If you were to make your life into a movie, what song would be playing in each scene? Everyone has a story, and the same is true for K-pop stars. In “Your Playlist,” K-pop artists share what the soundtrack would be for different moments in their life with the Korea JoongAng Daily.

After going viral with the eccentric dance number "Rica Rica" earlier this year, girl group Nature is preparing for its next comeback.

Its EP "Rica Rica," which dropped in January, was Nature's first music after a one-and-a-half-year hiatus. The song is a departure from the previous concept that Nature has shown since debuting in 2018. It takes on a powerful synth beat and choreography, along with eccentric lyrics about "playing an elusive game of hide and seek with fame," according to member Loha.

The song quickly became a cult favorite, with compilation videos of reactions and memes garnering millions of views on YouTube.

"When the song went viral online, we were sharing links of these compilation videos in our group chat in real-time," said Loha. "We asked each other, 'Did you see this?' It wasn't an easy concept or music style for a girl group to take on. When I also first got the choreography, since the [highlight dance move] is part of another culture, we knew that it would be a great discourtesy if we didn't fully master the dance out of respect. The enthusiastic reactions made us feel like our practice was worth it."

"I was walking on the street and I saw people passing by, dancing to 'Rica Rica,'" said member Saebom. "I felt like I had to join in, but I got shy. I was glad and grateful that there were people enjoying the song. It wasn't the concept that I thought I'd do, but it helped our group get known by more people."

Nature, which announced an ambitious comeback with its mockumentary YouTube reality show "Nature Can't Go Down Like This" at the beginning of this year, definitely achieved the goal of leaving an impression on the public.

Seven members of the girl group of nine — Sohee, Aurora, Saebom, Chaebin, Haru, Loha and Uchae — sat down for an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily on July 21. Members Lu and Sunshine were on break due to health reasons.

The members shared stories from their career and their favorite songs that kept them going.

Dreaming K-pop

Before meeting under the same agency with a common dream of debuting, each member came from different backgrounds. In fact, Saebom didn't think her path would be in K-pop at all until the age of 21 — highly unusual considering most K-pop idol start their careers in their teens.

"I actually thought I'd be a singer in musical theater, and that's what I majored in in college," she said. "When I was 21, my vocal trainer suggested I practice at this agency, where he was working. One thing led to another and here I am. I was off to a late start compared to other members who started younger, but it must've been fate."

For the foreign members — Aurora from China and Haru from Japan — seeing K-pop stars active in their home country sparked their own dreams.

"I got interested in being an idol singer, as a job, after I discovered 'Haru Haru' by Big Bang," said Aurora. "Then I got to see them perform in person at a concert in Hong Kong. When they were singing 'Fantastic Baby,' it looked like they were shining on stage. I thought I wanted to be like that too. That's also where I got my stage name, shining Aurora."

For Haru, BoA was the singer who introduced her to K-pop, but seeing Japanese members in the K-pop scene helped her realize that she could do it too.

"The first album I ever bought was 'Valenti' by BoA," she said. "I became so into K-pop thanks to her, and my mom was a fan as well. I thought it was so cool that she was a Korean active in Japan. Then I saw Momo, Mina and Sana of Twice — Japanese members active in Korea — and found them so inspiring."


When dreams come true

Loha says she remembers the moment when the members were confirmed as the debut lineup like "a scene from a festival."

"I wanted to tell everyone about it," she said. "It felt like all the cells in my body were jumping up and down, because it was a moment I had only dreamed of. Our group have a song called 'Drinkin'" which has a party mood. That song describes exactly how I felt."

Afterward, as the debut was right in front of their eyes, members practiced performing outdoors in public places in order to gain stage experience. They say they learned how to give an energetic performance no matter the size of the stage.

"We busked a lot right before out debut," said Chaebin, who spent the longest time training among the members. "I was a trainee for three years and a half, but more than being excited to debut, I thought it was merely the beginning of working harder. So I remember busking with members, trying to get good practice for our debut. We performed Twice's 'Dance the Night Away,' and we really came together as a team."

In August 2018, Nature made its official debut with the song "Allegro Cantabile."

"We really practiced for 'Allegro Cantabile' with our all, since it would be the first song that Nature would enter the world with," Chaebin added.

After some changes in members, Sohee joined the group the following year in 2019. She was known to the public as a contestant on the hit Mnet audition show "Produce 101" (2016) and for her activities in a number of project girl groups: C.I.V.A, I.B.I and Girls Next Door.

An experienced K-pop singer to strengthen the then-rookie girl group, Sohee said she was happy to find a "permanent job" with Nature. The song that came to her mind was "In The Same Place" by Girls On Top, a project unit she belonged to for a competition on "Produce 101" — a nationwide hit that jumpstarted her career.

