She's FEARLESS

One-fifth of LE SSERAFIM, Sakura Miyawaki teases the K-pop girl group's highly anticipated comeback and tells L'Officiel Singapore why she's here to stay after over a decade in the industry

Just five months ago, a new all-girl group was unleashed into the dynamic world of K-pop. LE SSERAFIM, consisting of five members, delivered their first EP Fearless (the group's name is an anagram of the phrase "I'm Fearless" after all), which sold almost 200,000 copies in the first day of its release. The group's success hasn't come overnight though especially not for this member: Japan-born Sakura Miyawaki. The 24-year-old began training to be a pop star as far back as in 2011 when she joined Japanese idol group HKT48. Seven years later, after placing second in reality girl group survival show Produce 48, Miyawaki went on to become a member of Korean-Japanese idol group Iz*One. Along the way, she earned spots in various films and television shows. But it is this year that Sakura has truly blossomed in March, South Korean entertainment company Source Music signed an exclusive contract with Miyawaki and officially unveiled her as the first member of LE SSERAFIM.

Tell us about some of your favourite moments with LE SSERAFIM since the group debuted.

It's hard to pinpoint exact moments of LE SSERAFIM as there are countless memories. Some of the moments I still cherish are our debut showcase when we were able to meet our fans, FEARNOT, every pre-recorded stage for music show programs with them, and fan signing events. Basically, every time I am able to meet FEARNOT is my favourite moment.

LE SSERAFIM's first EP and single have done phenomenally well. Do you recall what your reaction was to some of the big moments like the EP being certified KMCA platinum or when you had your first music show win?