA: Yong Yong
★POPMACHINE: If you could turn into any fairytale character for a day, which one would you be, and what would you change in their story?
ARA: "Rapunzel"
HANA: "Alice"
NAYU: "Snow White"
RONA, RIRIKA: "Shin-Chan"
ELVA: "Belle (Beauty and the Beast)"
ILY:1: "Fairy tales are most beautiful when they are fairy tales, so we don’t want to change the story.
If we change the story at will, the lives of the other characters and the fairy tale's main characters will change, so we don’t think they would want that. (Laughs)"
★ POPMACHINE: Have you ever experienced any real-life fairytale moments?
ILY:1: "The moment we saw ONLY:1 on stage was the shiniest, like a happy fairy tale."
★POPMACHINE: If ILY:1 were to go on a world tour, which country would you like to visit as your first stop?
ILY:1: "We are ready to go anywhere. We want to visit Europe and USA. Also, we heard many people support us in South America. So, we do want to visit!"
★POPMACHINE: What would you say is ILY:1's biggest achievement, so far?
ILY:1: "Being nominated for first place on a music show. We want to challenge for first place this year, not as a candidate!"
★POPMACHINE: What is your dream artist collaboration?
ILY:1: "We want to perform with OH MY GIRL sunbaenim."
★POPMACHINE: Your fans are active likers and commenters on your content. Among all the comments you have received, so far, which one is your favorite?
ILY:1: "All the comments always leave an impression, but it was cute and felt good when a fan wrote, 'I can only see ILY:1 among girl groups these days.'”
★POPMACHINE: What is the best thing about being an idol?
ILY:1: "We think about being able to share the love. Getting hope from us and enjoying it makes us feel good. We are so happy to be loved by our fans."
★POPMACHINE: What is one concept you always wanted to try for a photoshoot or music video?
ILY:1: "We want to try a girl crush concept or an emotional concept!"
★POPMACHINE: Imagine that you're stranded on a desert island. Which ILY:1 member would be in charge of finding food and water? Which one would built a fire? Who would start building a raft? And who would cry the most?
ILY:1: "Food, water: HANA, NAYU
Fire: ARA
Raft: RIRIKA, RONA
The supporter who would help everyone: ELVA
The member will shout for the rescue: RIRIKA
The member who would cry the most: ARA"
★ POPMACHINE: Which team member speaks the most languages?
ILY:1: "ELVA"
★POPMACHINE: What are your hidden talents?
RONA: "Filming, Editing videos."
ARA: "Samullorim (Korean traditional instrumental music), Nanta, stage art, magic, jump rope."
NAYU: "Taking members' photos and copying the weather forecaster."
ELVA: "Work out, cook eggs, make jokes, take photos."
HANA: "Cooking, Cleaning (whatever it is)"
RIRIKA: "Vocal mimicry, taking photos"
★POPMACHINE: What is the most recent thing you added to cart online?
RIRIKA: "Perfume"
HANA: "Humidifier"
NAYU: "Phone case"
ELVA: "iPad, doll"
ARA: "A large rabbit doll, AirPods"
RONA: "AirPods Pro"
★POPMACHINE: What is the latest TV show or movie you watched. Would you recommend it to Only1, and why?
HANA: "The movie, Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight.
It’s the most recent movie I watched. I cried a lot after watching it. I will recommend it to our members and plan to watch it together."
★POPMACHINE: Compare ILY:1's music style to a type of food.
ILY:1: "A course cuisine (Because you can enjoy a variety of appetizers, main dishes, and also desserts!)"
★POPMACHINE: Can you tell us your best joke or riddle?
ILY:1: "What is the easiest number?
190,000 – As in Korean, it pronounces Swib-Gu-Man (means It’s 'easy' in Korean)"
★POPMACHINE: What can fans look forward to from ILY:1 this year?
ILY:1: "We think you can look forward to ILY:1’s activities itself!"
★POPMACHINE: What is the most important piece of advice you can give to aspiring artists?
ILY:1: "Don’t give up even if it’s hard!"
★POPMACHINE: Thank you so much for chatting with us! Before we wrap up, do you have a message for your fans/PopMachine readers?
ILY:1: "To readers of PopMachine, there are many things we haven’t shown you yet. Please look forward to our promotions and support us! We’ll be the ILY:1 that can give you hope and laughter. We love you, and we will always miss you!"
SPECIAL THANKS TO REELS CORPORATION AND FCENM