KCRUSH Interview with BRAVE GIRLS

Brave Girls is a Korean girl group formed by the inventive rapper, songwriter and producer Brave Brother, the founder and CEO of Brave Entertainment. The group made their debut with the album The Difference in April of 2011.

In July of the same year, Brave Girls released Easily from their mini album Back to da Future, and later promoted a remix version.

The group went on a hiatus from early 2014 until 2016, and returned with seven members – the two founding members Hye-ran and Yoo-jin, joined by Eun-ji, Ha-yun, Min-young, Yu-jeong and Yu-na – while Eun-young, Seo-a and Ye-jin left the group in pursuit of other ventures.

Since Ha-yun is unable to join due to indefinite medical reasons, four members consisting of Min-young, Yu-jeong, Eun-ji and Yu-na make the current line-up of the group.

We were lucky to interview the Brave Girls, and took the time out to learn more about their personality, personal struggles, taste in fashion and what they like or dislike when it comes to food and much more. A massive thank you goes out to the girls and their staff for making this Kcrush interview happen. We wish the girls all the very best in their future endeavors!

Thank you for offering your precious time for this interview. Please introduce yourselves to our readers.

Min-young: Hello, this is Min-young and I am the main vocalist of Brave Girls.

Yu-jeong: Hello! This is Yu-jeong, the talkative one of Brave Girls.

Eun-ji: Hello, everyone. This is Eun-ji of Brave Girls!

Yu-na: Hi, this is Yu-na of Brave Girls.

What has changed for you the most since debut, and what were your dreams while growing up?

Min-young: Well, I used to like spending time at home alone, but since I met the other members in the group, I found myself enjoying spending quality time with them. My dream as a child, was a singer because I thought a singer dancing on a grand stage with bright lights was the coolest thing. However, I was still very young, so my dreams kept changing from dolphin trainer, action movie actor, fashion designer to ballerina and so on.

Yu-jeong: I don’t think anything has changed for me that much, since our debut. But at times, I do encounter people, especially the ones who served in the military, who recognize me when I am out and about in public. I was at a restaurant one time, and a staff there said that he was a fan who had recently got discharged, and served me a lot of food on the house. I think my dream as a child was a singer, but once I became one, I did go through a phase of feeling kind of empty inside, to be honest.

Eun-ji: I don’t think much has changed drastically for me but I think I’ve become more at ease. And being a flight attendant was my dream when I was growing up. 

Yu-na: I feel that my personality has changed. I’ve become more cautious and sensitive in some ways. I had multiple dreams while growing up, I wanted to become a singer, artist, veterinarian and etc.

What is the first thing that you do when you wake up in the morning?

Min-young: I kiss my cream-colored toy poodle, named Yam-yam.

Yu-jeong: I have a dog named “Laren – 라렌” that stays in the dormitory with me. So, I habitually check on my pet to see if it’s sick or anything. My Laren’s the best!

Eun-ji: I check my phone. ^_^

Yu-na: I weigh myself.

Recommend us any songs/albums that you frequently listen to. Which Brave Girls’ work are you the most attached to?

Min-young: I enjoy listening to albums by Tinashe and Kehlani, not only because they have trendy music but both artists are really great dancers. Since they are always full of energy and they look cool even to us females.

The song that I listen to the most these days is, Expectations by Lauren, a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony. My favorite Brave Girls’ album is definitely Rollin because although I am the most attached to it, there is so much about the record that I feel could’ve been done differently. There are many other great tracks on that album too. The third track Whatever from our third mini-album High Heels is also a personal favorite of mine.

Yu-jeong: Nowadays, I’m into songs by Jannabi rather than upbeat music. I generally tend to pay more attention to lyrics than the music, and Jannabi makes music that I appreciate and can relate to, as I grow older. The Brave Girls’ song that I am the most attached to would definitely be Rollin!!

Eun-ji: The song that I’ve been listening to most frequently is the Spring album by Park Bom sunbaenim. The single Spring has a great melody and I love the lyrics too.

The Brave Girls’ song that I am the most attached to is Rollin. I loved it the first moment I listened to it. Even after two years, it still feels refreshing and I don’t ever get tired of it.

I wish more people would know about the song!

Yu-na: These days, the song that I listen to most is Distance by Emily King. And the Brave Girls’ song that I am most attached to is Rollin.

Who do you respect the most currently?

Min-young: My mom. 

Yu-jeong: My parents. And Brave Brother, our CEO. Since I believe that my parents enabled me to have my dreams, while our CEO helped me to fulfill them. In the past, I used to think that people written about in text books were admirable, but now, I’ve realized that everyone is. Except for myself that is.

Eun-ji: My parents, for sure! It’s always been my parents for me. They always advise me, tell me about their life experiences and give me so much encouragement. 

Yu-na: My mother…

Please describe your ideal type of person.

