SECRET NUMBER is a girl group that has been making waves in the K-Pop industry since their debut in 2020. With members Jinny, SooDam, Dita, ZUU, MinJi, and LÉA, the group has brought a fresh and unique energy to the music scene with their powerful performances, catchy music, and charming personalities. Their group name stands for the special numbers every person has in relation to passwords and PIN codes; they wanted to create a similar connection and meaning with their fans.

Vine Entertainment

SECRET NUMBER has made a comeback with their sixth album titled "DOXA." This release marks their first Korean comeback of 2023, since the release of "Tap," their fifth single album, which was released in November 2022. The title track 'DOXA' describes the toxic cycle within a relationship of breaking up and getting back together.

The album also includes their first ever song dedicated to their fans, LOCKEY, titled 'Beautiful One.' This is an especially meaningful to SECRET NUMBER as it was released a few days after the group celebrated their third anniversary, which was on May 19th. 'Beautiful One' is dedicated to LOCKEYs and it showcases the members' beautiful vocals and earnest heartfelt appreciation for their fans.

Kpopmap had the privilege of sitting down with the members of SECRET NUMBER to discuss their latest single album, title track, and other fun questions to get to know the group more!

To start things off, can you introduce yourselves and tell us which foreign food you've eaten most recently?

Hi, this is LÉA.
I’m actually eating foreign food every day because I’m Japanese. Today, I had teok-bokki (spicy rice cakes).
LÉA
Hi I’m Dita, the main dancer of Secret Number!
The most recent foreign food I’ve eaten is pizza. I love bread and I love cheese, and pizza has both so it’s probably one of my favorite dishes.
Dita
Hello, I’m Jinny from Secret Number! Lately, I’ve been craving Mexican food, so I had fajitas and quesadillas recently.
Jinny
Hello, this is the bunny of SECRET NUMBER, SooDam. The most recent foreign food I’ve eaten is a hamburger.
SooDam
Hi, this is MinJi, the main vocalist. The most recent foreign food I’ve eaten is rendang.
MinJi
Hello! I’m the powerful maknae of SECRET NUMBER, ZUU. I love pasta, so I eat pasta at least once a day. 🙂
ZUU

Vine Entertainment

Congratulations on the release of your new album, "DOXA"! Can you share the inspiration behind the album's concept and title?

The title of the English version of the guide song was 'Poison.' When the Korean lyrics were being written, words like “poison” and “intoxicating” were used. So we thought about what would go well, and we chose “DOXA.”
LÉA
Rather than inspiration, the lyrics that Jinny wrote actually have the word “DOXA” in it, and it also stands for toxic love in Korean, so I think that is why the title of the track was finalized as 'DOXA.' Of course, the song also talks about a toxic love that repeats breakups and makeups!
MinJi

Are there any particular tracks in "DOXA" that hold significant meaning to the group or have a special story behind them? If so, could you share some details?

The B-side of our single, 'Beautiful One' holds a significant meaning to the group because it’s our first-ever fan song. It’s also very meaningful for us because we recently celebrated the third anniversary since our debut, so I think it was a great way to commemorate our anniversary by releasing a song dedicated to LOCKEYs.
Jinny
The B-side track is our first fan song! This year marks the third year after our debut, and we would have never come this far if not for our fans, LOCKEYs. We thought about ways of repaying the love and decided to include a fan song in this album to show them how thankful we are.
ZUU

It has already been three years since you have debuted! Your group has come such a long way and we are excited to see what else you have to offer. Care to share any behind-the-scenes stories from your training period or pre-debut preparations?

When we first started the preparation for our debut, we had another song besides 'Who Dis?' that we were originally going to debut with. We started the dance lessons for that song and suddenly one day we were told that 'Who Dis?' is going to be our debut single. It was quite shocking that time considering we were already halfway through the other song. But now that I look back, I’m glad we debuted with 'Who Dis?' because I think the song really shows SECRET NUMBER’s color.
Dita
Right before our debut, we used to have this ‘visual training’ practice every week. It was a time when we filmed ourselves lip-syncing, doing gestures, practicing facial expressions, etc, to monitor how we look on camera, and to figure out ways to express our emotions through gestures and facial expressions. At first, it was quite awkward, but it was a great help when we eventually got to film our music video.
Jinny
We had to practice putting on facial expressions. So once a week we would all choose a song and film ourselves making facial expressions and gestures.
SooDam

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How do you feel your music has evolved or matured with this album, both in terms of sound and lyrical content?

I think this album is much more mature than our previous ones in story-wise. While our previous album showed the confidence that we had in ourselves, this album is about a very tough break-up. So it is not just visuals, but also the way we express it became much more mature.
LÉA
While the melody for our previous title track 'TAP' was more elegant, 'DOXA' is very intense. The track also begins without an intro, adding to the intensity of the song.
MinJi

"DOXA" includes a mix of upbeat tracks and emotional ballads. How do you balance the energy and emotions throughout the album, and what do you hope listeners will take away from these different moods?

