LIGHTSUM Hopes to Capture the Moment Through “POSE!”

INTERVIEW

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INTERVIEW ✦

Since debuting in the summer of 2021, the six-member K-pop group LIGHTSUM, (designed to brighten the world through pop music), has cultivated a unique discography together — assembling a diverse range of essential pop tracks including the sweet and equally catchy "Vanilla," the upbeat club-esque hit "Alive," or even the edgy, enigmatic 2023 dark horse gem, "Honey or Spice."

Having consistently impressed their loyal fandom through these tracks while dually overcoming the universal challenges of a group’s rookie era, LIGHTSUM has officially made their first comeback of 2024 and is poised to enter an exciting new chapter with the release of their latest digital single, “POSE!” And this track only marks the beginning of a polished, sonic reinvention for the promising CUBE Entertainment group.

In anticipation of the bubbly pop track’s release, the vibrant K-pop girl group recently shared their thoughts on new music and some of the essential themes behind this latest offering.

LIGHTSUM, “POSE!” | CUBE Entertainment

Congratulations on the release of your new music! Can you tell us more about your digital single?

SANGAH: Our new digital single “POSE!” is a catchy and upbeat song that shows our diverse charms and metaphorically compares the camera to a loved one. 

HINA: Our latest digital single is titled “POSE!” As the name suggests, the choreography includes a lot of poses, and I think the song really highlights each member’s unique charm.

How do you feel this song is similar to and different from LIGHTSUM’s previous releases? 

NAYOUNG: We have a choreography team within the company so the cool and beautiful performances that perfectly suit us is something that hasn’t changed. We practiced a lot to express our charms without making them up and showing them naturally is what makes this song unique.

YUJEONG: The similar aspect of this song is LIGHTSUM’s unchanging passion!! The difference is that this is our first comeback with a summer song. 

With a focus on photos and poses, what message or story does LIGHTSUM aim to convey through this song?

CHOWON: Through this song, we want to show a more natural and genuine side of LIGHTSUM and connect with our fans in a closer, more authentic way.

JUHYEON: Our goal was to present ‘the real me.’ We wanted to portray our true selves as if we are playing or just having fun in the music video and during the performances.

How does the choreography of this track enhance the overall concept of the song? Are there any key points fans should look out for?

SANGAH: It would be great if our fans pay special attention to the parts where we pose freely through the performances.

JUHYEON: For the choreography, we focused on creating a new formation and highlighting each member’s uniqueness through the movement. The key point is the bouncy choreography that moves along with the lively beat. Also, I think it’s one of our simplest choreographies so far, so it would be great if many people joined and danced along with us!

In what ways do you think this song showcases LIGHTSUM's growth and evolution since your debut?

CHOWON: My goal is to show a more relaxed and matured side of ourselves and demonstrate how much we enjoy performing on stage. 

NAYOUNG: We’ve been practicing a lot and focusing on live singing. Therefore, I want to show that our live performance skills have really improved.

Could you share any memorable moments or challenges faced while preparing for this comeback?

HINA: Since every member is an adult now, we've been preparing for this comeback to show a more mature atmosphere. Even though I usually show a more bright and cute image within the team, I'd like to show a different part of myself from this song!

YUJEONG: This song has a cool vibe as its key feature, so I practiced singing with a more centered and cool tone compared to my usual vocal style. I also worked hard to express coolness in the choreography and expression.

What do you hope fans should focus on when they are listening to this song and watching the accompanying videos?

SANGAH: Please pay attention to our on-stage performances as we attempt to convey each member's natural charms!

CHOWON: Likewise our title “POSE!” there are a lot of moments that we pose so please look forward to us enjoying the performance on stage.

NAYOUNG: Each of us has different facial expressions and charms, so it would be great if our fans could focus on those aspects.

HINA: The main point of this new song is each of our unique personalities, boosting the quality of performance significantly! So stay tuned for six members' individual charms on the stage. 

JUHYEON: Aside from the individual parts, we really enjoy the entire song while performing so it would be great to catch our enjoying moments such as facial expression, eye contact with each other. Hope our fans get a lot of points like that in the music video as well.

YUJEONG: For this song, as always details are important but we also attempted to convey our uniqueness and charm, so we hope that our fans will pay attention to those aspects of us.

Any upcoming plans or goals LIGHTSUM has for the remainder of the year that fans can look forward to?

SANGAH: We are seeking to schedule a lot more in-person events with SUMIT for the remaining months of this year so looking forward to it!

YUJEONG: For the rest of this year, I hope there will be more opportunities to spend time with SUMIT offline.