In English, the word “bugaboo” means something which causes fear and is sometimes associated with the boogeyman of children’s books. However, in October 2021, it was chosen to be the name of a new K-pop group.
Different from what is suggested, bugAboo aims to overcome their own fears to reach their dreams and amaze fans. And this is a goal they take very seriously.
The sextet – which consists of CHOYEON, EUNCHAE, YOONA, RAINIE, CYAN, and ZIN – had its first comeback last month with a very different image from the debut, showing their boldness to try different concepts.
During the promotions of POP, the group talked to KoreaIN to tell about the preparation for the release and how they face their own fears. Check the full interview below.
KoreaIN: Hello, girls. Thanks for having us. First of all, how have you been lately?
ZIN: After our comeback, we’ve been busy with performances on music shows, interviews, radio, and so on!
CHOYEON: And, since we are back after a long time, we’re working hard to show you even better performances each day!
KoreaIN: You had your first comeback with “POP” and fans loved it. How was the preparation and what are your expectations for this release?
CHOYEON: While I was preparing for this comeback for the past 7 months, I practiced detailedly while worrying about how to show our growth since the first album bugAboo! I hope the people who watch our performance receive our energy!
YOONA: Professor Harimu, who was in Street Dance Girls Fighter, prepared this choreography and taught us. In every class, I could feel her positive energy, so I prepared for this album always with happiness!
CYAN: While I was preparing for the current activities, I thought we could finally see our fans in person, so I prepared with a happy heart and I hope to meet our fans more frequently!
KoreaIN: Though having only two singles so far, each gave a different vibe. While “bugAboo” had a dark and mysterious concept, “POP” is more colorful and girl power-like. Which concept was your favorite so far and what other would you like to try in the future?
CHOYEON: I also liked bugAboo, but I think the power of POP matches me. Next time, I’d like to try a concept that shows our young and playful side!
CYAN: I like concepts with beats like POP more too! Next time, I’d like to show you something more similar to a warrior concept!
ZIN: Next time, I want to try a dark song or, the total opposite, a song with a fresh and dreamy feeling!
KoreaIN: The MVs for your singles both have scenes with CGI. Did you have any difficulties while dealing with it? Any memorable situation you girls had while recording it?
EUNCHAE: If you watch the MV, there is a scene in which I hold my cellphone and put ‘POP’ a flash but, in the original script, it was one in which I took a screenshot. So, there was a lot of thinking about how to capture those invisible circles. Actually, I took a lot of pictures with my cellphone and I remember taking many pictures of myself.
CHOYEON: When recording, we did everything with a green screen. So it was a little hard to imagine because we didn’t know what was the background or what we were doing. The most memorable scene was when I found it hard to pop a heart with a baseball bat because it didn’t pop no matter how hard I hit it. This time, the director shout to our CEO to buy us meat and told me to try to pop the heart, so after that, the heart popped immediately, it was amazing.
KoreaIN: The name of the group came from an expression connected to something that causes fear because you wish to overcome your own fears. How do you practice this in your lives?
EUNCHAE: Actually, I had traumas related to the past, long trainee life. Now, all those moments became experiences for me, I’m living my life thinking of who I am today!
CHOYEON: I used to take passion, which was my fear, negatively when people pointed their fingers at me, but now I think those pointed fingers mean they are interested in me. And I think this happens for my growth, so I take it positively!
CYAN: I know my singularity, I practice it, and overcome it while loving and comforting myself.
YOONA: I try to face it closely without avoiding it as much as possible. And I try to see which method is the best. I’m always trying to overcome it thinking that I’ll never lose!
KoreaIN: You are a strong team with members from different nationalities. How did you manage to create this bound despite the barriers – such as the language – that could appear?
CHOYEON: In the beginning, Yoona and Rainie couldn’t speak Korean very well and we also couldn’t speak Mandarin and Japanese. They studied Korean constantly and we studied Mandarin and Japanese in our free time. So, now, we have a relationship in which we know everything even with our eyes!
YOONA: I intentionally asked you to tell me words I didn’t know. Because I knew that, if I kept ignoring unknown words, I wouldn’t improve. So I studied with an active mind to learn more!
KoreaIN: Each of you has expertise and experience in areas such as dancing, singing, and rapping. How did you manage to use this during the preparations for your releases? Would you like to try working in other areas, like production or songwriting, in the future?
EUNCHAE: I’m always interested in new and different things, so there are many different fields I want to challenge myself! I’m interested in production, absolutely for songwriting, and composing too. And I plan to challenge myself in other areas like acting, cooking, and interior design.
ZIN: I’ve been working on music during my breaks! By listening and trying to make songs with different rhythms, I thought about which type of music matches the members! I hope the day on which I’ll show you my music comes!!
CHOYEON: I’m very interested in dancing, singing, and rapping, so I improved my abilities by taking classes even during my free time! Since the choreographies of POP and Easy Move are hard, I practiced meticulously combining the details with the members and challenging myself to write lyrics to include in the songs and rap parts! My goal is to put my songs on a bugAboo album in the future.
RAINIE: I watched many performances of the sunbaes I admire and I kept searching methods while I was practicing. Sometimes the members give feedback and help, so everything is going well! And, since I like music, I thought I’d like to continue to make music in the future.
KoreaIN: You are under the same company as VAV, another group very loved and admired in Brazil. Have you got any advice from the members?
YOONA: They told us to do everything we can from now on. They told us that, even after many years, people who don’t do anything remain the same while those who do something, even just a little, become different. After hearing this, I thought I should start doing something immediately!
Check the exclusive video message that bugAboo sent:
Korean translation: Giovanna Nogueira
English version: Greyce Oliveira
Image: A Team Entertainment
Do not copy without giving proper credits.