Girl band GWSN debuts with fantasy-themed album

SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Yonhap) — GWSN, a K-pop female septet with Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese members, debuted with a fantasy-themed album on Wednesday under the tutelage of big name K-pop producer Kim Hyung-seok.

The girl band, whose Korean full name translates into “Girls in the Park” in English, came to light after three years of training with Kiwi Media Group, an entertainment company owned by Kim.

Kim is one of the best-known K-pop songwriters, whose ballads sung by such famous singers as Shin Seung-hun, Kim Kun-mo and Park Jin-young formed K-pop’s mainstay in the 1990s. Kim also composed hit dance songs for girl band Babyvox and Yoo Seung-jun.

Kim composed “Let It Grow: a Little Tree,” one of the six tracks for GWSN’s new album “The Park in the Night,” released on Wednesday.

The album is led by “Puzzle Moon,” a track with a deep house beat and a storyline of putting together a puzzle of the moon in the hope of realizing the girls’ dreams and ambitions.

Member Lena said the girl band aims as high as snatching this year’s rookie of the year award.

“As we have an eye on the rookie of the year award, we are making efforts in our music, choreography and concept because we have many competitive (rival) groups. We will diligently run toward the award,” she said in a media showcase of the album.

Girl band GWSN showcases their debut album “The Park in the Night” on Sept. 5, 2018. (Yonhap)

“A park is where anyone, who is male or female or old or young, can go and enjoy themselves, heal their wounds and dream,” member Anne said of the band’s name.

The English name GWSN, the initials of the band’s four-syllable Korean name, also refers to ground, west, south and north, meaning the band will reach out to people from every direction, member Seokyoung said.

The band includes Japanese member Miya and Taiwanese member Soso.

“My mother is Chinese and my father is Taiwanese,” Soso said, adding that her background would add to the community of Taiwanese and Chinese entertainers active in the K-pop scene, such as TWICE’s Taiwanese member Tzuyu.

“I want to perform as splendidly as those who came before me,” she said.

The first GWSN album is a collection of many different music genres, ranging from ballad and R&B to house, woven in with the band’s unique storytelling, their agency said.

Girl band GWSN showcases their debut album “The Park in the Night” on Sept. 5, 2018. (Yonhap)