New girl group HINAPIA recently sat down for an interview with Joy News 24.

Although it’s only been three weeks since the group’s debut with “DRIP,” four of the five members were formerly part of the group PRISTIN, which announced their disbandment this past May, making HINAPIA’s debut a little different.

After first appearing as Pledis Entertainment trainees on “Produce 101” in 2016, Minkyung, Yebin, Kyungwon, and Eunwoo debuted with six other girls as PRISTIN in March of 2017. Like HINAPIA’s debut single title “NEW START,” their debut with HINAPIA marks exactly that for the girls. Regarding their busy promotions, Kyungwon shared, “It’s our first stage in around two years. I felt nervous and pressured because we had to show a new side of ourselves. But now it’s okay.” Eunwoo added, “Our fans welcomed us more than we had anticipated. It was fascinating.” Yebin continued, “I was happy just to be able to stand on stage again. I was thankful to be able to sing while receiving the audience’s applause under the stage lights. I am happy to be able to stand on stage again.”

In regards to their decision to debut again, Minkyung explained, “When PRISTIN disbanded, we talked with our agency. There were members who wanted to study, and there were members who wanted to do their own thing. We discussed among ourselves what we would do if our team disbanded. After that discussion, the members who said ‘I want to continue promoting as a singer in the future’ were us four.” The girls added, “From our perspective, our disbandment was regretful, but we think that our agency had no choice. Thanks to some good discussions, we were able to think about it realistically.”

In addition to the four former PRISTIN members, HINAPIA includes 18-year-old Bada. The girls shared praise for their maknae, with Yebin sharing, “She is mature enough that I can depend on her. When we complain that we’re tired from practicing, she tells us, ‘Stay strong a little more,'” and Yebin finished off by describing Bada as a “ball of luck who rolled our way.” Eunwoo also shared, “She’s both like an adult and a baby. Her character and her tone are unique. She has good endurance. If we dance once or twice, you can tell, but she doesn’t fall apart.” Bada replied, “At first, I was really nervous. I thought I couldn’t make a mistake and I was scared. Since the other members were so good to me, I was able to adjust well.”

Many people questioned why the girls added a new member to their group, so Eunwoo explained, “We needed something new. Bada is refreshing even if she doesn’t do anything. You can feel the cute nervousness and awkwardness that she has as a rookie.”

When asked to compare their debut as PRISTIN and as HINAPIA, Minkyung answered, “Our debut with PRISTIN is probably how Bada feels debuting now. If we were just nervous and excited then, now we feel more determined and think we have to do better.” Eunwoo continued, “When we debuted as HINAPIA, I didn’t want people to think, ‘I feel bad for them because they’re disbanded idols.’ Since it’s our second time, I wanted to show ourselves more undeniably.” Yebin concluded, “It’s meaningful that we came all the way here together. The opportunities we have to make ourselves known are precious, and we are thankful for each and every little thing. Our will to work harder is big.”

The girls explained that they want to achieve the dreams they were not able to with PRISTIN, sharing, “Not because we weren’t able to as PRISTIN, but because we enjoy the stage, we want to do a concert. We want to do a loaded HINAPIA solo concert where you can’t go home.” The group also added hopes like appearing on “Queendom 2,” fan meetings, and overseas tours. Bada concluded, “I want to stand on many stages, for a long time,” which all the other members agreed with.

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