She was once a lone budding flower in an unfamiliar world. Now that it’s finally TUIDE season, she’s blooming into her true colors.
“The starting line!”
SAKI: When TUIDE first got revealed in the ABD launch video, we were all so excited. It really felt like, “We’re really at the starting line now!” We got to see the concept designs before shooting that video, and I remember thinking it’d be great if we could show off our particular style—not just through cute design, but when we danced and talked, too. I really worked on capturing that feeling while we filmed, like in the part where I say “ABD” really energetically, or when I jump and make that “huh?” face.
Describing TUIDE with color
SAKI: I think TUIDE’s cute, but there’s more to it than that. Our cuteness has something special and unique about it. And I think bold, distinctive colors like green, blue, or mint feel very TUIDE, too, which is because we all like different colors, like light pink or black. So it’s hard explain us with just one color. If I had to describe TUIDE as a color, it’d probably be something deep, not pastel. Something deep somewhere between the light pink and black we like. And if I had to describe myself in a color, I’d say silver. For one thing, I just really like the color. Gold’s really shiny, but silver’s only a little shiny. I like that kind of subtle sparkle. (laughs)
Trying out a style that’s a little different
SAKI: Normally I keep my makeup pretty low-key, just even out my complexion a bit. I kept it light for the album’s concept photos, too, but I went for a look that really emphasized my eyes to bring out my whole face, which ended up getting me more into makeup. I used to like simple, clean, no-fuss nails too, but while we were working on the album, I ended up doing my nails in a way that felt very TUIDE. I remember all of us taking photos together and going, “So cute! So cute!” I got to try out all kinds of different hairstyles with the other girls too—straight hair, updos, bangs, the works. It made me want to keep trying new things with my makeup, nails, and hair.
Pale yellow practice clothes that feel like a TUIDE color
SAKI: I like trying out different styles depending on the situation. I’m usually practicing most of the time, so I tend to wear stuff with a hip vibe, and then when I’m heading out or it’s not a practice day, I’ll dress up a bit or experiment with different colors. I used to stick to basic, straightforward colors like white and black, but lately I’ve been drawn to more variety, like mint, yellow, and different shades of blue. I picked up a t-shirt with something really unusual on it a little while back, which is something I can see myself wearing all the time, along with some pale yellow practice clothes. I usually go for something hip when I’m practicing, but I wanted to try wearing something in a vibrant color that’s giving TUIDE.
Giving her look a little pop
SAKI: On my days off, I have to go out—no exceptions. (laughs) I don’t really make a plan, though. I just head out and do a bunch of shopping. I never used to care much about accessories, but lately it’s hit me that giving my look a little pop could be really cute. I used to carry around a big doll on a keyring and switch it out depending on what I was wearing. But I don’t do that these days, so I’ve been thinking about getting another accessory. I’m planning to get a bracelet or a necklace at some point, too.
Current obsession: digital cameras
SAKI: I was out of the country to shoot a music video recently, and I took photos of the scenery while there. Naturally, when you’re filming something, the place you’re in ends up being captured as the background, so whenever there’s a backdrop I haven’t seen before, I’ll snap a photo, or I’ll capture little memories, like the girls just hanging out. My phone can take clear, crisp photos, but I love how digital cameras can give it more of a certain vibe or feeling. My favorite photo that I took lately is one I took at the airport. When you look out from inside an airport, there aren’t a lot of buildings around. It’s a pretty simple view, and seeing that made me want to take the photo. I love that whole airport atmosphere when you go to board a flight, too.
Making oatmeal banana cookies with the group
SAKI: One time on break, I went to Japan and baked cookies with my mom. I started thinking about that last year when the group was on break too, and we all made oatmeal banana cookies together. When I baked with my mom, she already knew the recipe and was right there helping me, but when it was just us, we had to keep looking at the recipe over and over and checking the oven every five minutes. The whole process of baking together was really fun, and I was excited to see how the cookies would turn out. We cook together whenever we have a day off or just some spare time. Sometimes I cook, sometimes it’s someone else, but we always help each other out.
House rules
SAKI: We all came up with rules for living together. There’s some basic stuff, like, every room is assigned their own laundry day, do the dishes right away, and clean up messes right away. And there’s one that’s not quite a basic rule—help each other out when switching rooms. Actually, if I stop and think about it, that one’s more for the memories than a rule. Switching rooms as a group and hauling everything around is a lot of work, but when we all pitch in, it’s a ton of fun. Even after switching rooms, we keep going over to each other’s rooms to hang out anyway. (laughs)
Rooming with YI HANI
SAKI: Right now, I share a room with YI HANI. I’m the kind of person who needs their room to be clean, and so is she. Other than that, we’re not bothered by much, so aside from keeping things clean, we didn’t make any other rules for our room. It’s pretty laid-back. Since we’re sharing a room, we try to keep things comfortable for the both of us. And I just feel good doing it that way. We tend to have a similar way of thinking about things, so the two of us have no problem getting along.
