Keeping Up With The YOUNG POSSE: XXL, Head In The Clouds and Whats Next
It's been less than a year since breakout rookies, YOUNG POSSE, dropped their debut track “MACARONI CHEESE” and the girls have been on the up ever since. Since that time, the girls have amassed over a million followers across social media, nearly forty million music video views, captivated audiences worldwide with performances on international stages and earned a nomination for “Rookie of the Year.” The quintet, consisting of members Sunhye, Yeonjung, Jiana, Doeun and Jieun debuted on October 18, 2023, bringing a fresh sound to K-Pop.
Following the release of their latest EP XXL, YOUNG POSSE sat down with The Kraze to discuss life since debut, their latest release and their highly anticipated stateside appearance.
Q: YOUNG POSSE debuted almost five months ago, what have these last five months been like for you all as a group?
A: After our long-cherished debut, we had more schedules than we expected. Appeared on numerous TV and radio shows in South Korea, and we have been to festivals in New Zealand and Taiwan. Also, we five spent Christmas and the end of the year with a fan for the first time in our lives. It was a dreamlike time for us who loved music and dance and dreamed of the K-Pop stage since we were kids.
Q: Previously, you were preparing for your debut and the excitement of that accomplishment. What has the process been like preparing for your first comeback?
A: Yes, we were babies in the MACARONI era (chuckle) we said ‘dreamlike time’ right, before, but on the other hand, we were nervous, too. Right now, we have come to understand a little bit more about music and dance. Besides showing what we practice on stage without mistakes, we maintain more of the symbolic meaning of music and dance in our bodies. As a result, we realized that we liked this job.
Q: You all have developed a unique sound not often seen in K-Pop, with flows reminiscent of drill and 90’s hip-hop. On that note, can you give some of the inspiration behind the latest track “XXL?”
A: Our producers KIGGEN and JERRY SHIN used to talk about timeless music. They said that world-trend music is cool right now, but there is great timeless energy in the music before we were all born. And when Gen-Z, YOUNG POSSE, embodies it, a very new chemical reaction is likely to occur. The result is a song called "XXL."
A: We got to understand more about hip-hop culture while recording, especially ‘90s hip-hop. We feel that it's a really attractive genre where we can talk and write about anything and it's free from any kind of formula. We know for sure there may still be a lack of understanding of this culture, but we want to emphasize the fact that we are truly enjoying this genre as music.
[A/N]: An accomplishment we couldn’t just skip over has the YOUNG POSSE girls taking the Head In The Clouds stage this May. HITC is the largest Asian music festival in the United States and If you’re unfamiliar with the festival, you can check out our recap from last year and our press release for the exciting lineup this year.
Q: How does it feel to be gracing the Head In The Clouds stage this coming May, six months into your career? Performing alongside massive artists such as G-IDLE, BIBI, wave to earth and more.
A: It is crazy lol
A: We will perform on the first day of HITC NY, but we will enjoy every stage. We want to see other artist's stages and shout! We think there will be so much to learn. Also, we will enjoy the second day of the festival since we are free on that day.
Jiana: I am a big fan of Miyeon from (G)-IDLE!
Jieun, Yeonjung: BIBI’s song is always on my top playlist!
Q: What colors of YOUNG POSSE do you hope to showcase with your sound and first stateside performance?
A: We're young and playful, and we give off amazing energy when we're together as POSSE. Small and weak, but trusting each other and believing in your heart that everything is possible together. We like to believe it's our own color.
Q: From “MACARONI CHEESE” to “XXL,” you all have curated a discography of both fun and exciting tracks, what can fans expect next from the group?
A: The beauty of our record company is that we always have open conversations. Our staff are always passionate and progressive about the culture, and we still talk a lot these days. Our next album will probably bring some music and dance that people would never expect. And of course, there should be a full amount of fun, so please look forward to it!
Q: Is there a concept you all would like to try?
A: We want to try a girl's night only…[chuckling] pure girlish concept that we haven't shown before. We would also like to try band-style music with a heavy sound. Whatever the music and concept is, we would try to capture YOUNG POSSE's unique color.
Q: What is a YOUNG POSSE track you would recommend?
Sunhye, Doeun: “Scars!”
Jiana, Yeonjung: “Skyline!”
Jieun: No unnies! It is ROTY moment!
A: Our tastes always change. We would like to recommend first track “Scars,” the song that seems like the oldest friend to our five members. It's a song we've [had since we’ve] been together [as] trainees, and the performance is really stylish. We uploaded a performance clip on our SNS. You'll be able to feel the neutral charm of YOUNG POSSE and we’re so happy to be able to show it through this second EP album.
As our interview with the girls comes to a close, there is one final question for the team…
Q: Is there anything specific you’d like to share with your fans ?
A: To our fans, Tele-posse! We believe we are fully connected wherever, whenever. Thank you for your support all the time and see you sooooon!:)
Thank you to DSP Media, Platform PR and the amazing YOUNG POSSE girls for their time! The countdown begins to catch them on the Head In The Clouds stage next month, and we’ll be right there rooting for them. Be sure to keep an eye on these girls as you’re not going to want to miss what they have in store.