Jitters and anticipation, nerves and curiosity, excitement and wonder—it’s all there in the fierce eyes of this lively 15-year-old. The summer’s in its last hurrah, and YI HANI’s ready to dive headfirst into the effervescent world spread out before her.
YI HANI on the screen
YI HANI: I love photoshoots—album cover shoots, all of it. Sometimes I don’t really pick up on the vibe just by looking at the proposal but then we actually get to the shoot and then it hits me. I’m still learning as I go along, but sometimes I surprise myself with the kinds of facial expressions I can pull off. I’m still not used to talking on camera, though, so I think I need to get a little more comfortable with that. (laughs) But even that’s fun. It’s like, “I used to be so stiff and clunky, but I got out one more sentence today than last time, and it felt easier. Guess I’m getting a little more comfortable being on camera.”
A new spin on a familiar spot
YI HANI: We shot some of the photos for the album in Thailand. For the WE PLAY version, I was skateboarding down this vibey street, wind in my hair. It felt amazing. I couldn’t stop smiling during the shoot. It’s a real smile—I was so happy. (laughs) I took a trip there with my family before, and going back to do a photoshoot there was surreal and really cool. We shot the music video for our lead single, “SUN KISS,” in Iceland, which was my first time there, but the weather was so similar to the UK that it didn’t feel too different. It was the time of year when the sun barely sets, and it was a long shoot, so I was a little worried, but the staff took such good care of us that it was pretty chill. The whole thing of being somewhere not too different and being with the rest of the group was quite the experience. It was the little things that made it fun, like trying new snacks. (laughs) Like being on vacation.
YI HANI’s childhood
YI HANI: My parents always loved music. I heard a lot of what my dad was into when I was growing up. I wasn’t picky. I listened to everything from rock to hip hop and Western pop songs. I actually went to elementary school in China for a while. I had a bunch of different friends. Some of them were really focused on studying, others were into sports or music. I was a pretty goofy kid, too. Kind of a mischievous tomboy. (laughs) I was basically a little troublemaker who just wanted to have fun and eat snacks, like Shin-chan. And I haven’t really changed that much. Maybe just a slightly bigger Shin-chan … (laughs) My close friends back then all had different interests and peculiar tastes, so we ended up introducing each other to a lot of music, too.
When performing feels like “Soul”
YI HANI: Ever since I was little, if it would get me onstage, I loved it—music, theatre, anything. It’s like I always knew deep down inside me—someday I’ll do something related to music. (laughs) I performed in school shows, did choir, took singing lessons, even performed on the little stage at my music academy. In the movie “Soul,” when the main character really locks in, it’s like he’s floating in his own private space. That’s what it feels like. For me, when I’m singing and someone out there feels exactly what I’m feeling and sends that energy back my way, that’s when I really lock in. It’s just like that scene in “Soul,” like I’m floating blissfully in my element. Music’s an art form, after all, so at the end of the day, I think it’s about expressing how you think and feel. I want to convey the emotion as much as the ideas and the technical skill involved.
Auditioning
YI HANI: I was learning to sing and ended up trying out at an audition by pure chance. That was the first time I ever learned to dance, and it was more fun than I expected. That led me to do more auditions, and eventually I ended up with ABD. As a K-pop artist, there’s so much more you have to be good at than just singing and dancing. What really spoke to me was getting to connect with so many different people and sharing our feelings. And you get to talk with fans directly through things like Weverse LIVE and fan sign events. When I told my parents I wanted to become a trainee, they were so supportive. They were like, “This is such a great opportunity, you should definitely go for it. We just want you to do what you want to do, whatever makes you happy.” I think they already sort of knew on some level that I’d end up in music someday.
