Since forming through the BBC’s Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience and surviving a brutal 100-day training camp in Seoul under SM Entertainment, Blaise, Dexter, James, Olly, and Reese have spent the last two years turning dearALICE into one of the most genuinely fun new names in the UK’s K-pop scene.
Big characters, sharp choreography, and songwriting that flirts with 2000s pop nostalgia, it’s a mix that’s carried them from Seoul training rooms all the way to a headline-supporting slot for ATEEZ at BST Hyde Park, alongside FLO, Taemin, and Midnight Til Morning. Their debut EP, bitterSWEETsummer, arrived last summer as a first proper introduction: a group finding their footing between British pop instincts and Korean idol-scene polish, with a debut tour to match.
A year on, and a lot has clearly shifted. They’re back now with dancefloorKILLA, a harder, more dancefloor-ready record led by “Body On” and “Animal” – the latter a track that’s been quietly following the band since before their debut even dropped, only now finding the EP it was always meant to live on. In between, there’s been international collaborations, a trip to Vietnam, and idol run-ins that read like a fever dream for anyone who grew up on K-pop.
Below, dearALICE talk us through the making of dancefloorKILLA, the artists they’d love to follow into the next chapter, sharing a stage with ATEEZ at Hyde Park, and how five very different people learn to live, rehearse, and occasionally prank each other under one roof.
A lot has changed since 2025’s bitterSWEETsummer. From your own telling, what’s changed most about dearALICE since then?
I think the thing that’s changed the most is how creatively involved we’ve become since our last EP. It’s been a really exciting thing, stepping into creative roles such as creating the choreography, visual concepts and production elements, and musically we’ve become a lot more aligned in what we want dearALICE to create.
You’ve talked before about wanting to be a “boy group” rather than a “boy band.” Has that identity felt more settled now you’ve had a full EP out in the world?
Yes, I think for a while we’ve wanted to redefine the stereotypes around boybands. With this EP, dancefloorKILLA, it also gives a nod to our K-pop roots. Because dance is such an essential part of our group, we find that the wording “boy group” works better for what dearALICE is and where it’s heading.
bitterSWEETsummer leans into that early-2000s pop sound but still feels distinctly yours. What were you chasing sonically when you made it?
We wanted a progression from where we started with bitterSWEETsummer last year, so we wanted some strong, electronic-leaning, dance-heavy anthems for this EP. After our amazing tour last year, we wanted to capture the energy we experienced during those shows and put that into the songs on this EP. We can’t wait to share this new energy with you guys on our tour this year!
Who are the bands or artists, K-pop or otherwise, you’d most love to follow in the footsteps of as dearALICE grows, and what is it about them you want to bring into your own lane?
There’s loads, it’s hard to pick a few. But a few names that constantly pop up in our conversations are the likes of Cortis, NSYNC, Brockhampton and Black Eyed Peas. We admire and draw inspiration from them and many others for lots of different reasons, whether that’s creating sonically progressive music, clean, cutting-edge choreo, or even simply their fashion.
Is there a song on the EP that means something different to you now than it did when you wrote it?
I think the song that’s come along the most since we first worked on it is “Animal,” which we first recorded, alongside writer and producer Shiftkey, back last summer. It was originally going to be on our last EP, but we felt it was a bit further along in our journey than where we were at the time — which led to it becoming the foundation of dancefloorKILLA. It’s also the song we had the most creative involvement in for the concept and visuals of the music video, which in turn gave a lot of inspiration for the overall visuals and concept of the EP.
You supported ATEEZ at BST Hyde Park on a lineup with FLO, Taemin and more. What was it like watching your name on a poster like that?
A true privilege that we’re very grateful for! To perform on a stage as prestigious as BST, and to get the energy and reception we received from the crowd that day, was truly a core memory we won’t forget. It also being our first British festival performance has started the journey of many more amazing national performances to come!
How did a Hyde Park crowd compare to the K-pop stages you cut your teeth on in Seoul?
We’re a lot further along in our journey since our first performances, which means we’re not as nervous as those first moments we stepped onstage in Korea as a band. Now we can be more present and enjoy the vibe and energy of the crowds we perform in front of!
You’ve talked about playing UNO with EXO’s Suho and introducing RIIZE’s Anton to sausage rolls. Any new idol encounters or culture-clash moments from this year?
We’ve been really lucky to connect with so many different parts of the world throughout this journey. Musically, we’ve been able to collaborate internationally with artists like Sweet Revenge and Enola Bédard on “Body On,” and we’ve also had the chance to meet artists we really look up to, like Taemin and ATEEZ, as well as other boy groups like Midnight Til Morning.
Our trip to Vietnam was another amazing experience for us. Getting to experience a completely new culture, perform there, and spend time with Jayson Lei was such a great introduction to the country.
We genuinely love learning about different cultures, meeting artists from around the world, and getting the chance to share a bit of British culture with other artists and international fans.
