[INTERVIEW] Meet Billlie, mysterious yet captivating K-pop rookie group

From left, Haruna, Moon Sua and Tsuki of K-pop girl group Billlie pose during a recent interview with The Korea Times at a studio in Guro District, southwestern Seoul. Korea Times photo by Yun Da-been

By Dong Sun-hwa

Once people hear the name "Billlie," a rookie K-pop girl group that burst onto the music scene last November, they scratch their heads over its meaning. In fact, the name drops some crucial hints about the group's fictional universe, which is enigmatic yet gripping.

According to member Moon Sua, "Billlie" can be interpreted as "Bi 11 lie."

"Our fictional universe follows a girl named 'Billlie Love,' who suddenly goes missing one day," Moon told The Korea Times in a recent interview at a studio in Guro District in southwestern Seoul. "But for some unknown reasons, the members of Billlie, who used to be her friends, either tell lies or stay mum about what happened. So lying is a big part of our universe. As for the number 11, it is our symbolic number that comes from a tale about an evil force kidnapping people once a bell rings 11 times and purple rain pours down at noon."

Billlie gave people a sneak peek into its universe in the debut track "Ring X Ring," with its lyrics unfolding what has been going on since Billlie Love's disappearance. The song, which fuses the sounds of an electric guitar and a synthesizer, was composed by prominent songwriter Lee Min-su, who was behind the success of Brown Eyed Girls' 2009 mega-hit "Abracadabra," and lyricist Kim Ea-na, who worked with a plethora of big-name stars like IU and EXO.

However, the septet's fresh release, "GingaMingaYo (The Strange World)" ― the lead single off its second EP, "The Collective Soul and Unconscious: Chapter One" which came out Wednesday ― does not center on the mystery surrounding the missing girl. Instead, it zooms in on the complex emotions that the members feel as time goes by. "GingaMingaYo," an electronic pop track with a touch of a bass house sound and jungle beats, means "uncertain" in Korean.

"In our debut track, we mostly focused on revealing our everyday life in a mysterious village," Suhyeon explained. "In our second release 'Snowy Night' that dropped in December, we offered a glimpse into our unconscious world. And this time, we will have people explore the deeper layers of our unconsciousness."

Haram, left, and Suhyeon of K-pop girl group Billlie pose during a recent interview with The Korea Times at a studio in Guro District, southwestern Seoul. Korea Times photo by Yun Da-been

Moon elaborated, "I think the public will find our new tune appealing. When we first heard the song, we were not quite sure whether it was a fit for us, but after only a few minutes, we were addicted to it. We just could not stop humming it."

Billlie is poised to showcase polished dance choreography full of catchy movements, according to Japanese member Tsuki.

"We also took a lesson to practice diverse facial expressions so that we can better express our confusion," Haram added. "Our teacher told us to act as if we had multiple personalities."

As many people know, Billlie ― consisting of Haram, Moon Sua, Suhyeon, Tsuki, Haruna, Siyoon and Sheon ― is one of the most-anticipated K-pop rookie acts, and also the first girl group launched by Mystic Story, a record label established by iconic singer-songwriter/music producer Yoon Jong-shin. Billlie was initially a six-piece act, but member Sheon joined the team in December, adding a breath of fresh air. Prior to joining Billlie, Sheon made her name known to the public after appearing on Mnet's 2021 audition program, "Girls Planet 999," a popular show that gave birth to girl group Kep1er.

"I was glad to make my debut and meet my fans again shortly after the program wrapped up," Sheon said with a smile. "I was also more than happy to be part of Billlie, a team with a unique edge and musical prowess. All members are taking good care of me, helping me in different ways."

Billlie also includes two Japanese members, Tsuki and Haruna. Asked why they wanted to become K-pop singers, Tsuki said that she has been an ardent fan of K-pop stars like BoA and Girls' Generation.

"So I quickly fell under the spell of K-pop and decided to go to Korea when I was a middle school student, dreaming of becoming an artist who can shine on the global stage," she said in fluent Korean. "When I first came here, I could barely speak Korean, but my language skills have improved a lot after taking intensive Korean language courses for about six months."

Sheon, left, and Siyoon of K-pop girl group Billlie pose during a recent interview with The Korea Times at a studio in Guro District, southwestern Seoul. Korea Times photo by Yun Da-been

Haruna, the youngest member of the group, told a different story.

"When I was in Japan, I went to a music academy that offered lessons for those who wanted to debut in Korea," she said. "At first, I was not very interested in K-pop, but I came to be fond of it after coming across other K-pop lovers there."

Although the two cannot dedicate a lot of time to learning Korean these days due to their hectic schedules, they are still making progress thanks to other members. In fact, Billlie members' close-knit bonds were so visible during the hour-long interview that they looked more like a family rather than a band.

"Recently, I learned the Korean word 'jukmagou' ― which means 'best friends' ― from Moon," Haruna said. "I want to become a 'jukmagou' with all Billlie members."

Suhyeon added, "In our dormitory, Haruna always shouts out that we are 'jukmagou.'"

Closing the session, the "Mystic Story" stars talked about their ambitions.

"We do not want to rest on our laurels," Suhyeon said. "We want to pull off various concepts and display different magnetism. It would be great if we could also win a rookie of the year award and grab the No. 1 spot on a music show."