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.

Girl group Lapillus debuted on Monday with the digital single “Hit Ya!,” an intense dance number that sings about the rookie’s ambitions. The multinational team of six — Shana from Japan, Yue from the United States, Chanty from Argentina and the Philippines and Korean members Haeun, Seowon and Bessie — is the newest K-pop act from MLD Entertainment, the same agency behind girl group Momoland. After revealing its members and teasing its content over the past month, Lapillus put on a powerful performance at Monday’s debut showcase.

An international makeup of members is no huge surprise in K-pop, but Lapillus has taken it one notch higher by choosing a non-Korean member — Shana, from Japan — as the leader of the group, making its aim for the global scene obvious from day one.

“All our members are so unique and different, and our harmony shows well on stage,” Shana said. “We believe that no individual is perfect, but we can be perfect as a whole if we help each other overcome our shortcomings and bring out the best in us.”

Lapillus is Latin for “a gemstone that changes colors depending on the direction of the light,” according to the leader.

“We want to tell the world that we will show our unique colors and dreams,” she said.

The group is off to a good start with a built-in fan base: Shana became known to K-pop fans last summer as a contestant on Mnet’s audition show “Girls Planet 999.” Chanty has already built up an acting career in the Philippines under her real name, Chantal Videla, and is seeing fervent support from Filipino K-pop fans.

Just 12 days before their official debut as Lapillus, the girl group shared their anticipations, ambitions and songs that define their life moments in an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily.

The following are edited excerpts.


Dreaming K-pop

For the young talents, K-pop entered their lives naturally.

“I don’t even remember when I started wanting to become a singer,” Bessie said. “Maybe around when I was five? No one even told me I should become one, but I always thought I was going to be an idol. I’m someone who can’t live without music.”

The foreign members were introduced to K-pop in their home countries and were instantly mesmerized.


“When I first listened to iKON’s 'Goodbye Road' and 'Bling Bling,' they completely broke down the preconceptions I had about idols," said Shana. "To me, idols were all about being pretty. But when I saw them, I thought, 'There are idols that sing and rap so cool like that?' I became interested in K-pop and wondered if I could be like that too. Since Korea is the best in the idol field, I wanted to come here."


"I started as an actor in the Philippines, so I didn't have many chances to sing and dance,” said Chanty. "But I came across music videos for 2NE1's 'Fire' and BTS's 'MIC Drop.' I realized it's possible to sing and dance at the same time like that, and I started dreaming of doing that myself."

Born to an Argentinian father and Filipino mother, Chanty is one of the very few Filipino K-pop stars and first-ever Argentinian.


"There are almost no celebrities of Filipino descent in Korea," she said. "K-pop is really popular in the Philippines, so this opportunity gives me a lot of pressure and anxiety as well. But when Filipinos say, 'Oh my god, there's a Filipino K-pop idol!,' I feel moved and thankful."

For Yue, her dreams started at a K-culture festival in the United States.

"I was attending KCON in Los Angeles when I saw ITZY perform 'Dalla Dalla,'" said the Chinese-American member. "They were such good singers and dancers, and I loved their energy. I wanted to be a singer who can give that kind of energy to the crowd from the stage."


When dreams come true


Most K-pop hopefuls have to train and wait for years to make their dream debut, if that day comes at all. Naturally, many idols vividly remember the moment that their debut was confirmed. In Lapillus's case, the members were listening to STAYC's "RUN2U."

"Right after the six of us were confirmed as the debut lineup, we had a trial photoshoot for our profile pictures," Seowon said. "We were on our way in the car and I remember 'RUN2U' started playing. We all sang along, saying we hope people listen to our song and sing along like this too."

While it was a happy moment, Seowon says it was also when the members realized that soon it was time for the real deal.

"Shortly after that, we filmed a dance demo with our choreography teacher for Momoland's 'Yummy Yummy Love,'" she said. "During filming, the dance moves and formation frequently changed last minute. We almost had a mental breakdown. But we reminded ourselves we're going to have situations like this when we debut. It was good practice for adjusting to changes right away in the future."


Ups and downs


The entire world trudged through a long tunnel of uncertainty during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that was no exception for Seowon.

"Before I joined this agency, Covid-19 was raging," she said. "Many agencies canceled their auditions, and my parents also told me to take time off from the dance tutoring center for my safety. During that break, I was really upset because I felt like I had missed out on a lot of opportunities and it seemed as if the pandemic wouldn't ever end."


After her dream debut on Monday, Seowon says she owes it to Girls' Generation's "Way To Go."


"The lyrics matched my exact situation and gave me energy," she said. "I thank that song for helping me carry on and make it."

For foreign members, what was even more challenging than the rigorous vocal and dance training was the homesickness.


"I was going through a really hard time because I missed my parents," Shana said.


