INTERVIEW From Tokyo to Gangnam: Cosmosy's K-pop dream takes flight

From left are K-pop girl group Cosmosy members De_Hana, Himesha, Kamión and Amei. The group is composed of Japanese members. Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment Korea

By Pyo Kyung-min

• Published Apr 24, 2025 2:32 PM KST

All-Japanese group seeks to thrive with blend of cultures, languages, global ambition

Making it in the K-pop world is no easy feat. Years of grueling training may finally lead to a debut, but even then, life under the constant scrutiny of the public can be challenging — especially for foreigners navigating an unfamiliar culture and language barriers.

But for Cosmosy, a four-member girl group made up entirely of Japanese members, the challenge is part of the thrill.

"It really hit me when we performed on a music show for the first time," Cosmosy's Kamión said in fluent Korean during an exclusive interview Wednesday with The Korea Times at a studio in Seoul's Gangnam District. "With fans right in front of us, it finally felt real — like, 'We actually debuted!'"

Cosmosy — composed of Amei, Kamión, Himesha and De_Hana — officially launched into the K-pop world on April 11 with the digital single "Lucky=One." They had first introduced themselves through a pre-debut track, "zigy=zigy," released on Dec. 31.

The group is co-managed under the Japanese label, NTT Docomo Studio & Live, and Sony Music Entertainment Korea.

Despite their Japanese backgrounds, Cosmosy proudly identifies itself as a K-pop group, drawn to the genre long before they began training.

"I was a huge K-pop fan growing up," said Kamión, citing iconic girl groups TWICE and IZ*ONE as early inspirations. "I had a friend who appeared on Mnet's audition show 'Produce 48' (2018) and seeing her on stage made me want to be like that too."

Their story reflects the growing K-pop fandom in Japan, which the members say has extended far beyond their circle.

"K-pop's style, fashion — everything — is popular in Japan," said Himesha. "Japanese idols usually go for a princess-like concept, with pink and cute themes. K-pop is very different from that."

Kamión agreed, adding, "Performance-wise, K-pop is more demanding. Compared to J-pop, the songs and choreography are more challenging, and the concepts are more diverse — sexy, girl crush and more. That's what makes it so appealing."

Still, what drew them most to K-pop wasn't just the music or the visuals — it was its global ambition.

"I chose K-pop over J-pop because I wanted to perform for the world," Kamión said. "Korea felt like it was looking outward, globally. I've loved the Korean language since I was a kid and studied it a lot. Becoming a K-pop artist felt like the best way to chase that dream."

Their international aspiration is shown in their language choices. "zigy=zigy" mixes Korean, English and Japanese, while their debut single "Lucky=One" is sung entirely in English.

"What makes us unique in K-pop is that we're all Japanese," said Amei. "But since we use multiple languages — Korean, English and Japanese — in our songs, we think we can reach a wide range of fans and offer something fresh."

Although it's been less than a month since their official debut, Cosmosy is already setting its sights high. The dream? Coachella — and a full-blown world tour.

"As idols, our top priority is to improve our skills. That's why I want to perform at Coachella," said De_Hana.

"We're just getting started, but we want to keep releasing music, growing our fan base and eventually go on a world tour," Amei said. "The fans I want to meet the most are in Japan and the U.S."

To make that happen, the group is already gearing up for a comeback before summer hits.

"We're preparing a new song right now, and it's one of the concepts we've been dying to try," Kamión said. "So please look forward to not just this round of promotions, but what's coming next!"