"A story of our dreams, sorrowful but beautiful, precarious yet brilliant." Following the success of their first mini-album 'Rose Blossom' earlier this year, the four-member girl group H1-KEY, under GLG, is back with another mini-album titled 'Seoul Dreaming,' where SEOI, RIINA, HWISEO, and YEL dream big in the city of Seoul.

The album includes five brand-new songs and two instrumental tracks. The opening track, "Intro: Seoul Dreaming," features the ambiance and atmosphere of Seoul and makes a seamless transition to the second track, "SEOUL (Such a Beautiful City)," which is a colorful synth-pop sound and serves as the album's title song. Next on the album is the other title song that has a groovy new jack swing sound, titled "Time to Shine." "Low-key Scared But H1-KEY Ready" is the following track on the album; it is a dance song with a charismatic bass sound. Finally, "Magical Dream" serves as the last track and it has a Latin rhythm and features an acoustic guitar and brass sound.

With this album, H1-KEY seeks to spread the message about holding onto your dreams. From hope to despair, 'Seoul Dreaming' is an album filled with heart-warming emotions with the aim of bringing comfort to people who are pursuing their dreams despite the fears and challenges along the way.

The quartet also collaborated with well-known lyricists and producers like DAY6's Young K, Hong Ji Sang, Alina Smith, Annalise Morelli, Lee Ji Eun, and Stella Jang for this release.

To celebrate their comeback, SEOI, RIINA, HWISEO, and YEL spoke with allkpop about 'Seoul Dreaming,' chasing their dreams, what would they be doing now if they weren't idols, working on the album, and more. Continue reading to learn more about H1-KEY!

H1-KEY's shout-out to allkpop:

You can read our exclusive interview with H1-KEY from last year here.

allkpop: It's been 7 months since the release of 'Rose Blossom.' Last year, your releases were only single albums, but now they're EPs! What's your experience working on new music when it comes to releasing an EP? How did you consider the songs to put into the album?

SEOI & RIINA: Just like last time, we were fortunate enough to be working with DAY6's Young K again. He was the producer of the title song, and he really assured the quality of our songs for this album. Also, we worked with Studio L'Extreme, a studio that's in charge of our music videos and photos. We were able to work with them once again. And because we worked again with people who we have worked with before, there were no tough moments along the way and we knew exactly about the mood and vibes, and it's really comfortable working with them.

allkpop: What's your favorite part of preparing this album? And as this marks your 4th album already, has the process gotten smoother compared to your previous comebacks?

HWISEO: Not only was it smoother working on our 4th release, but our overall stage manner and expressions have also developed over time, as we went through a lot of performances and activities after the success of 'Rose Blossom.' Also, we have gotten a lot of hype and expectations from our fans after the release of 'Rose Blossom,' so this time, we're motivated to produce a great album. We put our effort into making this album a successful one!

allkpop: Since this album is all about dreams, I wanted to ask who or what were the things that pushed you to pursue this career. Is it just yourself who thought that this path was what you wanted, or were there any factors? Do you have any inspiration?

RIINA: I've always loved dancing since I was young, maybe even before I was an elementary student. I used to watch a lot of videos of Girls' Generation dancing and I used to dance along to them. Since then, I suddenly had a dream of becoming an idol. However, when I was in middle school, I actually had the chance to audition for SM Entertainment, and that's when I became passionate about my dreams. That was when I decided to pursue my career as an idol.

HWISEO: Since I was very young, even when I just began speaking a few words, I used to say to my parents that I wanted to become a singer. Since then, I have never given up on that dream, and I've never changed [my mind] or had a different dream. Also, I had to practice for different dancing and singing sessions because I was cast since I was very young, so I have lived that life since I was in elementary school. I'm glad and lucky that I made my dreams come true.

allkpop: If you weren't an idol, what would you be doing now? What's your second dream career?

SEOI: (in English) I think I would be a translator because I am really obsessed with learning new languages and other cultures.

YEL: I've been dancing since I was very young, so I think I would be a professional dancer.

RIINA: Since I was young, I've always liked studios like TV and broadcast studios. Even if I didn't become an idol, I think I would still stay in this industry, maybe with a job like an announcer, newscaster, or reporter.

HWISEO: I've never dreamt of another career since I was really young so I wouldn't know. However, if I had to choose... I personally really love animals, so I would've been working in a zoo as a zookeeper.

allkpop: 'Seoul Dreaming' is an album where you'll feel the city's ambiance. Why did you decide to use and highlight Seoul for this release to convey the message you'd like to deliver to the audience?

SEOI: Since Seoul is a very busy and fast-paced city, we wanted to convey the message by emphasizing the image of Seoul which is that people from a lot of different cities outside of Seoul come to Seoul in order to succeed. That eagerness of us wanting to succeed is in this album. Seoul is just a symbol, but it can be applied to other cities all over the world.

