Debuted in June 2021 with the single “Vanilla,” CUBE Entertainment's LIGHTSUM — composed of members JUHYEON, SANGAH, CHOWON, NAYOUNG, HINA, and YUJEONG — has come back to show their sweet and spicy sides with the new album, 'Honey or Spice.'

'Honey or Spice' marks the six-member girl group's second mini-album, and it came 1 year and 5 months after the release of their first mini-album, 'Into The Light' in May 2022. 'Honey or Spice' consists of six new tracks featuring the title song of the same as well as the B-sides "Not My Style," "Skyline," "Whoopie," "Light it Up," and "Candle LIGHT."

In particular, members JUHYEON and SANGAH participated in composing and writing lyrics, including the rap part, of the sidetrack "Skyline," respectively.

To celebrate LIGHTSUM's long-awaited comeback, the girls took the time to chat with allkpop for an exclusive interview. The members talked about the concept behind 'Honey or Spice,' the recording and dance choreography process, and individual journeys. Continue reading the story to learn more about their new album. 

LIGHTSUM's shout-out to allkpop readers:

allkpop: This marks your first comeback in more than a year since the release of your first mini-album, 'Into The Light.' Congratulations! Could you please share with us your experience working on the album, 'Honey or Spice'? Were you able to spot differences in terms of preparing for your first and second mini-album? What do you believe is the biggest difference?

JUHYEON: During the 1-year-and-5-month break since our last comeback, we have practiced a lot, so I believe we have grown in terms of skills. During that time, YUJEONG and I both became adults, so we became more mature in terms of our styles as well.

allkpop: You had kind of a long break. Were you able to find new interests or hobbies? How did you spend your break, and how did you use it to prepare and work for 'Honey or Spice'?

HINA: Because I'm the only international member in the group, I studied the Korean language more, including the idioms of the language.

YUJEONG: I had a hobby of doing personal training, but now I'm more interested in my body lengths and shape so I started doing pilates.

allkpop: Could you please elaborate more on the concept and message you'd like to convey with 'Honey or Spice'? The title song is about falling for someone's unique style. What kind of musical style of LIGHTSUM would you like to showcase for this album or maybe for your future releases?

JUHYEON: First of all, through this album, we wanted to show a more confident and bold side of LIGHTSUM. We wanted to capture the more confident side by freely going back and forth between the three concepts and motifs, including the dizzying Spicy Red, the melting Honey Yellow version, and the mysterious Odd Green version.

allkpop: Since the title is "Honey or Spice," what kind of food do you usually prefer, spicy one or honey and sweet one?

SANGAH: I really like Spicy.

YUJEONG: I'm not really good at eating Spicy foods but I love enjoying them. 

NAYOUNG: I can't eat any Spicy foods. I love dessert, so I'll go with Honey.

CHOWON: I like both Honey and Spicy.

HINA: I also don't like to eat Spicy foods, so I'll go with Honey.

JUHYEON: Spicy and Honey!

allkpop: How did the recording process of the songs go? Were you satisfied with all the outcomes? With that being said, which track is your personal pick from the album, and why?

CHOWON: I put more effort into this album than the previous one; we practiced very hard and made adjustments in the recording. In the album, my two favorite songs are "Whoopie" and "Light it Up."

SANGAH: I like the title track "Honey or Spice."

YUJEONG: I like the B-side "Not My Style."

HINA: I like "Skyline." For me, I think it's the perfect song to listen to when ending the day. 

JUHYEON: I like "Skyline" as well.

NAYOUNG: I like "Candle LIGHT."

allkpop: LIGHTSUM is known for the members' charisma and energy, plus how you dance so well together. How long did it take you to master the choreography? Were there any difficulties in terms of learning it?

NAYOUNG: The members are usually fast in memorizing, learning, and getting in sync with the choreography. But this time, we had some changes in our choreography to find a better choreography performance. So I think that change was the hardest part for us.

allkpop: My question for JUHYEON, you trained for 7 years, you took part in 'The Unit,' among all the other things you've experienced. Plus you joined CUBE Entertainment in 2014 — you were just 10 years old back then. What pushed you to take on the challenge of being an idol? Is being an idol really your No. 1 dream and what motto or mindset do you have? You also have experience with composing, what do you think is the biggest growth or development you see from yourself?