For the title track, 'DOXA' it is more about me having fun as the character portrayed in the story of the song. But for our side track 'Beautiful One', every time I sing it I just have to think about my fans and my honest feelings towards them which is gratitude.
I hope people who listen to our “DOXA” album can have fun or even relate to our title track which tells a story about a toxic relationship, and for those who listen to “Beautiful One” to know that they’re not alone and there will be people who are grateful for your existence.
Dita
I think most of our albums have two concepts, and I believe fans love this because they are able to enjoy both the “girl-crush” concept as well as the soft and calm side of us. In this album, we specially added a fan song for the first time. We always wanted to repay the love we get from our fans, and it feels more special as the lyric of the fan song was actually written by a member.
SooDam
Both songs, 'DOXA' and 'Beautiful One' are about love. 'DOXA' talks about a toxic love that you know is harmful but cannot get away from, while 'Beautiful One' sings forever love for the one and only. I hope that the listeners out there feel that they are not the only ones going through this process as they listen to the songs.
ZUU

Vine Entertainment

How do you feel your individual strengths and personalities shine through in the different tracks on the album?

Both the lyrics and the story of the music video are much more mature compared to those from our previous albums. Since I’m the oldest member, I think I was able to really pull off the right facial expressions and gestures fitting the concept.
LÉA
In this album, for our title track 'DOXA' I feel like I was able to explore not only singing and dancing but also acting. We had to do a lot of acting about the stuff that is not really related to myself. I really enjoyed the process of finding new characters within myself!
And for our side track, I was actually not really confident at first when I got the first part of the song, but through practice, I think I found the sound that I wanted.
Dita
For our title track 'DOXA', it was the first time having a whole self-written rap verse to myself, so I feel like it was a great opportunity to showcase my rap tone and style. Also, the duration of the rap verse was longer compared to other SECRET NUMBER’s songs, which allowed me to really express and deliver the lyrics more. Secondly, for our B-side 'Beautiful One', I got the first half of the bridge as my part. At first, I felt really pressured having to sing a fairly high note, but after all, I believe that it was a great chance to also showcase my singing abilities.
Jinny
My voice is softer compared to the voices of other members, so I think having such a voice in the middle of the song stands out.
SooDam
I think the uniqueness of our voices and our styles of singing goes together really well in one song, so you wouldn’t get tired of listening to the song and it stays in your head.
MinJi
As there are two very different songs in this album, I think I can show a more energetic version of me in “DOXA” while showing off my vocal skills as well as the emotional side of me in the B-track.
ZUU

Vine Entertainment

The album cover and design play a crucial role in capturing the essence of the music. Could you explain the creative process behind the album artwork for "DOXA" and what you intended it to convey?

The album cover is green representing poison and venom, and we tried a totally different make-up for this comeback.
LÉA
Green is used on the album cover as it is the color that usually comes to mind when you think of poison. Also, the fonts looking like geometric shapes created an artwork that stays with you. Some people would tell us that the cover reminds them of the "Squid Game" logo.
MinJi
The main point color of this album artwork is green. We were wondering what color can express poison to go well with the title song which literally means poisonous snake, and since poison and harmful substances have been traditionally expressed in green, that color was chosen as the point color. If you look at the photobook included in the album, you can see more dynamic poses than in our previous albums. They resemble a snake in many ways; a snake attacking, wiping its mouth, and shaking. In order to capture such vibes, I studied a lot of dynamic poses and participated in the photoshoot.
ZUU

What are your goals and aspirations for the future of SECRET NUMBER?

Every time we release new albums, I hope more people will know SECRET NUMBER and that more people enjoy our songs and performances. I really do enjoy every moment on stage and my goal is simply just to do another stage and entertain more people through our performances.
Dita
We’re hoping to build our discography by constantly releasing a variety of songs. Hopefully, we can release a full-length album soon. Also, one of our biggest goals is to go on a world tour and to meet LOCKEYs all around the world.
Jinny
We haven’t got our first win on a music show yet, so the goal is to get our first win. Also, I would love to go on a world tour to meet more LOCKEYs around the world.
SooDam

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And lastly, what would you like to say to LOCKEYs from all over the world who are reading this interview?

To all that found us through this interview, nice to meet you! Once you get to know a bit about SECRET NUMBER, you will never be able to get out. Also, to our LOCKEYs around the world, I’m sorry that we haven’t got the chance to see you all in person. I’m also waiting for that day to arrive, so stay tuned! Thank you always!
LÉA
A lot of you guys haven’t got the chance to see us in person and yet we’ve been receiving so much love and support from LOCKEYs around the world. Thank you for supporting us even though you may be far or even close by. I hope we can meet very very soon!
Dita
Thank you Kpopmap readers, and LOCKEYs for reading our interview. Hope you enjoyed it and got to know more about us, SECRET NUMBER. Thank you always for your love and support, love you all!
Jinny
Thank you so much to all of our fans that always give us their love. I promise to always show you the better version of myself and become an artist that you can always be proud of. Love you!
SooDam
Hello, subscribers! This is SECRET NUMBER, hoping to meet you all in person as a better, improved artist. This year, I would love for more opportunities to see you in person, communicate, and sing good songs for you all. Thank you always!
MinJi
To the subscribers of Kpopmap and LOCKEYs! I hope that you feel our presence next tp you by listening to 'DOXA' and 'Beautiful One' during the second half of this year. Always be happy and keep loving and supporting us! 🙂
ZUU

Vine Entertainment

Thank you again SECRET NUMBER for the interview! We wish you all the success and love in your career. Please stay happy and healthy while being active as a group. FIGHTING!

Make sure to pick up your copy of their new album "DOXA." And watch their music video for their title song!