U_Chae (formerly of PIXY) hosted her panel, “Quick Guide to K-Pop Releases,” on Saturday afternoon at Anime Weekend Atlanta, where she explored the intricate process behind K-pop comebacks—from initial song production to choreography, teasers, and more. She highlighted how choreography teams often remain with idols from their trainee days through their debut and beyond, fostering a strong understanding of each member’s style. U_Chae also shed light on the album creation process, emphasizing the collaborative effort behind photobooks, music videos, and promotional materials to ensure everything aligns perfectly. She noted that visuals—like photocards, outfits, and overall aesthetics—are now more crucial than ever for an album’s success.
U_Chae’s ‘Awake’ Mini-Album Cover
One item of particular note is that U_Chae highlighted how her promotions for Awake differed from the industry norm, where artists release teasers, do radio broadcasts, and attend fan events—often domestically—timed with the album’s lead-up and release. She explained, “I actually did the American tour first [before promotions], so I prepared very, very hard and very carefully for the Awake album knowing the American tour was coming right after it. I think a tour is a very precious and valuable memory, so I wanted it to be special.”
She also shared her original plan for promotions, saying, “I originally planned to do the singles one by one and then eventually release an album. But the reason I did a mini-album first was because I knew the American tour (2024 Breakout Tour) was coming up, so I decided to put out the main album first.”
Following her presentation, U_Chae took many fan questions from a diverse array of attendees. Her answers were incredibly enlightening both in regard to K-Pop in general and, of course, her own career and future plans.
U_Chae’s Audience Question & Answer Session at Anime Weekend Atlanta 2024
This article is a transcription of an interview conducted in Korean. The subject’s responses were translated into English by a translator during the panel. While every effort was made to maintain accuracy, please be aware that some nuances may have been interpreted through translation.
U_Chae
Q: You had specific concepts when you were with PIXY, and now you have a different concept as U_Chae. What can we expect from you in 2025?
A: As Pixy we did a lot of dark concepts, but having debuted as U_Chae I’m doing more bright and really cheerful concepts so you can expect more of those bright concepts in 2025.
Q: How do you make sure choreography is energetic and filled with hope, but not overly strenuous that it’s hard to sing?
A: There’s no way to do it other than just practice, practice, and practice. No matter how much I practice, breathing is always going to be kind of difficult, unfortunately. So I just keep practicing and singing to improve.
Q: If you could change one thing about the K-Pop industry what would it be?
A: Well, the K-Pop industry is already developed and set in stone, so change would have to start from the top and work its way down.
Morning Call by U_Chae (feat. Uki Satake)
Q: Can you talk more about your collaborations with other artists?
A: So I did Let’s Roll for EVO 2024 with Jayoung from Rolling Quartz. I also did Morning Call with Uki Satake (9Nine). So the way it worked with Let’s Roll is first the song was put together then I ended up singing it with Jayoung. In the case of Morning Call with Uki Satake, I met Uki at Otakon by coincidence. We said to each other, “It would be nice to collaborate!” So we started talking about what would suit us, and we thought this very cute song would especially suit Uki, so we did Morning Call.
Q: Throughout your promotions you change hair styles. Is that a choice you make or do you follow your heart?
A: Initially in the very beginning of my debut I just kind of followed the direction of my stylist team within the company, but as time went on I would talk a lot more with the team about what exactly would suit me best.
Q: Will Morning Call and You Are My Christmas be an album feature or just released as singles??
A: It’s still a secret. Please just wait a little bit, and you’ll find out! Please look forward to it.
Q: When you’ve promoted either with PIXY or solo, what has been your favorite outfit or look?
A: The outfit I wore when we were promoting Wings with PIXY. Those outfits were made specifically for that concept. There was this particular one-piece red outfit from the music video that I really, really liked. Now, as U_Chae, I’m trying to show a lot of variety in my looks. I hope when you see them, you think, “This is interesting, this is fun,” as I explore a variety of styles.
Q: What goes through your mind when you are on stage or producing music?
