[SHOWCASE] Kiss of Life shows it was 'Born to be XX' in latest EP

K-pop

Published: 08 Nov. 2023, 19:31 Updated: 09 Nov. 2023, 13:09

[SHOWCASE] Kiss of Life shows it was 'Born to be XX' in latest EP

Kiss of Life performs ″Bad News,″ one of the two lead tracks in the girl group's latest EP ″Born to be XX,″ during a press showcase held Wednesday at the Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul. [S2 ENTERTAINMENT]

"Monster rookie" Kiss of Life is ready to show the girl group’s two contrasting sides in its latest album, “Born to be XX.”

“Our second EP ‘Born to be XX’ shows the duality of things,” member Belle said during a press showcase held Wednesday at the Yes24 Hall in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, prior to the album’s release. "Monster rookie" is the moniker that describes Kiss of Life, as they proved their vocal and album production capabilities with its debut album “Kiss of Life” back in July.

“The two Xs in the title of the album signify two different concepts: special things that are not welcomed [by others] and our message to reject prejudice, misunderstandings and stereotypes,” Belle said.

“Which is why we believe that going with a double lead track is absolutely necessary; it proves that we are capable of understanding and comprehending both hip-hop and R&B genres.”

Kiss of Life has four members: Belle, Julie, Natty and Haneul.

“Born to be XX,” which comes only four months after the release of the group’s debut EP “Kiss of Life,” features seven tracks: “Bad News,” a strong hip-hop and rock score featuring a distinctive guitar riff; “Nobody Knows,” a contrasting R&B tune, inspired by 1970s psychedelic, punk and Philadelphia soul tracks; “My 808,” “TTG,” “Gentleman,” “Says It” and an English version of “Bad News,” for which Julie took part in writing the English lyrics.

“'Bad News’ focuses on the members’ performance and vocal abilities, while ‘Nobody Knows’ emphasizes more of our vocal strength and our understanding of music,” Julie explained.

Kiss of Life also showed the group could produce its own songs, as Julie was involved in writing the lyrics for “Nobody Knows” and Belle and Natty in “My 808.” “Says It,” with lyrics written by Belle, is what she called a "fan song" that she dedicates to the fans of the girl group.

“Kiss of Life is a group that really pursues the idea of members producing their own songs,” Belle, who first worked as a music producer before debuting as a member of Kiss of Life, said. “All our members have an outstanding understanding of music, and we all have strong preferences, so producing our own songs is more or less approachable for us, and this album is no exception: We’ve tried hard to maximize each member’s involvement in the album.”

Kiss of Life members also shared the group’s goal with its latest album.

“We received overwhelming love with our debut album […], so we hope to land on music charts and climb one step at a time with ‘Born to be XX,’” Julie said.

“You know, I think we really excel in our live performances, so we want to show that in weekly music show encore stages,” Natty said. “Which means that we want to get No. 1 in weekly music shows to show you that live performance skill of ours.”

“I very much like the moniker ‘monster rookie,’” Natty said. “We have used that moniker as our inspiration and prepared our album with utter determination, so I hope you enjoy our album.”

Kiss of Life poses for the camera during the group's "Born to be XX" showcase held ahead of the release of the EP on Wednesday, at the Yes24 Hall in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul. [CHO YONG-JUN]

To find out more about KISS OF LIFE, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]