Newly debuted girl group UNICODE — composed of members Erin, Yura, Hana, Mio, and Soo-Ah — burst onto the K-Pop music scene with their dazzling first mini-album 'HELLO WORLD : CODE J EP.1.' The album by the all-Japanese K-Pop group is fused with city pop genre, capturing the dream-like moments and memories of life.

The album consists of six songs, including the title track "Let me Love" which is produced by Jin Young — who worked on hit songs B14A's "Lonely," I.O.I's "When The Cherry Blossoms Fade," and Oh My Girl's "One Step Two Step," among others. While "Invi : Bon Voyage," "Blur," "Spring in my 20th," "Drizzle," and "Sailors : Outro" serve as the record's B-side songs.

Fresh off their debut, allkpop caught up with the rookie group UNICODE to talk about 'HELLO WORLD : CODE J EP.1,' working with Jin Young and Super Junior's Shindong on the lead single, and their aspirations for a long career. Read the full exclusive interview below!

Shout-out from UNICODE to allkpop readers:

[This interview has omitted honorifics]

allkpop: To start this interview, could you please introduce yourselves to our readers? Give us one or two fun facts about you and something you want to bring to the table as a member of UNICODE.

Erin: Hello, we are UNICODE! We debuted on April 17th with the album ‘HELLO WORLD : CODE J EP.1.’

Mio: One TMI about us is that before our debut, we had a performance in Japan. But we all had colds that day, so we just had to push through that.

Erin: Compared to the members, I studied more languages including Korean and English. So, I hope to help my group in terms of that aspect!

Soo-Ah: I would like to contribute to the group by giving them energy when they're feeling down!

Mio: I’m the maknae, but I would love to be of help to my older members as well.

Hana: I have the happiest smile in UNICODE! When people are down, I would like to be the one who cheers them up!

Yura: I’m the eldest member of the group, but I actually don’t act like the most mature member. So, I want to kind of contribute and work more on that for the members.

allkpop: Tell us more about your debut album ‘HELLO WORLD : CODE J.’ What is “CODE J” for? Is it part of a trilogy or a series, or is it because all of you are Japanese?

Erin: The album ‘HELLO WORLD’ comprises 6 songs. ‘CODE J’ stands for Japan as we are all Japanese members. The title song has a very fresh breezy feel to it. It’s also heart-flattering because it’s about talking about someone you like. I think it’s a good song to listen to while on your way to work or coming back home. 

For example, the B-side track “Blur” is more of a song that will keep you energized. It’s also a good song to listen to when you’re going to work. While “Spring in my 20th” is a cute song, especially when you’re dating or if you started to date someone. “Drizzle” is a more emotional and sentimental song. And “Bon Voyage” is our intro while “Sailors” serves as the outro. Overall, the album has a city pop genre, and it expresses a lot of emotions for many young people!

allkpop: If you were a song from the album, which one would you be and why? Which one do you think you resonate with?

Mio: For me, I think it would be “Let me Love.” I’m quite an introverted person, and I don’t often express what’s on my mind. The idea of the song is not being able to express something to somebody. I really feel that [through the song]!

Erin: I personally choose “Spring in my 20th” because a lot of people compare me to the Spring season. I intend to be a breezy and warm person. I think that song would be me.

Soo-Ah: For me, it would be “Blur.” The lyrics are very uplifting and positive. The melody itself is quite exciting, so I think that suits me the best!

Yura: Like our maknae, Mio, for me, it would also be “Let me Love.” What she said happens to me as well! Whether it’s a friend or someone I want to talk to, I often am not the person to go out there and talk to them. Even if I feel like I like someone, I can only imagine what it would be like to talk to that person. I think I can relate most to this song!

Hana: For me, it would be the song “Drizzle.” When I listen to the song, there’s a bit of sentimentality attached to it. All the work I did and all the happy memories I made in the past…the nostalgia hits me with the song and it reminds me of those.

allkpop: What was the challenging and fun part of preparing for the album? 

