“Our role model is BLACKPINK,” Rookie girl group CLASS:y is aiming for Billboard after “My Teenage Girl”
CLASS:y, the girl group formed through “My Teenage Girl”, is ready for their official debut.
On May 4th, CLASS:y held a debut showcase ahead of the release of their first mini album “Y ‘CLASS IS OVER” at Yes 24 Live Hall in Seoul.
7 members including Won Ji-min, Kim Seon-yoo, Myung Hyung-seo, Hong Hye-joo, Kim Li-won, Park Bo-eun, and Yoon Chae-won, who were selected for the final lineup on MBC’s audition survival program “My Teenage Girl” aired earlier this year, will debut as CLASS:y on May 5th. The group’s name is a combination of “CLASS” (as in “Class is over), the colon “:” which implies a new beginning, and “Why (=Y) don’t we enjoy the same but different music of CLASS:y?” which means “Let’s enjoy the same K-pop but different music from CLASS:y”.
Leader Hong Hye-joo said during the showcase, “It’s been months since ‘My Teenage Girl’ ended. I’ve always dreamed of debuting, so I have been so nervous since this morning.” Myung Hyung-soo added, “We were both nervous and excited even before we came here because there have been so many things that we did for the first time.”
CLASS:y’s debut album heralds a spectacular and unpredictable worldview by representing Y (unknown unknowns) rather than X. Yoon Chae-won said, “This album is like the first declaration that we have become a K-pop group beyond a survival show.”
The main title track, “Shut Down”, produced by Ryan Jhun, is a K-Pop + Bollywood dance song that combines addictive K-pop and colorful Indian Bollywood sounds. Regarding the selection of “Shut Down” as the title track, Myung Hyung-seo said, “’My Teenage Girl’ also has a school concept, and most of my friends are teenagers. ‘Shut Down’ shows us enjoying ourselves after finishing all classes, so I thought we could express it well.” She continued, “‘Shut Down’ is a song that can showcase both performance and vocals, which are our strengths.”
Myung Hyeong-seo talked about the differences between CLASS:y members, saying, “We are friends from different worlds. We have different ages and charms. So we can try a different concept next time without sticking to one.”
Regarding the group’s worldview, she said, “The worldview is meant to create something unique for us. We have the advantage thanks to young members, so what we can do in the future is limitless.” When asked about their role model, Park Bo-eun said, “My role model is BLACKPINK. They are good at singing, rapping, and performing. I respect their professionalism.” Yoon Chae-won said, “IU and Taeyeon are my role models. I want to be able to show off my music like seniors.”
Talking about CLASS:y’s goals, Hong Hye-joo emphasized, “We always say that Billboard is our goal.” She added, “We’re practicing harder because our goal is big. We’ll work hard to show you a good side of us.” Myung Hyung-seo also said, “I hope CLASS:y will become the best girl group in Korea that everyone around the world knows about.”
CLASS:y’s debut album will be released on May 5th at 6pm KST.