Being a UK-born group with K-pop training, do you feel like you’re building your own lane, or still figuring out where you sit between the two worlds?
I think it’s a mix of both. We’re in a very privileged position, having experienced a taste of K-pop culture and training alongside our British roots. We feel this has created an ever-evolving hybrid, constantly drawing inspiration from all different avenues of K-pop and UK artists amongst many other things. It’s definitely not finished, and probably never will be, but we’re proud of where it’s at and excited for where it’ll be down the line!
You’re heading into dancefloorKILLA now. How does it build on or move away from bitterSWEETsummer?
We’re a bit older now than we were when we created bitterSWEETsummer, and dearALICE has changed a lot in the last year. I think that’s shown in how our sound has evolved to something a bit harder-hitting and energetic, which resonates closer to where we are now as a band. We want to hear our songs playing in the club with this EP!
What’s the story behind the title dancefloorKILLA?
dancefloorKILLA was actually the last song we added to the EP. Once we heard the final mix, we felt it really captured where we are as a group right now, both sonically and visually, so the name felt like a natural fit. We also decided to format it in the same style as dearALICE and bitterSWEETsummer — a nice way of creating that connection throughout our discography and making everything feel part of the same world.
With so much new music landing before the end of the year, how are you deciding what comes first?
We wanted to build a journey and world for our fans going into the release of dancefloorKILLA. With our last EP, we feel we didn’t pay as much attention to this, as we were still working out our sound as a band. This time we dropped “Body On” as our first single — an explosive comeback track — to feed into the retro, nostalgic world of the EP, followed by “HMY” and “Animal.” We thought it was a great reintroduction to dearALICE.
Individually, what’s the biggest way you’ve grown as a performer since debut?
Blaise: For me, I think it’s taking the step into the creative position of choreographing the movement to our songs. It’s been a rewarding yet difficult task which has grown me a lot as a performer and a person. Alongside this is the resilience that’s been built around trying to survive in this industry — it’s not an easy task, but it’s so worth all of the difficulties when I get to show and perform everything we’ve been working on to our amazing ACEZ and any new people who happen to join us along the way!
Reese: For me, I think my confidence has improved the most since the beginning. I always felt I was confident, but there’s a big difference between playing a character and being yourself — you are being judged, not what you are portraying as a part. I was comfortable helping build the picture, not being the picture. This was probably the biggest thing for me: fighting inner battles to get past what I needed to, to be resilient enough for this. But I genuinely feel like I’ve seen myself flourish with the band and the amazing fans we have 🙂
Dexter: At the start, I struggled a little with figuring out what my place was within the group. But over time, I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a vocalist and really found where I fit best within our songs and our sound. I also feel like I’ve become much better at connecting with fans through our performances. I feel really lucky that I’ve been able to grow alongside the band and our audience throughout this whole journey.
Olly: For me, I’ve learnt how to dance, which is pretty big — I wasn’t too great before. I’d say that’s mainly thanks to the boys helping me with our choreo and teaching me the fundamentals when they could. Plus, I’ve been able to work out what I love most about performing, and that’s being on stage as much as possible.
Reese, cruise ship stages move under your feet. Has anything from that job saved you on a K-pop stage?
I think the biggest thing here is to trust your team and to expect chaos. There’s something good in expecting both the best and the worst outcomes, that way when things out of our control do go wrong, I can always rely on the lads to make it work. Great improvisation is key here — different venues, events, audiences, technical malfunctions and so on. Same teamwork, bigger scale 🙂
Olly, you nearly took a West End role before this. Any regrets, or does dearALICE scratch that itch better?
Haha, no regrets at all! I’ve got to do some amazing things in the last couple of years and I’m constantly surprised by what comes next. I’d love to go back into acting again at some point down the line, but for now I get to have fun with my best mates and I get paid. What more can I ask for?
You all live in the same building. Best and worst thing about being that close to your bandmates 24/7?
When we all lived together in Korea, one of the best parts was that we got to hang out all the time. It also made it easy to rehearse and work together. One of the worst was probably the messiness, or the constant pranks, haha.
If tonight was the last chance to convince someone to become a dearALICE fan, what would you play them and why?
I think it would have to be one of our new songs from the upcoming EP — definitely either “Animal” or “dancefloorKILLA,” as both have such a distinct sound that would make anyone want to tune in. Those songs scream “dearALICE” the most to us!
Pre-save dancefloorKILLA here and for tour ticket go here.
Photography Jack Alexander
Styling Daryon Impey
Grooming Min Sandhu
Fashion credits
Reece:
Hoodie Comme Des Garcons Top Picante Pant Jaded Shoes Converse
Dexter:
Hoodie Our Legacy Pant BDG Shoes Stussy x Converse
Olly:
Jacket MKI Pant Jaded Shoes John Richmond
Blaise:
Jacket Diesel Pant Jaded Shoe Nike
