Sakura Calls Coachella “LE SSERAFIM’s Best Stage” Amid Singing Controversy, Netizens Show Mixed Reactions

On April 15th, Sakura posted on LE SSERAFIM’s fan community Weverse, saying “I learned a lot, from the preparation for Coachella to the day of the performance. What it means to be on the stage. Am I presenting a perfect image to the audience? Am I making the audience enjoy the show? Or am I not allowed to make a single mistake when performing? Each person has their own standard. And the standards also vary depending on the type of stage”.

She continued, “I think the show was enjoyable anyway, even for people who didn’t know us and people who listened to our music for the first time! I always wanted to create a stage that would make me think ‘Today was such an unforgettable day!’. And with that determination, we already delivered the best performance”.

Sakura emphasized, “Our group, which is only in the second year after our debut and has just held a tour once, poured all our efforts for this Coachella performance, by singing to the best of our hearts and enjoying the stage”, adding “We may look immature in someone’s eyes, however, it is obvious that no one is perfect and this was the best stage we have ever performed”.

Lastly, she said, “No matter what other people think, I believe in my own feelings. That’s how I’ve come this far. I’m not going to betray myself and will continue to believe in my feelings in the future”, adding “We will show you more unimaginable scenes in the future so please continue to look forward to us”.

LE SSERAFIM debuted at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the largest music festival in the US, on April 13th (local time). Taking over the Coachella stage despite being a young group with nearly two years of experience, the HYBE girl group set the record as the fastest Korean artist to debut at this festival. They introduced a setlist of 10 songs in total, including unreleased tracks, and performed for 40 minutes. After the performance, viewers poured criticism on the members’ poor live singing skills, pointing out that they gradually lost stamina and energy toward the end of the show and even failed to complete the high notes.

As LE SSERAFIM’s singing skills have been under fire several times, the backlash following this Coachella performance became even more severe. Leaving a post showing her confidence, Sakura gained mixed reactions more than support. Some people want to wait until their upcoming performance and make a judgment later. However, the fact that Sakura only expressed her overwhelming feelings about the Coachella stage without explaining or apologizing for the group’s weak singing abilities caused Korean netizens to feel disappointed even more

Meanwhile, LE SSERAFIM will return to Coachella and perform another stage on the 21st. Attention is on whether the girl group will present an improved performance to make up for the live singing controversy.