BLACKSWAN is already the apple of Brazilian kpoppers’ eyes. Home of the first Brazilian that debuted on a K-POP group, Leia, the group is about to celebrate their first anniversary in October after facing many challenges since the debut.
The group has a very important meeting with fans in September, an online videocall organized by Highway Star. Besides that, they are also preparing their first comeback ever. Despite the schedule, Judy, Fatou, Leia, and Young-heun took some time to once again talk to KoreaIN for a new exclusive interview. The members shared details about their relationships as a group and also revealed their celebrity crushes and famous Brazilian songs. All questions were sent by Brazilian LUMINAs through KoreaIN‘s SNS.
In this exclusive interview, BLACKSWAN said that performing in Brazil is one of the group’s main goals. Young-heun told us about the wish of traveling to Leia’s home country: I wanna meet Leia’s parents, see her dog, and take many pictures! The countless members’ displays of love with Brazilian fans proves that all this love is reciprocal and that we can expect a visit soon.
Check the full interview below and find out more about BLACKSWAN:
Read more: BLACKSWAN on their uniqueness as a multicultural K-POP group [INTERVIEW]
KoreaIN: Girls, it’s a pleasure to talk to you again. First of all, we want to say that we selected some questions directly from your Brazilian fans. We hope you feel like you’re closer to them.
KoreaIN: Considering that the group is getting close to their 1st anniversary, what do you feel that has changed the most from the debut until now?
Young-heun: I think my mindset has changed a bit. Previously, I had been a trainee for a long time, so I had a trainee mindset, but now I stand in front of the public and show the stage, so I am more greedy and more self-disciplined than before. I am trying to get used to it with a mindset that I have to watch and act more carefully.
Fatou: For me, I think our love for what we’re doing is growing more and more daily. Sometimes it’s hard but seeing us work together is really nice.
Judy: I think it’s teamwork and skills! As we practiced together for a long time, our teamwork got better, and I think our skills improved as well!
Leia: I’ve grown in love with my sisters and learned a lot from them, so I’ve gotten closer to them.
KoreaIN: And from this time you had together, what did you learn from each other?
Young-heun: I personally learned confidence from Fatou. I was a trainee for a long time, so I was a little intimidated about myself. I felt it a lot when I saw Fatou. I learned passion from Judy. Working hard on everything. From Leia, I learned and felt a lot from her untimely and fearless appearance. All the members have different strengths, so I look back on myself a lot.
Fatou: I’ve learned even more hard work from Judy and will power from Young-heun unnie.
Judy: I think it’s a passion for music! I learned a lot from Young Heun, I learned about confidence and talent in front of the cameras from Fatou, and I learned a lot from Leia!
Leia: With Young-heun learned not to give up, and with Judy I learned how to be considerate of others.
KoreaIN: What was the first impression you had of each other?
Young-heun: First of all, Leia’s first impression was not the best. I think she was scared at the time, but she was nervous and scared of being alone outside Brazil away from her parents. I still remember that first impression. My first impression of Fatou was that she has long arms and legs, she is tall, and she has a great figure. And on the first day Fatou came, she played music and danced alone. At that time, I thought, “Wow, her arms and legs are really long.” When I saw Judy, I thought she would be cold-hearted. You don’t think it’s gonna be easy to get acquainted with? So I was rather wary at first. But she’s so nice and she’s like a fool that I have to take care of. She’s just cute now.
Fatou: First impression: For Leia I was like oh ‘hi there another foreigner nice!’. Young-heun unnie has this sexy city feel to her. And Judy was so cute.
Judy: Young-heun was like an angel without wings. I can get close to her soon! That’s what I thought, but we got close right away.She’s a very nice and pleasant leader! Fatou’s first impression was really strong. I thought it would be hard to get close to her, but we were the same age and we were best friends after exchanging winks on the first day of practice. She’s unexpectedly funny. I thought she was older than me. I remember her being really bold. When we started living together, she took care of me a lot and helped me a lot! I can say that all the members were cheerful, bright and fun people!
Leia: When I first saw Young-heun, I thought she was a quiet person. At first, I thought it would be hard to get close to Fatou, but we got close easily because we lived together. I thought Judy was a pretty person.
KoreaIN: What difficulties were there in getting along with people from different cultures? Was there any language or another type of barrier?
Young-heun: Although Fatou and Leia are foreigners, we had to communicate a lot in Korean because we had to work in Korea. In the meantime, when we didn’t know each other well, there were a lot of misunderstandings due to errors in language communication, and they were not familiar with Korean etiquette culture, so it was difficult for each other to point out and inform each other about such things. Since we are friends from different cultures, we were careful too, and I think it was because of the repeated misunderstandings. Now, just by looking at each other’s faces and talking, we know how we feel and it’s like family.
Fatou: At first there was a language barrier, but now not anymore. Sometimes there are misunderstandings like with any other group of people, but we work them out quickly.
Judy: At first, I was very worried about the language, but when I first met foreign members, they were already good at Korean, so we got close quickly and there was no problem! I think foreign members taught English and helped each other a lot!
Leia: There were a lot of misunderstandings because the languages were different, but now we’re studying a lot and the older sisters are teaching us well, so it’s not difficult now!
KoreaIN: What influenced you to be idols and who are your musical inspirations? Are there any K-pop groups or soloists that you would like to collaborate with?
Young-heun: I never dreamed of becoming an idol. I just wanted to be a singer. That’s how it happened naturally. I really want to meet Ariana Grande. And Taeyeon…
Fatou: SNSD and SHINee influenced me a lot into going for Kpop. A Kpop group I’d like to collaborate is SHINee.
