When the passion for music and a newfound voice outweighs the fear of producing, a new story is born—and that’s exactly what K-pop girl group ablume has done.
After months away from the music scene, the trio has returned with a renewed sense of purpose, ready to share their voices and their stories. Members Sio, Saena and Aran debuted under the name albume, the group’s name is truly a testament to their growth and resilience. Through the strength of their music and the bond they share, they’ve truly begun to bloom.
The Knockturnal had the opportunity to sit down with the three-membered group to talk about their journey back into the spotlight and their recent releases. After feeling as though their voices had been lost in the shadows, ablume returned with their heartwarming summer-ready track “Echo,” accompanied by “Never Far Away,’ marking a complete 180 from their concept back into the spotlight.
We asked them about their bold comeback trailer, The First Sprout, where the members appeared in what looked like an interrogation room, fielding deeply personal questions—questions like ,‘What do they really want the world to see?’
In the trailer, the group not only reflects on themselves as a whole, but they also deliver multiple pointed references to their former group and circumstances.
In terms of their new sound and identity, ablume is clear about who they want to be now. They said it in the trailer themselves, “We’ll be heard—through our sound.”
With the release of “Echo,” they’ve begun carving out a fresh musical direction, rooted in authenticity and emotional honesty.
Their voices, which are featured prominently in not only the trailer but also in a six-part documentary series (each episode running approximately 30 minutes), show just how dedicated they are to producing music they’re passionate about—music that reconnects them with their audience and represents their truest selves.
You can read the full conversation between ablume and The Knockturnal below, as the members open up about their fears, emotional growth, behind-the-scenes moments from the “Echo” music video, and the enduring message they hope to share through their music and voice.
This conversation has been edited for clarity.
Before diving into the conversation, we greeted the three members with our prior knowledge of the group and shared the excitement we felt when their debut was first announced. Since then, they’ve crafted such an intense and purposeful voice and message for themselves—something we were eager to explore further.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: ablume back full force with a powerful trailer titled The First Sprout. It made a bold statement as your reintroduction to the scene. Something that stood out to me was that you were in what looked like an interrogation room, with a strong message about being kept in the shadows, and now your voices are being heard again. What was it like to return with such a powerful trailer, especially with such a meaningful scene?
SAENA: In the beginning, honestly, we were definitely scared. We had concerns about expressing the darker sides of our inner voices. But at the end of the day, we had to face our truthful selves, and we promised we would deliver that to the audience and our fans.
We wanted to show sincerity through our music and mindset. That helped ground us and show the strength and unity of our team—something we wanted to express through that official trailer.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: I’m so glad you found that strength—Following the trailer, you released a six-part documentary that echoed the heart of ablume.
You talked about the fear of returning and the uncertainty. What were your emotions leading up to the release? And now that it’s out in the world, how does it feel?
ARAN: We tried to put our roots into that documentary—our music, our voices, our thoughts, and experiences. It made us excited, but to be honest, we were worried. It was a moment of showing our faces to the world again, and speaking sincerely in front of a camera is not easy.
But we felt we had to face this situation to grow and move forward as artists. Now, I feel more honored—I can just say what I want to say.
And through their voices and hearts, ablume chose to debut with “Echo”—a gentle yet emotionally charged track that expresses the hardships they’ve faced, in a way that’s universally relatable.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: What led you to choose “Echo” as your debut track, and what did you hope it would communicate about who ablume is? Tell me more about that decision.
SIO: Our debut song “Echo” represents a new beginning. When we first heard the demo, we knew—it was our song. The message aligned with our narrative. We wanted to reflect our honest thoughts and show our unique colors to our fans. We also hoped it could bring comfort to listeners, like a small encouragement.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: Definitely—and as a listener myself, it’s been on repeat. It’s such a comforting song. You kind of already touched on this, but in Echo, there’s a heartfelt bridge where Aran sings:
“I feel like I’m right where I’m supposed to / We got through the hardest times and now we’re together, I don’t mind.”
Those lyrics feel very intentional. Can you share more insight on what they personally mean to you?
ARAN: That lyric—“We got through the hardest times, but now that we’re together, I don’t mind”—explains everything about us. We’ve been through so much, but we always knew what we wanted to do. And now we’re here: with our fans, with our team, with our music. I really don’t mind anything else—not obstacles, not people who might try to block us.
Even if something suddenly appears or I hit a wall in my artistic journey, I just focus on my people—my members, my family, my team. That’s what Echo is about. I hope people can feel the same, caring for themselves and their loved ones, being together. That’s what we want to share.
But ablume doesn’t want their story to feel heavy all the time. Releasing an airy and uplifting track like “Echo” also came with plenty of lighthearted moments on set, which the group happily shared with us. From emotional themes to watching the sunset together, the music video shoot was not only meaningful but also a genuinely fun experience, both for the group and for anyone watching.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: The “Echo” music video was just so much fun! It was full of color and joy. There was always a smile on one of your faces. It really felt like a culmination of all your hard work. Were there any memorable moments from the shoot that stuck with you? Maybe something fun or meaningful from being on set again?
SIO: There was this one scene where we were in the desert, in a van. The driver took a wrong turn, and we got stuck in the sand. We all had to get out and push the van—it was honestly so entertaining and kind of funny for us.
SAENA: It was our first time shooting a music video in that kind of location. We were really curious about the energy and synergy that would come out. And once we were filming—seeing the lyrics, feeling the music—we realized: “This is what we wanted. This is the kind of music we want to pursue.” It genuinely reflected in the video—this freedom and energy between the three of us.
ARAN: We woke up around 3 or 4 a.m. to prepare. While moving the set and preparing the set, we saw the sunrise together, and it didn’t feel exhausting at all. It was exciting. My energy just exploded. And I’m so thankful that our team shared the same thoughts for this song. We built everything step by step—music video, photos, the song—and I’m grateful and thankful for all of it.
Watch the music video below!
To further explore what ablume hopes to express with their newfound voice, we wrapped up the interview with a few final questions about the message they want to share as they debut as a trio.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: You said it yourself in a video—that truth can be found in music, and that music has the power to connect with everyone. For people listening to ablume for the first time, what do you hope they’ll feel?
SAENA: I think the most important part was that we wanted to express our honest feelings. That was our top priority. Just like how we’ve gone through hardships and were able to overcome them by trusting and leaning on each other, and thinking of our fans, we wanted to bring all of that together.
From everyday, small emotions to deeper, more complex feelings, we wanted to combine them all and express that through our music, videos, and content. When it came to writing lyrics, we focused on how to express those small details, like including parts where we’d almost whisper, or make it feel like a casual conversation. Then, for the chorus, we really wanted to emphasize the energy and dynamics.
We had a lot of conversations and explored things from different angles, but at the core of it all, our goal was to convey our sincerity and authenticity to our fans through the music.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: Before we wrap up, is there anything you’d like to share with readers who are now joining you on this journey post-debut?
SAENA: First of all, thank you for listening to our songs—it means a lot to us. This isn’t just the beginning. We’re looking ahead to a bigger journey, and we truly believe this is only our starting point. We hope fans and listeners will look forward to the music we’ll release after Echo. For anyone going through a difficult time, we want our music to create a space where they can relax and feel at ease, no matter what they’re facing. Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts.
As eager as we were to see how this group would channel the voice they’ve reclaimed, “Echo” has quickly become a track we keep on repeat. We deeply admire the heartfelt conversation ablume shared with us—their echoed message of perseverance and strength through even the toughest situations is one that will surely resonate far beyond their debut.
FOR MORE ablume:
INSTAGRAM | X | YOUTUBE | WEBSITE | STREAM “ECHO”