Min-young: I have a lot of emotional ups and downs, so I think I’d like my ideal person to be of calm personality who can help me to keep me grounded.

Yu-jeong: Somebody that I can’t help loving.

Eun-ji: Someone courteous, honest and positive at all times.

Yun-a: A person who is humble and polite towards the people who are employed to do service work.

Name a food or beverage that you really like or dislike.

Min-young: Sushi is my favorite food, but I am not that keen on consuming shellfish or freshwater fish. What I hate the most are famine foods, and I prefer fruit juice over coffee.

My favorite is ginger ale and lemonade.

Yu-jeong: I really hate cucumbers and Korean melons. I like to eat giblets and sushi.

Eun-ji: I like western food the best, and like strawberry smoothies for beverages. I don’t like to eat Seonjiguk, Naejangtang, Fish roe soup, sea cucumber, Sea pineapple and etc.

Yu-na: I love Korean food, and dislike any food that has mushy textures, like puddings, dried persimmon, sushi…

How would you describe your dress code on a daily basis? Tell us which colors you like or dislike.

Min-young: When I’m out and about to and from the studio, I like to dress comfortably. But when I go out, I either dress in very simple outfits or something really glam, depending on my mood. I also enjoy adorning and love wearing hats. I am into accessories, bags, shoes and other features that complete a look. The color that I love the most is white, because it’s bright and so pretty.

Yu-jeong: I just like casual clothes, because I tend to get tired all day when I’m dressed in uncomfortable ensembles. I don’t like yellow and illuminous colors

Eun-ji: I like to wear feminine jackets and pants. Purple is the color that I love the most. Although I don’t have a color that I dislike, if I had to choose one, it’d be light green.

Yu-na: I dig wide or straight pants in dark blue, blue denim and light blue. I love black and white, and dislike illuminous colors.

Please recommend us any books, musicals or movies that you’ve enjoyed recently.

Min-young: I was searching for motivational books in order to boost my self-esteem, and found a good read called “There is no present that means Nothing – 아무것도 아닌 지금은 없다.” I also enjoyed watching a movie called Us with the members.

Yu-jeong: My all-time favorite movie is You are the Apple of My Eye. Whenever I watch it, I think to myself that I really didn’t know how to handle things when I was younger. It’s a kind of movie that makes me realize a lot of things, when I watch it over and over again. This movie also got me interested in learning Chinese.

Eun-ji: The most recent movies that I’ve watched are Believer and The outlaws, which I’ve watched respectively three times. I also watched Intimate Strangers and Extreme Job and laughed my way through the shows. For musicals, I’d recommend Jekyll & Hyde or Wicked.

Yu-na: I recommend you to watch My Blueberry Nights.

Where do you think is the best region in Korea for tourism?

Min-young: The best places for foreign tourists to visit in Korea is definitely Seoul or Jeju Island. However, if you’re like me and prefer mountainous areas valleys more than the seaside, Yangpyeong County would be great to visit too.

Eun-ji: Busan!!! I think it’s good for a visit the city due to its many places to visit and dine at. The public transport has become so convenient that it takes around 2 hours to get there from Seoul on a train.

Yu-jeong: Mangwon-dong in Seoul! It might not be considered as travelling or touring, but you’ll feel refreshed after walking down Mangwon market.

Yu-na: Jeju Island for me too.

In the future, where would you like to perform in the world?

Min-young: We’d love to do a performance anywhere overseas, if possible. We would really love to meet our international fans.

Yu-jeong: Japan. Or Hong Kong, which is where I used to live.

Eun-ji: Would love to do a lot of shows in Korea, and just about anywhere else in the world.

Yu-na: First, I’d love to perform at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium. And at Japan’s Tokyo Dome since it’s close from here and then, move on to perform in other countries.

(From left to right: Min-young, Yu-jeong, Eun-ji and Yu-na.)

Please wrap this interview by stating something about your future hopes and plans ahead. Add something nice to the fans as well.

Min-young: First, our goal is to showcase new music with unique and diverse concepts to our audience. We also want to meet our fans more often. So far, we haven’t gotten the chance to meet fans abroad, so I hope we get to have that opportunity in the near future.

Yu-jeong: In the past, I only thought about Brave Girls doing well and perform to more people. But now, I just wish that we don’t lose our hopes or dreams along the way. That way, we can give back the hopes and dreams to our fans, Fearless. I really don’t wish to disappoint them, when they’ve waited for us all this time. We really appreciate you and thank you.

Eun-ji: We want to make good music for you guys, and also appear on a lot of broadcasts! We have been on a hiatus for a long while, so we really appreciate our fan base, Fearless for your loyal support. We love you ever so much and thank you!!

Yu-na: I think one of our ultimate goals and hopes is to return with a great album. We are so thankful (and also feel apologetic) towards our fans, Fearless, for still being there for us. Together, we can make a better future for us all!

 — J.Chung.