Adjusting to a new environment: get to sleep on time, wake up early
SAKI: Once you’re in a group slated to debut, your whole environment changes all at once, and that did make me worry sometimes about whether I’d be able to pull it off or not, but with so many new things happening every single day while we prepped for debut, I ended up adjusting fast. Now I tell myself, “Just remember tomorrow’s schedule. Now get to sleep on time so you can wake up early,” and then I fall right asleep.
Just go for it
SAKI: I was scouted at a showcase put on by my academy and got a chance to audition, and honestly, my first thought going in was just to go for it and assumed I’d figure out somewhere to go from there. It was my first time, so I agonized over how to prepare for it and even started asking people what I should dance to, and they all told me to just do whatever I was good at. While I was figuring out what style of dance suited me best, I put together short one-minute routines to songs by BLACKPINK, TWICE, and MAMAMOO. I sang a song by Aimyon, too.
Finding ways to level up
SAKI: Looking back now, even the basics felt hard when I first became a trainee. I wasn’t really used to learning or doing anything yet, so at first, I just focused on adjusting to trainee life. Once I got used to that, I got a little more ambitious and started wanting to level up my skills, too. From then on, sometimes I’d go straight to my coaches and ask them to teach me specific dances or songs I wanted to learn. I tried to find my own style and develop my skills through that process. Looking back, I think the whole period before debut was really just one long process of figuring out how to level up.
How to dance to bring out your style
SAKI: As a trainee, taking classes for different styles meant the range of dances I could do kept growing, and every time, I’d ask myself how I could dance in a way that brings out my own personal style. I learned a lot through that. When I was first learning choreo, my top priority was just getting the existing routine down pat. Then, in classes focused on specific styles, my coaches would teach me exactly where I could make things more exciting or look cool. After that, I started interpreting existing choreography in my own way, breaking it down in freestyle and just letting the movement come to me. At first I worried it might look weird, but eventually I realized it was actually freestyle that shows off my personal style best. I still pay attention to specific details like all the various angles, but I dance freestyle in the hopes that my moves come across as relaxed and effortless.
“GRLS” choreography breakdown
SAKI: On TV, the camera mainly focuses on faces. Since people’s eyes are naturally drawn to faces and hands, I sometimes think through on my own what I should really emphasize. I also ask our coaches how to bring out those parts when the group’s practicing together. The choreo for the “following the rhythm” part made sense when I first heard it explained, but once I actually started practicing, conveying that vibe turned out to be harder than I expected, so for the part where we step backwards, I practiced making eye contact with the other girls and matching the angles so we’d all line up in one clean row.
It takes time, but practice makes perfect
SAKI: Even if something takes a while at first, I think some things you start to master faster and more subconsciously if you keep at it. With “GRLS,” for example, I started singing in my typical voice, but the more I practiced, the more I felt like I was losing it, so I pictured which parts to put a little more punch into and which parts to shorten or stretch out in my head over and over. Whenever I hit a wall, I’d go find SEOHEE and together we’d work through how to make my falsetto sound more natural. I also talked a lot with the group about how to get a sound that really fills the space. And even with the same lyrics, there’s parts that sound better when you pronounce them perfectly clear, and others that sound better when you really pack a punch into them. I paid close attention to things like how I used my tongue or lips, trying out different approaches along the way.
“SUN KISS” and the big picture
SAKI: There’s a lot of variety in the “SUN KISS” beat. It starts with a chill intro focused on each of our individual vibes, then the beat gradually builds, and by the outro it’s got this really hard vibe that pulls everything together into one big picture that shows off the whole group. Expressing that, and how it keeps changing step by step, was really fun. Our dance coach told us the intro really needed to grab your attention since it’s the start of the song and all, and the ending needed to be a good wrap-up all the way to the end, so the whole group talked through what kind of picture we wanted to paint, working hard to get in sync to work out a distinct vibe and image for each part. We kept practicing all the different aspects of us we could show, sometimes switching things up or adding something new, and gradually it all came together to form the big picture. And that’s how “SUN KISS” came to be as it is now.
Being together made debuting feel real
SAKI: When I first heard our debut song, I thought, “We have a great song, a fully polished choreography—now it’s up to us to really sell it. But can we pull it off?” But at the same time, having all the girls with me, it was like I could already see this amazing future ahead of us. I couldn’t even believe I was going to debut at first, but once we were all together, I believed it. (laughs)
Not alone anymore—all together
SAKI: As we kept working toward our debut and practicing, our individual personalities gradually became clearer. I started picking up on things like, “Oh, she likes this kind of thing,” and slowly got to know each of their personalities and what makes them special. Since everyone has her own distinct style, I want to be the cool, laid-back one in TUIDE. I want to be someone who can put the others at ease, too. Honestly, during my trainee days, it was like I was hectically racing forward, day in and day out, all alone. Then TUIDE happened, and with the rest of the group by my side, I’m not alone anymore—we’re all in it together. So these days, I automatically find myself thinking about the kind of picture we can paint together as a group before anything else.