Teen girl group CSR offers breath of fresh air in K-pop scene

K-pop

Published: 29 Mar. 2023, 08:02 Updated: 29 Mar. 2023, 08:04

Teen girl group CSR offers breath of fresh air in K-pop scene

Introducing its second EP “Delight," girl group CSR sat down for a press interview on March 22 at a cafe in southern Seoul’s Gangnam District. [POPMUSIC]

In a sea of charismatic girl group concepts, CSR is bringing a delightful breath of fresh air with old-school K-pop innocence.

Introducing their second EP “Delight” which drops on Wednesday, the seven members — Sua, Sihyeon, Yuna, Seoyeon, Duna, Geumhee, and Yeham — sat down for a press interview on March 22 at a cafe in southern Seoul’s Gangnam District.

“I think it’s good that our concept differentiates from other girl groups, and it conveys our unique energy,” said Seoyeon. “I’m so confident with this new release.”

CSR debuted last July under PopMusic and means “first love” (cheotsarang) in Korean. It comes from a small agency but has differentiated itself from a sea of fourth-generation girl groups with an innocent, demure concept of puppy love; almost like an ode to K-pop of the early days.

Concept photo for CSR's "Delight" (2023) [POPMUSIC]

The group consists of seven members all born in 2005, who depict a story of growth starting as 17-year-olds last year. CSR has received praise and been likened to girl group GFriend (active 2015-21), who was widely loved thanks to its pure, girlish concept.

“Our concept is a bit different from most idol groups in our generation, so we were a bit worried at first,” Yuna recalled, thinking about the time the members were first told about their concept. “But now I think it best suits our energy.”

“Successor to GFriend” is one of the nicknames CSR has earned since its debut last summer.

“When we first heard that nickname, we were so thankful and happy but also hit by so much pressure,” said Sua.

“It’s an honor to be called that,” said Sihyeon. “And we’ve really been practicing to make sure people say ‘They really do deserve that nickname’ when they see us.”

Introducing its second EP “Delight," girl group CSR sat down for a press interview on March 22 at a cafe in southern Seoul’s Gangnam District. [POPMUSIC]

“The public calls us the representative fourth-generation idol group when it comes to a refreshing, innocent concept,” said Yeham. “We’re going to live up to that title.

Through “Delight,” CSR opens a new chapter of its story, this year as 18-year-olds.

“There’s a unique chemistry that comes from us all being the same 18-year-olds,” said Sihyeon. “A lot of fans born in 2005 were drawn to our same-age concept. I would be too, if I heard there was an idol group who are all the same age as us. When we’re communicating with fans on social media, a lot of them write to us that they’re eating their school lunches. I can relate so much because that’s everyday life for me too [...] In school, my friends give me feedback about which outfits suit me best, and in what moments I looked pretty.”

“During online video calls for meet-and-greet sessions, fans around our age come to us with relatable topics like how they’re worried about an exam tomorrow,” said Duna, “and we tell them words of support.”

“One fan who came to an in-person autograph event to celebrate my debut was a schoolmate from my high school,” added Seoyeon.

Introducing its second EP “Delight," girl group CSR sat down for a press interview on March 22 at a cafe in southern Seoul’s Gangnam District. [POPMUSIC]

Unlike the preconception that girl groups with a demure concept have mostly male fans, members say its fandom Maeum is actually quite balanced in gender and diverse in age.

“The gender ratio is close to fifty-fifty,” said Sihyeon. “Most fans are in their 20s, many in their 30s and 40s, and some who seem to be in their 50s. We also get online comments from fans who say they’re in their 50s.”

Members also revealed their new lead track “Shining Bright” during the interview; an energetic tune reminiscent of the early 2000s. The melodic song, fitting CSR’s concept, is also in contrast from recent girl group numbers that mostly emphasize strong beats and rap.

“It’s a happy, upbeat number with band sounds and full of energy,” Yeham said. “The song is fast-paced and so is the choreography. The dance routine is really rigorous and makes it hard to sing live, but we got good at it with constant practice together.

“The moment I first heard it, it gave me this overwhelming feeling of excitement,” Sihyeon said. “It makes you feel like you must embark on a journey.”

“The song perfectly suits the spring season,” Sua added. “We’re sure that it will give listeners energy.”

Concept photo for CSR's "Delight" (2023) [POPMUSIC]

In the music video for “Shining Bright,” members had the chance to step up their acting.

“A lot of the scenes in the new music video involve us running toward the light,” said Duna. “The director told us they would be tricky scenes to act out, but we did a good job. I want to compliment myself for that. I ran with all my might thinking, ‘That light is mine!’”

CSR also addressed the recent controversy regarding its first television music show win last December, which stirred up talk in the K-pop scene — the group won due to points for frequent TV appearances despite ranking relatively low in terms of CD sales or streaming.

“We were overjoyed to win first place on ‘Music Bank,’ and we didn’t expect that win at all,” Sua said. “I think some of the public went ‘Huh?’ because a lot of people don’t know who we are yet. But we performed as much as we could on TV for that win to happen. We’re not upset [about the controversy] because it means that we simply have more to show to the public, and that we’ve just begun. It simply gave us motivation to work even harder.”

Concept photo for CSR's "Delight" (2023) [POPMUSIC]

The group wants to continue conveying various teenage feelings apart from love in the future.

“We go through many complex feelings in our teen years,” said Sihyeon. “It can be chaotic, but it’s also when your emotions come into full bloom, and you find yourself. Teenagers often feel suddenly cheerful, then angry, then annoyed and then burst out in laughter the next moment. Changes in emotions are very quick, but it’s a natural part of being a teenager. We want to convey that message of consolation in our songs.”

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