Rescene Minami: "No to Gal Retirement! I'll Show You the Charm of Being a 'Pretty Girl' Singer First!" [Interview Part 2]

*This content was translated by AI.

You never know when, where, or how a hit will explode!

In the first half of this year, a Japanese member named Minami from the group Rescene (Won-i, Reeb, Minami, Mei, Jena) casually said "Geoje, Yaho~!" in an original content piece, and the phrase unexpectedly swept across South Korea with its peculiar addictiveness. It has become one of the most prominent "catchphrases of 2026," reflecting the explosive surge in public interest in the group Rescene.

How did "Geoje" and "Yaho" come to be combined so unexpectedly? The turning point for Rescene's fate came on March 6, when a video titled "Learning Japanese from a Former Gal" was uploaded not to the official Rescene channel but to Won-i's personal YouTube channel, "Hello, I'm Won-i. Please Take Care of Me." In the video, Minami, acting in her Japanese "gal mode," taught Won-i Japanese but ended up going off the rails. The situation comedy received positive reactions, and on March 20, a follow-up video titled "I Learned About Gal Posture" was released consecutively.

In this episode, Minami transformed her appearance completely into a gal, prompting Won-i to exclaim, "If you go to Geoje looking like that now, the citizens of Geoje will scold you!" However, Minami cheerfully replied without caring, saying "Geoje, Yaho~!" (Hello, Geoje!), which drew laughter and helped spread the content through word of mouth.

Those who enjoyed the content naturally became interested in the Rescene members themselves. The agency Gamdassal ("Full of Life"), sensing the moment, began showcasing each member's charm one by one. Content featuring Won-i from Geoje and Jena from Gyeongju speaking their local dialects in Seongsu-dong, as well as Reeb and Mei acting like a duo reminiscent of "Pat and Mat" while envying Won-i and Minami, all achieved massive view counts. As of the 2nd, the YouTube channel "Hello, I'm Won-i. Please Take Care of Me." surpassed 1.2 million subscribers, with their videos averaging 4 to 5 million views and reaching as high as 8 million views at peak.

Interest in Rescene did not stop at their content but extended to their main profession: singing. As the saying goes, opportunities come to those who are prepared; coincidentally, Rescene's existing songs hit the public's taste perfectly. Their 2024 release "Love Attack" (LOVE ATTACK) made a remarkable chart comeback, climbing to third place on Melon's daily chart as of the 2nd. Cities representing each member's hometown—Geoje (Won-i), Suwon (Reeb), Gyeongju (Jena), and Goyang (Mei)—appointed Rescene as promotional ambassadors, while popular brands such as convenience store chain CU began selecting them as models.

Riding this momentum, Rescene is scheduled to release a single titled "Pretty Girl" (프리티 걸) on the 8th at 6 p.m., a remake of KARA's hit song "Pretty Girl." This marks their first album release since becoming popular idols after debuting with the digital single "Runaway" in April, drawing significant attention.

Recently, Rescene sat down with StarNews to discuss their surprise comeback popularity just two years after debut and shared insights on their new song "Pretty Girl."

-Continuing from Interview Part 1

-Could you introduce your new song "Pretty Girl"? Why did you decide to remake a senior group KARA's song at this point?

▶Won-i: After trying out the gal style, we felt it suited us well, so we chose a song that fits the current era.

▶Mei: The company decided on the song for us. It was incredibly fun to prepare, and since this is our first remake, we feel both nervous and excited.

-What are your goals for this "Pretty Girl" promotion?

▶Won-i: Many people still don't know about Rescene, so I feel we need to spread the word even more. If we could dream, our goal is to win first place on music shows this time!

▶Mei: We are known as a group with entertaining content, so we hope that through this promotion, many people will also come to see our stage performances.

-Minami recently said she wanted to show her true self and announced a temporary break from the gal character transformation. This decision by "Gamdassal" at the right timing has even earned praise.

▶Minami: Many people seem to think I'm retiring from being a gal, but that's a misunderstanding. While it's great that many recognize me through my gal character, I wanted to show more of my true inner self rather than just the gal image. However, I was surprised when articles came out with phrases like "graduating from gal" or "no longer doing gal." If given the chance, I can still be a gal again.

-Continuing to Interview Part 3

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*This content was translated by AI.