Meet Haeun. By day, she attends school with her classmates, but by night she performs her duties as a K-Pop idol. As the youngest member of the K-Pop rookie sensation Lapillus, Haeun has balanced her demanding schedules better than most.
I sat down with Haeun ahead of Lapillus’ Latin America promotions - which is undoubtedly the first of many trips to the Americas for the sensational K-Pop group. Besides being a veteran dancer at such a young age, she routinely posts dance cover videos and cute selfies to the group’s official SNS accounts. Other than the fact that she performs on stage in front of thousands of fans regularly, Haeun is your normal, laid-back teenager.
Hello! Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. Can you introduce yourself?
Hi, I’m Haeun. My position is dancer and maknae of Lapillus.
You're currently the youngest active idol in the industry. What do you want to be remembered for?
I'm very confident in my dancing and performing skills, so I hope everyone can really watch and remember me for that.
What was the most difficult choreography you performed in your trainee days?
We usually try to practice by copying the dances of other overseas dance crews and their performances in contests. So their dances are not really idol-like. They are very unique and hard to dance to. I think those were the choreographies that were really hard to dance to during my time as a trainee.
Is there a specific song or artist for which you would like to create a dream dance cover?
Good Boy by G-Dragon X Taeyang
How do you prepare for a performance?
To prepare for a performance, we come to the company for lessons and also personal training times. Since we really give high importance to our facial expressions, we (Lapillus) all try to practice those together.
Is how you prepare for performances different or similar then preparing for a music video?
We really have to practice hard for music videos because it’s a big thing. So we always practice for that music video every day before we begin filming. But for performances, for like music shows, since we’ve already practiced a lot before, it’s a little more relaxing because it’s easier to prepare for it (we’ve already prepared).
How did you feel backstage before your debut performance? Were you nervous? Excited?
During our “HIT YA!” era, when we first debuted, I was really nervous all the time. However, for “GRATATA,” the nervousness almost completely disappeared, so I was able to enjoy it more.
How do you balance being a teenager with all the exciting things you have going on as a K-Pop idol?
My life as a student is really normal. While my life as a K-Pop idol … Since it was my dream to be an idol, I always try to enjoy my life as a K-Pop idol.
Who has been the most significant influence in your life or your greatest cheerleader?
My parents. They are always by my side, cheering for me, and trying to reassure me, so I feel very safe.
How would you describe your personal style? Has it changed since you've become a KPOP idol?
Before becoming a K-Pop idol, I liked cute and pretty stuff, but now I like more unique and cool styles.
If you had to identify the “fake maknae” of the group, who would you pick?
When Shana whines or complains about something in our dorm, they aren’t complaints. Instead, they are cute-style comments, so I think she’s actually our maknae.
Finish these sentences:
My favorite word/phrase is: You’re doing good.
I’m really passionate about: Mobile phone games
The top three places I’d love to visit are: New York, France, and Argentina
On a rainy day, you will probably find me . . . Watching movies at home
Three songs currently on my playlist are:
Because I like pop songs a lot….
“OMG” NewJeans
“mind games” renforshort
“After Last Night” Silk Sonic
Lastly, can you please share a message for Lapis.
Thank you so much for always supporting us - Lapillus. We will try to improve and become better to show you better performances. Thank you so much. I love you. Thank you.
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