[Exclusive Interview] ”Lapillus”, the highlights of this live performance are ”dance covers & challenges and solo stage”

The talented super girl group "Lapillus" will be holding their Japan tour "Lapillus 2024 PREMIUM LIVE" in Tokyo from the 2nd and in Osaka from the 21st of this month.
"IN JAPAN SHOW:ASCEND" was held. We met "Lapillus" during their Tokyo performance and were given a detailed introduction to the members.
Q. First, please introduce your group. Shana: Our group name "Lapillus" comes from the idea of "light direction."
It is a Latin word meaning a jewel that changes color. We are a group of girls from four countries: Korea, America, the Philippines, and Japan. We are very powerful.
It's super cute, so please check it out. Sowon: Each member is unique and has a different style of clothing, but that individuality comes through on stage.
Each member's style shines through on stage, so I think you'll be able to see the various charms of each member on stage.
Q. Could you please have the members sitting next to you take turns introducing each member?
Yue: Sowon is the rapper of "Lapillus" and is the idea bank of the team. He is very smart and writes great lyrics.
Sowon: As a leader, Shana always gives us accurate advice.
He is the type who usually acts in a planned manner, and the mysterious charm he shows from time to time is really wonderful. Shana: Haeun is a very patient and wonderful member, even though he is young.
Although she is a normal high school student, she also has a mature side, which makes me, the leader, feel at ease. She is also cute, and sometimes makes me laugh with her surprising behavior.
However, when there is something she needs to do, she does it with all her might without showing any pain, which I think is really cool. Ha Eun: To be honest, Yue's Korean is not perfect, but
On the contrary, she is attractive. When she shows perfect performance on stage, but when she speaks Korean a little awkwardly, the contrast is very cute, and she is cool and cute at the same time.
Q. The members are from a very diverse range of countries. How did you come together? How did the non-Korean members become interested in K-POP idols?
Shana: We weren't chosen through a survival show, we just came together as trainees at the agency. We lived our trainee lives together and had monthly evaluations.
After going through a number of evaluations, she was finally selected and became the current "Lapillus". The reason she wanted to become an idol was when she was in Japan and saw a survival show and was inspired by the cool stages.
I was moved by the way they worked so hard behind the scenes. I wanted to be like that too, so I took on the challenge. Yue: The reason I wanted to become a singer was because I had always loved K-POP, but I had never heard of K-PO.
I never thought about becoming a P-idol. However, after seeing the performances of seniors such as "SEVENTEEN", "fromis_9", and "ITZY" at KCON in 2019,
I was so touched by that that I wanted to become an idol myself. My role models are BLACKPINK and BTS.
Q. Recently, more and more young people in Japan are aspiring to become K-POP idols. How long have it been since the foreign members became idols in the new environment of Korea?
What difficulties did you face and how did you overcome them? Please tell us if there were any efforts that Korean members made while working with foreign members with different cultures.
Yue: I think the hardest thing about being a foreigner is missing my parents. Also, the language is different, so when I first came to Korea, I couldn't speak Korean at all.
I had a hard time because I couldn't speak English well and couldn't understand the conversations of the staff and members. But after that, the members really helped me a lot. The members are not fluent in English.
However, they explained the situation to me using gestures and the English they knew. Thanks to their efforts, we were able to overcome the difficulties.
Shana: Our group is fascinating because we all have different personalities, but sometimes we have completely different opinions.
I think about why people think that way and try to understand them. Even if there are disagreements, it can help broaden our perspective and lead to ideas that we never thought of before.
I think we learn from each other and grow even more in this way. Sowon: People learn a lot through conversation. That's why we go out to eat with the foreign members.
We had lots of conversations while eating out and going out. Thanks to that effort, we were able to understand each other's cultures and ways of thinking, and cooperated without any major problems.
Haeun: I started this job when I was very young, so to be honest, I had a lot of difficulties. I was very young and immature, so I didn't have a good eye for people.
I was not well-nurtured and sometimes had small problems. Still, this is the job I want to do and I'm good at it, so I tried to enjoy it and accepted those things naturally.
I think it was fun. Q. Lapillus' music has been released not only in Korean, but also in Spanish and Japanese. Was there any difficulty in singing in multiple languages?
Do you have any interesting stories? Sowon: Because it's a foreign language, I sometimes find it difficult to understand the exact meaning and what kind of rhythm or tone I should use to sing it.
When I sing in my own rhythm, the members who speak the language sometimes laugh. This is what makes me learn while laughing and having fun.
Haeun: It's not a language I normally use, so I was confused and found it difficult at times. But I was able to progress smoothly by watching and learning from members who were fluent in that language.
