No matter what day of the week it is, there’s a good chance that we at The Honey POP are listening to Weeekly! Lee Soojin, Monday, Park Soeun, Lee Jaehee, Jihan, and Zoa are some of the most talented idols out there, and always manage to bring something new and fresh to the songs they release. From the bouncy ‘After School’ to the ethereal ‘La Luna,’ there’s truly something in their catalog for everyone. And now, they have the perfect song for bad days with their first English single, ‘Stranger!’
With a mellow guitar line and beautiful vocals, ‘Stranger’ feels like a warm hug from Weeekly for Dailees. It’ll give you just the right amount of comfort through a difficult time while also giving you hope to believe in a better future. And even if you’re not ready to step into that better future quite yet, you still have an awe-inspiring song to brighten a dark mood!
To celebrate the release of ‘Stranger,’ we got to talk to Weeekly about the song, their plans for 2024, and more! Make sure to check out their new track below, then keep reading to learn more about the group in our Q&A.
Hi Weeekly, welcome to The Honey POP! We’re so excited to hear your newest single, ‘Stranger’ – what does the song mean to you?
Lee Soojin: Thank you! ‘Stranger’ is a song that captures Weeekly’s journey towards hope, despite the pain and wounds. It’s a special and touching song that expresses our gratitude to Daileees, who provide strength and support throughout the process of moving toward hope.
Zoa: The song ‘Stranger’ is an album that depicts Weeekly’s growing pains! So, each lyric and melody holds special meaning for all the members. Additionally, being the first English version song adds even more affection to it.
Do you have a favorite lyric from ‘Stranger?’ What makes it your favorite?
Jihan: My favorite part is “And I’m tryna be a shoulder you can cry on when you’re sick of yourself,” which is my part. I love this part the most because it is the message that I want to convey to our beloved Daileees, our members, and myself.
Lee Jaehee: “The moment I was held by you, like a picture, there’s no way it’s just a dream,” I like this line the most. The reason is that the lyrics are emotional, making it sometimes poignant to listen to, and I believe this line best expresses the song ‘Stranger.’
Park Soeun: My favorite lyric is “when you get a little angry, you can call me, we can laugh it out again.” It means a lot more because it’s something I have always wanted to say to Daileees.
Your fans, Daileee, first got to hear ‘Stranger’ when you performed it at your Weeekly University fan meeting! What was it like to see how fans reacted to the performance and to the new song?
Lee Jaehee: Our fans listened to it carefully as it was our first time performing the song. The response afterward was that the song was sweet and excellent. I felt fortunate and hoped that the song would be released faster after I received those positive comments.
Lee Soojin: Since it was the first time we revealed an unreleased song, Daileees were really surprised when we mentioned at the fan meeting that we would be sharing an unreleased track. There was pressure and worry about it being the first time unveiling, but because we liked the song so much, we were extremely excited to share it with our fans quickly. And it felt great that our Daileees liked it too.
Jihan: I was so happy to receive a lot of interest and love from Daileees since the pre-release! Thanks to the attention and love from Daileees, I gained a lot of confidence, and I couldn’t wait to release ‘Stranger’ and share it with everyone!
It must be so exciting to prepare for a new comeback! What’s your favorite part of getting ready for a new release? Are there any challenges that Daileee might not know about?
Park Soeun: The best part was being able to share a new song with Daileees. Personally, I felt that practicing a new style of song allowed for growth! Since we released both English and Korean versions simultaneously, we put a lot of effort into capturing the emotions of both versions equally.
Zoa: I feel happiness in every moment, from preparation to promotion for every comeback. Especially, preparing for the ‘Stranger’ track, which was the first time recording a song with English lyrics, required extra effort for me. However, because it was one of my wishes to record a song with English lyrics, it was even more enjoyable for me.
Monday: From the moment I first heard the song ‘Stranger,’ I thought, “This is it!” My affection for the song was unparalleled. Being able to deliver a song I love so much with our voices feels like the best thing. If there were any difficulties, it was simply my impatience to share this great song as soon as possible.
We love the ‘Sweet Dream’ performance video you released last month! If you could design your dream performance video for ‘Stranger,’ what kind of setting and costumes would you choose?
Zoa: ‘Stranger’ is a song that captures Weeekly’s growth pains while also providing comfort to everyone going through tough times in the process of growth. Therefore, wearing white t-shirts, jeans or school uniform will suit the concept that symbolizes purity.
Monday: I think it would be great to produce it in a dramatized format that matches the mood of the song. The story could revolve around wounded Weeekly gradually finding hope and facing a warm world as they meet Daileees. It would create a cinematic vibe if the negative daily life is represented as noir films that use dark filters or demonstrate the scene in black-and-white and transition to a brighter filter to portray the positive sides. As for costumes, it would be great if each character could dress freely according to the background.
Lee Soojin: ‘Stranger’ is a song that gives off a lot of winter vibes. So, I’d like to shoot in two settings: one is a snowy landscape with a winter feel, where the characters wear furry items to represent the cold, and another in a snowy storm with withered trees to depict the pain and wounds.
Last year, a few of the members got to participate in Queendom Puzzle and do different performance challenges! Is there anything you learned during your time on the show that you’ve taken with you for ‘Stranger’ and Weeekly’s new era?
