Band members of South Korea’s K-Pop idol group TRI.BE belong
to different parts of the world but when they come together, they weave magic.
The group has released their second single album, Conmingo that amplifies their
signature “Girl Swag,” radiating self-confidence and joy. The same spark
reflects in the thought process of this seven-member troupe.

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The
first-of-its-kind quadrilingual group comprises Songsun, Jinha, Hyunbin, and
Soeun from Seoul, Kelly and Jia from Taipei, and Mire from Tokyo.

The band speaks and
sings in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean and is jointly produced by
K-pop songwriter Sinsadong Tiger and Universal Music Group. Earlier this year,
they teamed up with two of the most famous K-Pop producers in the world,
S.Tiger and EXID’s ELLY, for the two tracks on TRI.BE Da Loca, generating five
million-plus streams right out of the gate. The two have come together yet
again with TRI.BE to create another exciting mini-album with Conmingo.

In an interview with
Opoyi, the septet talks about growing K-Pop culture across the world, their
competitions like BTS and other boy bands, and how India is a market for them as
artists.

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Excerpts from the
interview.

Opoyi: You are a seven-member girl band – what inspired you to form
this band?

TRI.BE: Among many
trainees, we were selected because we were great for each other, and we could
create a synergy as a band. Seven girls who have the same dream teamed up to
combine our strengths and formed TRI.BE

Opoyi: Tell us about your second single album ‘CONMIGO’ and your
recent release ‘RUB-A-DUM’.

TRI.BE: The title of
our album, CONMIGO, means ‘with me’ in Spanish. The title track, RUB-A-DUM, is
inspired by the children’s story “The Pied Piper”. As the pied piper
plays his pipe to gather the townspeople, we wanted the audience to have fun
with TRI.BE.

In the age and time when K-pop is usually relatable to BTS
and other boy bands, how is TRI.BE as a girl band trying to create its own
space in the music world?

SongSun: Each of us
has our own strengths, and we help each other to maximize them. Also, we are
practicing hard to prepare for an incredible performance. Because we are young,
we have more potential. Please keep watching how we improve in time, you will
not be disappointed!

Kelly: TRI.BE stands
for “Triangle”, the symbol of perfection, and “Being”. Together, it means “A
perfect being”. We believe that we are perfect as we are, and we should not
care how other people see us.

JinHa: There are a
lot of different concepts, but we know what suits us the best. We try to
maintain our concept based on our individuality.

HyunBin: We try out
new genres or concepts that other artists have not tried yet. Then we make it
our own to keep our uniqueness.

Jia: We always work
hard to maintain our concept and proudly present ourselves to the public.

SoEun: I believe that
we can only become perfect by loving ourselves as we are. We should search for
our true colors, not follow someone else.

MiRe: I consider our
powerful performance and catchy tunes as our strong suit. We try to maintain
our uniqueness by nurturing it!

Opoyi: Do you keep a close eye on your competitions while creating
music?

SongSun: We meet
other artists during our promotions, and I think that every one of them is
incredible in his or her own way. I learn a lot by watching the performances of
other artists. I would like to get to know them in the future.

 Kelly: I want to get
closer to other bands rather than feeling competitive.

JinHa: We get to
watch senior artists perform on stage during promotions, and we learn a lot
from them in many ways.

HyunBin: We have met
a lot of different artists. Since they have more experience than us, we have so
much to learn from them. Not only do we monitor our own performances, but we
also look at other artists.

Jia: We have met many
senior artists during our promotions. We have also learned a lot from
monitoring their performances on music programs. If I get a chance, I hope I
can be friends with other artists.

SoEun: When I watched
senior idols perform on stage, I thought, ‘I want to be like them someday.’
Their performances are truly admirable.

MiRe: There are many
things we can learn from other bands. We watch their performance to practice
our facial expressions or acting skills.

Opoyi: How do you inspire yourself to be different and unique with
your music especially when K-pop is on the rise globally including in India?

SongSun: I challenge
myself and try to find my own specialty. In the past, I had practiced
impersonating other characters. I even tried to mimic the sound of a machine
that I heard on the street. But I realized that it is best to focus on music
and choreography.

Kelly: I remind
myself that we do not have to follow other bands, and we are perfect as we are.

JinHa: Sometimes, I
get discouraged by other people. In those times, I focus on loving and
believing in myself. I keep telling myself to not compare myself with other
people.

HyunBin: Rather than
being afraid of new challenges, I practice even more to embrace them and make
them my own.

Jia: I always try new
things and challenge myself. I also do my best to show different sides of
myself.

SoEun: As I have
mentioned before, I believe that I am perfect as is and do not have to follow
others.

MiRe: When I have low
self-confidence or feel like things are not going well, I go on walks to clear
my head. When I am motivated again after walking, I continue my work.

Opoyi: How do you treat India as a market for K-pop music
consumption and is there something that attracts you about the country?

SongSun: There are a
lot of talented artists in India. India has a lot of cultural heritage, and the
arts are delicate.

Jia: I really like
Indian music. When I get a chance, I would like to try out various musical
styles.

MiRe: The sound of
sitar or tabla in Indian music is beautiful. I also think that the curry and
the architecture of India are intriguing.

Opoyi: Why do you think K-pop needs equal treatment just like any
other art form especially when award functions are applauding it?

TRI.BE: Music is
music. No matter what genre it is, we believe that all types of music require
great amounts of effort and thoughts. Not only just K-Pop, but all forms of
music should be treated equally for the amazing creativity people put into
them!

Opoyi: What next for you as band in terms of performances,
concerts, albums?

SongSun: We will be
coming back with a more powerful song and performance. Also, we will express
our identity more with our new album. There is a lot of exciting content on the
way, and we will be interacting more actively through our live streams. Please
look forward to our upcoming projects, and keep sending us your love! Thank you
so much for liking us. We love you.

Kelly: We will come
back with upgraded performance. Please look forward to it!

JinHa: We will keep
on improving ourselves to show you a better performance. We are also planning
to interact with our fans in various ways through online platforms. Please look
forward to our development at each stage!

HyunBin: Please look
forward to our new concepts, improved performances, and our growth as artists.
If the opportunity arises, we would like to perform concerts in other
countries, including India!

Jia: Thank you for
always supporting and loving us. We will keep on preparing various content and
awesome shows, so please look forward to them. We love you

SoEun: TRI.BE will
come back with a more amazing performance, so please look forward to our next
comeback! Also, I hope that we can hold concerts in India one day.

MiRe: We are planning
on showing you different and improved TRI.BE. Also, we will be uploading new
content and covers. Please look forward to seeing them!