Inside The Debut of Queenz Eye’s Second Season
On the eve of a new beginning, senior and new Queenz Eye members admit they’re nervous. “But I want to tell them to believe in themselves,” the group’s leader Won Chae says in this new interview.
Queenz Eye, courtesy of Big Entertainment
In the weeks leading up to Queenz Eye second season debut, Won Chae was concerned with how she could support her members.
Though she is only 22 years old, Won Chae is a steady presence for the five girls. It’s not an exaggeration that she spends a great deal of her time concerned about their well-being. “Even if we practice over and over, it doesn’t mean much if even one person isn’t ready,” she told me recently ahead of the girls' debut as a new lineup. “That’s why I believe it’s equally important for us to go through this journey smiling and happy together. I put a lot of effort into creating that kind of atmosphere.”
Queenz Eye is extremely precious to Won Chae. As the group’s leader, she has been with the group since the beginning, in 2023, when they initially debuted with what Ah Yoon, the group’s second remaining founding member, described as a “stronger and more intense style of performance and music.”
But the original group never broke through to mainstream success, and their music never quite fit the members’ strengths. Perhaps that is why this new season, which their company Big Entertainment has branded as Season 2 of Queenz Eye, is brighter than anything they’ve done before. The company recruited four new members – Kiirii, Seo Vin, Jin Yul, and Seo Ha – to join Won Chae and Ah Yoon. It was a risk to change the lineup, especially since Queenz Eye already has a core group of fans called I-Q’s. But Won Chae and Ah Yoon were willing to try.
“I think a lot about how we can lift this team higher,” says leader Won Chae
“To be honest, at first I felt worried. Since we were returning after some time with a new look, I wondered if people would embrace this new side of us,” Ah Yoon admitted. “But the new members have worked so hard and are doing so well, and that gives me so much confidence.”
This is where Won Chae stepped in. As the leader, she is responsible for creating an atmosphere where the members can grow and thrive together. It is a challenge, she told me, that she welcomed.
“I know firsthand how kind and hardworking our members are, so I really hope that wherever we go, people will remember us as a good team and that we can become a group loved by many,” she said. “I’m always thinking about how we can best show our charms, the unique appeal of Queenz Eye, and the energy we bring.”
This new season offers, perhaps, the best version of Queenz Eye. While earlier EPs might have leaned too heavily into a girl crush concept, PRISM EP.01 reflects exactly what makes this new season so exciting: It’s refreshing, damn good pop music that highlights each of the members’ winning personalities. Ah Yoon even wrote and composed “TRIPPIN’”, a b-side on the EP, that Kiirii said is her favorite. “I really love the vibe of this kind of song,” she explained.
Each of the new members has experienced a learning curve as they prepared to debut: For Seo Ha, the group’s maknae, everything has been a new experience. “This is my very first time wearing in-ears and performing on stage with my unnies, so everything feels completely new,” she told me. “I’m really nervous and worried, but because I’m with them, I feel encouraged to trust each other, stay brave, and enjoy the moment. I just want to give my all and step off the stage feeling proud of a great performance.”
What Won Chae was sure of was that it would be her responsibility to guide the girls into this new season with confidence. “From the practice room to the stage,” she said, “I think a lot about how we can lift this team higher.”
Long before she became an idol, Jin Yul, born and raised in Siheung, Gyeonggi-do, would spend her days imagining herself as one. “I grew up chasing my dreams with my friends there," she told me. “We used to dance at the open tennis court next to the playground and practice singing inside a container box, dividing up our parts together.” Looking back, she said, “Those memories are so precious to me.”
Kiirii, who is from Chiang Mai, Thailand, traveled the farthest to chase her dreams of being an idol, but many of the members have never left the neighborhood they grew up in. “There’s a very warm, affectionate feeling about my hometown that I really love,” Seo Vin said, noting that she never left.
“I still live in the neighborhood I grew up in,” Won Chae told me. “I remember playing at the playground after school until the sun went down. I’d stay there until my mom called me home for dinner. In the evenings, I’d eat with my family and then we’d take a walk together in the park. I still love the scenery and atmosphere of my neighborhood at sunset the most.”
Ah Yoon, too, grew up in Seoul and lived in the Yeongdeungpo district. Rapping, she explained, was never something she considered doing before she was an idol. After joining Big Entertainment, she said, she began to learn how to rap and write lyrics. “It felt so fun, like I had finally found something that fit me perfectly,” she said. “What fascinated me most was being able to put my own stories into lyrics and deliver them through rap. Whenever I rap, I feel a sense of freedom, and from that point on, I started practicing day and night to improve my skills.”
Seo Vin noted a similar feeling of freedom and a certainty of her destiny after she appeared on UNIVERSE TICKET with Jin Yul. “Before the show, most of my trainee days were focused on evaluations rather than performing in front of an audience, and sometimes that made me question what I truly loved,” she said. “But once I got on stage through the program, I felt again that this is the only path for me.”
Jin Yul, who was given a multi-positional role in Queenz Eye, reflected that her time on UNIVERSE TICKET was “a major turning point and stepping stone” in her growth. “Beyond gaining stage experience and improving my skills, I also learned about teamwork and leadership in the midst of competition,” she said. “But most importantly, the fans who supported me throughout that journey gave me the strength not to give up and to make it all the way to my debut!”