Q. Did you receive any help from the Japanese member Shana in preparing for your live show in Japan? Also, are there any Japanese words you learned from Shana that left an impression on you?
Haeun: After the performance, there is a part where I have to give my impressions in Japanese, and Shana taught me some words that I can use at that time.
The word that I remember the most is "Motto Motto." Yue: I didn't have the opportunity to learn Japanese at the office, so I didn't know anything about it. But now that I'm here in Japan,
This is my third time performing here, and I wanted to communicate better with the Lapis (the name for Lapillus fans) in Japan, so I started learning Japanese myself.
Comments and reactions are also important, so I asked Shana about those as well. The most memorable ones were "It was fun" and "I was excited." "I was excited" is especially difficult to pronounce.
It's cute and memorable. Sowon: I learned a little bit of Japanese from Shana. Shana would say sentences and words in Korean, and I would say them in Japanese.
I learned a lot of new words and expressions in the process. I also like "dokidoki", but if I had to choose another one, I think "wakuwaku" would be cute and has a similar meaning.
Q. Have any of you members been to Japan before this concert? Please tell us if there was anything you wanted to try or eat in Japan.
Haeun: When we came to Japan before, we all went to Disneyland. Since we came to Japan again this time, we decided to go to DisneySea.
Yue: This is my third time coming to Japan, but I always came during a different season than Christmas. This time, it's close to Christmas, so I'd like to come and enjoy Christmas.
Q. I heard that there will be a variety of events at this FC LIVE concert. Which one do you think is the most interesting or the one you are looking forward to?
Yue: Dance covers? Or dance challenge events? We usually only perform on video, but we're actually performing covers and challenges on stage.
Shana: This is my first time performing solo, so I'm really looking forward to it.
I've always wanted to try it, but I never had the chance. I can't imagine how nervous it would be to stand alone and sing in front of Lapis, but
I think the fans will be happy about that. wowKorea: Are you all doing solo stages?
Shana: Yes, there will be! Each member will have a solo stage, so please come along and see them!
Please come and see it. Q. I think there are still Japanese fans who don't know much about "Lapillus". How do you convey the appeal of "Lapillus" to Japanese fans?
Shana: Yes, I hope that when people see us having fun, they will feel like, "Wow, I'm really happy spending time with Lapillus."
I think they are a fascinating group. Their teamwork is also like that of a family, and this is reflected on stage, so I think the audience can enjoy themselves.
On the other hand, they have singing abilities that they can proudly show off on stage, and their appeal is that you can enjoy the unique voices of each member.
Q. When you found out you were going to perform in Japan, what were you worried about or were you looking forward to?
What part of the performance did you put the most effort into in order to deliver a great performance? Sowon: It's been a while since we last performed in Japan, so we did a cover stage for the Japanese Lapis.
We have prepared a lot of songs. We thought a lot about what performance we should show to make our fans happy, and we worked hard to prepare them, so we hope you enjoy that part.
Shana: The other members are not Japanese, so Japanese is a little difficult, right? So I thought I had to be the MC, and I really worked hard to prepare. I'm Japanese.
However, I am not good at speaking, and I often have trouble explaining things well. But this time, I had to take responsibility for leading the event, so I was very
I was worried. However, I checked the order many times, thought about the composition, and kept telling myself, "I can definitely do it," and "It's okay because it's my own personality," and as I continued to prepare, I gradually gained confidence.
So I was most worried about this part and put the most effort into preparing for it. Haeun: It's been a while since we last performed, so I was very nervous. But all the members said, "Let's just have fun by ourselves."
We all prepared together with the thought, "Let's have fun and get through this together," and I think we were able to concentrate on practicing hard. Q. It's time for self-promotion! Please tell us the words that best describe you.
Any language is fine. Sowon: For me it's "pink". I love pink, so I often choose pink for my clothes and makeup. The image that pink has for me is also pink.
I like and pursue this image, so I would like to describe myself as "pink". Shana: I am "potential". I used to be quite negative, but now I am more positive.
I want to change, believe that anything is possible, and believe in myself to make it happen. I like to say "possibility" because I believe in the possibility that I can go anywhere and do anything.
Ha Eun: For me it's "cool." I like the image of being a little cold and cool, so I chose the word "cool" to express that.
Yue: I want to express myself with the English word "worrisome." I tend to overthink things and worry a lot.
But I've never had any bad results from it. However, I have a tendency to worry more than necessary, to the point where I ask myself, "Why do I worry so much?"
I think the word "worrisome" describes me.