JUHYEON: What pushed me to become an idol was the moment I saw my seniors on stage. While I was looking at them, I thought I would like to become one and be on the same stage with them as well. I do have experience in composing, so the thing I want to do next is to compose songs for our group. The development I see in myself is I think when I was a trainee, I always thought about myself first, but now, as a member of a group, I would think about what the members are doing as well as how I can write and compose songs for them.

allkpop: My question for SANGAH: you were also one of the contestants in the survival program 'Queendom Puzzle.' How was your experience being with the other idols from other groups? And what was your biggest takeaway from participating in it?

SANGAH: With this great opportunity, I was able to join the program 'Queendom Puzzle.' Doing a lot of activities with idols from other groups, I was able to experience performing on different stages. Through that, I also earned a lot of energy. So, when I was practicing for this comeback, I was able to use a lot of energy and effort I gained from participating in the show.

allkpop: For CHOWON, you originally trained to be an actress, but you also participated in 'Produce 48.' What made you decide to continue to pursue your musical career? Being a singer and actress is different but there's this thing that makes them close to each other since you are able to express your feelings in both, what do you like the most about these two things? 

CHOWON: When I started training as an actress, there were also monthly evaluations for the trainees. One of the comments I remember is that someone said that after they heard or listened to my vocals, they said that I could become a main vocalist of a group. And that I can do both acting and singing at the same time. So, after hearing that, I started to practice singing more. And I also want to do both acting and singing at the same time. They are different fields but I can express my feelings in both activities. I think I will be able to use all the things I've learned from acting as a singer as well. I think those learnings will help me in the future, too.

allkpop: For NAYOUNG, you said in an interview that you gained confidence after you joined survival programs. Meaning there was still a lot of anxiety and tension when you participated in them, right? What mindset did you have the moment you decided to join these programs? How were you able to overcome everything, and how do you feel about yourself being in this moment, that you've now gone this far and will definitely achieve more things in the future?

NAYOUNG: I usually do have anxiety and nervousness, so that's why during my participation in the program, I said I couldn't show off my best skills. I think I was able to overcome that kind of feeling because of the cheers from the fans. Now, I want to chart at No. 1 on music programs and become a singer that our fans are proud of.

allkpop: For HINA, you're from Japan then you studied the Korean language. What do you think was the hardest thing when it comes to that adjustment? Communication is important within a group, how did you find the first months with the other LIGHTSUM members talking with each other? How has your relationship with the members developed over time?

HINA: When I was in Japan, or even before coming to South Korea, I had never learned Korean. The hardest part of learning the language is the pronunciation. When I first met the members, the only thing that I could say to them was "Hi" and "Hello," so I was kind of scared. But JUHYEONspeaks a little bit of Japanese, so I gained more confidence after learning that.

allkpop: For YUJEONG, you also took part in 'Produce 48' and was a cheerleader for 5 years. What do you find interesting the most in cheerleading and K-Pop dancing? The support you receive from the people who root for you is one of the reasons why you work even harder. How does this boost your confidence, and how will you use it to even develop and improve as an artist?

YUJEONG: The difference between cheerleading and K-Pop dancing is that in cheerleading, you need to be in sync with everybody in the team; as for K-Pop dancing, we also have to be in sync with the members in the group, but you also have to express your feelings and show your facial expressions while doing so. We always try to practice a lot and show the best of ourselves because we have a lot of fans who are so supportive of us.

allkpop: Since all of you have had so much experience in the industry, some members even in both the acting and music industry, I wanted to ask when you first met and learned about each other, did you share so many things from each of the members' experiences? Were you able to learn so many things from each other, be they personal or professional learning?

LIGHTSUM: We first met in 2020, and then in 2021, we started to form together as a group and practice for our debut. We were so busy practicing for our debut, so we didn't have much time to get closer to each other. But after we debuted, we have come through a lot of conversations, telling good things about each other, and just talking to each other a lot. We support each other so much, and we think that was the moment we became close to each other.

allkpop: Lastly, please feel free to leave any final messages to allkpop readers and your fans!

LIGHTSUM: We just came back with 'Honey or Spice,' and we hope allkpop readers and our fans enjoy our new music~ Thank you!

Socials:
Twitter: CUBE_LIGHTSUM
Facebook: LIGHTSUMOfficial
Instagram: cube_lightsum
YouTube: LIGHTSUM Official Youtube Channel
Weibo: Cube_LIGHTSUM
TikTok: @official_lightsum