"Once, it was time for our end-of-the-month evaluation session [for trainees] and I was supposed to sing Kim Bum-soo's 'I Miss You.' I thought, 'This is a love song, but I don't have a boyfriend, so how can I express those emotions?' So I thought of my mom and dad while singing and burst out in tears during my evaluation."


“Becoming a singer is a dream that gave me hardship for the first time in my life,” she said, adding, "But it also taught me a lot. It's a dream that I've worked on the hardest and longest."

"I'm still learning Korean, and it's difficult to say everything that I exactly want to say," said Chanty. "But the members help me out so much, and my Korean is improving. […] When I came to Korea and started training, I learned singing and dancing for the first time. I felt like I lacked a lot of skills and wanted to give up at many different moments. Listening to IU's 'Celebrity' helped me realize that instead of comparing myself to others, I should know that I'm special. There's always going to be people better at something than I am, but I should go my own way."


“Sometimes we are all exhausted after practice,” said Haeun, the team's youngest member. Just 13 years old, she first became a trainee at the age of 11 and is now the youngest singer in the K-pop scene.

“Recently, we were so tired after taking profile pictures to prepare for our debut," Haeun said. "We had never done anything like that before. What we did was turn off all the lights in the practice room, turn on an exciting song and dance together. Most recently we danced to PSY’s new song, 'That That,' in the dark.”


Sing for the fans


Even before its official debut, Lapillus had been garnering fans around the world for a month. Members said they are thankful for the pre-debut support.

“We haven’t even met our fans yet,” said Bessie. "It reminded us of 'You and I' by Park Bom. The lyrics go, 'I've never done anything for you / I'm not much, but I sing this song for you today.' We really haven't done anything for our fans yet, but they're the reason that we can be here as singers. We will always sing for them."


The future ahead

The current K-pop market resembles a battlefield as it is heavily saturated with fourth-generation idol groups that have made an influx of debuts over the past couple years. Lapillus is armed and ready, but they’re determined to never forget what matters most: having fun.

“I pondered a lot about what music means to me,” Shana said. “Practicing vocals and dance is important, but at the end of the day, music is something to be enjoyed. That's the most important part.”


“I’m going to be free-spirited and be myself,” said Seowon. “Like the lyrics in WJSN’s ‘Butterfly’ go, I won’t try to be all fancy and be something that I’m not, but simply show who I am.”


“We had a lot of fun sharing our playlist,” Yue said. “We hope you guys got to know more about us and what songs we listen to, and look forward to our debut track ‘Hit Ya!’”

Lapillus’s Playlist


01. Lapillus - Hit Ya!
02. 2NE1 - I Don't Care
03. BTS – Dope
04. iKON – Goodbye Road
05. iKON - Bling Bling
06. 2NE1 - Fire
07. BTS – Mic Drop
08. ITZY - Dalla Dalla
09. 4Minute - Crazy
10. Apink - I Don’t Know
11. STAYC - RUN2U
12. Momoland X Natti Natasha - Yummy Yummy Love
13. IU - eight
14. Girls' Generation - Way To Go
15. Kim Bum-soo - I Miss You
16. IU - Celebrity
17. PSY - That That
18. Rosé - Gone
19. B.I - Re-Birth
20. BTS - 00:00 (Zero O’Clock)
21. Park Bom - You and I
22. Girls' Generation - Into The New World
23. Seventeen - Clap
24. WJSN - Butterfly


Celeb Confirmed: Get to know Lapillus

Chanty (Chantal Videla)
Date of birth: Dec. 15, 2002
Zodiac sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Laguna, the Philippines
Debut: March 2018 as an actor in the Philippines, June 2022 as a member of girl group Lapillus
Agency: MLD Entertainment

Shana (Nonaka Shana)
Date of birth: March 13, 2003
Zodiac sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Fukuoka, Japan
Debut: June 2022 as a member of girl group Lapillus
Agency: MLD Entertainment

Yue (Nancy Yang)
Date of birth: July 3, 2004
Zodiac sign: Cancer
Birthplace: California, United States
Debut: June 2022 as a member of girl group Lapillus
Agency: MLD Entertainment

Bessie (Kim Susanna)
Date of birth: July 15, 2004
Zodiac sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Changwon, South Gyeongsang
Debut: June 2022 as a member of girl group Lapillus
Agency: MLD Entertainment

Seowon (Jang Seowon)
Date of birth: Dec. 5, 2006
Zodiac sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Gwangju, South Jeolla
Debut: June 2022 as a member of girl group Lapillus
Agency: MLD Entertainment

Haeun (Lim Haeun)
Date of birth: Nov. 2, 2008
Zodiac sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Gumi, North Gyeongsang
Debut: June 2022 as a member of girl group Lapillus
Agency: MLD Entertainment

This information was confirmed by MLD Entertainment on June 8, 2022.

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