#*luxe

The first teaser contained a simple theme. I believe this girl was once a Nova trainee—the only one on Royal Survival, correct me if I’m wrong, because I haven’t watched the show—and she went on to be one of the winners. Nam Dawon, or I guess I should start referring to her as Sona from now on, has some major pipes. From the clips I’ve watched on Youtube, she’s like the Korean Whitney Houston. Her teaser video was (visually) so pretty too, vaguely reminiscent of a scene from a Kdrama. You know, the ones where the guy watches the girl from afar, completely enamored by the way her face scrunches in concentration, eyes following the pencil as it curves elegantly along the paper? That kind of cliche. The song, however, feels a little too familiar, or is the proper term “basic?” I’m not a huge fan of ballads and the songs that you can cry to, so maybe that’s why it didn’t get me very excited. I’m curious, though, is that really her own drawing? If so, that’s so much talent in one body.

So, I did a little digging on the next teaser’s member, and turns out she’s Jegal Seoyoung. She’s going by the name Yena while promoting as a member of LUXE, and the nickname is just as cute as her teaser. Her visuals? EVEN BETTER. Although her face looks a little rounder and chubbier than the previous member, she’s got this refreshing smile that makes you want to protect her. Her concept for the teaser was adorable; I loved seeing her dance along with the music while doing her skincare routine. It felt so relatable, as I bet a lot of women do the same or something similar (I know I do). I’m happy that the song played in her teaser is a little more upbeat, though it seems kind of… cutesy? It matches Yena, no doubt, but I just guess I expected a concept along the lines of girl-crush for Royal.

Next up was a former KT trainee. I think I might be the first to say this, but I was really disappointed with Jo Eunae’s teaser. When I searched her name on Youtube for clips of her on Royal Survival, I fell in love with her rapping style. Eunae Xayah has such strong charisma that naturally, you want to root for her. She’s a dancer and rapper, so of course she has to exude a certain energy. But I feel like her teaser didn’t do her enough justice; it was too lackluster. It’s just a clip of her looking pretty while jogging in a fairly dangerous space? There’s nothing memorable about it, which is sad because she’s one of the members I WANT to be able to remember and support. The song itself that’s played in the background is definitely more fierce than the prior ones, so I’m hoping it’s a title track.

We’ve seen this next member everywhere: in a documentary, a live stage, and a music video. Finally, she’s debuting! But I see Yang Jiwon’s received a rather Western-sounding stage name. She’s to go by Celine now? Whatever her stage name is, she’s beyond beautiful. Is she a visual? Because with a face like that, she’s bound to draw in male and female viewers alike. Seriously, how can someone look so pretty while grocery shopping? Spoiler alert: I’m the cashier gawking at her. Just kidding, obviously. Once again, we can hear a snippet of that overly cutesy song, but staring at Celine’s face, I don’t exactly care? There could be a song about rotten milk playing in the background but she’d smile and I’d be okay with it.

Another Western name used for a stage name, Kim Seolhyun seriously looks like a doll. After watching her videos in Royal Survival and Season 3 of the MGA’s, along with this teaser, I believe she’ll be the main dancer? Her movements are graceful and soft, deliberate in every way. No wonder Byun Baekhyun (trainee, participant on MGA3) had heart eyes for her? LOL. The thing I love most, is that she genuinely looks like she’s having fun. It doesn’t look like a job where she’s being directed what to do, but she truly enjoys and loves moving to the beat of the music. That said, I’m still not too fond of the song played in this teaser, and I probably never will be, but Ella’s dancing certainly warmed me up to the song in the slightest bit. She reminds me of those ballerinas that spin on music boxes.

And here’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: Lee Jihyun. Perhaps one of the best known trainees in Royal, she’s been everywhere as Jihyun. From MGA1, to Dream High, to live stages, to coaching on MGA3, this girl has done it all (a whole Jung Daehyun belongs in the “all” category as well, huh? LOL). Now, debuting under the name Cheri, we can see her adorable and silly side. I know I act the same after waking in the morning. Yet, despite our actions being similar, she looks even prettier than I do when waking up. Wait, did I phrase that wrong? I sound too vain, right? LOL, who cares.

I have to say I’m still confused on the concept of LUXE’s debut, though. Some of it is soft, coffee shop-esque, while some of it is club-worthy. Seems a little messy to me. Royal’s had some of these trainees for years, so you’d think they’d have come up with something more… I don’t know, just more? We know what these girls can do after watching them on survival shows. So Jisub, don’t limit them! Nonetheless, I hope LUXE shines once they debut. I’ll always be supportive of girl groups, as they never get as much exposure as the boys. Stupid meninists.

That’s all for today, folks! Let me know underneath this blog post, or contact me on twitter @naomiwj, if you have any questions for me, if you have a request for a group, or if you just wanna chat! 

Thanks for reading, fellow netizens!