“Refreshing idols blooming among hip-hop idols,” “All-rounder idols,” and “K-pop means AmbiO!”
After a pre-debut last September, rookie group AmbiO officially debuted this March, confidently shouting out the nicknames they want to be known by.
This was during an interview following the successful promotions of “SHOWTIME,” the title track from their first mini-album ‘Boys be Ambitious’.
The five members—Tetsu, Jisu, Luwon, Giwon, and Seungsang—expressed a mix of excitement, pride, and disbelief while reflecting on their debut. Giwon shared, “Everything was a first, so it was fun and fascinating,” while Luwon honestly admitted, “I’ve been practicing for so long, and then suddenly the album came out and I became an idol. It still doesn’t feel real.”
Seungsang recalled his first music show appearance, saying, “I remember it being awkward and finding the cameras was hard. But once I was on stage, I felt like, ‘Now it’s finally starting!’ I also filmed many challenges with seniors I respect and admire. ITZY was the first senior I ever liked when I was young, so my heart raced when I met them at my first broadcast. I remember being so nervous.”
They also spent time giving each other feedback to improve for the future. Giwon mentioned, “I tried changing some movements with ad-libs during my part, and the members told me it looked good on camera. We also talked about good facial expressions and gave feedback that smiling is better than freezing up when you’re not being caught by the camera.”
Their debut title track “SHOWTIME” depicts the five members coordinating and pushing past their limits under the spotlight. It tells the story of boys who finally stand as the protagonists of the stage after repeated practice and times of doubt, completing the passion and challenge of youth with AmbiO’s refreshing vibe and dynamic performance.
Seungsang showed strong confidence, stating, “It’s the perfect song to announce the start of AmbiO. It was a message that gathered everything we worked hard on. Just hearing the intro pours out energy and power, so I’ve never not been excited every time we perform it.”
When asked if there was something they wanted to emphasize, Tetsu replied, “Our dance teacher told us that while the dance is important, facial expressions are key. I was so happy to hear from a fan that they became a fan after seeing us enjoy ourselves and look happy.”
Along with fan support, the members are realizing their debut thanks to reactions from people around them. Japanese member Luwon brought a smile to everyone’s face by sharing, “I was so happy that a friend I went to the dance academy with filmed our challenge.”
Tetsu, who is of Taiwanese and Japanese nationality, revealed that he didn’t even tell his friends he was an idol trainee. Since he decided to head to Korea while studying at university to become a math teacher, he was worried about how people would view him if he didn’t debut. After his surprise debut, his friends were the first to reach out, saying, “You debuted? Congratulations!”
Jisu shared, “My parents continue to support me and tell me things like ‘This one was really good’ or ‘The outfit suits you well’ whenever music show videos are uploaded to YouTube.” Giwon also laughed, saying, “My parents always send links to our videos in the group chat. It’s a bit embarrassing to see myself, but since my parents are cheering me on, I feel happy and motivated to work harder.”
Even though their debut promotions have ended, AmbiO is practicing every day to further enhance their teamwork. When asked to rate their current teamwork out of 100, Seungsang replied, “If our pre-debut score was around 65, it’s improved so much since debuting that it’s now 98.” He wittily added that the remaining 2 points are “because we still have more to grow.”
AmbiO left a clear first impression as “refreshing idols” by pouring out bright and positive energy on stage. They confidently stated, “We are AmbiO, capable of showing a new kind of freshness.” Tetsu emphasized, “There are many refreshing concepts, but ours is a refreshing style with a faster tempo and more passion. The song is great, and the members fit the characters of the song.” Seungsang added a laugh, saying, “Surprisingly, we’re all good at aegyo. People who like cute things will love our aegyo.”
For their role models, they picked SHINee, known for their many hits, and ASTRO, the epitome of “refreshing.” For stages they want to stand on, they mentioned the Sunchang Gochujang Festival, KCON, and MAMA, as well as entering the Nippon Budokan in Japan.
They are certainly a team to look forward to. “We are preparing hard so we can grab the opportunity when it comes. Since we’re rookies, I think we showed some lacking sides while monitoring our debut activities. Other idols really know how to express their charm when the camera is on them. We’re working hard to do better for our next comeback, so please look forward to it!”
