Le Sserafim’s ‘EASY’ depicts the dark side of the group’s rise to fame

Le Sserafim has so far been confident, “Fearless” and “Antifragile” as it forged its path in the K-pop industry. But the girl group is now ready to share that its journey wasn’t easy with its third EP — aptly titled “EASY.”

“’EASY’ is all about frankly talking about the worries and uneasiness that lies behind the confident side of Le Sserafim,” Le Sserafim’s leader, Kim Chae-won, said during a press showcase at Korea University’s Hwajeong Tiger Dome in Seongbuk District, central Seoul on Monday ahead of the EP’s release.

“Our previous albums talked about the powerful and confident side of ourselves based on our own thoughts and personal experiences,” Kazuha said. “Similarly, we are revealing that we are not natural born and that we’ve been working hard backstage. The album expresses Le Sserafim’s blood, sweat and tears.”

The group’s future releases were one of the many uncertainties that have made members anxious as the band grows.

“I’m someone who has a lot on my mind, and I’ve been contemplating what stories Le Sserafim will be able to share and express in the future,” Huh Yun-jin said.

“I do personally believe that we are all double-sided to an extent, so I’m glad that we are able to unpack our own thoughts through our music, and I think [‘EASY’] helped me overcome my worries.”

“’Perfect Night’ received more love than we had anticipated, which made me worry about how we can do better next time,” Sakura said. “I think the answer I got was to just try as hard as I can and put our best effort into our music.”

“EASY” features five songs: “Good Bones,” “Swan Song,” “Smart,” “We got so much” and the title track.

“EASY” talks about the story of how Le Sserafim makes hard things look easy, while “Swan Song” expresses that the group is working tirelessly in the background even though it might look like a swan to others. The finale, “We got so much,” was written by Huh and Hong Eun-chae and is dedicated to the group’s fans.

The track “EASY” blends R&B with trap, while the dance is rooted in old-school hip-hop — all of which are somewhat distant from the group’s previous releases.

Performing the song, the group emphasized, is not nearly as facile as its title might imply.

“The choreography for ‘EASY’ may look simple and easy for a Le Sserafim song, but it’s really, really not easy. It might just be the hardest set of choreographies we ever did,” Sakura said.

“I even ended up practicing the vocals and choreography for ‘EASY’ after going for three-kilometer [1.86-mile] runs to increase my stamina,” Huh added. “That’s how hard the song is.”

But Le Sserafim’s work on “EASY” has also mirrored the trajectory of its career so far, the members feel; the hard work has paid off.

“Our previous releases focused on strong and addictive tunes, but with ‘EASY,’ the addictiveness comes in a gentle manner, and you’ll be humming the melodies in no time,” Kazuha said.

“When I first listened to the song, I went ‘Wow, we slayed,’” Kim said. “That’s how good the song is.”

To find out more about Le Sserafim, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]