Why is KISS OF LIFE so popular?
Breathing fresh air into the K-pop industry, KISS OF LIFE revived music for good.
KISS OF LIFE “Midas Touch” promotional image. Image: S2 Entertainment.
When KISS OF LIFE (also known as KIOF) debuted on July 5, 2023, the K-pop industry had just entered its fifth generation. The fourth generation had ended heavily influenced by the Y2K style, drum and bass, and western artists like Pink Pantheress. This was perfect timing for everything the members of KIOF wanted to showcase.
Debuting with their self-titled album ‘KISS OF LIFE’, under S2 Entertainment, the group revealed its four members, Natty, Julie, Belle and Haneul one by one with their own solo tracks.
Quickly following their debut, KIOF rose to popularity. Their album sales, as reported by Korean Sales, started at 759 copies on the first day but increased rapidly to 25 thousand by the end of the fifth day. This exponential rise in popularity, especially of a group from a smaller company, was almost unexpected.
Regardless, KIOF’s success can be pinned down to one main factor: uniqueness. From the solo debuts to the throwback sound and style, the group gave the industry something new to follow.
Their first titled track “Shhh” was an immediate hit and helped the group secure their position in the industry. With an addictive and sexy instrumental, and easy-to-follow choreography, the song was the perfect introduction to the members’ talents and sound.
With an increasing number of idols debuting as minors, and with backlash from fans regarding this, the debut age of KIOF’S members was also refreshing. In recent years, K-pop companies have been involved in controversy surrounding the debut age of young idols including NewJeans, TripleS, and Baby Monster.
Fans often feel uncomfortable knowing how tough the industry can be on idols and how this pressure can only increase for younger idols. As all KIOF member’s debuted at age 18 or older, fans felt relieved.
The members
Julie is the leader of KISS OF LIFE and also acts as the group’s main rapper and lead dancer. Born and raised in Hawaii, until moving to Korea in her teenage years, Julie was always surrounded by music.
KISS OF LIFE Julie. Image: S2 Entertainment.
Growing up she attended a dance academy, learning Ballet then moving to Hip Hop. She was later suggested by the academy to try to become an idol.
In 2017, she became a trainee at The Black Label, a YG subsidiary, where she would stay for three years before leaving and moving to S2 Entertainment. Julie is a great rapper and dancer and, after training for so many years, she helps give the group its sexy and mature attitude.
Natty perhaps garnered the most excitement when the members were revealed. Gaining popularity through the reality show Sixteen (which made the successful girl group TWICE), Natty’s debut was long awaited by older K-pop fans.
KISS OF LIFE Natty. Image: S2 Entertainment.
Born in Thailand, Natty moved to Korea around the age of 10 and joined Sixteen at 12 years old. After Sixteen, she debuted as a solo artist with her single album ‘NineTeen’. Now, as the main dancer, lead rapper, and sub-vocalist of KIOF, Natty is the perfect example of ‘hard work paying off’.
All her success can be attributed to the years she put in trying and practicing. Natty is the main dancer, but ultimately, she is one of K-pop’s aces, and will become a part of K-pop’s legacy.
Belle’s debut in KIOF came as a pleasant surprise. Born in Seattle, Washington, USA, and the daughter of South Korean singer Shim Sin, Belle has been writing songs for several years and attended a song writing camp at SM Entertainment before her debut.
KISS OF LIFE Belle. Image: S2 Entertainment.
Belle has written multiple songs for her group KISS OF LIFE including “Shhh”, her solo track “Countdown”, “My 808” and “Says It”. She has also written for other K-pop artists like G-IDLE and Le Sserafim throughout her career. One of the songs that Belle is credited for co-writing includes the hit “Unforgiven” which became one of Le Sserafim’s biggest releases.
Belle’s vocal abilities have also been praised from the start of her career. Belle debuted showing off her singing potential hitting very high notes, belting, and representing the group vocally. She does an outstanding job in their second main release “Bad News”. She fills the chorus with her fierce voice, proving that attitude and range will not be a problem for the group.
Despite all the girls being good singers, Belle does a great job standing out and making sure her position as main vocalist is secure.
Haneul is the youngest member of KIOF. She was revealed as a member on May 18, 2023, with her solo “Play Love Games” at the age of 18. Starting out at S2 Entertainment during the beginning of 2022 Haneul had the least training period between her members. Despite this, it does not seem hard at all for her to keep up.
KISS OF LIFE Haneul. Image: S2 Entertainment.
Haneul is a great vocalist and performer, perfectly complementing the group. She participated in writing one of their best songs “Bye My Neverland” in their debut album, proving herself as a force to be reckoned with in the group.
Born in Suwon, South Korea, Haneul is now the lead vocalist of KIOF and shows no signs of slowing down. With her Korean name meaning ‘sky’, Haneul proves that the sky's the limit for her talent.
Like no other
With their music, KISS OF LIFE have secured their unique sound. Their newest comebacks “Nobody Knows” and “Midas Touch” take inspiration from older R&B and Hip-Hop songs. Seeing the success of using these genres in Natty’s solo “Sugarcoat”, they adapted its formula to their group songs as well.
“Midas Touch” ended up reaching more than 50 million streams on Spotify, nearing the success of “Sugarcoat”, and gained 24 million views on YouTube at the time of writing.
For a smaller company like S2 Entertainment, having a group like KIOF in their repertoire is a blessing. Previously managing HOT ISSUE, who debuted in 2021, KISS OF LIFE were the next biggest group S2 Entertainment had that broke into the industry.
After years of K-pop girl groups following the girl crush trend, KIOF transitioned into fifth gen K-pop in a way that was completely authentic to them. Debuting each member with their own solo and being so creatively hands-on from debut, the group hasn’t only established their name together but also individually.
In 2024, two of the members featured in different songs. Natty collaborated with Jay Park on the song “Taxi Blurr” — she showed up as a singer but also featured in the music video and in the main part of the choreography. Natty has performed the song with Jay Park and was an essential part of the track even during promotion.
Julie also featured as a rapper on TWICE member NAYEON’s new solo album, ‘NA’. The pop song “Magic” is the second most streamed song on the album. Julie’s feature was highly praised all over social media by both fans of TWICE and KIOF.
As a whole, KISS OF LIFE are great at what they do and have worked hard throughout the years to perfect their craft. The group debuted with so much style and personality, leaving their mark on the industry from the beginning. With their power and uniqueness, they will give K-pop something beyond what is expected and the excitement that follows the group will only continue to grow.
On July 1, 2024, KISS OF LIFE will release their new single “Sticky”, giving us a taste of what this group can bring for fans during summer. From this multi-talented group, we expect nothing but the best.
Edited by Chelsea Cheetham.