"I always had that song in my heart, from the moment I sang it on 'Produce 101' until the very moment my debut as a part of Nature was confirmed,'" she said. "It has a very sentimental melody and lyrics. It makes me feel sentimental too, that I can now be active as a singer with these girls in the same place."

Up and downs

Now that pandemic measures have been mostly eased, members are coming out of a long tunnel they've endured while Covid-19 raged on for two years. Nature had busy schedules in Korea and Japan planned ahead of them at the time of the interview.

"The pandemic hit us really hard, and all the members have been through an emotionally rough time," Loha said. "We couldn't meet fans or have as many stage performances as before. It was like our everyday lives had been literally locked down, like we lost everything overnight. I think everyone was mentally drained during the hiatus and trudged through it."

Because Loha was so eager for a comeback, she said she once continued dance practice despite "spraining" her ankle.

"It swelled up and turned purple, so I had to visit the hospital," she said. "It turned out that two of my foot bones were broken. The doctor asked me, 'How on earth did you keep dancing?' That's how bad I wanted a comeback."

While the K-pop idol scene is known for its bubbly, bright image maintained at all times, Haru says the best way to deal with her low moments was to feel them as they were.

"I heard Lu sing Rothy's 'Stars' during a monthly evaluation, and I looked it up myself," she said. "And this particular lyric hit me: 'Cry when you want to cry / Don't smile when you don't want to smile.' I realized that after moving to Korea, I always tried to smile and seem happy even when I felt down. The song told me it was okay not to. So I put the song on repeat during my slump, and it helped me to heal."

Sohee, who had ups and downs in her K-pop career even before joining Nature, shared that her prior experiences taught her a valuable lesson.

"At the end of the day, I learned that the hard moments all pass by," said Sohee. "That's my attitude, and I think Yun Ddan Ddan's song 'In my room' represents my spirit. Like the lyrics sing, sometimes things don't go as I want them to, and the world seems unfair and difficult. But the key is to never let go of hope and keep going at my own pace."


Dear Leaf

Members say most of Nature's ballad numbers like "La Historia," "A Little Star" and "My Sun, My Moon, My Star" were written in dedication to its fandom, named Leaf. Among them, "Dear Leaf," a track from its latest EP, holds special meaning to them.

"It's a song that we always sing while thinking about Leaf," said Saebom. "It made us tear up while we were practicing it. It's a heartwarming song to dedicate to all of your loved ones, like family, friends and anyone you can rely on. We always hope we can be someone that Leaf can rely on as well."

Chaebin recommends a ballad with a similar tone — "Consolation" by Kwon Jin-ah — for fans to get an insight about how she feels for Leaf.

"The lyrics instantly reminded me of Leaf when I first heard it," she said. "Although we're still improving and feel like not enough sometimes, they always give us unchanging love. The lyrics are so beautiful that on one occasion, a tear rolled down my cheek as I was listening to it. I want Leaf to check the song out themselves!"


The future ahead

Preparing for its schedules in and out of Korea, as well as its next album which members say "will also be quite different from "Rica Rica," Nature is ready to take on the next chapter of its K-pop career.

"I just want it [our future activities] to be like Daesung's song 'It's a Big Hit,'" said Uchae. "The title explains itself. And I wish it not only for Nature as a team, but for all the individual members as well; to achieve everything they want to."

The members are also pursuing individual projects on various entertainment shows. Aurora added her own message of support for her bandmates, recommending 2NE1's confidence anthem "I Am The Best."

"I hope all of our dreams work out and come together as one," she said. "That's what makes us such a great team. We're always full of energy and keep running toward our dreams."


Nature's Playlist

01. Nature - Rica Rica
02. EXID – Up&Down
03. Big Bang - Haru Hru
04. BoA - Valenti
05. Twice - Yes or Yes
06. Nature - Allegro Cantabile
07. Twice - Dance the Night Away
08. Nature - Drinkin'
09. Girls On Top – In the Same Place
10. Rothy - Stars
11. Chungha - Killing Me
12. Yun Ddan Ddan – In my room
13. Demi Lovato - Sober
14. Stray Kids - Hellevator
15. Nature – Dear Leaf
16. Nature - La Historia
17. aespa - Forever
18. Kwon Jin-ah – Consolation
19. Hwa Sa - Maria
20. Meghan Trainor - Me Too
21. Le Sserafim - Fearless
22. (G)I-DLE - Tomboy
23. Daesung (D-Lite) – It’s a Big Hit
24. Twice - I'm Gonna Be A Star
25. 2NE1 - I Am The Best

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]