Judy: I’ve loved dancing since high school, and I’ve had a passion for dancing. I auditioned naturally and I wanted to be a singer regardless of age! I want to work with Red Velvet!
Leia: My parents like music, so I listened to it a lot when I was young, so I naturally wanted to become a singer. And I really like Park Jaebeom’s songs and he’s a great lyricist, so I hope I can work with him.
KoreaIN: Do you have any “celebrity crush”?
Young-heun: Girls’ Generation! Each of them are so attractive. We want to keep up with their teamwork.
Fatou: I’d say Dylan O Brien. I saw him on screen for the first time while he was doing ‘Teen wolf’. And I’ve been a fan since then.
Judy: IU sunbaenim… She has her own color and she’s so good and charming.
Leia: I want to work with Park Jae-beom!
KoreaIN: What do you expect from the new comeback? And what can fans expect?
Young-heun: I think you’ll be able to see a new side of me. And I think you can look forward to our performance. Our overall balance has improved. Please give us a lot of support.
Fatou: The fans can expect a much brighter side of Blackswan. Let’s see each other soon!
Judy: This comeback song has a completely different concept from ‘Tonight’, and you’ll be able to see something we’ve never shown before! It’s sexy, hip, bright and heavy music! It’s a mix of concepts! I think you can look forward to our comeback song!
Leia: We practiced a lot for our comeback, so I hope we can show it to our fans soon. You can look forward to it.
KoreaIN: Can we expect a comeback with Latin or Brazilian influence on the music or music video in the future?
Young-heun: I thought about the Portuguese version of the song, but since we still lack pronunciation, I really want to try it after building up my career!
Fatou: Yeah I think that’d be fun. I like Brazilian music.
Judy: Since there are many foreign fans, I think we should make a comeback in English and Portuguese as well!
Leia: I wish I could. It’s not well known in Korea, but I hope we can be that famous.
KoreaIN: Do you girls know or like any Brazilian artist? Did Leia show you her favorite Brazilian artists?
Young-heun: Pabllo Vittar? I saw her music video and jokingly told Leia that she should work harder. The power that she has is incredible. It was so cool.
Fatou: Girl from Rio is a really good listen I’d recommend!
Judy: Anitta. Rebolabola!
KoreaIN: What is your main goal as a group?
Youngheun: To be a group that people all over the world know!! And I really want to have a solo concert. My goal is to become a group that has that much influence.
Fatou: I would love for us to go on a world tour!
Judy: I hope everyone can listen to BLACKSWAN at least once! I want to make BLACKSWAN known worldwide!
Leia: Climbing up on Billboard chart!
KoreaIN: Youngheun, Fatou, Leia and Judy, what do you plan to do when you come to Brazil?
Young-heun: I want to eat delicious food and I really want to try the coxinha that Leia’s mother made. I want to meet Leia’s parents, see Leia’s dog, and take a lot of pictures.
Fatou: When we come to Brazil we have to meet Lumina face to face. And of course put on a great performance for them. I really to want to eat Brazilian food too! It looks delicious.
Judy: Fan meeting and concert with Brazilian fans! But before that, I have to go see Leia’s parents.
Leia: I want to perform in front of my fans and see my family!
KoreaIN: It’s your first time at an official event to Brazilian fans. Before that, you girls had a lot of contact through lives and social media. How are you feeling about your online event? What do you expect from it?
Young-heun: First of all, thank you so much for welcoming and loving us, who are still rookies. We’ve been looking forward to it so much, so we’re as nervous and excited as we were when we debuted. I can’t wait to meet the fans.
Fatou: I’m really excited to meet and get to know our Brazilian Lumina! I expect it to be really fun( a bit chaotic ) and full of good vibes.
Judy: I’m so excited to meet Brazilian fans online like this! I am so grateful for Brazilian fans!
Leia: I tried to talk to the fans a lot through Stari and Veeper. I’m so excited and happy to be able to meet our fans online.
KoreaIN: To wrap up, could you leave a message for Brazilians LUMINA and KoreaIN fans who are reading this interview right now?
Yong-heun: Thank you so much for being so comfortable. I love you! And KoreaIN! Thank you for interviewing BLACKSWAN. Subscribers, please show lots of support and interest for BLACKSWAN. Thank you!
Fatou: Thank you so much for the amazing amount of love and support you guys have showed us till now! We’re really grateful that we have you guys. You have been so patient up till now. But we’ll see each other very soon. So hang in there just a little bit more. I miss you guys like crazy! And I hope we get to be together for a long long time!
Judy: Dear Lumina! Thank you so much for trusting BLACKSWAN and supporting us and waiting for us! I’ll repay you with that much better music! Thank you, Lumina. I love you.♥
Leia: I hope to see Brazilian Lumina soon and I’m looking forward to it. Thank you for supporting BLACKSWAN. Thank you so much for always waiting for us. I love you.
SERVICE
Online Meet&Greet with BLACKSWAN
Date: September 10
Sessions at 8pm and 10pm (BST)
Streaming: Zoom via Sympla Streaming
Tickets: R$120 (plus taxes)
Tickets available at Sympla. Click HERE to purchase.
Follow BLACKSWAN on their official SNS:
Instagram – @blackswan___official/
Twitter – @blackswan_drent
TikTok – @blackswan__official
Fan Café – https://cafe.daum.net/1248
By Izabely Albuquerque
English version by Greyce Oliveira
Do not copy without giving proper credits.