Despite some challenges, Le Sserafim is feeling more relaxed than ever before

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Despite some challenges, Le Sserafim is feeling more relaxed than ever before

Le Sserafim poses during Monday's showcase for its second EP "Antifragile" at Yonsei University’s Centennial Hall in western Seoul. [SOURCE MUSIC]

Le Sserafim poses during Monday's showcase for its second EP "Antifragile" at Yonsei University’s Centennial Hall in western Seoul. [SOURCE MUSIC]

 
Le Sserafim is back, now as a team of five, with its new EP “Antifragile.” 
 
The girl group members — Miyawaki Sakura, Kim Chaewon, Hong Eunchae, Kazuha and Huh Yunjin — held a showcase on Monday at Yonsei University’s Centennial Hall in western Seoul.  
 
The members introduced the EP’s overarching theme as a story about “how we face adversity and overcome it.”  
 
“We can’t always have good moments in life,” said Chaewon, the group’s leader. “But this EP carries our spirit that no matter what comes, we will overcome it.”  
 
“In life, there are bad times and moments that I’m disappointed in myself,” said Sakura. “But this EP is about embracing even those moments and loving the entire journey.”
 
Le Sserafim poses during Monday's showcase for its second EP "Antifragile" at Yonsei University’s Centennial Hall in western Seoul. [NEWS1]

Le Sserafim poses during Monday's showcase for its second EP "Antifragile" at Yonsei University’s Centennial Hall in western Seoul. [NEWS1]

 
The title track features a whistling Latin beat and wickedly addictive hook that repeats “Anti-ti-ti-ti fragile, fragile,” echoing the group’s debut track in May which chanted “I’m fearless.”
 
“The word ‘antifragile’ means an attitude which accepts adversity as a stimulus for growth,” Chaewon said. “Our resolve is to become hardened and stronger, even as we go through hardships and shocks.”
 
“I’ve never stopped challenging myself, and [Le Sserafim] is my third debut,” added Sakura, who has previously belonged to girl groups HKT48 and IZ*ONE. “I think this must be what they mean by antifragile.”
 
Other members have also had their fair share of ups and downs during their path to becoming K-pop stars. Yunjin, who first became known to the public as a contestant on Mnet’s idol audition show “Produce 48,” once considered giving up her K-pop dreams altogether after she did not make it to the show’s final lineup. Kazuha left 15 years of ballet education behind to pursue a career in K-pop. Chaewon was also formerly a member of IZ*ONE with Sakura and Eunchae, the group’s youngest member, was the last to join the lineup for Le Sserafim, so had some catching up to do.
 
Le Sserafim poses during Monday's showcase for its second EP "Antifragile" at Yonsei University’s Centennial Hall in western Seoul. [SOURCE MUSIC]

Le Sserafim poses during Monday's showcase for its second EP "Antifragile" at Yonsei University’s Centennial Hall in western Seoul. [SOURCE MUSIC]

 
After a tumultuous road to its debut, Le Sserafim’s debut was a megahit. Its debut EP “Fearless” sold over 307,000 copies in the first week, and the titular lead track ranked on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart for 19 consecutive weeks.  
 
“I personally felt more pressure for this comeback, more so than I did for my debut,” said Yunjin.  
 
“Our debut song ‘Fearless’ thankfully got so much love,” said Chaewon. “We really wanted to make something that could surpass our debut and practiced so hard.”  
 
The members wish came true. “Antifragile” has surpassed 620,000 copies in preorders before its official release. The music video, which dropped in advance, hit over 4 million views in the first 12 hours of its release.  
 
Le Sserafim poses during Monday's showcase for its second EP "Antifragile" at Yonsei University’s Centennial Hall in western Seoul. [NEWS1]

Le Sserafim poses during Monday's showcase for its second EP "Antifragile" at Yonsei University’s Centennial Hall in western Seoul. [NEWS1]

 
“We heard the news about the preorders when all of us were in the practice room together,” said Kazuha. “We were shocked and started screaming. We’re so happy that people are recognizing us for our hard work.”
 
Because of the extremely fast-paced and vigorous choreography for “Antifragile,” Sakura said that their debut dance number “Fearless” almost feels like a subdued ballad in comparison.
  
“It was twice as hard as ‘Fearless,’” Sakura added.
 
“I was shocked at how different the music style was,” said Kazuha. “The moment we heard it for the first time, we just knew the choreography was going to be extremely difficult.”    
 
Le Sserafim poses during Monday's showcase for its second EP "Antifragile" at Yonsei University’s Centennial Hall in western Seoul. [SOURCE MUSIC]

Le Sserafim poses during Monday's showcase for its second EP "Antifragile" at Yonsei University’s Centennial Hall in western Seoul. [SOURCE MUSIC]

 
Despite the pressure and intensified choreography, the members say that they are actually finding themselves more relaxed than in May.
  
“For our debut, I couldn’t fully enjoy myself while performing because I was telling myself that we must do well,” said Chaewon. “This time, I’ve noticed myself having fun and feeling relaxed, making brighter facial expressions. It also helps that ‘Antifragile’ is a very upbeat song.”
 
“I was extremely nervous when I recorded our debut EP,” said Eunchae. “This time, things felt much easier. We were sharing our opinions and monitoring our recordings in real time [...] The song ‘Antifragile’ and its theme was already confirmed before we debuted, so we were able to start recording and practicing right after our debut. I couldn’t wait to show what we had worked on.”
 
Le Sserafim proceeded to premier the stage performance for “Antifragile” and B-side track “Impurities.” Sakura and Yunjin participated in writing the song and lyrics for several of the B-side tracks.  
 
“Antifragile,” “The Hydra,” “Impurities,” “No Celestial” and “Good Parts (when the quality is bad but I am)” will be made available on music streaming platforms from Monday at 6 p.m.
 
Le Sserafim poses during Monday's showcase for its second EP "Antifragile" at Yonsei University’s Centennial Hall in western Seoul. [NEWS1]

Le Sserafim poses during Monday's showcase for its second EP "Antifragile" at Yonsei University’s Centennial Hall in western Seoul. [NEWS1]


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