It’s not easy being a K-Pop idol. In an industry where your every move is criticised, and every moment is hyper-analysed, it doesn’t take just talent, blood, sweat, and tears to make it out as a success — it also takes grit, determination, thick skin, and a truckload of courage.
LE SSERAFIM embodies these ideals.
With the release of HOT, LE SSERAFIM brings the EASY, CRAZY, HOT trilogy to a close. The girls have given us a synthesis of what it takes to survive and succeed as a K-Pop idol in this day and age.
As their third anniversary comes close, we take a closer look at LE SSERAFIM and tell you about our favourite moments of the trilogy from the past year.
Who is LE SSERAFIM?
When you mix up the letters of “I’m Fearless”, you get LE SSERAFIM. Being fearless is already in the name! But they’re also a group of resilient and unapologetic girls that can be a bit crazy sometimes.
Originally a group of six, LE SSERAFIM is composed of a group of five very unique women who are just as strong together as when they’re on their own. There’s the leader, Chaewon, a beloved member of the former girl group IZ*ONE. Then there’s Sakura, who was also part of IZ*ONE along with a number of sidequests (a columnist, actress, video game vlogger, and pro wrestler). Yunjin, believe it or not, is actually a trained classical opera singer while Kazuha is a professional ballerina. And to top it all of, we have Eunchae, the charismatic maknae of the group.
The day ‘Fearless’ dropped and introduced the world to LE SSERAFIM was a memorable day for K-Pop fans. The girls received mixed reactions, but the reception was mostly positive since ‘Fearless’ was like a fresh new sound away from the usual K-Pop diaspora. But when they released their second single ‘ANTIFRAGILE’, fans across the globe went crazy. After going through a grueling controversy so soon after their debut (leading to one of their members leaving altogether), ‘ANTIFRAGILE’ wasn’t just about overcoming adversity. It was a middle finger to their haters! Plus, the song slaps hard, and easily became a fan-favourite for the first trilogy UNFORGIVEN.
They’ve maintained their popularity since then, eventually releasing their first studio album, going on their first tour, and their album b-sides becoming popular enough for the girls to shoot music videos for them. They were even part of the 2024 Coachella line-up!
Riding on this success, with a lot of lessons along the way, LE SSERAFIM started to be even more experimental with their sound and branding. Ever evolving, the girls really do embody fearlessness in their art.
EASY — an effortless rebuttal to criticism
‘EASY’ was the first song of their second trilogy, shifting away from the bold and beautiful theme that was present in the UNFORGIVEN trilogy. A trap R&B song, the track references the struggles and controversies that they’ve faced in the past. They sing about their trials and tribulations as a group and how, despite it all, they’ve come out on top. Almost as if success was easy for them. But ‘EASY’ is an antithesis for their success story. LE SSERAFIM only made things look easy, but they worked harder than anyone else.
CRAZY — an anthem of confidence
Now that they’ve addressed the shadows behind their success, LE SSERAFIM becomes a tad playful with ‘CRAZY’. A disco-pop, vogue party track, ‘CRAZY’ is LE SSERAFIM’s statement to move forward and dust themselves off no matter what’s thrown at them. The girls sing about how far they’d go for the things that they love, even if they’d lose their minds over it. But more than that, ‘CRAZY’ is about believing in themselves when nobody else will.
HOT — a love letter to passion
You’d think ‘HOT’, the final song of the trilogy, might be another party song about being the next big thing, or looking sexy. But ‘HOT’ was surprisingly a mellow and moody pop song. They let go of the strong girl persona that they’ve been showing since they first debuted, and actually start acknowledging their fears. But fear comes hand in hand with passion, and the girls understand that their passion can only be so strong if they’re afraid of it burning out. Instead of burning like a bright flame, LE SSERAFIM is fanning embers with hopes that they’ll burn brightly. The first step to fearlessness is to not fight the fear.
In contrast with the image LE SSERAFIM has set out in the UNFORGIVEN trilogy, the EAST, CRAZY, HOT trilogy is a trip behind the scenes. Here, they are vulnerable, fragile, honest, and most importantly, human.
There’s a lot of things to look forward to as LE SSERAFIM approaches their third year as a group. They’ve already released the dates of their next tour, and with the second trilogy coming to fruition, we can expect a full studio album before the year ends!