When I asked how it felt to know that she would soon appear on variety shows and become a professional idol, she became emotional. “It honestly feels like a dream. The fact that I’m now standing on the very stages I used to only watch on TV still doesn’t feel real,” Jin Yul continued. “But since it’s our very first music show, I’m practicing as hard as I can so that our sincerity and energy are delivered exactly as they are.”
As the girls' debut inched closer, Seo Vin told me that the feeling she had from UNIVERSE TICKET “became an anchor for me and helped me stay steady whenever doubts came up.”
The second season of Queenz Eye is perhaps most compelling because it is a story of dual debuts. As Won Chae and Ah Yoon attempt to rebrand their group, four new members step into the spotlight. Yet they each share the pressure that comes from debuting as a new unit and introducing themselves to a K-pop community that has only grown since the original iteration of Queenz Eye premiered in 2023.
As the promo kicked into full gear, the members filmed promo videos that included a stylish mood visualizer that ends with the text “QUEENZ EYE IS WATCHING YOU” (“I found it really chic, but at the same time, the meaning behind it was very striking,” Ah Yoon expressed.) They took part in markers of real idolhood by taking selfies for photocards – “both of my photocards feature me with pigtails,” Seo Ha beamed – and unboxed their albums for the first time. “The members’ photocards are all so cute, and I think fans will really love them,” Kiirii added cheerfully.
At fan meetings, Won Chae and Ah Yoon noticed how many I-Qs they remembered from the first season of Queenz Eye. This stuck with them and touched them. These fans, Won Chae expressed, have given the members the strength to persevere. “Some tell us, ‘Thank you for not giving up,’ and others tearfully say they missed us,” she said. “Seeing that made me resolve once again to work even harder for I-Q. That’s why I’m starting this new season with a special determination and excitement.”
“To be honest, at first I felt worried,” Ah Yoon says about the new season. “But the members have worked so hard.”
The seniors believe that their longtime I-Qs are perhaps the best – and most comforting – part about being an idol. Both Ah Yoon and Won Chae expressed a deep appreciation and respect for their fans who stuck with them through this change.” It’s a kind of love and affection you can’t experience in ordinary relationships,” Ah Yoon explained about the synergy between idols and fans. “Standing on big stages, looking into the eyes of people who love me, and sharing that moment together is the greatest gift.”
Won Chae echoed this. “What feels most special about being an idol is doing what I love while having people who also love to see me do it,” she said. “Having fans who constantly give us such strong support and love is the best part.”
And though she is still a rookie, Kiirii, too, understands that the job of being an idol means providing comfort and hope to fans. “For me, the best thing about being an idol is that our existence, whether for many people or just a few, can inspire someone’s life,” she explained. “If even one person gains strength or starts to dream because of us, I think that’s the greatest reward.”
The girls have big dreams for themselves. They want to travel overseas and meet international I-Qs by holding solo concerts. They hope to chart on Billboard and score a win on music shows. They’re aware, too, that this won’t come without hard work, but they are determined to succeed. “As Queenz Eye, my dream is to always keep our chemistry alive, enjoy what we do as one, and steadily achieve each of our goals step by step,” Seo Ha said.
One day after Queenz Eye’s mini-album was released, they performed “Feel the Vibe” for the first time on Mnet’s M Countdown. Their performance was held outside, which suited the refreshing summer vibe of the music. Fittingly, Won Chae and Ah Yoon opened the song. If they were still nervous, you’d never know it. “Kick away the hesitation/ It becomes a tiny dot/ My heartbeat crescendoes,” Ah Yoon rapped in a line that is poignant in light of their journey. Then, as they reached the chorus and Seo Vin sang, “Cuz we vibe/ Now we go even higher,” the girls’ chemistry seemed to coalesce. Their hard work was paying off.
Later in the week on Music Bank, Queenz Eye was interviewed by MCs Sang Min and Minju before their performance. “‘Feel the Vibe’ conveys a message of hope,” Ah Yoon said as she raised her fist. “We’re inviting everyone to join in our new beginning.”
In the midst of preparing to debut and in the weeks of promotions, Won Chae thought about her role as a leader. “Of course, there are times when the responsibility of leading weighs heavily on me. But at the same time, I feel grateful because the members follow me well and genuinely show me so much love,” she told me. “I also gain strength and comfort from them. We help each other in countless ways, and it feels like we’ve become a team where no one can be missing—like pieces of Tetris that fit together perfectly. That kind of interaction is what truly motivates me and keeps me going.”
When she thought about what she wanted to offer her members, she grew reflective. “I want to tell them to believe in themselves because they’re already doing so well! I think the hardest thing is to truly trust and love yourself. I just hope our members can feel less pressure and be much happier along the way,” she said.
It’s been striking to see how natural the group performs together, and this is largely thanks to Won Chae’s leadership. There would be no Queenz Eye without the strength of her and Ah Yoon.
But Won Chae is uninterested in praise for herself. Instead, she turned the focus – and her gratitude – towards the girls. “Through this interview, I’d like to congratulate them once again on their debut and thank them for following along so well. There was so much to prepare in such a short time, and it must have felt overwhelming and tough at times,” she continued. “But I’m really happy that we get to be together as Queenz Eye, and I want to say thank you for joining this team!”
