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ATHEART opens up about their comeback, finding their confidence
Rising K-pop group ATHEART is stepping into a bold new era with their first comeback since debut — and they’re doing it with confidence. The members of ATHEART spoke with FOX LA about the inspiration behind their new track, "Shut Up", the message of trusting your instincts, and how their music and performances have evolved since their debut last year.
LOS ANGELES - K-pop girl group ATHEART is embracing a new era of confidence with their first comeback since their debut. The group spoke with FOX LA about their latest music, their growth as artists, and what fans can expect from this new comeback.
ATHEART – which consists of Arin, Michi, Katelyn, Bome, Seohyeon, and Nahyun – says their comeback already feels different from the moment they debuted last August.
"It’s really special that we’re able to have our comeback this year," Michi said. "This time we’re coming back stronger, bolder, and with a lot more confidence."
The group’s new title track, "Shut Up," delivers a playful yet confident message — encouraging listeners to trust their instincts and embrace their inner strength.
"‘Shut Up’ is a song that shows ATHEART’s confident side," Bome explained. "At the same time, you can also see our cute and playful side."
Bome also mentioned that "Shut Up" reminded her of the group’s pre-debut song "Good Girl (AtHeart)," but "Shut Up" highlights a more confident and bold side of ATHEART. The members say that their confidence has grown naturally as they’ve gained experience performing and recording together.
"At the beginning, everything was new to us," Katelyn said. "As we kept gaining more experience, [we] slowly started to trust ourselves, like our gut instincts, and that’s why this song is actually like extra special to us."
The group also highlighted their other main track "Butterfly Doors," which showcases their vocal abilities and growth as performers. Bome said the group worked especially hard on this song and hopes it introduces new listeners to ATHEART’s music.
"If you listen to ‘Butterfly Doors,’ you’ll probably become curious about our other songs too," she said.
As a multilingual group with members from different backgrounds, ATHEART says they have learned a lot from each other while training and promoting together. Katelyn, who is from the Philippines, and Michi, who is from Hawaii, said their members helped them adjust to Korean culture and language. Despite the challenges of adapting to a new country, both say Korea has started to feel like home.
"We’re just really grateful to have such nice members who take care of us somewhere that’s away from home," Michi said.
Looking ahead, the group says they want to continue experimenting with new genres as they work toward finding their unique sound. Katelyn mentioned she would like to try jazz, while Michi and Nahyun expressed interest in band-style music. Bome said she would like to explore rock, with Nahyun adding that the genre might suit the group "better than people expect." The members also agreed that R&B is another style they would love to try in the future.
As ATHEART approaches their first anniversary later this year, the group says they hope to continue growing while staying true to themselves.