In the busy summer months amid promotions, the five-member girl group QUEENZ EYE caught up with The Kraze to talk about their latest EP, UNI-Q. Their first comeback EP released on July 6 is home to two of their newest tracks: “UN-NORMAL” and “Domino.” While “UN-NORMAL” entices listeners with a rich four-beat count and groovy tempo, “Domino” brings in that tangy summer beat with its house-synth sound in its chorus. 

The group made their debut in October 2022 with their leading title track “Yummy Yummy,” an alternative-pop song, originally as a six-member group. The current quintet’s energy remains bright, and their strive to make their dreams come true is still true to their core as they sat down with us.

In an exclusive Zoom interview courtesy of Big Mountain Entertainment and MyMusicTaste, QUEENZ EYE members Wonchae, Hannah, Narin, Ahyoon, and Damin talked about the transition period between preparing for their first comeback, on how they’ve kept themselves grounded, and what they see in the future for the team.

The group’s title track “UN-NORMAL” serves as a hip-hop and R&B influenced track that is easy to follow along. “It’s also a song where you can hear the charming points of each of the members well with our confident energy!” shared Wonchae, followed by an acapella version of the song by all members. The acapella was accompanied with ad-libs and bright eyes from the singers who enjoy the song just as much as the listeners.

Wonchae continues, “The song is quite soft and groovy paired with charismatic outfits and choreography.” The group had performed on THE SHOW earlier on in the day before our interview, and their outfits were bright and bold just as they had shared.

Q: The last time you spoke to us was freshly after your debut. How do you feel like your pre-show routine has changed from then to now?

Damin: Firstly, before our performances we now have our own group cheer [showing the cheer enthusiastically]. We now do that before we go up on stage!

The Kraze: It must help you to get really excited and cool your nerves as well.

Hannah: Yeah, it really gives us a lot of big energy!

Wonchae: We started communicating with fans more on a new platform, and right before we go on stage, we'll chat with fans for a little bit to calm down. And then as soon as we get down from the stage, we go back on and ask, “How was our performance today? Was it cute?” We’ve been communicating more with fans more this comeback!

The Kraze: That is so cute because it must feel really good to hear how well you’ve done and to ask fans directly if you did a good job. And I’m sure it's all encouraging words as well!

QUEENZ EYE, collectively: Thank you!

Q: What is the most notable difference among the members this time when preparing to create UNI-Q?

DM: Firstly, unlike our first album, this time we all dyed our hair so we now have a little bit more variety of styles. And because of this, we can show a bit more of our individual charms and we can [all] stand out a bit more when performing on stage!

The Kraze: Nice, do you all like the different hairs that you've been trying out?

QUEENZ EYE: yeah!

Ahyoon: I dyed my hair!

DM: I tried curly hair!

WC: I tried two-toned hair!

HN: I have a fringe!

Narin: I have red hair!

HN: It’s like my first time having a fringe!

Q: Between "UN-NORMAL" and "Domino," which track do you think best represents each of you and why?

AY: I think I’m more like “UN-NORMAL,” firstly because it’s a hip-hop-R&B-bass track that I can dance comfortably to, and I think can make/show expressions that I can really enjoy. I think my personal identity was expressed very well through this song.

DM: I also think “UN-NORMAL” suits me more. I use my facial expressions a lot when I’m on stage, so I think this track fits me well as it allows me to do just that!

HN: I would say “Domino” for myself personally because I think it shows the charms of my voice very well! My voice is a bit more clear [on this track], and that’s why I think “Domino” suits me!

NR: I really can’t choose between the two because it’s really hard. I think I’m a bit more diverse. In terms of “Domino,” I’m a little bit more powerful, but for “UN-NORMAL” I’m more gentle with my dancing, and I think I match well with both of them so it’s really hard for me to choose!