Park Soeun: Through the program, I gained the confidence to believe “I can do anything!” Thanks to that, I was able to approach the new genre of ‘Stranger’ with confidence and succeed. Additionally, since it was a show that most of our members participated [in], we could provide a lot of support to each other during filming. I believe our teamwork became even stronger after appearing on Queendom Puzzle.
Jihan: Through Queendom Puzzle, we presented many different stages with various units! I immersed myself deeply in concepts that I once thought were challenging, and that allowed us to attempt more diverse concepts as Weeekly. I feel like I gained a lot of confidence!
Zoa: Queendom Puzzle was my first competition program experience! During filming, I not only improved my skills but also had the opportunity to learn a lot from other unnies who were also on the show. It was a valuable time of growth. Queendom Puzzle helped me become a stronger artist, which greatly aided me in preparing for ‘Stranger.’
Lee Soojin: While performing on stage with various talented artists, I was able to learn a lot and gain a lot of confidence. I think it greatly helped our promotion as well. Experiencing the journey towards hope in Queendom Puzzle and receiving support and comfort from Daileees during the show allowed me to capture those emotions well in ‘Stranger.’
You’ll be touring the US later this year, which is so exciting! What are you most looking forward to about the tour and performing for Daileee?
Jihan: Since it is our first time meeting the U.S. Daileees, I am looking forward to the energy and excitement!
Park Soeun: I am most excited about seeing the expressions of Daileees enjoying themselves during the performance. I am already looking forward to the happiness I’ll feel from interacting and communicating with them, even just by making eye contact.
Lee Jaehee: It is always exciting to perform in front of Daileees. I experienced this during video call fan sign events, where I noticed that U.S. Daileees had really high energy. I’m looking forward to meeting U.S. Daileees during our U.S. tour and experiencing their high energy. I think they will be really cute.
For anyone who isn’t familiar with your music already, which of your songs would you recommend to them to get a feel for who Weeekly truly are?
Zoa: First, I recommend the song ‘After School,’ which has received the most love! And I also recommend ‘Backwards’ from our previous album since it is a track that has a unique and captivating charm!
Monday: I will recommend ‘After School’ if you want to see the true essence of us. You will be able to feel our energy and chemistry, and it will surely fill you with positive vibes!
Lee Soojin: I want to recommend Weeekly’s ‘Weeekly!’ The song will make you feel Weeekly’s unique positive energy in both the lyrics and melody. Especially the line “Confidently, advanced hope. We’re ourselves,” represents us well the most.
How do you feel you’ve grown as a group since releasing your ColoRise mini-album last year?
Park Soeun: In my opinion, the songs from the ColoRise album had different concepts, so I think our ability to express those concepts improved a lot. I feel like all of us were able to freely interpret and express ourselves in our own way, regardless of the genre or concept.
Lee Soojin: ColoRise was an album prepared to showcase various colors. While preparing diverse concept songs and stages, we were able to learn and grow a lot. It feels like we were able to go beyond our limits and show a more diverse range of performances.
Lee Jaehee: Since it was our comeback after a long time, our teamwork improved even more, and we could feel a greater appreciation for the stage. And I think we all grew in many aspects.
What’s a ‘Sweet Dream’ that you hope Weeekly can make come true in 2024?
Lee Soojin: I hope there will be more opportunities to meet both domestic and international Daileees in 2024! And I want Weeekly to be a group that people think of every day, every week.
Monday: I want to fill 2024 to the brim, without any breaks, and spend the year together with Daileees!
Park Soeun: If we have the chance, we hope to hold another fan meeting with even more Daileees, similar to the one we had at the beginning of the year! If it happens, I would like to showcase different songs than the ones we showed at the first fan meeting.
Lee Jaehee: I hope our group can receive a lot of awards with our songs, and I’d love to meet many Daileees when we are on tour in many countries.
Jihan: In 2024, I really hope Weeekly ranks well on music charts and achieves great results on music shows! I also want to experience a fan concert with Daileees!
Zoa: The goal for 2024 is to introduce our group to more people and bring comfort and hope to them through our songs! I hope there are plenty of opportunities to see Daileees from all around the world this year!
Is there anything else you’d like to mention or say to your fans that the questions didn’t touch on?
Lee Soojin: Thank you so much for supporting us from afar, our Daileees! Weeekly will thrive to create a new week for you every day in the future~ Please look forward to it!
Monday: We will work hard so that the love from Daileees can shine even brighter. Let’s spend a shining year together. Love you!!
Park Soeun: We are grateful to all the Daileees who always support us, and not only during the U.S. tour but also with our comebacks, we hope to meet you more often, so please look forward to it! And please stay healthy and stay happy.
Lee Jaehee: Daileees! Thank you for always supporting us and loving us. Even though our promotions have ended, we are thankful that you always keep Weeekly in your thoughts, as close in your heart as ever, even if we are physically apart.
Jihan: Daileees, we are appreciated that you always send us love and support! Thank you for being our biggest happiness! We will see you soon~
Zoa: Whether near or far, thank you for giving us your infinite love and support, allowing Weeekly to freely unfold our dreams on stage. I will strive to be an artist who reciprocates Daileees’ love even more. Always grateful and love you!
Thank you so much to Weeekly for answering all of our questions! Now we have some questions for you, honeybees – what do you think of ‘Stranger?’ Who’s your bias in Weeekly? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
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