K-pop girl group ANS only debuted with ‘Boom Boom‘ on September 16th, yet their latest comeback has already begun making waves — clearly, it’s all in the name. With performances that speak of fierce, unyielding confidence, there’s no doubt these girls have limitless potential, but there’s still plenty we don’t know about them. ANS (에이엔에스), short for Angel N Soul, have two music videos that have hit the million-view mark on YouTube. Their latest comeback ‘Say My Name‘ has even garnered over two million views now. OH! Press gets a look into their backstories, industry inspirations, and dreams as we interview ANS, featuring questions from three lucky OneHallyu users.
ANS only recently debuted but Say My Name has already received well over a million views on YouTube. Would you say that this is your most satisfying experience since debut? If not, what is?
Raon: At first we were aiming to hit 1 million views with ‘Boom Boom’ but once we starting noticing that ‘Say my name’ hit 2 million views, I was just extremely happy and grateful.
Haena: I had an amazing experience! Not only because of the views but also because of the number of hits from the music show chart! Everything was amazing, and I’m so thankful to my fans.
You’ve now had the chance to perform live on music shows. Have you had the chance to meet seniors you look up to?
Lina: Yes, it was amazing to meet the seniors I’ve always seen on TV. It was amazing to see their performances up close.
Bian: It was like a dream, to be able to see my seniors whom I’ve always respected.
What about seniors who you haven’t had the chance to meet? Did anyone inspire you to become an idol?
Raon & Haena: We’ve really looked up to Sunmi! We hope, we can someday see her perform live!
Bian: When I was young, I dreamed of becoming a singer after seeing BoA. She really made an impact on the kind of work ethic I want to have as an idol.
J: I used to watch BTS’ Suga’s rap so ever since then I decided to work really hard to become an amazing artist like him.
Lina: I have been touched and inspired by Park Hyo Shin since I was in middle school. He is such an amazing singer!
Dalyn & DamI & Royeon: Girls’ Generation is our role model! It’s so cool to them maintain friendships with the team for a long time and we want to be like that, too!
Tell us more about yourselves before your debut. How were you discovered and how long have each of you been training for this moment?
Dalyn: I prepared alone since I was in elementary school. I practised singing and dancing while watching videos. I joined a company for the first time when I was in high school. Since then, I was fortunate to join ANS Entertainment and through endless sweat and tears, I was finally able to join and debut with ANS!
Royeon: My trainee period was about a year. I was introduced by my friend to ANS. The company staff treated us like a family and supported us for our skills, so I had a great time during the training period.
Raon: I first started out as a trainee at 16. It was a dream that I had since I was young. I participated in many auditions and was lucky enough to pass as a trainee through the years. It feels amazing, to now, be able to say that I’ve achieved my dream!
Describe your first impressions when you met the person next to you. What did you think of them?
Royeon→J: I didn’t have a friend of the same age in the group, so I was glad and excited to work along with J. At first, I thought J would be cold because she seemed kinda cold, but she turned out to be such a cute and nice friend!
J→DamI: When I first joined ANS, it was Dami who spoke to me first. She was really friendly! Thanks to her, I was able to relax a lot.
DamI→Haena: Haena is like a cute little sister who is not shy, she’s bright, and compliments people a lot!
Haena→Dalyn: I thought Dalyn was too cool for me at first, but she always takes my pranks so well that it’s so much fun to play with her! She’s always kind enough to teach me everything, and she’s such a nice sister who looks like the puss in boots!
Dalyn→Raon: When we first met, I thought, ‘Wow! she’s so white like ‘Snow White!’. Raon is so cute, tall, and pretty… I love her!
Raon→Lina: I thought Lina would be the scariest at first because she was the oldest, but she’s so friendly that I had no choice but to love her!
Lina→Bian: When I first met Bian, I first noticed how good at dancing she was, on top of being so pretty. I just thought to myself that I’m going to need to really work hard.
Bian→Royeon: I was surprised to hear Royeon’s powerful voice! And unlike her first impression, she was a lovely sister who liked cute and adorable things!
What was the toughest part of your training? Any struggles that you still wish to overcome or continue to work on?
Royeon: I think it was the dieting. I lost 11kg in order to debut. I was 39kg at that time. I gained some weight again now hahaha but I still think dieting is the most difficult part.
J & Haena: Since we joined the group late, I think it was a bit hard to learn and match the dance. But we were able to overcome it because all the members helped us a lot.
In between all that training, how did you like to wind down and relax?
Dalyn: After the schedule, I read a book or talked with the members at the dorm.
Raon: I enjoy my own time. I usually spend time with my family or watch movies or cartoons alone at home when I get vacation.
J: I relieve stress by playing gun games or fishing, and I go to pretty cafes and take lots of pictures!
Now that you’ve debuted, what do you think sets you apart from others? What do you think draws eyes on you, like in your lyrics in ‘Say My Name’(날 보 는 너의 눈빛은 go wow!)?
Lina: Each one of us has a very distinct character, so I think people don’t get to tired of us. I think our viewers like that we dance in our uniforms.
Haena: Like a rainbow of eight colors, each member is full of charm, and there are many fun sides too!
New year, new goals. Share with us your new year resolutions as a group.
DamI: The goal of 2020 is for ANS is to become more popular. I hope that we can be on stage at the year-end award ceremony!
Raon: I want to let our fans hear another great album! I hope to better than I was during ‘Say my name’. Also, if I have one big goal, its to win first place on a music show!
OneHallyu Users Interview: ANS
Where would any girl group be without their fans, right? OH! Press took to the streets forum to get fans to join us as we interview ANS with any questions they’d like the girls to answer. We found responses aplenty, but selected only three lucky ones. Here’s what ANS had to say!
From Callmeashy : What was the biggest difference between your idea of being an idol and the reality
Raon: When you look at an idol group on stage, they look beautiful and amazing, but behind the scene, they work and practice endlessly. Just like any person’s dream, to become an Idol you can only achieve it with hard work and dedication.
Haena: I think we have put in more effort to show a great performance. We have more responsibility to repay our fans who love us.
From Marinette : Do you have any fun stories coming from your trainee days (or from your practices) which you would like to share? (Good luck and fighting ANS!)
Lina: I always enjoy spending time and doing activities together. I remember having cheating days while being on our diets. it was also so much fun going to the movies together.
J: I remember secretly buying triangle kimbap at a convenience store while pretending to go to the bathroom hahaha.
Royeon: When I was on a diet, I gained 5kg in 5 days, but lost 8 kg in a week. I was surprised, too hahahaha.
From Danee Danee : What would be your ideas for fandom name?
Bian: We are Angels so I think a fandom name that has a fresh and clean meaning will be cool. Maybe anything to do with Angel, Wings, and feathers.
Dalyn: I personally thought about ‘Jerrys’ it’s the ending sound of ‘Anglie’! It just sounds too cute!
DamI: What about Angel and Soul’s abbreviation, AN-SO<3?
