As the girl-group renaissance continues globally, K-pop giant Hybe is ready to add a strong new entry into the mix — Tuide.
The seven-member group, hailing from Hybe’s new girl group-centric sub-label ABD, officially debuted Monday (Aug. 24) with their first EP, Tune & Play, led by the single “Sun Kiss.” The young group, with members ranging in age from 15 to 19, uses the album to introduce their signature sound as a group, Soultronic — a genre that mixes soulful R&B vocals with electronic music.
Tuide, whose name was inspired by the phrase “turn the tide,” is comprised of seven members — Seohee, Seoyeon, Elena, Jia, Saki, Seah and Yi Hani — and serves as ABD’s first group. The label is led by Jiwon No, the former head of artist planning at another Hybe label, Pledis Entertainment, known for groups such as Seventeen and TWS. Sung Soo Han, the head of Pledis, known as the master professional, has led the group’s overall production for music, visual concepts and their performances.
With Tuide, it feels like a new generation of K-pop is emerging — the world of K-pop is separated by years-long generations of groups that debuted in the same several years span. The group is already polished, global-facing and poised to take up the mantle of popular girl groups before them.
The girls of Tuide, despite their young age, have been preparing for this debut for a while, with some members training for as little as eight months, while others trained for over four and a half years. For most of the group, a career as an idol is a childhood dream come to life, and for some in the group it’s not even their job.
“I got to do some kids modeling, and that led me to be naturally exposed to a lot of singing and dancing,” Seah, 15, tells The Hollywood Reporter on a recent Zoom from Seoul. “I became fascinated and naturally came to dream of becoming an idol.”
As their debut date nears, Tuide speaks with THR all about their debut EP and how they learned to work together as a team.
We’re getting really close to your debut date. How are you feeling?
YI HANI We all have a mix of excitement, joy, gratefulness and just overall nerves and butterflies in our stomachs. But overall it’s a good feeling. It’s good butterflies, good nerves.
How have you been preparing for your debut together?
SEOHEE We’ve been practicing together for quite a while. We spent a lot of time trying to get to know each other — each other’s strengths and just as people. I think all the time that we spent together brought us a lot closer and tighter as a group. After we became more tight-knit as a team, I think our performances have become better quality. We’re able to truly feel that we are one complete team.
Has there been a moment lately that made you realize you were ready to debut?
YI HANI When I was practicing with the members, I always felt ready as a team. We’re so ready, but we didn’t really have a chance to really test that out until we did an exclusive preview, Playground, [for an audience]. When I was performing on stage with all [my] wonderful members, I really felt like we are so ready to begin. We are super duper ready.
ELENA I agree with Yi Hani. We were finally able to perform the songs that we were practicing for so long in front of so many people, I realized, oh yeah, we’re ready to debut. I could see each member shining so bright on stage, and I think we’re ready to show that to the world.
During that preview, were there any songs that you appreciated more once you performed them live?
JIA It’s so hard to choose, but I personally love “Sun Kiss.” [The song’s] about trusting our own voices and our rhythm and not worrying about what others think. I feel like the song really captures each of our individuality and voices. During the performance, in the outro, we all have freestyle moves. When it comes together as a whole, it really captures our bright and vibrant energy.
After the preview or any of the teasers online came out, did anyone in your life say they saw you in a new light?
SEOYEON My family and friends were telling me that when they saw pictures or videos of me smiling on stage, I looked happy. Really, really happy. That made me realize that I’m living my dream and that this is something that I’ve always wanted to do. Even though we didn’t have that many opportunities to really show off our chemistry with one another, people were already saying that we look so close and that the chemistry that we had on stage was so playful and bubbly. I think it really shines through.
Can you tell me a bit about your signature sound?
YI HANI For our first EP, Tune & Play, we have set on the sound called soultronic. It’s a style that mixes groovy, warm R&B soul vocals with energetic and uplifting electronic music. I think the contrast and the blended sound of those two music elements is the key thing you should look out for in our first EP.
ELENA I feel like each song on the album has its own charms. Some are super duper energetic. Some have a really soulful, R&B groove.
You’re still very young but most of you have been training for a while. When did you decide this was the career you wanted?
SEAH I got to do some kids modeling, and that led me to be naturally exposed to a lot of singing and dancing. I became fascinated and naturally came to dream of becoming an idol. At one point, I [realized] I wanted to be part of a group with girls around my age.
ELENA I just loved to sing as a young child, so I always had the dream of becoming an artist, and I also really loved K-pop. I don’t know, I just naturally felt drawn to this job, and it was always a dream of mine. Being here is just a dream come true.
SEOYEON I’ve always loved dancing, singing and performing in front of people and connecting with them. I realized at one point that being a singer ticked all my boxes and it became my dream. At the exclusive preview, it was so amazing to experience all of that firsthand. It was a true dream come true.
JIA Ever since I was little, I really enjoyed watching videos of artists’ performances. I would sing or dance in front of my parents when I was little. I truly felt happy doing it and I think that’s when I started to dream of being a K-pop idol.
SEOHEE I’ve also loved singing and dance since I was young. But one day, I got the opportunity to audience [for a K-pop company]. I got in, and I started the trainee life. After started training, I just realized, oh, I want to be an idol.
SAKI I think it was four years ago when I came across a K-pop song by a senior group that really hooked me and got me into K-pop, and that’s when I started dreaming of becoming an idol.
YI HANI Ever since I was little, I’ve loved music so, so, so much and loved performing on stage. Whenever I had the chance, at school or outside of school, I would always volunteer to be onstage. I’d always be singing. Or I’d always be listening to music and looking for more music. Naturally, growing up around music and holding onto my love of it, becoming a singer and performer came naturally. I got a great opportunity to audition as well. When I came in and met all these wonderful girls and started practicing with them, I really felt this is what I’ve been waiting for. It’s a really dream come true.
Do you know what you want your debut day to look like?
SAKI I’ve been imagining the seven of us standing onstage together on the day of our debut. I think I’ll be overwhelmed with joy. I’m already so grateful for our fans, who we met in early August at the exclusive preview. They’ve been waiting so much for our debut and counting down the days. I’m really thankful to them.
What was the process like recording your first EP?
ELENA When we were preparing this album, there were so many fun moments. Personally, it was my first time in the recording studio. I had so much fun recording and hearing my voice in the booth. We worked with [Korean producing duo] GroovyRoom on this album. Meeting them in real life was a crazy experience and being able to record with them was super fun.
When you were training, did you find that there were things that your teammates were really good at that made you better?
SEAH We all have different strengths and personalities, so there was so much to learn from each other as we were practicing and becoming a group. Even when we were practicing our freestyle, we each had our distinct style of dancing. While we share the same energy, we’re able to learn from each other’s strengths. I also learned a lot from the other girls’ attitude on stage. I think we’re just rubbing off on each other in general.
Being anxious or nervous about this big step in your career is very normal. What gives you confidence during moments of doubt?
JIA Trusting my members. I knew that the music was amazing. The performance itself is amazing. Everyone is fully prepared for this. I trust the members the most because they were a comfort for me. I feel like if we don’t trust each other, then we’re not able to create the best output. When we come together as a team because we’re all unique, [we have] seven different colors, [we] shine the brightest.
How did you work through communicating as a team?
SEOHEE From the get-go, we just promised that we would be 100 percent honest and open when it comes to our emotions and feelings, and we’ve really stuck to that. Those conversations that we had — honest, open conversations — brought us closer as a team.
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