Interview: K-Pop Girl Group: SECRET NUMBER Spill About Their Recent Comeback, Favourite Memories, and Plans for the Future!

It’s no secret that K-Pop has been on the rise over the last few years. With the catchy music, breathtaking visuals, addictive dance moves, and captivating charisma of K-Pop artists, it’s hard not to fall in love with the genre when you first experience it. K-Pop has taken the world by storm, capturing the hearts of listeners from all around the world and solidifying its spot within the music industry as a genre that will not disappear any time soon. 

One of the newer artists that have made a mark in the K-Pop scene is the 6 member girl group: SECRET NUMBER. Composed of members: Léa, Dita, Jinny, Minji, Soodam, and Zuu, SECRET NUMBER was formed by Vine Entertainment and debuted in 2020 with the single album, “Who Dis?” Within the first 5 months of their debut, the group achieved many successes with their music earning them various awards and a spot on Billboard Korea’s 2020 Rookie K-Pop group list. 

In addition to having very experienced members who previously competed in K-Pop survival programs including Produce 101, Produce 48, and Mix Nine, one of the group’s most unique qualities is that they are a multinational K-Pop girl group. Not only does the group have members from the USA, Japan, and South Korea, they also have K-Pop’s first Indonesian girl group member, Dita Karang. 

The group’s name, SECRET NUMBER, makes reference to passwords/ PIN codes that people possess representing special moments in their lives such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Just like those numbers that carry an important meaning, SECRET NUMBER hopes to hold a special meaning in people’s lives as well. 

With 6 Korean single albums, 1 Japanese EP, 1 digital single, and 2 OST appearances since their debut, the group has established themselves as a versatile and vocally strong girl group with a lot of talent and love for their fandom. Giving their fans the name, LOCKEYS, which is a unification of the words “lock” and “key,” SECRET NUMBER has been nothing but grateful for their love from their supporters and can’t wait to greet them more through live performances in the future. 

SECRET NUMBER recently released their 6th single album on May 24th, 2023 featuring the single, “DOXA,” and their first ever fan song, “Beautiful One.” Being their first Korean comeback of 2023 after their release last November with their single, “Tap,” the group wanted to return to the stage with a very strong concept. “DOXA” describes a toxic relationship and the emotional turmoil it can cause when cycles of making up and breaking up occur. As it contains a strong and powerful chorus paired with an upbeat, roaring sound, the song is guaranteed to draw in its listeners with every play. BroadwayWorld had the opportunity to speak with SECRET NUMBER about their recent comeback, favourite memories, and plans for the future. Read the full interview below! 

Congratulations on your latest comeback with your 6th single album! Your single, "DOXA", describes a toxic relationship of constantly making up and breaking up and features a catchy chorus and eye-catching dance moves. What makes this comeback different from your previous ones? 

Dita: This comeback means a lot to us because it was close to our 3rd year anniversary and we have our first ever fan song in this album. It feels more like a gift to our fans.

Soodam: We have previously done a lot of strong and powerful concepts, but none as  intense as this one. I think this comeback is the most dynamic of them all. You can definitely see a girl-crush side of us!

Minji: There are more videos of live performances that we weren’t able to show in our previous comebacks. It’s so much fun and I’m very excited every time we perform.

Léa of SECRET NUMBER. Photo Credit: Vine Entertainment

What was the easiest and hardest part during your preparations for your "DOXA" comeback? 

Léa: The choreography practices were the easiest for me. It has already been three years since our debut and five to six years including our trainee period. We  have practiced together for a long time, so it has become very easy for us to focus on the details as we now work in perfect harmony. The hardest part was practicing singing live. It was so difficult singing a high-pitched falsetto while dancing. My voice kept cracking so I was very nervous and  practiced this the most. I still find it very difficult.

Dita: As much as we are excited to release a new album, preparations are never easy for us. We always try our best to release the best version of us every single time. This time around, the hardest part for me was acting for our “DOXA” music video. We have such bright personalities so it was challenging to act and portray something very dark and scary, but I think that’s the beauty of acting.

Jinny: The easiest part during the preparations for “DOXA” was the recording process because I feel like it went smoother and quicker compared to other songs that we’ve recorded. The hardest part was the choreography because there were so many versions that we had to decide from.

Soodam: The choreography for the chorus kept changing, so that was something I found challenging. I wanted to put more power into my singing, and that was difficult as well. For the easiest part… I really can’t say anything was easy, but to pick one, it’s when I was singing high-pitched falsettos, which I like. Compared to our previous albums, there were more falsettos I had to sing so I was able to breeze through the recording process! 

Minji: There are a lot of high notes in this song. It was difficult to dance and sing at the same time.

Zuu: I don’t think there was a moment that was particularly easy. Every little detail, including how I was going to perform the song on stage, what kind of challenge I was to try visually, and even the small gestures during the performance were all taken into account as I prepared for this album.

Dita of SECRET NUMBER. Photo Credit: Vine Entertainment

What has been your favourite moment or memory during your promotions for "DOXA" so far?

Léa: It’s great to be able to see our fans often during the promotion period. My precious LOCKEYs are the ones that give me strength even when it’s challenging. 

Jinny: My favourite part during our promotions is definitely the fact that we get to perform in front of LOCKEYS and that we get to meet them almost every day.

Zuu: I’ll never be able to forget the moments when our fans cheer for us during a music show. It’s so overwhelming and gives me thrills every time I hear it.

One of the trends now amongst many K-Pop groups is to do a TikTok dance challenge for their latest releases. For "DOXA", you have created one using the hashtag, #DOXAchallenge. What was it like filming the challenge with members of other K-Pop groups? Do you film the challenges in one take?  

