Rising K-Pop Idols Hearts2Hearts Are Coming for the Song of the Summer

If you ever wanted to know who is on your favorite singer's playlist, or what albums inspired the latest “it girl” the most, tune in for Marie Claire’s resident music franchise Listen Up. In this interview series, we ask musicians about their listening habits and the specific records that informed their taste—and inherently their journey as an artist.

Hearts2Hearts may be K-pop rookies, but they’re eager to dominate your “song of the summer” debates. That may sound like a lofty goal for a girl group that just debuted 16 months ago, but they’ve already climbed up the charts, landing on the Billboard Global 200 with their infectious, bratty bop “RUDE!” two weeks after their first anniversary. Now, they’re back with their second mini-album, Lemon Tang, which is filled top to bottom with feel-good summer-soundtrack contenders.

“Summer Queen” is an ambitious title to vie for, especially in K-pop. Members Jiwoo, Carmen, Yuha, Stella, Juun, A-na, Ian, and Ye-on (whose ages range from 16 to 20) grew up on the bubbly, crisp earworms that became inescapable in the warmer months, sung by girl groups like their own SM Entertainment labelmates Red Velvet and Girls’ Generation. In recent years, idol music has trended toward a more industrial, bass-heavy sound, leaving behind the electro- and bubblegum-pop of the 2010s. But Heart2Hearts stands out among the young groups leading the charge to bring carefree euphoria back into K-pop.

“In this hot summer, it’s going to be the best way to refresh yourself through music,” Ye-on says of Lemon Tang's title track, as the group speaks with Marie Claire over Zoom. Stella adds, “The lyrics have a really cute meaning of how it's sweeter when everyone's together…When I first heard the song before we recorded it, I just thought, ‘Oh, this is the perfect summer song.’”

While the group has leaned toward a sleek R&B-influenced sound on previous tracks like “The Chase” and “FOCUS,” “Lemon Tang” cements that the best Hearts2Hearts releases are full of youthful pep. Each song transports listeners back to their own teenage days, with sugary songs full of metaphors about the innocent drama of a first love. Flirting is like a tennis game; romantic advice becomes a secret recipe. Loneliness can make thoughts as sour as a lemon, but when someone new captures your attention, that mysterious tang is irresistible and you may not feel so alone after all.

“Even if we speak different languages and are different, we hope that through our music and through the performances, we can build a connection from our heart to their heart,” Juun says as her groupmates nod in agreement.

With Lemon Tang out now, the members share which 2010s pop anthems informed their music taste and what they’re listening to now.

Stella: When I was younger and growing up, I really loved listening to Ariana Grande. Her Yours Truly album was my favorite. I would listen to it every single day after school.

I-an: The first album I bought with the pocket money my parents gave me was aespa sunbaenim's Girls.

Carmen: The first album I bought with my own money was Justin Bieber’s—the “Boyfriend” one, [Believe].

Carmen: Bruno Mars’s newest album, The Romantic. My favorite song is “Risk It All.”

Jiwoo: The 2000s when there was a lot of pop and dance-pop. If you look at the melodies of songs of that time, they’re really catchy, bouncy, and high-energy. It fits the overall brightness and feel that we look for with Hearts2Hearts.

Stella: I've definitely been really into “Midnight Sun” by Zara Larsson, but I really loved her music before that as well.

Jiwoo: Red Velvet sunbaenim’s “Red Flavor.” It's a really cute song, and very high-energy.

I-an: Girls’ Generation sunbaenim’s “Holiday.” We covered this song as trainees, and it’s very happy and bright.

Yuha: I had an opportunity to go to a Taeyeon concert. Needless to say, she was a really good singer, but the way that she interacted with fans between songs was very impressive. That was a performance that I really remember.

I-an: The first fan meeting that we had. It was the first event in which we had the full audience of just fans only. So, of course, before going on stage, I really wanted to do well. I was totally nervous. I think that it was something like when we were first debuting, and so, therefore, that made me totally focused. After it was over, I was so happy. I got a feeling of accomplishment, and that's something that I really remember.

Carmen: When we did a fan meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. [Ed. note: Carmen is the first Indonesian K-pop idol under SM.] My mom, my dad, my grandmother, and my big family were all watching me perform, so it made me feel so nervous and happy at the same time.

Stella: “RUDE!” It received a lot of love, so I feel like it would be a good starting point for people who are interested in us or want to get to know us.

Stella: One of the groups that we've really looked up to was Girls’ Generation. If we were ever to do a collaboration or share a stage with them, that would be a big honor.

Stella: I like to listen to really loud electronic music to get me distracted. I search "electro music one hour" on YouTube.

Jiwoo: Girls’ Generation’s “PARTY.”

MC: What song describes the stage in life you’re at right now?

Yuha: aespa’s “Live My Life.”

Carmen: “Rock With You” by Michael Jackson.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.