Welcome to the world of fromis_9. 

Inside this glittering flower-adorned, pink-tinged universe, the K-pop girl group—comprising LEE SAE ROM, SONG HA YOUNG, PARK JI WON, ROH JI SUN, LEE SEO YEON, LEE CHAE YOUNG, LEE NA GYUNG, and BAEK JI HEON —radiate with warmth and love, welcoming everyone that pays a visit with open arms. Their only rule is you face the outside world, and every other world you venture into for that matter, with courage and grace and to never give in to what other people have to say. 

The PLEDIS Entertainment act unlocks more of this shining little universe of theirs in their first full-length album, Unlock My World. Full of positive energy and gratitude, the new record—their first in over a year—is a vibrant tapestry of the members' stories through life and music.

Bandwagon caught up with fromis_9 to talk about their creative process, reuniting with their fans, and how they pieced a beautiful rainbow in Unlock My World. 

Congratulations on your comeback! Tell us more about the story and concept behind ‘Unlock My World.’

LEE SAE ROM: Our first studio album Unlock My World consists of ten songs, with the lead track being '#menow.' The main message that we want to deliver through Unlock My World is our desire and aspiration to face the world with courageous veracity that deviates from others' judgment. I think the album mirrors fromis_9’s color and identity as artists because our members were heavily involved in the musical creatives, too.

PARK JI WON: The core message of the album speaks of being true to oneself, away from the world that traps you with a false sense of security and other people’s rigid perception of you.

What was it like preparing for your first full-length album? How was it different or the same from working on an EP or singles?

LEE SEO YEON: Since we are releasing our first-ever studio album, four years after our debut, I felt a lot of pressure. I think the sense of responsibility to showcase improved musicality has helped our members become more hands-on about this album with a beginner’s mindset. We already fell in love with Unlock My World, so I hope the listeners enjoy our new songs as much as we do!

BAEK JI HEON: Preparing for Unlock My World has been a journey full of enthralling anticipation. We wanted to expand and explore varying musical styles and also better songs and performances. I think it took us about a half year. I hope the hard work pays off with many listeners getting to like our music!

What were some new things you learned about yourself and each other while working on ‘Unlock My World’?

SONG HA YOUNG: I learned a lot about myself and our members, especially through working together in writing the last track '눈맞춤.' All of the members participated in penning for the track, while my role was to weave everyone’s lyrics into a compelling story. Through reading the lyrics line by line, I could feel the gratitude and affection that the members feel towards our fans, flover, and towards all the other members that form fromis_9. It was heartwarming to realize that all of our members are distinct individuals, but singing and dancing together as a group and being loved by our fans have bonded us stronger than ever.

LEE CHAE YOUNG: Not to mention that it is the album’s lead track, but '#menow' helped me reflect on who I am, the people that I love, and who I strive to be in the future. It’s a song that reminds me of self-love and inner strength. Through preparing for the album release, I learned to become a more self and other-loving person, especially to the members who are always there by my side!

This is your first comeback in over a year, what does it feel like to finally greet your fans again with new music? What do you hope Flovers take away from the album?

ROH JI SUN: Unlock My World is a truly meaningful album not only because it’s our first studio album but also because of the uplifting and positive energy that all the tracks can bring to your day. I hope the listeners gain the confidence to live a fuller day through our songs!

LEE NA GYUNG: Presenting new music always gives me butterflies in my stomach. It’s a gift-like moment that marks a new chapter of fromis_9 and flover. I want to thank our fans for their relentless support, and I hope they enjoy the new songs!

You’re hosting an in-person and online showcase for your comeback? What are you most looking forward to as you reunite with your fans?

PARK JI WON: We’ve poured our heart and dedication into preparing the showcase as it is the first stage that we are performing '#menow' in front of our fans! I hope they enjoy our performance, and I look forward to another great memory we can make!

BAEK JI HEON: I’m excited to see flover’s reaction after seeing our first stage! They showed endless love and support, and I hope to repay them with heightened performance.

Being in a group with different personalities introduces you to each other's own worlds. As fromis_9 you have cultivated your own world together, if you were to “unlock" fromis_9’s world, what would you find inside? 

LEE SAE ROM: It took us some time for the unique and vivid colors of personality to come together, but I think we have built a strong universe called fromis_9 that is stronger than ever, full of glittering and diverse characters.

SONG HA YOUNG: Rather than saying that we’ve created another world of our own, I think we’ve gotten to know many more worlds that exist out there. There are these grand moments that we have the privilege of experiencing only because we work together as a team, and it's also a part of the reason why I love dancing and singing on stage - because of the seven amazingly talented members! I’m grateful that I can share this journey with flover. Regardless of the ups and downs, we’ll always be there for you!

PARK JI WON: A colorful world like candy floss or a rainbow?! 🤭 💗

ROH JI SUN: The past six years have taught me the true meaning of unity and becoming one. I feel very grateful that I could share this wonderful life opportunity with my members.

LEE SEO YEON: Sometimes I wonder how such distinct individuals could come together with just one commonality - passion for music. It’s surreal and beautiful that our love for dancing and singing has been put out as albums and performances to the world as fromis_9. If it weren’t for our strong desire and support system from flover, I think it would have been a lot more difficult to become a better team so fast.

LEE CHAE YOUNG: I live with members whom I now spend more time with than my family. They are a new family that I share everything with. It’s a truly rare opportunity to become part of this amazing team.

All of our members are grateful to share this moment, and we are trying our best to cherish it. The members help me to think and express myself genuinely.

LEE NA GYUNG: I think we create a pictorial world that is composed of different combinations of harmonious colors.

BAEK JI HEON: Our members are all unique in their own charms. For example, if I’m crystal blue, then HA YOUNG would be baby pink. If we were seen separately, people would think that these two palettes wouldn’t come along together, but the boundary wears off between us as we keep on working together as a team to make great music and performances. Our passion and love for flover help create that natural gradient between the once stringent distinction between us.

So, I would define our world as something natural and effortless. Not something forced or exaggerated, but a world that has just naturally come together after different parts of it run into each other over and again.

Unlock My World, fromis_9's first full-length album is out on 5 June 2023, 6 PM KST. Listen to it here.

Watch the music video for '#menow' here.

Interview by Camille Castillo