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All-round Girl Group Like “Stray Dogs”
On the afternoon of the 12th, MBC’s “Show! Champion” was broadcast live. Here, girl group Kandis delivered a great performance.
Kandis is a four-member girl group consisting of HELLO – the leader who created their entire full-length album, member Nine – who is both the main dancer and main vocalist, member Venny – the hidden talent with a cool and mysterious charm, and Looky – the youngest member with endless positive energy. The group expresses the struggles, dreams, and growth of young girls living in today’s world through their music and various content.
They boldly debuted with a 16-track full-length album and confidently gifted fans with a 40-minute one-take, unedited live performance. Their stage presence, filled with energy, was so natural that it was hard to believe they were rookies.
HELLO said, “Our role models are long-running groups like g.o.d. At the end of the day, the most important thing is good music. We want to continue making music that people can listen to for a long time”, adding, “If there’s a phrase I’d like to be associated with KANDIS, it’s ‘stray dogs.’ We grew up rough, like street dogs. When we watched beautiful and refined groups on music shows, we admired them and thought, ‘They’re so pretty.’ But we’re more like mixed-breed dogs, with a charm you can’t resist.”
Unique Fate-like Formation
Kandis’ strength lies not only in their solid vocals and clear musical identity but also in the relationships and stories behind the members. The group was formed through fate. HELLO, born in 1999, is the team’s music producer and video editor, despite looking like the youngest. Venny, her best friend of ten years, is a year younger. Nine, who trained under Mystic Entertainment, has been close to HELLO for eight years. Looky, the youngest member, joined from the U.S. in a dramatic turn of events.
HELLO met Venny when they were trainees at the same company ten years ago. Even after leaving, they stayed in touch and became lifelong friends. Venny eventually quit being a trainee and started working at a foreign car dealership while preparing to become a flight attendant. Although she kept receiving offers, she declined each time. She finally decided to give it one last shot as a solo artist, but when that didn’t work out, HELLO reached out, and she joined Kandis.
HELLO and Nine met eight years ago and became friends because they shared a love for hip-hop. They lived together in a small room for three years, training together. When they weren’t satisfied with the songs they were given, HELLO started studying music production herself. Without a proper studio, she sneaked into a music academy’s practice room at night and worked on songs until morning. Many of the songs she wrote during that time made it into their debut album. While HELLO composed, Nine practiced dancing beside her. They trained like this every day until the sun came up for three years.
Looky’s addition to the group was even more unexpected. The agency’s CEO discovered a video of Looky’s voice through an SNS algorithm and immediately knew she was the one. They arranged a Zoom meeting with the other members, and as soon as they saw her, they all exclaimed, “It’s her!” Because Looky was in the U.S., the members in Korea stayed up late to train and hold meetings over video calls. Their intense training process made it impossible for them not to improve.
HELLO recalled, “After a music show, other fandoms started saying ‘It’s Kandis.’ It was the first time someone called us by our group name, and it was so touching. Our fans had been waiting for us in the cold, saying things like ‘You did great,’ ‘Let’s see each other often,’ and ‘I’ve waited for this moment for so long.’ It felt like they truly believed we would make it, and that made us proud. We’ll definitely make it to Billboard!”
