What Is HITGS’ Secret to Having CHARIZZMA?

In a new, lighthearted interview, HITGS members share what’s in their bag, talk summer style, and explain how you can get CHARIZZMA.

Just three months after the release of their debut single “SOURPATCH”, HITGS is back with a pocketful of dreams and a bag full of CHARIZZMA.  

For their last comeback, “GROSS”, HITGS (which stands for Hip, Innocent, Teenage, Girls and Story) sang about the unexpected, sometimes gooey feelings of catching feelings. “Get that feel away from me!” they sang in the chorus, as if they were being chased by a boy with a handful of spiders. But on their latest comeback “CHARIZZMA”, the girls are showing a different side to their teenage story. Here, the girls don’t even give romance a second glance. Instead, they lean into what makes them charming and unique. 

HITGS consists of five members who embody the hopes and dreams of other girls their age: They are led by SEOJIN, a charismatic dancer and rapper, who hails from Busan; VV, an all-rounder who is known for her honey sweet vocals, is from Zhejiang, China; SEOHEE, the group’s powerhouse main vocalist; HYERIN, the bright center and visual; and rounded out by IYOO, a Japanese main dancer, rapper and maknae. 

“CHARIZZMA” is produced by Ryan Jhun (legendary producer for SHINee, NCT, TWICE and more) and he has given the girls a dance-pop anthem to match their confident lyrics. As the girls tell me in this new interview, “CHARIZZMA” lets the girls show “the confident and bold energy of teenage girls like us”. 

For this fun Q&A, we talk about the girls’ summer essentials, what their secret to having rizz is,and what’s in their bag.

First, congratulations on the new single “CHARIZZMA”! Tell me about the meaning of the song and how you want fans to feel listening to it?

VV: We debuted with the song SOURPATCH on April 28, and this is already our second comeback! CHARIZZMA shows a cooler and more charismatic side of us. We wanted to try something new and different, so I’m feeling super excited (and a bit nervous too)!

SEOJIN: CHARIZZMA is about confident girls showing off their own unique charms. I hope our fans can feel refreshed and cool while listening to it during the hot summer!

SEOHEE: The song is filled with the confident and bold energy of teenage girls like us, so I hope fans can beat the summer heat with our fearless spirit!

HYERIN: Unlike SOURPATCH or GROSS, this song has a totally cool and charismatic vibe—just like the title! I hope you enjoy this new concept!

IYOO: CHARIZZMA is a song full of energy and confidence. I really hope our fans can feel the bright and positive vibe we’re sharing through it.

Do you have any fun memories you’d like to share from recording? 

VV: It might sound simple, but I always love the time we spend chatting together before recording. That’s the fun part for me every time!

SEOJIN: We had to pronounce some Korean parts like they were English, so I practiced that a lot. I actually had fun while practicing—it was something new!

SEOHEE: Saying “RIZZ” was really fun! That word comes up a lot in the song, and there are other words with fun sounds too. I had a blast trying those lines!

HYERIN: What I love about recording is how the song gets built little by little with each of us. It’s so cool hearing the song come together in real time—it’s like magic!

IYOO: There were lots of new and playful sounds in this song, more than our last ones. It was fun learning those details and working hard to get them right!

HITGS has such fun, youthful energy. What do you think makes your group special?

VV: I think what makes HITGS special is how we can show many different sides of us—not just one concept. That variety is what makes us shine!

SEOJIN: Each of the five of us has a unique charm, and together we create something that only HITGS—and only this moment of us—can do.

SEOHEE: I think it’s our youthful, girly vibe that only teenage girls can have. And when we mix that with the unique HITGS energy, it becomes something really special.

HYERIN: Our teamwork! We’re five different people with totally different styles, but we blend together so well. I think our mix creates a special HITGS flavor!

IYOO: I think it’s the mix of our sweet and lovely teenage energy with pure passion for our dreams. That’s the HITGS magic!

I’d love to know about your hometown! Could each member share where you’re from and your favorite thing was about growing up there? 

VV: I’m from Zhejiang, China. The scenery is beautiful, but what I love most is that it’s where I grew up, made memories, and spent time with my family and friends. It’s such a meaningful place to me.

SEOJIN: I’m from Busan, and I loved having the ocean right next to me. It was so relaxing to look out and see just the sky past the horizon—like where the sea and sky meet.

SEOHEE: I was born in Seoul, but I moved around a lot when I was doing sports. Since 4th grade, I’ve lived in Gimpo, and the best part is—so many yummy tteokbokkispots! I love tteokbokki, so that’s definitely a win for me.

HYERIN: I’m from Cheonan. More than the city, I think my apartment neighborhood was my favorite. You could always find friends at the playground, and we played together all the time!

