TRI.BE, a South Korean girl group, burst onto the music scene in 2021. With six super charming and kind young women, SongSun, Kelly, HyunBin, Jia, SoEun, and MiRe, the group made their debut with the single album TRI.BE Da Loca. TRI.BE’s name is a clever blend of “Tri,” short for “Triangle,” symbolising perfection, and “Be,” meaning existence. Together, they represent the idea of a “perfect existence” or “perfect being.”

Following their debut, TRI.BE released their second single album, CONMIGO, featuring RUB-A-DUM and LORO. Their first extended play, VENI VIDI VICI, kept the energy going with a special winter single, Santa For You, that was released by the end of 2021. In 2022, the girls released their third single album, followed by their second extended play, W.A.Y.

Fast forward to 2024, TRI.BE kicked off the year with a bang, releasing their fourth single album, Diamond, featuring the title track of the same name and a performance video for the B-side track Run. And to celebrate their talents and music, the girls have just completed their True Diamond Tour around Europe, visiting six cities, including London.

The London show was proof to TRI.BE’s great stage presence and chemistry. Their performance was engaging, fun, and filled with love, leaving fans and us energised and happy. We also had the wonderful opportunity to meet the girls face-to-face in London and have a candid conversation with them. They were super sweet and supportive of our work, making the experience even more special. During the interview, the members shared insights into their journey and creative process.

“I had times when I was powerless and had struggles in life and every time music helped me heal and cure myself. I wanted to give other people that option and the possibility to cure through music, so I started doing music,” HyunBin revealed when asked about her inspiration to pursue music. 

Ahead of their European tour, TRI.BE released Diamond which displays their growth as artists. SongSun explained, “This song focuses on the six girls who go through struggles, highs, and lows in life, and after all these, you get up and you are a strong diamond; that is the message of the song. We also wanted to emphasise our vocals in this song. We concentrated on training and polishing our vocals a lot, and the message at the end for the people listening is that they can get this energy and be strong, powerful diamonds.”

Performing in London was a thrilling experience for TRI.BE. SongSun expressed their excitement, saying, “Very very nice [laughs]. The UK is one of the countries we wanted to visit, and we are excited [to be here]. We hope to have a lot of fun too.” And they surely did, judging by their dynamic and engaging performance in London.

Releasing new music can be worrisome, and SoEun candidly shared her feelings: “In all honesty, we are worried sometimes because, as you said, we are presenting it to the audience to judge, but every time, when we receive many positive reactions and support from lots of people, it gives us much more energy and we can take that energy to come back with even more music.”

It is important to mention that their fans, known as TRUE, have played a significant role in shaping TRI.BE’s artistry. Kelly confessed, “I think the biggest support is TRUE, [our fans]. We do have a communication app that allows us to speak to our fans, and we get a lot of energy from them. When they say, ‘We love your music,’ we feel so grateful and happy for that. So, fans do shape us to be better artists; they give us an energy boost to improve ourselves as well.”

Balancing the demands of being idols with relaxation is crucial, and while they rarely have any time for themselves when promoting their music, MiRe shared her relaxation techniques: “Doing things that you like, like having hobbies, is very important. Going for a walk by myself and listening to the music that I love helps me a lot. And now, I got into crocheting.”

The girls also reflected on their journey, with Jia mentioning that she would have loved to incorporate Afrobeats into their music earlier: “Looking at the Diamond release and its Afrobeats rhythm, I would have started using this genre in our music earlier because I believe giving this vibe to the fans would have been fun.”

Without a doubt, Afrobeats brings a vibrant, rhythmic energy that can enhance the music experience for any listener. 

As for their aspirations, MiRe stated, “I think, on top of our bucket list is to make a non-genre which is TRI.BE, we want to make our own style that is not comparable to other genres.” This vision emphasises their ambition to create a musical identity that would make them recognisable within the K-pop industry.

The global expansion of K-pop has been monumental, and TRI.BE is inspired by their peers’ achievements. Kelly said, “Oh yes, we see many other idols, people we admire, reaching the charts with their music. I think this is amazing, and we would like to achieve that level of success ourselves too. These artists have given us a goal to keep working hard.”

With their sweet personalities and talent, these girls have a strong chance of topping the charts as long as they continue to deliver versatile music to their fans. After experiencing their performance in London, I am confident that TRI.BE is destined for even greater success. 

Written and interviewed by Maggie Gogler

***_{Nicole Rayo assisted with the interview by asking questions.}

_{View of the Arts is an online publication that chiefly deals with films, music, and art, with an emphasis on the Asian entertainment industry. We are hoping our audience will grow with us as we begin to explore new platforms such as K-pop / K-music, and Asian music in general, and continue to dive into the talented and ever-growing scene of film, music, and arts, worldwide.}