[caption id="attachment_260018" align="aligncenter" width="550" caption="Xia, Joy, T-ae, Saem, Riko, Jooyi, Di"][/caption] Despite becoming embroiled in a series of controversies for their provocative concept, rookie girl group Rania chooses to stand by their sexiness despite it all. In their recent interview with JoongAng, the girls refer to it as "their weapon" in surviving the girl group rush. Check it out below! -- Q. "From the moment you debuted, you were put on the chopping block for sexually suggestive material." Saem: "We received a lot of criticisms for our cleavage and our thighs showing. Still, we don't think that it's enough to call it sexually suggestive. We worked so hard on our song and choreography, it filled us with regret to see people accusing us of noise marketing. It couldn't be helped when we changed up our choreography and our outfits." Q. "Is your sexiness a result of effort?" T-ae: "Our average height is 169 cm, and we're all very conscious of our bodies (laughter). A while ago, we heard that Tae Kwon Do was good for body management and we all decided to take lessons. One day in the future when we promote overseas, we'd love to introduce Tae Kwon Do to other countries." Q. "Teddy Riley, the producer for Michael Jackson, contributed to your debut single." Jooyi: "Not only Michael Jackson, but the Spice Girls, Pussycat Dolls, Rihanna, and other pop singers as well. 'Dr. Feel Good' is a hip hop and R&B track with an addictive and strong melody that makes it really sexy. Please look forward to poweful performances that contrast against other cute girl groups." Q. "You recorded your album in the States." Xia: "It took us about two weeks. It was very surprising for us as well because so many popular artists went in and out of the studio. One day, Puff Daddy's twin daughters would come in with their mother. They were about five years old and had pig tails that were so adorable. They greeted us with shy 'hellos'." Q. "How would you describe the strength of Rania?" T-ae: "Out of our four years of training, we spent three of them specifically on our vocal training. That's how focused we were with our vocals. We're very prepared performance-wise, and of course, we're confident that our visuals aren't lacking compared to other girl groups as well (laughter)." Q. "There are a lot of members with unique backgrounds." Riko: "I used to be a child actress and played the younger roles for Kang Soo Yeon, Kim Hee Sun, Bae Doo Na, and Kim Gyuri. During high school, I also taught Korean on Japan's NHK for three years." Joy: "I'm from Thailand. My father's a general and he was really against me going all the way to Korea to become a singer. After he found out that I was genuine, he finally let me pursue it." Q. "Baby V.O.X. is your senior, since you're under DR Music, right?" Di: "The day before our debut showcase, we heard that senior Kim EZ had a baby. Such good luck for us, right? Kan Mi Youn senior supports us as well, and Yoon Eun Hye senior said she'd support us aggressively. We're all very thankful." Source: JoongAng via Nate