IYOO: I’m from Kyoto, Japan. There are so many things I love, but most of all, I got to spend time with my family and friends. Also, the way the scenery changes with each season is really beautiful!

I love your energy on variety shows. What do you most look forward to showing fans when you perform “CHARIZZMA”? What should we focus on? 

VV: I really want to show off a cooler side of myself! I’d love it if you focus on the part where I say “Hey girl, Ya what’s up?”

SEOJIN: I’ll say the same part as VV unnie! During the bridge, we walk forward and exchange cool lines. If our previous songs showed a cute and lovely side, this part flips the vibe and shows something totally different. Please keep an eye on that!

SEOHEE: I’d love for fans to focus on our strong dance moves and our bold, confident expressions! CHARIZZMA also has some emotional vocal parts too, so I hope you notice those moments as well.

HYERIN: I think the choreography is the key point of CHARIZZMA. Please watch closely for our powerful performance!

IYOO: Focus on the powerful moves and our charismatic expressions! There’s a part where I come out solo, full of confidence and energy—I think it really shows my vibe, so I hope you watch that part especially!

What’s your secret “RIZZ”? 

VV: You can see it in our HITGSTORY videos—I’m actually really fast at running!

SEOJIN: If I had to pick… I think my secret RIZZ is my pretty shoulder line!

SEOHEE: Sometimes I’m playful, sometimes I’m cute! I think my RIZZ is the bright, vitamin-like energy I always bring!

HYERIN: I used to say it’s my “Danbi moments” from the old anime Atashin’chi, but I think our fans already know that one too well now! But… there are still plenty of “Jo Danbi” moments I haven’t shown you yet~ Curious?

IYOO: Fans say I look like a baby chick, but when I’m on stage, I go full power with dancing and rapping! I think that surprising twist is my secret RIZZ.

In your new single, you all say that you carry thrills and CHARIZZMA in your “big, big bags”. So what’s inside in your “big bag” right now?

VV: I always carry a mirror, lipstick, and a hairbrush with me!

SEOJIN: I’ve got a Stanley tumbler and a digital camera! I love taking photos, so I always have my camera on me.

SEOHEE: I carry a book to read when I’m bored! The one in my bag right now is called What Comes After Love—I’ve been reading it since we started this comeback.

HYERIN: I’m a total makeup lover, so I carry cosmetics with me! Well, I’m sure the other members do too though, hehe.

IYOO: I always keep a small pouch in my bag with lip products, a mirror, and perfume inside!

Choose your favorite character!

VV: I love a lot of characters, but I’m really into Disney ones—especially LinaBell!

SEOJIN: I like Cinnamoroll!

SEOHEE: I like Sanrio characters, and my favorites are Pochacco and Cogimyun!

HYERIN: Hello Kitty’s my favorite!

IYOO: There’s a Sanrio character named FuwaFuwa—it’s a baby spirit born in the sea. I didn’t know about it at first, but fans started saying I reminded them of it, so now it’s one of my faves!

What’s your one style essential this summer? 

VV: A mini fan! When it’s really hot, your hair or makeup can start to melt. Even if the fan doesn’t always feel super cool, I never leave home without it!

SEOJIN: Since it’s hot and my shoulders are a highlight… I’d say off-shoulder tops!

SEOHEE: I tie my hair up a lot in the summer because it gets so hot and humid. So I always carry a scrunchie with me!

HYERIN: It’s summer, and during SOURPATCH and GROSS, we filmed a lot outdoors and I got tanned. So this time, I’m making sure to always bring sunscreen!

IYOO: Summer is just so hot, so I always bring my fan with me too!

VV, if you could invent a cozy candle scent, what would you call it and why?

VV: I’d call it “Strawberry-V”! I love the smell of strawberries, and I thought it’d be cute to mix it with the “V” from my name!

SEOJIN, as you represent the “hip” part of HITGS, what’s the hippest thing about you?

SEOJIN: Definitely my “hip girl attitude”! I think the fierce expressions I make on stage give off the hippest vibes about me.

SEOHEE, I know you’re the energy vitamin of the group. If your other members were vitamins, what would their power be?

SEOHEE: Let’s see—VV unnie and IYOO, our youngest, would be the kind that instantly boost your mood. SEOJIN unnie would be the kind that makes everything super fun. And HYERIN would be the one that blows all your worries away!

HYERIN, as the clumsiest member, what’s the clumsiest thing you’ve ever done?

HYERIN: One time, I forgot my whole bag on the way to work! I had to turn around and go back to the dorm to get it.

IYOO, you’re at Disneyland and have 135,485 KRW to spend. What are you buying?

IYOO: I don’t think I’d spend it all on just buying stuff—I’d want to try something special! Like having a meal at a nice restaurant or dressing up in a cute dress for a fun photo shoot!