South Korean girl group H1-KEY debuted in January 2022 with their first ever single  “ATHLETIC GIRL.” Managed under the Grandline Group, they consist of members: SEOI, RIINA, HWISEO, and YEL, who in January 2024 began the H1-KEYnote project. Sharing H1-KEY's untold stories and messages with their fans, M1-KEY, the K-Pop quartet aims to send comfort and sentiment to listeners through the power of their music -- with no restrictions to their expressions. So far, they have released two digital singles: “Thinkin’ About You” and “Deeper.” 

The latest single, “Deeper,” was released on February 27 across all major streaming platforms coupled with a performance video on YouTube which has now garnered more than 3 million views. To talk more about the release, the H1-KEYnote project as a whole, and their journey as musicians so far, H1-KEY held a press conference. The members opened up the conference cheerfully with their group greeting, “Go Run! Hi, this is H1-KEY!” 

When asked about where the inspiration came from for the H1-KEYnote project, aside from the message of comfort and hope to M1-KEY, SEOI revealed that the project was also a new chance to showcase more of their musicality and voices in different ways for their fans to see. This was first shown with “Thinkin’ About You” as it not only was the group’s first ever full English track, but it was also their first song about love and breakup as HWISEO described it. However, “Deeper” showcases a completely different side of the girls. When asked about its significance to the members, YEL shared how the song brought tears to her eyes when she first listened to it as it captured the message of bidding farewell to memories of sorrow and pain. 

"Deeper" and "Thinkin' About You" are two emotional songs with very different storylines. Is there a specific track between them that you feel more connected to or that you gravitate more towards to?

SEOI: Personally, I resonate more with "Deeper.” Not only does this song embody our group's core themes of empathy and solace, but it also speaks about the strength and determination needed to persevere through pain and sorrow. Listening to "Deeper" motivates me to work harder while offering a comforting sense of reassurance.

Aside from sending messages of comfort and hope to your fans, what do you feel is the best part of this H1-KEYnote project?

RIINA:  The best aspect of the H1-KEYnote project is our ability to explore genres not included in our previous albums and showcase different vocal tones than what our title songs typically offer. We dedicated ourselves to this preparation, and I'm pleased with the final result.

Throughout the conference, the members also conveyed their desires for this year such as being able to tour internationally to meet M1-KEY and to continue showing all the different sides and charms to them both individually and as a group that is H1-KEY. RIINA also stated how they would love to learn and be more involved in the songwriting process of future releases if the opportunity were to arise. Furthermore, when speaking about musical influences and their seniors within the industry, SEOI shared that while they were not able to directly work with DAY 6’s Young K, who co-wrote “Deeper,” the lyrics that he wrote for the track sparked motivation for her. She also mentioned that in the times that they all have had the chance to run into each other, he has always given the group encouraging words and advice.

H1-KEY closed the conference by thanking everyone for their time, questions and support. They also conveyed their excitement for all future releases to come both from the HI-KEYnote project and themselves. All the girls were extremely welcoming, cheery and so passionate about not only their music but about how much they cherish the support and love from M1-KEY. At HALSUG, we cannot wait to continue seeing what this amazing group will release in the future!

What do you think of the H1-KEYnote project? Let us know by leaving a comment below or by reaching out on Instagram or X(Twitter).

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Edited by Martina Yee