Six-member girl group Laboum has returned to the stage with a retro pop song called “Aalow Aalow.” 

Their new two-track single comes eight months after “Sugar Sugar,” a long hiatus considering that they had promoted three tracks -- “Pit a Pat,” “What About You” and “Sugar Sugar” -- between their debut in November 2014 and March.

“During the break, we really felt how precious each performance was,” member Yulhee told The Korea Herald on Monday at the offices of NH EMG, the group’s label.

The long break seems to have allowed the girls’ performance concept to grow more mature. 

“Before ‘Aalow Aalow,’ our songs and performances were always very girlish and playful. This time, we tried out a slightly more mature feel, more like freshmen in college,” said Yujeong. 

The difference is clear both in their stage costumes, which have gone from the doll costumes and pajamas of “What About You” and “Sugar Sugar” to more sophisticated retro outfits, and their lyrics. 

“The lyrics in our past songs were always about young girls who didn’t know what to do in love. This time, it’s more upfront,” said Soyeon. 

“The lyrics are much bolder. The girl says, ‘Can I love you, can I kiss you?’”
Still, Laboum were confident that they had not lost their original style, with musical-like dance performances and an upbeat vibe. 

“When we first heard about the new concept, we were a bit worried because it was so different,” Soyeon said. “Thankfully, it still seemed like us.”

The girls were confident, even if they weren’t able to clearly express it. 

“There’s no particular word that fits. Fans who have been watching us since the beginning know what we mean when we say something is ‘Laboum-y,’” said Yulhee.

“We’re still looking for the right word to describe us,” said ZN.

Laboum said that they saw “Aalow Aalow” as a kind of “second debut,” which would allow them to make their mark on the K-pop scene.

“It’s really exciting,” said Solbin. “I think we were actually more nervous than before our debut. ... Now that we know how to look at the camera, what kind of energy we need to give off to get a good response. We have become more conscious about how we do everything.”

The members are pouring everything into their promotions, saying that recently they’ve only gotten to sleep about two hours a night because they were so busy practicing.

“Still, it’s better to lose out on sleep because we’re so busy performing,” said Solbin. “If we remember how desperate we were to get on stage before our debut and our new album, we’re so grateful that we are busy now.”

Laboum said that going overseas was definitely something they were looking forward to, especially after performing with fellow NH group U-KISS in Cambodia and the Philippines.

“We hope that we’ll get to visit every country where there are fans who wait for us,” said Yulhee.

When asked about their goals for the upcoming year, Laboum said that their primary focus will be on expanding their fan base.

“There are still a lot of people who don’t know about us. We hope they’ll keep watching us. We’re a lovely, unique group,” said ZN.

“Next year, and the year after that, we’ll work hard so that our fans won’t be able to fall asleep because they keep thinking about us,” Soyeon said.

Laboum’s new two-track single “Aalow Aalow,” including “Aalow Aalow” and “Tasty,” was released Dec. 6. 

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)