WC: Firstly I wanted to say that I really love both of these songs. “UN-NORMAL” is a bit more like the fresh morning, whereas “Domino” is a bit more like listening to it by the sea, with wind in your hair. And for both songs, I could show my charm really well, so I also can’t pick between the two!

The Kraze: That’s really nice because I was gonna say I really like both of them as well, and it must have been hard to pick because they are both really good songs. Because when I listen to “Domino” it's almost like, yes, summer is starting now! Whereas “UN-NORMAL,” it feels richer.

QE: Which one is your favorite?

The Kraze: This is actually a really hard question! Because I really like the performance you all do for “UN-NORMAL,” but I have been listening to “Domino” a lot more!

Q: When I listen to "Domino," it automatically puts me in the summer mood! Is there a song that each of you have to listen to when the warmer months come around?

DM: Do you know Red Velvet? I really like Red Velvet’s “Red Flavor,” so I wanted to recommend that!

NR: I want to recommend (G)I-DLE’s “DUMDi DUMDi” song for summer!

HN: I prefer “Leave Before You Love Me” by the Jonas Brothers and Marshmello!

AY: For me, I want to recommend Skrillex, PinkPantheress, and Trippie Redd’s song “Way Back!” I love drum and bass!

The Kraze: I really like PinkPantheress a lot. She’s one of my favorite artists; she's so cool to me! [We all collectively started singing “Boy’s a Liar.” PinkPantheress is for the girls]

WC: I’d like to recommend Michael Jackson’s “Love Never Felt So Good!”

In the middle of Ahyoon’s answer, the Zoom call started lagging, so we decided to keep going with these answers before restarting the call. Although COVID-19 has somewhat left us now, we’re still reminded of those days with the Zoom links failing on us at times.

The flow of the conversation didn’t waver, even if within those three minutes away we rejoined as if we hadn’t seen each other for three months.

Q: In between your debut promotions to this EP, the members have shared dance and vocal covers for their fans! What is the process like for choosing these songs, and are there any covers we can expect to see in the future?

WC: For us as QUEENZ EYE, I think we have a wide spectrum of genres within our team. So usually we would choose songs that we like or think, “That song is so good,” and then I would do the choreography for that song. From that, we’re able to show the various sides and charms of QUEENZ EYE through our covers after practicing. Maybe there will be a video up soon showing our individual charms…please look forward to that!

Q: QUEENZ EYE has come up in K-Pop fan discussions as being a group that is bringing back a nostalgic sound that replicates third generation K-Pop artists. How would you define your sound to new listeners?

HN: For me, third generation groups are some of the ones I’ve grown up listening to, and especially when I was a trainee. I would practice their songs and my dream of being an idol came from wanting to be an artist like them. It’s a really big honor, and it feels good to hear that our group reminds people of third generation K-Pop, and I hope that we’ll be loved [like those groups] for a long time as well. 

The Kraze: That’s really good to hear, because even for me when I listened to “UN-NORMAL,” it really reminded me of when Red Velvet first debuted with “Be Natural.” (Damin: Yeah, I like it!) Yeah, it kind of reminded me of that! 

QE: Wow, thank you so much!

AY: Also, although you said our music reminds you of third generation K-Pop, we also wish that QUEENZ EYE’s music can be enjoyed by all generations with no separation between fans and people can expect a variety of sounds! Anyone can enjoy QUEENZ EYE’s music!

The Kraze: They really can. All my friends who I’ve told to go listen to QUEENZ EYE, they’ve all come back and said that they really like your group and they’re all looking forward to it.

Q: Is there a certain genre that you would like to try next?

NR: Before winter comes, we want to try a very refreshing, hi-teen type of concept. QUEENZ EYE is very bright and cute [Welcomed by teasing thank you’s by her fellow members], so I think that would match us well!

WC: While Narin said she wanted to try something cute and fun and fresh, I wanted to switch that and say I want to try more rock-funk concepts, kind of like becoming a rockstar! 

The Kraze: That’s really interesting! Do any of you play any instruments at all?