Hana: The most difficult part was that it was our first time recording in a professional studio. When I entered [the studio], my voice and how I sang were so noticeable. I felt like it didn’t come out as much as I practiced. And the thing is, I got to meet the [song’s] producer Jin Young. So, I was obviously nervous. I couldn’t sing as well as I did during the practice. It was a little bit frustrating. 

It was a good experience overall. We filmed the music video at an elementary school, and we hung out with all the elementary kids. They approached us and asked us for our autographs. That made me so happy!

allkpop: Tell us more about the music video filming and recording process. What was your experience like working with a prominent producer and director?

Erin: It was Shindong of Super Junior who directed our music video for “Let me Love.” He actually gave us a lot of advice saying, “If you want to be a good group, you need to get close and you have to have strong teamwork and friendship.” We really put that into our minds and hearts when he said that to us when we were filming the music video.

allkpop: What was it like taking the ‘Next Generation Live Arena’ stage even before officially debuting? What mindset did you have to overcome the nervousness you felt before and/or during the performance?

Hana: Performing on such a big stage is my dream. I was so happy that until now, it still feels like a dream. To the extent that I can’t even fully grasp that all this has happened. Before performing, I was so nervous, but I did perform to the best of my abilities. We talked to each other before going on stage and said, “Let’s just enjoy this stage, performance, and moment!” I think that mindset helped us go on the stage.

allkpop: You were originally formed from a survival program. Could you share with us any core memories from the survival show you participated in? 

Yura: All the attendees were grouped into five, and then we had to prepare a performance for the next day. It was difficult to work with people you haven’t met. Then we already practiced together right away. We practiced until late at night at a park. And we made it happen!

The idea of working hard, spending your energy and passion…there’s this sense of accomplishment because we made this performance happen with strangers we had to work with. I really appreciate the memory!

allkpop: What’s something you picked up from it that you were able to apply as you made your official debut?

Soo-Ah: One of the good things I learned is how to get close to people. I think quite often an environment where you can easily share your opinions, and that I believe enhances the quality of the performance. 

Yura: The very first day, we met with random strangers. The staff revealed to us the song we were going to perform. It’s a song that we had no idea we were going to perform at all. We just found out the song on that very day, and then we had to quickly learn and perfect it. I think that’s one of the abilities I learned: to adapt fast. Being a fast listener is one of the most important skills.

allkpop: Let's talk about your role models in the K-Pop industry! Which artists influenced you the most, and which of them would you like to collaborate with in the future?

Soo-Ah: For me, it’s Kim Dayeon of Kep1er. She makes any performance she does into her own. I would love to have the chance to collaborate with her in the future.

Erin: I was inspired to pursue this career because of Oh My Girl. I love the members’ relationship and connection with each other. I also love how unique their music is. I would pick them as the group I would like to collaborate with!

Mio: For me, it would be PURPLE KISS’ Yuki. She’s a great rapper! And I’m actually quite interested in rapping as well. So, I would love to collaborate with her!

Hana: For me, it would be TWICE’s Sana! I would love to meet, greet, and collaborate with her. When I went to TWICE’s concert, I think that was when I dreamed of becoming an idol in Korea.

Yura: For me, it would be Taeyeon from Girls' Generation! She was one of the reasons I continued to pursue this career. If you listen to her songs, you would immediately know that it is Taeyeon singing. She has very unique vocals! Girls’ Generation is a group that’s been loved and supported by fans around the world for quite a long time. We would like to be a group like them as well!

allkpop: Just to wrap this interview up, what are your short- and long-term goals for the group? Also, please leave your message for allkpop readers!

Yura: We want to do a lot of different activities and music promotions. We want to introduce ourselves to the world and let them know that we’re starting. In the long term, as we previously talked about, we want for us to be a group that would be known for a very long time. 

I want to thank allkpop readers for reading this interview. We really appreciate that! We want to tell everyone that this is just the start! We're going to do a lot of stuff and I hope you keep checking us out in what we do. We appreciate the love and support as we continue to go on this journey!

Socials:

Instagram: @unicode.xnet
TikTok: @unicode_official
Website: UNICODE
X: @unicode_xnet