For the members of Le Sserafim, few issues are as important as a pair of headphones. Whether or not they’re laying down tracks within the studio, tuning out the chaos of a bustling airport, or curating the last word playlist for a late-night dance session, the correct pair of headphones is greater than a purposeful device — it is an adjunct, a press release, and a key to their world as worldwide superstars who spend lots of time in transit.
The Ok-pop group’s newest collaboration with Sony Audio brings this concept to life with the discharge of a brand new Smoky Pink colorway for the model’s acclaimed 1000X noise-canceling headphones. By fusing cutting-edge expertise with the group’s stylish, trendsetting type, the partnership redefines the connection between music, trend, and self-expression, one thing Huh Yunjin highlights as integral to their daring, assured picture.
“Once we first noticed the precise headphones on the set of our business, it had a dreamy and transient type of really feel, which went effectively with the idea of ‘Loopy,'” she shares with Mashable over a Zoom name. “Every time we’re on the go, we wish to have our headphones with us. We like listening to music, however we additionally just like the look of it. It is aesthetic.” Yunjin laughs, then provides, “And it makes you look busy!”
Le Sserafim’s Sony collaboration captures the essence of their way of life: balancing inventive work with moments of unplugged downtime.
Credit score: Courtesy of Sony Audio
It’s not like Kim Chaewon, Sakura, Huh Yunjin, Kazuha, and Hong Eunchae want any assist wanting busy. As one of many business’s most in-demand woman teams, the women have spent extra time accruing airline miles and being shuttled from one schedule to a different than at house. Following the discharge of their single “Loopy” in August, Le Sserafim attended their very first MTV Video Music Awards in New York Metropolis, the place they carried out the membership track through the VMAs pre-show and took house their first Moon Individual. Then, earlier this month, they carried out on the primary stage on the 2024 MTV Europe Music Awards in Manchester, UK.
When Mashable catches up with the group in late October, they’re in the midst of preparations for his or her subsequent album and the upcoming slate of end-of-year music performances. “We’re grinding,” Yunjin says. So, their tech turns into an outlet for creativity and rest amid their demanding schedules. For Sakura, the group’s resident gamer, her headphones are as important for winding down as they’re for work. Final 12 months, she even crocheted ribbons and tied them in bows on her headset.
Accessorizing their tech like this displays their distinctive personalities, including a extra private contact to their busy lives. Chaewon’s telephone background is her canine, Shiro. For Yunjin’s birthday in early October, the members gifted her with customized stickers of herself. Sakura proudly shows one on her floral telephone case. “I put some on mine as effectively,” Yunjin says, holding her telephone to the digital camera. Her telephone is a colourful mixture of charms and characters that mirror her outgoing persona. She lately added a small canine appeal to her system. “I used to have a lotus flower and a jellyfish appeal,” she provides. “I actually modified it two minutes earlier than this assembly.”
In distinction to Yunjin’s eclectic, colourful type, Kazuha takes a extra minimalistic method to her tech as she exhibits off her glossy and complex black telephone case. “I like issues which are quite simple and clear-cut,” the lithe dancer says. “Not just for my telephone, however I feel the Sony headsets are lovely, simply in and of themselves. So, I exploit them as they’re as a result of they appear cool and stylish.”
Mashable High Tales
The excellence between their equipment speaks to the group’s versatility, mixing individuality with collective unity. From Eunchae’s enjoyable, daring method to accessorizing her cherry telephone case to Kazuha’s minimalist sophistication, every member brings one thing distinctive, reflecting their broader method to trend — at all times evolving and at all times on-trend.
“For those who really feel like one thing is lacking, including a pair of headphones perfects the entire look,” Eunchae explains. For instance, the youngest member likes sporting her headphones round her neck. “It makes you look actually relaxed and chill,” she says. “Typically, I additionally put my headphones round my bag, in order that they dangle on it.” Whether or not it’s glossy wi-fi headphones or a classy pair of wired ones, the group sees tech as a strategy to elevate their aesthetic.
“Our type is numerous,” Yunjin says, “so having long-lasting equipment that may swimsuit each look is essential as a result of our hair colours change on a regular basis.”
However their relationship with tech doesn’t cease at how they type it. As idols, they’re continually linked to their units. Their telephones are instruments for staying linked with their followers and indulging of their hobbies. Between rehearsals and performances, Yunjin scrolls via social media, interacts with their fan neighborhood, and, like many within the group, retains her inventive circulation going by curating playlists for various moods. “I exploit my telephone largely to hearken to music,” Chaewon provides. In the meantime, you will discover Sakura watching her favourite dramas on her telephone. “I spend lots of time watching movies and exhibits on streaming apps.” At present, Sakura and her bandmates are obsessive about the cooking competitors sequence Culinary Class Wars on Netflix. “Eunchae is the one one who hasn’t watched it but, however she feels prefer it’s too late to hop on the bandwagon, so we’re ready for Season 2,” Yunjin laughs.
The members are additionally obsessive about their digital cameras, which they’ve personalised with stickers. “I do know there was a growth for digital cameras earlier than I used to be born,” Eunchae says. “However I feel persons are having fun with that retro vibe and really feel that these little cameras give.”
However as a lot as tech performs an important function of their lives, the members of Le Sserafim additionally acknowledge the necessity to step away from their units each now and again. Regardless of their fixed connection to the digital world, they discover methods to unplug and recharge in moments of downtime, disconnecting from the excitement of notifications and the pressures of social media.
Eunchae shares a enjoyable ritual the group has adopted: “Once we eat collectively, we’ll say, ‘OK, let’s put our telephones face down and simply discuss.’ If somebody’s caught their telephone, they get playfully scolded by the others.” It’s a small however significant manner they create area for actual connection amidst their tech-heavy lives.
Smoky Pink matches the dreamy vibe of Le Sserafim’s newest EP, ‘Loopy.’
Credit score: Courtesy of Sony Audio
Yunjin echoes this sentiment, explaining that whereas it’s tough to flee expertise, she tries to make use of it extra deliberately. “I attempt to work together with expertise as a creator as a substitute of only a client,” she says. “We movie TikToks between schedules or get collectively for inventive initiatives. Yesterday, we filmed like 10 TikToks. It’s a manner for us to remain productive and have enjoyable with tech.” However even she is aware of when to utterly log out. “Typically I’ll simply learn or write, away from the display, to reset.”
Sakura, however, finds solace in additional tactile actions. “I wish to knit,” she says. “It helps me calm down and disconnect from social media. It’s a peaceable pastime that offers me a second of quiet focus.” For Sakura, knitting is greater than only a pastime — it’s a aware strategy to be current, away from the digital world continually demanding consideration. She’s additionally excited to learn the paperback guide her mother despatched her from Japan.
For on a regular basis they spend on-line, whether or not for work or leisure, these moments of unplugging remind the members of the significance of stability — utilizing expertise to reinforce their lives whereas additionally taking time to nurture their creativity, friendships, and well-being in a extra analog manner.
