K-pop rap group Young Posse is having a ball on its first tour in America. The all-girl quintet—all its members are still in their teens—got to meet one of their own idols in Run-DMC’s Darryl McDaniels;  experienced not only both coasts but Middle America with shows shows at rock clubs in places like Columbus, Ohio, Detroit and Kansas City; and celebrated a birthday in San Francisco last week.

Sunhye, Yeonjung, Jiana, Doeun and Jieun rounded out October by marking one year together since their debut, releasing a remix EP of songs (Year 1: We Still Loading) from their first three EPs, including 2024’s XXL and Ate That. The latter was their most successful, climbing to the top spot on iTunes’ K-pop album chart. Their video for the title track was heavily inspired by the “Grand Theft Auto” video game and eschewed traditional idol glitz and glam in favor of a jaw-dropping (literally) homage to West Coast G-funk.

Chatting by email a day after the San Francisco show, the five members said their goal is to not look pretty at every moment—which is quite the opposite of much of K-pop. While fans call them “idols,” they still view themselves as “ordinary people [with] many different aspects inside and outside.”

The group, which also performed at New York’s Head in the Clouds Festival this year, feels like it doesn’t “need to always provide a pretty and perfect fantasy.​”

RIFF: You’re getting a solid three weeks in the U.S. on your first tour here. What have you most enjoyed, other than performing concerts, that perhaps you weren’t expecting?

Sunhye: We met DMC [Run-DMC’s Darryl McDaniels] at our concert in Queens, New York. I heard he was from Queens and enjoyed watching [the] “XXL” music video, so he came to see us! He was the headliner of a big music festival in South Korea last year, so we had chat about Korea. … We even took a TikTok with classic song “It’s Tricky!”

During the tour, Columbus’ venue was a small rock concert hall, and I liked the atmosphere. …

Jiana: I ate a lot of cookies. I didn’t know [McDaniels] even made cookies. When I saw the wrapper, I thought it was a bit hard, but when I put it in my mouth, it became my favorite cookie with a soft, gently melting texture! When you look at the TikTok we took with DMC, I’m the only one with cookies in my mouth. It’s a shame that I couldn’t take a lot of mukbang videos because I was eating like crazy.

We traveled while looking at the beautiful scenery, imagining what kind of Tele-Posse [the group’s fanbase] we would meet in this next city. I felt that the United States was a huge country of great passion.​

Yeonjung: On the same day we met DMC, we also met Ed Young [of The Source magazine and the Hip-Hop Museum]. He [said] that he enjoyed our newest song, “Loading…” It was an incredible moment because they were the ones who did something that would go down in hip-hop’s history that we only knew [from] YouTube.​

I think all 12 cities passed like a midsummer night’s dream! The scent of all the stages and the warmth of the fans still remain, so all cities seem to remain as good memories.

Doeun: I can’t forget the passionate cheers of the Florida fans, [at] the beginning of the tour. It was our first tour, and we weren’t on stage with full confidence, so we were so nervous. But they sang along to every single word of our tracks and cheered for us. It had a huge impact on us as we moved to the next city. The Phoenix performance on Halloween was fun because the fans came …  in various costumes and it felt like we were watching the fans’ performance.​ …

Jieun: I literally cannot forget the fans who self-made and wore the exact outfits that we wore in the music video! … There were fans who gave out bracelets or photos in front of the concert hall. … San Francisco [was] the last day of the tour, and it was my birthday, so I think it’s even more memorable! I was so thankful and so happy to receive so many birthday wishes from so many fans and staff! …

Rap is a big part of modern K-pop, but your group exclusively performs hip-hop. How did you settle on this style?

Sunhye: I think the most important thing is the tone and dynamic range of the voices we have! And our personality and attitude have had a huge impact on starting out as a hip-hop team.

Yeonjung: Before we debuted, we five recorded a wide variety of music and danced to it. We’ve tried so many other styles in music that we bet it would be real hard for those who like the current Young Posse to imagine.

Traditionally, a K-pop group will have one or two people doing most of the rapping. How do you split your verses or lines when you’re all rappers?

Yeonjung: Our producer, Kiggen, often invited us to the studio. Since we were younger trainees, he showed us various hip-hop and R&B groups, letting us know that when [they] work together as a group, they [are] more fun to listen to and watch than solo artists. We imagined ourselves debuting in the world as a group while listening to a variety of music, from Wu-Tang Clan, TLC, and The Fugees to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Korean legends like Bigbang and 2NE1.

Doeun: Yes, it is not too difficult to divide up the rap parts as a team. After receiving the track, we think about what each member will tell and whose story will fit in the version.​

Who do you look up to as musical influences? How about hip-hop artists, specifically?

Jiana: South Korean rapper pH-1.

Sunhye: Recently I am down with Jeremih!

Yeonjung: My all-time favorite’s are Doja Cat, Ice Spice and Lil Uzi Vert. I copied their style a lot!

Doeun: Recently I found Sion on YouTube; he is really talented German Korean artist. I am also digging Jenevieve and RINI right now.

Jieun: I love [South Korean rappers] Wonstein and Beenzino.

You all write your own songs. What’s the songwriting process for you as a group? Do the ideas start with one of you and then grow with all five of you together, or another way? Do you start with lyrics or with a beat?

Jiana: I think it differs from time to time. At first, it was so difficult; “Why do they give us this homework?” But now we know that one song can be created in any way.​

Sunhye: There are times when I suddenly record melodies or lyrics on my iPhone while walking on the street alone. Also, an idea pops up while reading a movie, reading a book or even after watching TikTok for a few seconds, and it is connected to songwriting.

Doeun: We have a “Let’s make something together!” style, and we also have a “completely separate from each other” style. Our producers help us a lot to produce the result.

What are each of your hobbies and passions outside of music?

Sunhye: Watching performance videos of great artists—while doing puzzles.

Jieun: Recommend good shopping items to unnie members.

Yeonjung: I love making cute things, accessories, etc. And I love shopping!

Jiana: Working out!

Contact editor Roman Gokhman at

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