A: I tend to think of only one particular thing but it’s really an important thought. What I think is I hope that everyone watching in front of me, including myself, is having fun. I want everyone in that particular place during that performance to be enjoying it. I feel this is the responsibility of an artist to make sure our audience and fans are having fun listening and watching, and I think it’s important we all have fun together.
Q: How long is it before you go from a song composition to learning the part to its eventual release?
A: When I was in PIXY, if you include choreography and recording, it could take up to two months. It could be a very rushed process, but normally it would take up to six months.
Q: Do you prefer in-house production or external?
A: Both have their pros and cons. They each have their own seperate way of doing things, so it depends [in part on that].
Q: What is the easiest concept you have done versus the hardest?
A: So actually Wings was interesting because I had never done a concept that dark and I haven’t sense then. Getting used to that [concept] was a bit tricky for me. One that was more relaxing for me was Morning Call. Bright, cheerful songs come a bit more natural to me, in my case. I think my vocal tone suits these cheerful concepts well because my vocal tone tends to be a bit high, so I think it naturally suits me.
Q: What advice do you have for someone wanting to enter the music industry?
A: I just hope if you end up in the industry that we can work together someday, and that’s something I look forward to someday! Fighting!
Q: What is your favorite anime?
A: Inuyasha! I’ve seen the entire anime. There are so many episodes, but I’ve seen them all.
(Audience member says their favorite is Assassination Classroom.)
U_Chae: Oh really? I look forward to watching it, then!
Q: Which artist would you love to collaborate with?
A: There’s too many to list completely, but one I’ve liked for a long time is Avril Lavigne. So if I got a chance to collaborate with her I would definitely do that. That’s just a dream, but I have a lot of dream collaborations I’d love to do. I’ve only done the two so far (Jayoung with Rolling Quartz and Uki Satake), but being able to collaborate is incredibly fascinating and I’ll do my best to collaborate with a wide variety of artists in the future.
Q: What did you think of American conventions when you first came to one?
A: When I was in high school I watched a lot more animation compared to now, and when I was in high school I really wanted to cosplay. So when I come to these events I see all the cosplay and I think maybe I can try this one day.
Q: Have you ever tried to cosplay?
A: I haven’t had a chance yet, but I’m thinking maybe I can later on.
(Audience member: “You should! Next AWA!”)
U_Chae: [Laughs.] Oh my God! Okay! [Smiling happily.]
Q: Going from PIXY to being a solo artist, how hard was it to navigate now without the rest of a team?
A: When I was with PIXY rather than thinking of myself as just Dajeong, I thought of myself as just PIXY the group. Now that I’m debuting as U_Chae this has given me the opportunity to find out more about myself. I’m curious to learn more about what I can do and accomplish as just myself.
Q: When you start to get tired or burnt out, what keeps you motivated to work to keep working so hard?
A: For example yesterday I was really jetlagged and super tired, but being with all these fans that came to see me not only motivated me but I knew I wanted to put a lot of effort in because I’m super grateful for everyone that came out to see me. That’s super motivating to me.
Q: How did you become an idol? Was it an audition or were you scouted?
A: When I was in high school I did receive a lot of casting offers via Instagram. Actually in terms of joining PIXY though, the in-house producer was an associate with someone I knew so I was introduced and then ended up auditiong. I think I was super lucky and it was great timing and coincidence.
Q: What are some of your favorite hobbies?
A: Recently I’ve had quite a few new hobbies, but my favorite when I have time is sleeping. Sleeping is best.
[Room erupts in laughter.]
Q: Is there a music genre you’d like to try that you haven’t done yet?
A: I’m still really considering what genres I should tackle, so if you have any recommendations.
Audience member replies: Funk or city pop.
U_Chae: Ohhhh! [Curiously.] Ok thank you, thank you so much!
Q: Will you collaborate with your brother? [Jeong Deunhaesol from Project7]
A: I’ve never thought of it, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
Closing Remarks from U_Chae:
Thank you all so much for coming, and nice to meet you everyone!
Stay tuned for more coverage of U_Chae’s concert, exclusive interviews with special AWA guests, and photo galleries from Anime Weekend Atlanta 2024—only on LastLooks.org!
