The Kpop industry is rapidly growing day by day, and in a fast-paced space like this debuted a girl group from under Grandline Group which is called H1-KEY. The name of the group is pronounced as “High-Key”. The name of their fandom is M1-KEY.
At the time of debut, it was a group of four members, namely Seoi, Riina, Yel and Sitala. After the exit of Sitala, a new member, Hwiseo was introduced it now consists of four members. Currently, they have a debut single album, their maxi single album, and one mini album under their belt.
The girls debuted with Athletic Girl as their debut single, which has crisp vocals, powerful raps, and heavy drops that make the song a high-energy track. Their first maxi single album Run has tracks that catch you by surprise.
Their title track has a different energy than their debut track, and this song is particularly is a bright songs, followed by Catch ‘n’ Release, which is a Boss-lady vibe song. Heart Light, track three on this album, has beautiful electric guitar elements making the song like a Western band from the early 2000s and late 2010s.
Their latest release, Rose Blossom, which is a seven-track EP, has a new sound to the group. The first track is Ring The Alarm, with a strong bass drop and rap elements. The next track, the title track, is with clear vocals in the lower register of the girls’ vocal range showing the different colors of all the members.
Members
Seoi
Lee Ye Jin, or Seoi, is the leader and vocalist of the girl group H1-KEY. She was born on February 12, 2000, in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province in South Korea. Her MBTI type is ESFJ. She was the second member to be revealed in the line-up.
She was previously a YG Entertainment trainee and was also a part of the YG Trainee Team 2. She says her role models are Hyuna, Little Mix, and Son Yejin. Her nicknames are Iris and Cotton Candy.
Seoi wants to try her hand at acting one day, and she also mentions that what inspired her to be an idol was watching SNSD (Girl’s Generation) performing “Gee” on TV. Her training period was for three years.
Riina
Lee Seung Hyun, or Riina, is a vocalist in the girl group H1-KEY. She was born on February 21, 2001, in Seoul, South Korea. She was the third member to be revealed in the group. Her MBTI type is an ESTJ-A. Riina was a part of Produce 48, where she ranked #73. She was also a contestant on the show “Queendom Puzzle.”
Riina has previously trained at WM Entertainment, and her training period before Produce 48 was of two years and five months. Riina has also been a member of the pre-debut group “Ggumnamu.”
Her nicknames are Sseum, Danhobag, which is sweet pumpkin, and Alpaca. Riina’s total training period has been of six years, and her role model is IU. She can also speak Japanese.
Hwiseo
Jo Hwi Hyeon, or Hwiseo, is the Main Vocalist in the group H1-KEY. She was born on July 31, 2002, in Seoul, South Korea. Her MBTI type is ISFJ. She was announced as a new member in 2022.
Hwiseo has been a trainee at The Black Label, Source Music, and FNC Entertainment. She went to Hanlim Multi Arts School, where she studied practical dance and graduated in 2021.
Hwiseo has trained for nine and a half years, and her role model is (G)I-dle’s Jeon Soyeon. She has a driver’s license and dreams of being an all-rounder, someone who can write her own lyrics, compose her own music, and create a connection with the audience. Her nickname is Na Heeyong. Hwiseo was a part of King of Masked Singer.
Yel
Han Shin Young, or Yel, is the Vocalist, Rapper, and Maknae of the girl group H1-KEY. She was born on December 25, 2004, at Jinhae-gu, Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. She was the first member to be revealed, and her MBTI type is ISTJ.
She studied at SDK Academy and won first place at JYP’s fifteenth open audition in 2019. She has also been a JYP trainee and passed the last audition round to be a trainee at Grandline Group in May 2021. She says her role model is Lee Hyori. Her nicknames are Shinchan and Snowball. Her total training period has been three years.
Debut
H1-KEY debuted under Grandline Group as a four-member girl group in South Korea. The members who first made a debut were Seoi, Riina, Yel, and Sitala on January 5, 2022.
Even though Sitala, who was the fourth member to be revealed, debuted with the girls, she left the group on May 25, 2022, just months after debuting, because of personal reasons.
Read: Girls’ Generation’s Net Worth: How Much Has The Veteran Group Earned
Songs and Albums
H1-KEY debuted with their single album Athletic Girl on January 5, 2022. This single album consists of three tracks. The first track is the title track itself. The second track is a PEEJAY Remix of the same song. Track three is the instrumental of the song.
A few months later, the group released their first maxi single album, Run, consisting of seven tracks, on July 6, 2022. The first song on the album was the title track.
Track two was titled Catch ‘n’ release, and track three was Heart Light. The following three tracks on the album were the instrumentals for all the three tracks mentioned before, respectively. The final and seventh track on the album was a Voice Letter from H1-KEY to their fans- M1-KEY.
This year on their one-year anniversary, the group has released their first mini album titled Rose Blossom. It consists of seven tracks starting with track one, which is Ring The Alarm.
Track two is the title track. Track three is Crown Jewel featuring artist Tachaya. Track four is the track dedicated to their fans and is titled You Are My Key (M1-KEY). Track five is called Dream Trip. Track six is the instrumental track for the title song. And lastly, track seven and the final track is a 2023 remaster of their debut song Athletic Girl.
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