YEL: In relation to this as well, we, H1-KEY, strive to succeed in the city of Seoul.

allkpop: Let's now dive a little bit deeper into the songs. You're still working on chasing your beautiful dreams despite them being precarious, as what you'd like to deliver through "SEOUL (Such a Beautiful City)" and "Time to Shine." There may be negative thoughts that surround your mind, but giving up is not an option. What is one thing that you always keep in mind, that you always remind yourselves while taking this path? What's that mindset you have?

HWISEO: I always say to myself whenever I feel like giving up that if I can't handle this situation, I'm not going to be able to do anything. Those are the thoughts that I always carve deep into my heart.

SEOI: I always tend to look on the bright side, on the more positive side of every situation. I believe if I start looking at the positive sides, my life will automatically become bright. Although I'm going through hard times, I just look forward to the future very positively.

allkpop: The message of the fourth track, "Low-key Scared But H1-KEY Ready," also revolves around chasing your dreams. You have put so much into achieving your dreams, but it's also important to balance your professional life and life as a normal person. How do you keep balancing things out, and what do you enjoy the most in this rollercoaster journey?

SEOI: In order to have that work-life balance while working, I really try to relax with all my effort whenever I have time. I like to try various kinds of hobbies as well, but if I have to relax, I do it with all my effort. One of the things I enjoy the most in this rollercoaster journey and busy days is... I like sitting down with all my members around a table after work, eating delicious food, and having a chat with them.

YEL: I'm a person where although you are enjoying something, you tend to get stressed by just any activities that you do, so I'm really trying my best to find the right hobby that I enjoy. And I personally felt that doing a lot of hobbies and activities really helps me release stress.

allkpop: The conclusion song, "Magical Dream," is about the same thing. As this album solely focuses on your dreams as idols, and now that you've debuted, what's your next big goal or step?

HWISEO: The short-term goal that we have as a group is to reach first place in a music show voting/ranking. Through that achievement, I wish we would have more M1-KEYs, our fans, in the future. And by having a lot of fans, I wish we could do a fan meeting or solo concert, and in the long term, we could even go on a world tour.

allkpop: You said you wanted people to get comforted by your songs. But for you, when you're having a hard time, what things do you usually do to kind of overcome everything that's bugging you? It may be a comfort person, artist, music, food, or just a hobby!

RIINA: I really try to find comfort and relaxation from all the things you've mentioned such as music, people, food, and hobbies. However, if I had to choose one it would be music. I often see all the members listening to music on their own and I guess that's how all of us find comfort and really try to relax. Personally, I like to just talk to my family members and friends about what kind of trouble I'm having or going through, and that gives me comfort as well.

YEL: When I listen to classical music, it really relaxes me and I recommend all of you to do it.

RIINA: I don't know when YEL went from hip-hop to classic...

YEL: If I'm not stressed I listen to hip-hop, but when I'm stressed I listen to classical. This is my new hobby. (laughs)

allkpop: For this release, you teamed up with DAY6's Young K again as well as other prominent producers. I'm actually interviewing Young K this month as well! What was it like working with them? Is there something you've picked up from your experience working with these musical professionals, who have also worked with big names in the industry, for your comebacks?

RIINA: Following up on our previous release, it was really an honor to be able to work with Young K once again and receive lyrics from him again. Since we have worked before, it was easier for us to understand his messages and the meaning of his lyrics. Even when we first met last time, he really took a lot of time and effort to try to explain to us what kind of feelings and vibes each of the lyrics has. This time we were able to kind of smoothly understand and put the lyrics into our own work, and we put our efforts into trying to express it.

YEL: By working with Young K, I'm able to express more emotions and feelings better now, such as desperation, feelings of pride, and confidence. Those are the expressions I'm really good at working with Young K.

allkpop: You said in our previous interview last year that it feels unbelievable that there are so many fans who enjoy your music and support you. You've even gained more listeners after 'Rose Blossom'! How do you process all this support? It's only been a year since your debut – way to go. How does the support motivate you to improve even more and continue to perform better?

SEOI: M1-KEY's cheers and support always give us motivation and energy. It seems that we're so close to our fans, that it seems like we have more family members. I'm overall very happy that there are more M1-KEYs. The more, the merrier.

RIINA: I especially feel the power of our fans and their support and love when we are performing on stage. When I hear the loud cheers from M1-KEYs while we are performing, it really gives us energy and motivation to perform better. I always think to myself how I can repay this growing amount of love and support they're showing us. I always feel thankful and I'm motivated to repay them with great music and great performances.

allkpop: Just to wrap up this interview: do you have anything else to say to allkpop readers and your fans who are going to read this interview?

SEOI: To allkpop readers and our fans, H1-KEY is finally back with the second mini-album 'Seoul Dreaming,' and it consists of a lot of songs that will really give you comfort, relax you, and give you a hopeful mindset, so please check our album out. Also, keep sending love and support to H1-KEY~ We can't wait to see you!

Congratulations to H1-KEY on their first-ever music show win!

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