DM: I prepared this for a different question, but I’ve been playing the guitar since I was younger. But I’ve been practicing very hard lately to play and enjoy it more in the future!

NR: I’ve been playing the piano ever since when I was younger, and I play the guitar a little bit as well so I will keep practicing on those for the future as well!

The Kraze: Honestly, all you need now is your drummer and your bass player, then you’ve got your rock concept.

DM: Actually, when I was younger I learned how to play the drums! When I play the drums, I get out a lot of stress.

Q: I know you've taken part in making the choreography for your tracks, and I think it's cool that you have that creative freedom! Are there any parts of the music industry, from producing, songwriting, mastering, that excites you and makes you want to try it out for QUEENZ EYE?

DM: Like I said before, I’ve been practicing a lot of the guitar these days, and I want to keep practicing so I can sing songs while playing together.

AY: Before this, I actually posted a short self-composed song on our official fancafe! I want to try various music creations in the future as well!

WC: By using each member’s charms and each of our own individual colors, I want to try and make a song that shows the group’s color and identity the best.

Q: For this team, each of you have trained for a long period of time. What is something that you do to keep yourselves motivated and remind yourselves why you chose this path?

AY: For me, I get a lot of strength from watching concert videos [of other artists]. When seeing the artists on stage, I start thinking, “Ah, I want to put on a performance like that,” with all that much energy through the music, stage, and performance. Anytime I catch myself doing that I think, “Ah this isn’t the time to do that, I need to practice hard!” It’s like a cycle that I keep catching myself going back and forth in.

NR: When I was in high school, we had the opportunity to go and see some of our seniors perform on stage before. When I saw that, I would look at them and think, “I want to do this someday too!” This has been a big motivation for me to keep going and do better.

DM: I’m really close to my mom, and we talk like friends, so I always go to her with any concerns that I have. Just talking in itself is very relaxing and motivates me to do better!

HN: I kind of have this mentality of if I start something I have to finish it, and now that I’ve already started this [idol life], I’m going to see the end of this. While thinking of this, I also think that I should enjoy it while enduring. When I watch our seniors' performances, I feel myself getting excited but a little bit overwhelmed too, but especially when I watch the Super Bowl performances, so that’s my motivation.  

WC: Whenever I receive letters and support from the people around me, like my friends, family, and fans who trust me, I gain a lot of energy from those. So the fact that I can dance and sing, doing the things that I love, is my strength to continue down this path!

The Kraze: That’s really good that you’ve all got your own sort of methods to keep yourself staying on track. And I think I’m kind of similar to Ahyoon, because with me sometimes, I’ll just be reading other people’s articles and think, “Oh, I wish I could write like that,” but then I’m like wait. Let me just get up and start typing. It’s hard, but it's good to have that motivation, so keep that with you.

Q: What would you like to say to new listeners who are discovering and supporting your music?

AY: Once you listen to our songs, there's no out from here. We’re always really grateful to those who tune into our music and enjoy it. We’ll always be working hard to give the love we receive back 100 times more, so please continue to look forward to our performances! 

Q: Do you have any final messages to your fans?

HN: We’re really grateful to those who have been waiting for us and who have been giving us a lot of love. Because of you, we’re able to cheer up and perform feeling reassured that fans have got our back, and we want to say a big thank you!

After speaking to the five-members of QUEENZ EYE, I felt their determination and their unwavering excitement when talking about their goals and future. From demonstrating their vocals with an acapella version of “UN-NORMAL” to showing a demonstration of their group cheer, their teamwork is unwavering.

Before closing off the interview, as a UK-based fan myself, I briefly asked about when the group would come to visit, which was greeted with a collective expression of their want to visit. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for QUEENZ EYE, and our interview with QUEENZ EYE ended with a group pinky promise that I would become an I-Q (their fandom name), and I never break my pinky promises.

Keep up with QUEENZ EYE on their socials: Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. UNI-Q is available now on Spotify and all streaming platforms.