Get to Know the Girls of VCHA, K-Pop’s First-Ever American Girl Group
JYP Entertainment is best known as the record label and entertainment group behind massive K-pop acts, including TWICE, Stray Kids and ITZY, and their newest group, VCHA, is unlike anything we've seen before in K-pop.
Last night, the group made their official debut during the finale of the competition series A2K (America2Korea), which has created the first-ever global girl group within the K-pop system. The six-member group, made up of Camila, Lexi, Kendall, Savanna, KG and Kaylee, has gone through the same rigorous training process of K-pop's biggest stars, and just released their first music video for "Y.O.Universe," along with their three-track single, SEVIT (New Light). It's a very exciting time to be a K-pop fan, and we had the honor of chatting with the group ahead of their debut to get to know them and what VCHA is all about.
Sweety High: Can you each introduce yourselves and your roles within VCHA?
Camila: Hi, I'm Camila from Quebec, Canada, and my role within VCHA is the mom of the group. I'm the oldest and I love taking care of everyone.
Lexi: Hello! My name is Lexi. I am 17 years old, and I am from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I am "the leader" of the group and my role within VCHA is to help guide the group in terms of staying organized and staying focused!
Kendall: Hi! I'm Kendall from Fort Worth, Texas, and I'm the self-proclaimed artist of the group.
Savanna: Hello, my name is Savanna. I'm 17 years old from Coconut Creek, Florida, and I'm the swaggy dance teacher of the group.
KG: Hi, I'm KG from Los Angeles, California. I'm the musical one who also enjoys songwriting.
Kaylee: Hello, I'm Kaylee. I'm 13 years old, and I am from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I am the youngest and cutest in VCHA, and I help the other members communicate.
(Photo credit: JYP Entertainment)
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SH: What does the name VCHA mean, and why is it the perfect title for this group?
Kendall: The name VCHA comes from the Korean word "비춰," meaning to shine upon. I believe VCHA is a good fit for our group because we were all inspired by someone when we initially auditioned for A2K; we all had an artist we aspired to be like who lit up the drive inside us to follow our dreams. Now, we strive to be that spark for others, to inspire them to follow their dreams just like we did, because it would be the greatest honor to be that light for someone else.
KG: As a group, we hope to shine a light to others through our music and performances as artists. This means a lot to me, personally, because as I grow as an artist, I hope to become someone who can shine a light to others that reminds them to believe in themselves and stay true to who they are.
SH: What sets VCHA apart from other K-pop acts? What does it mean to you all to be the first American girl group within a K-pop system?
Camila: I believe that what's special about us is that we are the first global girl group who benefits from amazing K-pop training. It means so much to us that we all come from different backgrounds and cultures and that we can bring so much to our group and to the public, as well, by representing everyone around the world.
KG: We are proud to represent different cultures and places around the world. It's also an honor to have this opportunity to train and learn about Korean culture. The K-pop training system is very hard working, yet so amazing. We are blessed to be working alongside professionals and learn so much from the training experience as we pursue our dreams. We look forward to what the future has in store for us.
(Photo credit: JYP Entertainment)
SH: Can you tell us about your upcoming lead track "Y.O.Universe"? What was the inspiration behind the song, and how did it come to be?
Lexi: "Y.O.Universe" is a track in our pre-debut single, SeVit (NEW LIGHT). The song discusses how one will experience hardships and struggles within their journey of finding their true self, but can overcome it with the support of others and self-confidence. Every individual is special and unique because they are who they are, which is why the name specifically includes "Y.O.U."
SH: Why did it feel like the right song to introduce yourselves to the world?
Camila: I believe that every aspect of the song represents us. From the lyrics to the dance to the music video. It's all about our relationship and how we help each other through the hard times. It showcases that we were able to find each other even though we had different paths in the beginning.
Kendall: This song is the right song to introduce ourselves to the world with because it is written about our journey and hardships to become one group. This is represented in the lyrics "some from the west end, and from the east side," showing that we came together from all different backgrounds. Our hardships are also represented in the lyrics "Do you feel special, no. Do you feel replaceable, yeah. You hear that voice inside your head," because there were ups and downs in everyone's journeys, but still, we never gave up. Also, we portray our message in the song by saying, "We are who we are" because, no matter what, we are strong in ourselves and not changing for anyone, and "we" have now come together as one group. This song overall showcases us coming together from individuals to one group and portraying our message to the world.
Savanna: This song seems like the perfect song to introduce ourselves because we want to send the message that everyone can have confidence in their individuality. It feels great to have that message as our debut song because we all bring our differences and uniqueness into one group, allowing ourselves to shine as our true selves.
Kaylee: "Y.O.Universe" is a song about how everyone is special and unique. All the members in VCHA come from different backgrounds, and we all have different personalities. This song fits us perfectly since we are all diverse, but at the same time, that's what makes us great.
(Photo credit: JYP Entertainment)
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SH: What else can we expect from SeVit (NEW LIGHT)?
Camila: You can expect a wide variety of genres in our new single. It contains three songs; "Y.O.Universe," "Go Getter" and "Know Me Like That." They are all very different and very special to us since we performed those three songs during the show A2K.
Lexi: Our pre-debut single SeVit (NEW LIGHT) includes a wide variety of music. "Go Getter" is an upbeat and energetic song that gets you pumped while "Know Me Like That" is a rock-like song that is also energetic in its own way.
Savanna: You can expect two very diverse B-side tracks to fit whatever mood you're looking for! "Go Getter" has a very fun and exciting vibe, while "Know Me Like That" has a very fierce electric guitar track, with lyrics making a statement, empowering anyone who listens!
(Photo credit: JYP Entertainment)
SH: Is there anything that new fans should know about VCHA?
Lexi: We are a group of teens from America and Canada who came together because of a competition show called A2K. This is only the beginning of our journey, and we can't wait to see what the future holds for us.
Savanna: We can't wait to show even more growth in the years to come.
(Photo credit: JYP Entertainment)
SH: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Camila: I would add that we are super excited to show everyone what's next for our group and we can't wait to continue this journey with our fans.
Lexi: Please stay tuned and look out for VCHA's future content! We appreciate all the support we have received throughout our journey and will work hard.
Kendall: Thank you for reading and don't forget to check out our new single SeVit (NEW LIGHT) and title track "Y.O.Universe." Thank you!
Savanna: Please stay tuned for everything that VCHA has planned! We look forward to showing all the hard work we have put in up to this point! Thank you!
KG: I'd like to say thank you to all our fans and those who support us. We appreciate every one of you and hope to meet you soon. Let's continue on this amazing journey together and shine a light to the world.
Kaylee: All the members of VCHA worked incredibly hard to get to this point and we will keep growing. We hope you enjoy our pre-debut just as much as we do!
(Photo credit: JYP Entertainment)
For more on our favorite acts in K-pop, click HERE to read our interview with EVERGLOW on their ALL MY GIRLS comeback.