The optimistic trainee
YI HANI: Naturally there were times early on as a trainee when things didn’t go the way I wanted, but even when practice wasn’t going well, I always made sure to film it. Then the next day, once I’d had time to refresh myself and watched it again, there’d be parts where I was like, “Oh, this is better than the day before.” And then I’d tell myself, “Just keep going again today, and you’ll get better. You’ll get there soon.” And then I could get back to practicing. Watching myself grow made me happy. With my vocals, too, keeping my natural sound but stabilizing how I use my voice was such a fascinating and interesting process, and that made me fall even more in love with singing. Ever since I was young, I’ve tended to set my own bar instead of stressing out, no matter what the situation. Even back in school, if I didn’t do as well as I wanted on a test or some assignment, I’d just think, “I’ll just do better next time. It’s fine!” And that would put me at ease and help me do better. I think it’s just inherently challenging to learn something new, but I also feel like I’ve learned how to work through that and make it more fun along the way. That’s how I’ve made it over all the hurdles thrown at me.
100 days to the debut
YI HANI: One day we had a meeting at the label, and our president and producer Han Sung Soo told us, “There’s 100 days to go, everybody.” That’s when it hit me—“This is real. This is happening.” Honestly, I thought debuting would feel like reaching the finish line, but then it occurred to me that it’s just the beginning. I was one big whirlpool of emotion. I was so excited, but at the same time, part of me was a little scared, too, and I felt so grateful to the rest of the group for being through it all with me, too. From when I first became a trainee to all the practicing, lessons, dance covers—I lived every single day to the fullest and time just flew by. It feels like so long ago, but then again, it also kind of feels like it was just last week. (laughs)
TUIDE, then and now
YI HANI: ELENA joined around the same time as me, and she had that Korean American vibe. She had this incredible singing voice and this cool, aloof-beauty thing going on. (laughs) Now I see her as someone who’s hilarious and adorable, but still just as talented and cool when it comes to singing. SEOHEE reminded me of a hamster and had this irresistible cuteness. At the same time, she thinks so carefully about things and she’s always thinking of the group and always looking out for us. I’m really grateful to her. The first time we met SEAH, the older girls kept calling her a baby. (laughs) That’s why our nickname for her is Giant Baby. Now I think of her as completely committed to performing. She’s really good at house dance, too. SAKI had this untouchable aura right from the beginning. Even when we were taking a break on the couch during practice, she’d put on music right away and start dancing. I thought she was so cool. But now I get quirky vibes from her, in a good way. SEOYEON puts her whole heart into everything she does, and does it well. And looks cool doing it. My first impression of her also included this dreamy vibe I couldn’t quite put into words. Now that we’re closer, I’ve found she’s actually this adorable girl who finds happiness in the small things. I met JIA last, and I thought she was the quiet type, but it turns out she has this weird, quirky side to her, too. (laughs)
YI HANI’s home routine
YI HANI: I thought living with six other people under one roof would be tough, but we click better than I expected. It really feels like home. I share a room with SAKI, and we’re totally in sync. It’s like, “Should we wash up?” “Yeah!” “Can I turn off the lights?” “Yeah, good night!” and we’re asleep just like that. (laughs) There’s one habit I’ve picked up recently, and that’s when I get home, I try not to wind down at all until I’ve washed up and I’m ready for bed. If I start winding down while I’m still in the clothes I wore all day, even just washing up feels like too much effort. So I just go here and there, doing this and that, and get washed up as fast as I can. Honestly, when I’m tired, even doing my standard skincare routine feels like a hassle. So I tell myself, “You can do it! You have to!” And the more of a hassle it feels, the more I cake it on. (laughs)
Bouncy ball GRLS
YI HANI: All seven of us have such different personalities and tastes, but every single one of us works so hard. Living together, we’ve learned all about each other’s differences and progressively figured out how to function as a team and as our own little community. The older girls aren’t into that whole “I’m older, so I should act a certain way” mindset. We’re one united force now. It feels just like being with friends. Since SEOHEE’s the oldest, she naturally looks out for us and she’s someone we can rely on, but because we depend on each other like this, we’re more than just friends. It feels like something a little more solidly held together than that. Like a bouncy ball, maybe? (laughs)
Practice time with TUIDE
YI HANI: I think we get the best results practicing as a group when we’re totally locked in and get to where we want to be quick. We have a way for mastering the choreography. We all sit together and sing through the song from the top, verbalizing key moves as we go. Things like, “Here, we go bam!” “Keep it nice and slow here!” When we talk it through like that first, it all works out really well once we actually dance it. I think we’re pretty good about helping each other focus, too. We share feedback like, “You’ve got to really fully follow through on this move,” because we all want to work hard and get it right. I try to really listen and say “got it!” and stay as in sync with everyone as I can. When we’re all dancing together, there’s this sort of rush—this rush of dopamine. I’ve been feeling that a lot lately.
