H//PE Princess (ハイププリンセス or 하입 프린세스) is a South Korean-Japanese girl group that made its debut in May this year with the mini album 17.7. Consisting of seven members—COCO, YSY, YUJU, DOI, RINO, NIKO, and SUJIN—the group was created as a collaboration between South Korean company CJ ENM and Japanese company Hakuhodo. Each of the seven girls were participants on the competition show Unpretty Rapstar: Hip Pop.
This summer the group made their way to the U.S. to make their stateside debut at KCON LA. Ahead of their performance, Asia Blooming spoke with the members about becoming a group, making their debut album, and aspirations for the future.
When thinking back on their time pre-debut together on Unpretty Rapstar: Hip Pop Princess, the group agreed that their experience was what truly shaped them as individuals and as a group. “The seven members of H//PE Princess, each came from distinct backgrounds and met on the audition program,” NIKO shared. “We contribute unique talents in areas such as rapping, vocal performance, track production, and songwriting. By weaving these seven specialized talents together, we have developed a signature H//PE Princess style that resonates with a broad audience.”
The group’s first mini album, 17.7, is titled after the average of each member at debut. “It’s a very meaningful keyword as it represents the fact that we came together as one,” DOI revealed. The album is a combination of new tracks and songs from the members’ time on the competition show, adding an additional layer of meaning for the members. “I actually participated in the writing process for ‘DAISY’ and ‘gOOd!’ during the show, so it was especially meaningful for me,” DOI continued. “Having new and older music in one album felt especially enjoyable.”
17.7 also features “One Day,” which was written and produced by Taka of ONE OK ROCK. “We loved that the song was provided by Taka, but even beyond that, we just love the song itself,” YUJU started. “We spent a lot of time thinking about how to best bring this song to life and what kind of expressive qualities to add, and we kept it all in mind when recording it.”
Another track on the album was title song “Stolen,” which was produced by Dynamic Duo’s Gaeko. “Being our lead producer throughout the audition process, Gaeko was a supportive, fatherly figure for us,” RINO said. “As a Japanese member, I initially struggled with Korean pronunciation during our recording sessions, but he patiently guided me through the process. Working with him was a valuable experience, and I learned a lot from it.” In addition to being a gift from their mentor, the song itself also embodies the group’s mentality, carrying a message about not being confined by rules and turning anywhere into your own stage. “I believe our sense of freedom is most profound when we are on stage,” COCO shared. “While rehearsals require us to be a team and to perfect every detail, the live performance is where we truly shine. To fully express ourselves, it is important that we highlight our individual personalities while remaining supportive of one another. To me, that represents the ultimate form of freedom, which comes through with this song.”
For H//PE Princess, 17.7 was just the beginning of what they hope to be a long path together. “Our special characteristic is that our group consists of three Japanese members, three Korean members, and one Korean-Japanese member,” YSY said. “As we continue to work together, we communicate our cultures and different ways of life. Because of this, we are able to break not only the boundaries of Korea and Japan, but also the boundaries of hip hop, J-Pop, and K-Pop. I believe that this direction of dissolving boundaries aligns with our group’s directionality.” Continuing the sentiment, RINO also believes that each members’ individuality plays a key role in their cohesiveness as a group. “We are of varied individualities. Many fans discover H//PE Princess after being captivated by NIKO’s rapping or her specific vocal tone. Others find their way to us through SUJIN’s singing. This initial curiosity about a single member often leads listeners to ask, ‘who is she?,’ which leads to deeper understanding of our group as a whole.”
Although the group is relatively new to the scene, they’ve already caught the attention of the public. “The seven of us came together into existence as a group not only because of the support from Korean and Japanese fans, but thanks to our global fans as well,” SUJIN began. “We get our strength seeing the comments come through in all different languages, and it really inspires us to work harder. We’re so thankful.”
Thinking back on their journey thus far, each of the members offered advice to their younger selves from when they were thinking of auditioning for Unpretty Rapstar: Hip Pop Princess. “I was very scared at that time, so I would tell myself it’s okay to trust yourself, and that although it’s scary now, there will be many happy moments afterwards, so work hard to achieve your dream,” YUJU shared first. SUJIN was next, saying she’d tell herself to do her best in every moment and every scene, and to tough it out. Similarly, DOI would tell the herself to do her best and go to bed early. NIKO would say the same, also reminding herself not to be obsessed with being perfect, instead encouraging herself to enjoy every moment. Both COCO and RINO would reassure themselves to believe in their capabilities. For YSY, rather than reminders of strength, she would remind her of how time only moves forward: “This moment can never come back, so enjoy each one and continue to give it your all.”
Now that they’ve made their U.S. performance debut and have continued to pave their own paths together, they’re looking forward to a future together—one where they can continue to grow and blossom. “If we were still flower buds during the audition phase, we’re now at the stage of beginning to bloom into a flower,” SUJIN began. “We will put our colors that reflect our seven unique personalities into each petal, and we’ll continue to work harder so that we can bloom into a magnificent flower together one day.”
