LE SSERAFIM

**Le Sserafim** (/lə ˈsɛrəfɪm/ *luh SERR-uh-fim*; Korean: 르세라핌; RR: *Leuserapim*; MR: *Lŭserap'im*; Japanese: ル・セラフィム, Hepburn: *Ru Serafimu*; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by Source Music. The group consists of five members: Sakura, Kim Chae-won, Huh Yun-jin, Kazuha, and Hong Eun-chae. Originally a six-member group, Kim Ga-ram left on July 20, 2022, after the termination of her exclusive contract. Le Sserafim debuted on May 2, 2022, with the release of their first extended play, *Fearless.*

## Name

The group's name, Le Sserafim, is an anagram of the phrase "I'm Fearless". It also references the heavenly beings, seraphim.

## History

### 2011-2021: Pre-debut activities

Sakura made her acting debut in the movie *Ano Hito Ano Hi* in 2011.[*unreliable source?*] That year, she joined the Japanese idol group HKT48 as a first generation trainee. She was promoted to a full member of HKT48 Team H in 2012 and transferred to HKT48 Team KIV in 2014. After being with the group for 10 years, Sakura officially graduated on June 27, 2021.

Sakura, Kim Chae-won and Huh Yun-jin participated in the reality competition series *Produce 48* in 2018. Yunjin represented Pledis Entertainment, which at the time was not owned by Hybe Corporation, Source Music's parent company, while Chaewon represented Woollim Entertainment. After finishing in second and tenth place, respectively, Sakura and Chaewon were named to the final lineup of the show's project girl group IZ\*ONE, promoting as members until its disbandment on April 29, 2021. Yunjin finished in 26th place and was eliminated in episode 11.

Prior to joining the group, Kazuha trained as a professional ballerina. After passing an audition, she was personally scouted by Big Hit Music founder Bang Si-hyuk during her studies at Dutch National Ballet Academy in the Netherlands. Kazuha also previously attended the Bolshoi Academy in Moscow, Russia and the Royal Ballet School in the United Kingdom. She cited South Korean girl group Blackpink as her inspiration to transition from ballet to K-pop.

Hong Eun-chae was a student at Def Dance School for two years. She previously auditioned for JYP Entertainment and Pledis Entertainment before joining Source Music in 2021.

### 2022: *Fearless*, Kim Ga-ram's departure, and *Antifragile*

On March 14, Source Music announced that they would launch a new girl group, with Sakura and Kim Chae-won set to be the first members. On March 21, Hybe confirmed the group would officially debut in May. The members were revealed in "The First Moment of Le Sserafim" teasers from April 4 to April 9 (in order: Sakura, Kim Ga-ram, Hong Eun-chae, Kim Chae-won, Kazuha, and Huh Yun-jin). On April 13, Source Music announced that Le Sserafim would release their debut extended play (EP) *Fearless*, on May 2. Pre-orders for the EP surpassed 270,000 copies in seven days and 380,000 copies in sixteen days. On the day of its release, *Fearless* sold more than 175,000 copies. On May 10, eight days after their debut, the group earned their first music show win on SBS MTV's *The Show*.

Prior to the group's debut, Kim Ga-ram became a subject of controversy. She was accused of bullying other students at her middle school and engaging in underage smoking and drinking. Hybe Corporation denied the allegations, claiming that Kim was the victim, not the perpetrator, of bullying. They expressed that they would take legal action against those who spread false rumors, and Kim was not removed from the debut lineup. On May 20, Hybe Corporation and Source Music issued a joint statement regarding Kim Ga-ram's bullying allegations, announcing that she would take a hiatus due to the pending investigations and that Le Sserafim would temporarily promote as a five-member group. On July 20, the companies announced that Kim Ga-ram would depart from the group and that her contract had been terminated, with Le Sserafim to continue as a five-member group.

Le Sserafim released their second EP, *Antifragile*, on October 17. It marked their first release as five members, following Kim Ga-ram's departure. The album reached number 14 on the *Billboard* 200, making Le Sserafim the fastest K-pop girl group to debut on the chart. On November 24, Hybe released a webtoon, titled *Crimson Heart*, based on the group's message to "advance without fear" through the platform Webtoon.

### 2023–present: Japanese debut and *Unforgiven*

On January 25, 2023, Le Sserafim made their debut in Japan with the release of the Japanese single *Fearless*. It contained Japanese versions of "Fearless" and "Blue Flame", along with an original Japanese song, "Choices". "Choices" served as the theme song for Japanese drama *3000 Yen: How to Enrich Life.* On March 16, 2023, Source Music reported that Le Sserafim would be making a comeback in early May. On April 3, they announced their first studio album, *Unforgiven*, which was released on May 1. In June, it was announced the group would embark on their first tour, Flame Rises, beginning in August. On July 25, the group released their second original Japanese song "Jewelry" from their second Japanese single, *Unforgiven*. The single, released on August 23, also featured Japanese versions of "Unforgiven" and "Antifragile".

On October 12, Source Music announced that the group would be releasing their first English-language digital single, "Perfect Night" on October 27 in collaboration with Blizzard Entertainment to promote *Overwatch 2*. An in-game event featuring cosmetics and game modes themed after the group ran from November 1 to November 20. The group performed at BlizzCon on November 4. On November 19, the group released "Dresscode", which serves as the theme song for the Japanese live-action television series adaptation of the manga series *Sexy Tanaka-san*.

## Trivia

* HYBE Labels kicked out Garam from LE SSERAFIM to increase the popularity of the group.

* The girlsband's name is a scrambled word for "I'm Fearless".

* Sakura joined HKT48 as a Kenkyuusei (trainee) in July 2011 and was promoted to Team H in March 2012. She was transferred to Team KIV in 2014.

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