EXCLUSIVE: Performance powerhouse BLING BLING open up about their synergy & what they love about each other

In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, BLING BLING shared how their latest album Contrast came about, what their hopes for the future are, and more!

By Ishani Sarkar

Updated on May 21, 2021 | 01:49 PM IST | 1.3M

The official poster for BLING BLING's upcoming album Contrast, courtesy of Major 9

One of the most highly anticipated rookie comebacks of 2021 is finally here and there's a whole lot to unpack that we never saw coming. BLING BLING debuted in November of 2020 with the hit single G.G.B and in such a short span of their career, have already established a distinct sense of an original BLING BLING sound. What truly sets them apart is their performance quotient, which is undeniably a wondrous quality that radiates through their art. Both individually and together, BLING BLING is a force to be reckoned with and the K-Pop world better be ready.

BLING BLING officially made their first comeback in 5 months with their first mini-album titled "Contrast" which explores the multifaceted nature of femininity and musicality, reflected in all the varied sonic aesthetics they explore through this album. Pinkvilla had the honour to interview these amazing artists and an immensely endearing and enlightening conversation followed, whereby we learned more about the creative processes behind the scenes of this new album.

Stay tuned to the very end for a special shoutout to fans!

First of all, congratulations for the immense love and support you've garnered from fans in such a short time. How do you feel about this journey so far?

So when we first debuted, everything was new so things felt hectic when preparing for the debut. For this comeback, (since this is our 2nd time preparing an album), we were able to have more fun and enjoy the process while preparing.

Each member in BLING BLING has an assigned gemstone. Did you choose your own gemstones yourself? What do they mean to you?

It is based on our birthstone. Yubin (born in February) is amethyst, Marin & Jieun (who are both born in March) has aquamarine and bloodstone respectively, Juhyun (born in April) is diamond, Ayamy (born in July) is Ruby, and Narin (born in October) is opal.

The first thing that catches the eye about BLING BLING is the intensity, power and brilliance of your performances, right from your pre-debut period to now. How do you come up with the choreography and what do each of you keep in mind when performing?

When we prepare our performances, our focus point is to show a dynamic and energetic performance as well as showing us genuinely having fun. We feel that we need to have fun and enjoy so the viewers can also have fun watching our performance. So we have that in mind when we go on stage.

Do you have any lucky rituals or special activities that you do before going on stage to help you calm your nerves and give your best?

We actually have a tradition of chanting ‘fighting’ before going on stage. But this is not a normal ‘fighting’ chant because we say ‘Fye - Ling~’ (pronounced Hwa- Ring) , which is a mix of ‘fighting’ and ‘BlingBling’.

If each of you could have any one quality that another group member has, what would it be and why?

Marin : I would love Juhyun’s husky voice. I personally like husky voices.

Jieun: My mouth & lips are small so I would like to have Marin’s mouth & lips.

Narin : Ayamy has good stamina and looks very cool when she does sports, so I’d like to have her athletic abilities.

Juhyun : I would like to have Yubin’s clear and bright eyes.

Ayamy: I liked Jieun’s voice from the first listen, so I’d like to have her voice.

Yubin: I am a ‘maknae’ , but I don’t have lots of aegyo, so I’d like to have Narin’s aegyo.

If age didn't matter, who do you think would be the real maknae of the group?

That would be Narin. She has lots of aegyo (very affectionate) and we often have to take care of her. So she is like the maknae.

Besides your incredible talent, your unique personalities are very endearing to fans. Have you ever thought about doing a reality show with the members?

We would really like to. We often have fun when we hang out with each other. So, we’d like to show ourselves as we truly are.

Do you ever get homesick and miss your family, especially the Japanese members? When that happens, how do you help each other out?  

We often miss our family and often video call our family members. But also, we rely on each other and think of us(the BlingBling group) as a family.

What would you say is your biggest strength as a group as well as individually?

Jieun: my long legs and arms.

Yubin: my clear bright eyes.

Ayamy : I look good in a bobbed hair cut.

Narin : I have lots of aegyo.

Marin: I look pretty when I smile

Juhyun : my husky voice

But I believe our energy and dynamic vigor is our strength as a group.

Do any of you wish to write and compose songs one day?

Jieun wishes to write and compose songs someday. She wants to make a song for Bling Bling.

Where do you see yourself both artistically and personally in 10 years? Do you have any goals you'd like to fulfill by then?

We hope that we’d still be active as BlingBling even after 10 years. We hope that in 10 years, people will think of us when they hear the word bling bling.

With such a bright view of the future, let's go back to the past for a moment. What is your favourite memory from the day you debuted?

On our debut day, we had a showcase. After the show case, all the members got together and waited on a music site to see our song release. That was very memorable. We were so happy with some heavy heartbeats to be able to listen to our own music on a music site.

Now back to the present, what is the one thing each of you want to show your fans through this comeback?

We’d like to show our energy and passion. We hope that when people see our performance, they themselves feel energized.

Right here, right now, if you had to suggest some names for your fandom, what would they be and why? 

We are actually thinking & wondering about that exact question ! If you have any good ideas, please recommend them to us!

What would you like to do if you visit India?

When you say India, one of the things that many think about is the Taj Mahal ! If we get to go to India, we’d love to visit the Taj Mahal.

Finally, is there anything you'd like to say to your fans all across the world and especially in India who love and adore you endlessly?

Hello, we are BlingBling. We are sincerely happy and grateful to hear we have fans in India that are cheering for us. We just had a comeback with our title song ‘Oh Mama’ , so we hope you can check it out and since we have a cool performance prepared, I hope you guys can check us on stage. Also, we are doing a dance challenge so we’d love for you to participate. Sincerely Thank you all!