Léa: I filmed it with my friends, so it was just too funny. We really couldn’t stop laughing. It was also great seeing some friends again after a long time!

Dita: It’s always an honor to do #DOXAChallenge with other groups. Usually, we do multiple takes, so we try to come up with different ending poses and stuff.

Jinny: We haven’t done any challenges with other artists before, so it was really fun to film a challenge with our own song with other artists finally. For me, I usually filmed the challenges in two takes.

Minji of SECRET NUMBER. Photo Credit: Vine Entertainment

The song, “Beautiful One,” from your 6th single album was written for your fans. What has been your favourite memory that you have had with your fans (LOCKEY) so far?
Soodam: I really can’t forget the enthusiasm of our fans (LOCKEYs) that cheered for us at the airport when we visited Indonesia for a performance. Also, I don’t think I’ll ever forget the stages that we performed during this comeback for our fans, whose eyes were fixated on only us despite the presence of other groups.

Minji: I loved the warm feeling I got when we first sang our fan song to our fans. It was very touching.

Zuu: Of course, it’s the performances that we did in front of our fans, in person. It was very overwhelming to see the individual faces of our fans when I was performing on stage.

Jinny has a writing credit in “Beautiful One,” as it was mentioned that she wrote a rap verse in the song! Do any of the other members have interest in also writing lyrics in the future? 

Dita: If there is a chance, I would love to! I will need a lot of practice writing lyrics, especially in Korean. Ever since our “TAP” album preparation, I have been practicing writing lyrics to the guide version we got.

Minji: I would really love to participate in the songwriting process whenever I get the chance. If possible, I want to produce all the songs in an album.

Zuu: For sure! There are parts where I lack and I need to study more, but I will work on it more and participate in the songwriting process as soon as possible.

Jinny of SECRET NUMBER. Photo Credit: Vine Entertainment

You recently celebrated your 3rd anniversary as a group! Over the years you have been together, you have released many different songs with different concepts. Is there a concept that you haven’t tried yet that you would like to try in the future? 

Léa: We haven’t released a summer song yet. I would love to do a refreshing, cool concept where we film the music video at a beach for the summer.

Jinny: I want to try the old-school hip hop concept sometime in the future.

Soodam: A summer song!

Looking back to your time as a trainee and the early days of when SECRET NUMBER first debuted up until now, what advice would you give your past self? 

Léa: I would tell myself to enjoy and focus on the present, and that I was doing well. I had a lot of worries at the time, but looking back, it was all an experience and a good memory.

Dita: You are stronger than you think so don’t doubt yourself!

Jinny: I would tell myself not to rush and that it’s okay to be nervous.

Soodam: You’ll do good, so don’t worry and get things done slowly one by one. Oh, and also, don’t take a gap year at school!

Minji: The time you spend as a trainee might seem endless, but you will make your debut as a main vocalist of a fabulous group named SECRET NUMBER, so enjoy that moment of your life!

Zuu: You have done good, but practice more every day and show your passion!

Soodam of SECRET NUMBER. Photo Credit: Vine Entertainment

What do you think sets SECRET NUMBER apart from other groups? 

Léa: I think it’s our individuality. All of the members are very different in terms of our singing styles, dancing styles, languages, and even personalities.

Dita: We always try new concepts for every comeback, so I would say SECRET NUMBER is unlimited. Also, with members coming from various countries and backgrounds, I would say our communication skills are one of our strongest traits!

Jinny: I think that each of our personalities are so unique that it helps people distinguish who each of us are easily.

Soodam: We are charming in so many ways! Not only when we shoot variety shows, but also when we are just together. There are many times when I would just laugh my head off! We are not just funny, but we also have many charms that might not be apparent from what you see. If you are into us, you won’t be able to get out!

Minji: I think we are different in the sense that we all come from different countries, so we can communicate and approach our fans more closely in different languages.

Zuu: We can directly communicate with our fans from all around the world as a multinational girl group and we try different concepts with every comeback. In addition, we really don’t shy away from being funny. We are a very humorous group!

Zuu of SECRET NUMBER. Photo Credit: Vine Entertainment

What are your hopes for SECRET NUMBER in the future and how do you want to be remembered as a group? 

Léa: To our members, I hope we remain friends even after 10-20 years! As a group, I would be really happy if future K-pop bands would choose SECRET NUMBER as their role model. It would mean a lot to be appreciated by our colleagues.

Dita: I hope LOCKEYs remember SECRET NUMBER as a group that was like their friend or family. My hope is that both SECRET NUMBER and LOCKEYs grow together in the future and make  those who listen to our music or watch us perform feel happy and joyful!

Jinny: I hope that we can eventually go on a world tour and would love to be remembered as a group that could not be forgotten (like the meaning behind our group name). Just like how everyone has their own secret number (password, anniversary, etc), we want to be remembered as a meaningful group.

Soodam: I really would love to go on a world tour and to see all of our fans around the world. I want to be remembered as a proud group that repaid all the love that we received from fans.

Minji: To the future SECRET NUMBER, there will be a time when you’ll wonder if this is the right path. Remember to trust your fans and move on. I want SECRET NUMBER to be remembered as a group that consistently maintains its position and ultimately achieves success. I hope that day arrives as soon as possible.

Zuu: I want SECRET NUMBER to be a group with a very special love for their fans and also a group with a high level of perfection in terms of music.

Top Photo: SECRET NUMBER, Photo Credit: Vine Entertainment

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