Expressing individuality on “SUN KISS”
YI HANI: “SUN KISS” is actually my favorite track, so it was fun to practice for. As trainees, we learned everything from hip hop to soul to house, and a lot of that finds its way into the performance, so I felt accustomed to the dance style. We started by learning the chorus, then the intro, and as our performance slowly came together into one cohesive picture, I remember thinking, “This is really cool.” And I felt like we needed to bring out every part of that picture as best we could when we practiced as a group. Since the formations keep shifting and making a new picture throughout the choreography, we made sure the full extent of our individual personalities would shine through, too. When I was practicing alone, I thought through all the little details as I danced, and even after I wrapped up, I kept trying to develop it further on my own, like, “I really need to nail this part. And this part, it needs more of a vibe.”
Opening the door to “TUNE & PLAY”
YI HANI: For me, “ABD” is the song where I really got that hit of dopamine when everything finally clicked into place after practicing it all the time. I’m the one who kicks off the song, and I felt a good kind of pressure about it once I started practicing it. It’s not a stressful kind of pressure—it’s more of a feel-good pressure, like, “Okay, I gotta bring it!” (laughs) If “ABD” is all about that fresh start and our ambition, then “GRLS” is a confidence-filled self-introduction, like, “This is who we are.” I tried to give different energy levels for the chorus the first and second time we sing it and lean as much as possible into that sense of introducing ourselves. “Flip-Flop Girl” has a vibe like the seven of us heading out somewhere to chill—energetic but carefree.
What “SUN KISS” should convey
YI HANI: There’s something about the lyrics or the beat to “SUN KISS” that makes it this song that’s emotionally overwhelming and really resonates with you. When I recorded the vocals, I did my best to make sure the same indescribable feeling I had the first time I heard the song would come through exactly the same way. I know we’re still just starting out (laughs) but when I was recording I tried to think about when we truly had just started. Obviously our technique and all the little details matter when you’re singing, but I felt the vibe was just as important. Later on, when I heard the version with everyone’s vocals, they said our individual vocal styles and personalities really came through. I was happy to hear that.
The side of herself YI HANI wants to show as a member of TUIDE
YI HANI: Some of the first songs I heard were “ABD” and “Echo,” and the music was so good that I felt grateful to get to sing and dance to songs like these. It made me even more determined to work hard and do a good job with them. I’m someone with a lot of drive, and I always want to do a really good job. I don’t want to be pigeonholed into the role of cute youngest member of the group. I want to be someone bright, energetic, and versatile. I want to be someone who’s serious about both the music and the fans. Honestly, I just want to show people exactly who I am.
See you soon!
YI HANI: There’s been photos of me and the rest of the group going up on the TUIDE Instagram lately, and so many people have been checking them out. It’s surreal, exciting, and just plain fun. Since something a little different goes up every day, we’re always waiting together and going, “It’s up! It’s up!” (laughs) There’s more and more to do as our debut gets closer and closer, and it is hard sometimes, but there’s just as much to be excited about, like the rush I get from doing things like this interview or the photoshoot. There’s not much time left until our “EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW [PLAYGROUND]” performance either. [Note: This interview took place in late July.] And I’m really excited since it’ll be the first time we get to sing in front of an audience.
Someone who gives love back
YI HANI: I think we’re still at the stage where everyone’s just getting to know TUIDE and me. I’m picturing our fans right now, and they don’t even know me personally, and yet they’re giving me their love and support. That’s no easy feat. I’m so grateful for that, and I always try to remind myself never to take it for granted. What I’m looking forward to more than anything else is getting to talk with those fans directly. Actually, I already love talking to people I’m meeting for the first time, so I’m just so curious to meet the people who are into me and want to talk to me. I want to give a lot of love back to the fans.