Kiss Of Life on playing London and two years as a K-Pop phenomenon

When Kiss of Life launched in July 2023, the group made the bold claim that they plan on “revitalizing and bringing fresh life to the K-pop scene,” just like their name suggests.

Almost two years on from their debut, the four-member group – consisting of Julie, Natty, Belle and Haneul – have released three mini-albums, gained millions of fans across the world and are currently in the midst of their debut world tour.

However, despite the success and acclaim, Julie believes that the group still haven’t quite achieved their goal of bringing fresh life to the K-pop scene as they remain determined and focused on pushing their musical talents to new heights.

“We are just enjoying being ourselves! We are just enjoying spending time with our Kissys [their fandom name] while we explore new music and evolve as artists,” said Julie. “But we do plan on pushing ourselves to the limit while really staying true to our identity, and maybe one day we will end up breathing fresh air into the K-pop scene!”

As a mark of their growing global fanbase, Kiss of Life are in the midst of their debut world tour – which included a headline show at London’s indigo at The O2 on March 6 in front of a sold-out 2000-capacity crowd.

The London show was a red letter day for Kiss of Life as ahead of the show they exclaimed their excitement to get the opportunity to play in the UK for the first time.

“I’m excited about this city!! I’ve never been to London before, and I’ve always wanted to visit. I’m so happy that we’re having a concert here and I get to meet the fans in London. What I hope the fans are looking forward to is just the energy of Kiss of Life,” said Natty. “I hope everyone enjoys the show and has a great time with us! Also, unlike the North American tour, the setlist is different, and we’ve prepared the Kiss Chair a little differently for the European tour.”

Ever since their debut, Kiss of Life have had an ever-evolving style and showcased a willingness to be fearless with their music. The group keeps their fans guessing as they have performed everything from Pop to EDM to R&B and Hip-Hop.

“We always try to make bold moves and take chances when it comes to our music. We’re not afraid to try new things, and we tend to trust our gut, just going with the flow and seeing how it turns out.  Because we believe that there would be so many different sides to us that we have yet to discover,” said Belle.

This unpredictability comes from the distinct talents and influences that all four members bring to the table as they effortlessly strive to push their music to new limits.

For example, Natty’s love for R&B has helped shape the K-pop group’s distinctive sound as her biggest role models are Tinashe and Kehlani and has showcased her love for the genre with her solo single, ‘Sugarcoat.’

“I grew up listening to hip-hop, R&B, and pop songs! Since I started with street dance at a young age, I listened to a lot of old-school 90s music and was exposed to that culture, which I think gave me a lot of inspiration for my music today, said Natty. “When I was younger, I used to watch pop stars’ performances, and I think I learned a lot about stage attitude, manners, and skills from them.”

Similarly, main vocalist Belle’s talent have given the group a real edge as she was tapped for stardom from a young age but not as a singer. The Seattle-born star worked as a producer and songwriter for SM Entertainment when she was in high school and composed songs for artists such as Miyeon – from (G)-IDLE and LE SSERAFIM and has continued to write hit songs for Kiss of Life such as ‘Sticky’ and ‘Shhh.’

“I was lucky to have a lot of experience in music even before I decided to become an artist myself. I think it helped my range of genres because from those experiences, I was able to understand the sound that matched us as artists,” said Belle.

The unpredictability that Kiss of Life brings to their music can also be said about their live performances. The group shocked fans in 2024 as they paid homage to the hugely popular Japanese manga, One Piece, with a viral medley inspired by the series at The Fact Music Awards.

“We always try to do something different, and we wanted to show a concept that had never been done before. I vividly remember the expressions from the crowd, and they genuinely seemed shocked,” said Haneul. “Throughout rehearsals, we knew that we had to immerse ourselves into the characters or it could look awkward. We went all in on our characters, but it ended up just being so much fun!”

As Kiss of Life continues to push boundaries and take risks by experimenting with their music, it seems inevitable that they will achieve their goal of breathing fresh life into the K-pop scene within no time.