18 Questions With introduces 1883 readers to the brightest young artists, actors, creatives and beyond. From childhood memories and guilty pleasures to their latest ventures and upcoming projects, our goal is to bring you closer to the people who inspire and entertain us. 

Multinational K-pop sensations SECRET NUMBER are fresh off the release of their latest single “DOXA,” which is also the title track of their latest album. The track, which means ‘poisonous snake’ in Korean, describes a toxic relationship’s infinite cycle of making up and breaking up. The album also includes their first ever fan song “Beautiful One,” written for their fans – lovingly named LOCKEY. The album also marks the three year anniversary of the group, a benchmark they are extremely proud of. 

The members of SECRET NUMBER sit down with 1883 to chat about all things “DOXA,” night time rituals, and their favorite songs to perform live. 

What’s one exciting thing that happened to you this week? 

Dita: As we were promoting our new song “DOXA” on music shows, our days have been similar these past few weeks. But I remember on The Show, I was wearing my favorite outfit and styling. And Zuu took really good Instagramable pictures for me!

Jinny: We got to perform “SLAM”, which is one of our favorite songs from our discography, at a music show!

Soodam: I got a new set of nails! Getting new nail art is so much fun.

What was the last thing you read? 

Léa: “The Devil’s Contract Does Not Expire” by RiLuHea. (Korean novel)

Minji: “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie.

Zuu: “The Maze Runner” series.

Favorite memory growing up? 

Léa: There are so many good memories so it is hard to choose one. One thing that comes to my mind right now is the last time I traveled with my family. We took a lot of photos, went horseback riding, saw beautiful scenery, and ate delicious meals. I was very happy.

Dita: Growing up, I traveled a lot with my family. My favorite was the first time I went to Disneyland Paris. It was so magical!

Jinny: Spending time with family at home and traveling would be my favorite memory growing up.

Where was the last place you traveled to?

Soodam: Jeju Island!

Minji: Tokyo, Japan.

Zuu: Japan, even though the visit was not exactly for traveling.

What was the last thing that made you laugh?

Dita: My members always come up with something interesting every time.

Soodam: For the ending of Show! Music Core, all artists come up to the stage. There were very tall artists in the front line, so we had to find a room to say hello to LOCKEYs between them. It made us laugh a lot.

Zuu: LOCKEYs make me laugh all the time, but the last time I laughed was when I bought sour gummies at a convenience store.

What’s your night time ritual? 

Léa: I take a shower, put on a face mask, and sleep with a posture corrector on my legs.

Jinny: After I take a shower, I put on a face mask while I dry my hair, and then I lay down and read all the fan comments and letters. I try to reply to them as much as I can before I go to bed.

Minji: Put on a lip balm, then turn on the humidifier. 

Who would be on your dream dinner party guest list?

Léa: All my members! For my birthday last year, we all shared delicious food and talked a lot, it was so much fun.

Dita: All of the SECRET NUMBER members, my family, and friends!

Jinny: I would like to invite all my members to the dinner party, to make it a real party!

Soodam: Guests… probably members??

Minji: I want to invite my puppy who has crossed the rainbow bridge now.

Zuu: Everyone on this planet Earth.

Favorite quote from a film or TV show? 

Léa: The Godfather “Great men are not born great, they grow great.”

Dita: “There comes a day when you’re gonna look around and realize happiness is where you are.” – Moana

Zuu: “Always.” by Professor Snape (Harry Potter)

What’s your go-to karaoke song? 

Léa: “I Am the Best” by 2NE1.

Dita: “Missing You” by 2NE1.

Jinny: “LONELY” by 2NE1.

Soodam: I sing a lot of songs by IU and Girls’ Generation.

Minji: “Ending Scene” by IU.

Zuu: “Into the New World” by Girls’ Generation.

Favorite item in your closet? 

Jinny: Destroyed jeans.

Soodam: Sparkly bag.

Minji: Flower hat.

Congrats on your new single “DOXA” – what was the inspiration behind that single? 

Minji: It is about a poisonous love that is an endless cycle of breaking up and making up.

Zuu: Its demo version title was “poison”, so we got many ideas from that title, which led to ‘poison’ – ‘snake’ – ‘poisonous snake’ or doxa in Korean.

The music video for “DOXA” is so fun! What can you tell us about filming the video?

Léa: It was very fun to challenge myself to act, thinking ‘When else would I get a chance to act like this?’ It was hard, but I’m satisfied with the final result.

Jinny: It was actually extremely cold while we were shooting the music video, so I remember us trembling and running around because it was so cold having to wear summer outfits during the shoot. The outcome came out nice so it’s all worth it!

You recently celebrated your 3 year anniversary as a group. How does that feel?

Dita: Sometimes it still feels so surreal. Time seems to go by so fast, and yet here we are on our third year together. I am so thankful for all the love and support that we’ve been receiving. We still have a long way to go, so I’m excited about what’s next for us.

Soodam: Three years have gone by in a flash, and it actually made me look forward more to how our time will pass in the future and how we will look then.

What has been your favorite song to perform live? 

Léa: “Fire Saturday”! It’s a song that really brings out the excitement from the audience, and we get to move freely while communicating with the audience. I feel like we just get to jump around excitedly when performing that song!

Zuu: “Got That Boom” is the ending song that always makes me emotional when performing it.

What are you most proud of in your music career so far? 

Jinny: I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been taking part in writing the songs for every SECRET NUMBER album since our debut.

Minji: We went to KCON, all thanks to our fans’ votes.

How did you come up with the name for your fans, LOCKEYS? 

Dita: We wanted to make it special for our fans, so I remember we asked for a few recommendations on social media and we voted on the names. I’m glad “LOCKEY” was decided.

Soodam: Our fans recommended and voted for their name, and LOCKEY was decided as the final name.

What other artists are inspiring you right now? 

Léa: I always watch many international artists. I think I can learn a lot from them, such as gestures and facial expressions, so I try to watch artists in various genres including hip-hop, R&B, and rock bands.

Dita: I’ve been listening to a lot of K-Pop recently. And I’m loving the music that is out nowadays, especially (G)I-DLE and aespa!

Jinny: CL is my role model who always inspires me.

Soodam: I rewatched performances by f(x), and I was inspired to do a cover or try a song with a similar concept to what they did.

Minji: A senior artist, Taeyeon!

Zuu: Billie Eilish.

What do you hope fans take away from your new music?

Léa: Our title track “DOXA” is about toxic love that can’t be broken easily, and I think a lot of people can relate to such harsh love. I hope those who are going through a toxic love know that you’re not the only one going through a tough time and you’re not alone.

Minji: This album talks about two different types of love. No matter what kind of love you’re in, you’re not alone. I want everyone who listens to our album to remember that.

Keep up with SECRET NUMBER on Instagram.

DOXA is out now.