KISS OF LIFE Marks 3 Years With Their First Paycheck and a New Summer Single

Three years into a career that earned them the label "miracle of independent labels," KISS OF LIFE finally received their first revenue settlement from S2 Entertainment in 2025, and the members did not let the moment pass quietly. The group released their third single, SWEAT, on August 4, staking a claim as this summer's breakout act.

The four-member group debuted in July 2023 and carved out an early reputation by taking music show first-place wins with tracks like "Sticky" and "Who Is She" at a time when acts from smaller agencies rarely competed at that level. Their sound has always been clear: R&B and funk-rooted, self-assured, and resistant to the genre-hopping that makes many idol groups harder to define.

The first settlement gave each member something concrete to hold onto. Thai member Natti booked her own flight home to Thailand, took her parents out for a meal, and said the memory of her mother's expression at dinner still stays with her. "I want to succeed even more so I can do much more for them," she added. Haneul gave pocket money to her parents and grandparents and took a solo trip abroad. Eldest member Julie framed it as a prod rather than a reward: "I thought, don't let your guard down. Work harder. I want to feel this again, and more."

The timing carries weight. Paying trainees and early-career artists often wait years before seeing any return, and a first settlement at the three-year mark signals that the team's domestic and international activity has reached a stable footing. For a group that built its following without a major-label infrastructure behind it, that is a real threshold crossed.

SWEAT is built on an afro house foundation, layering electronic pop with Latin rhythms. The production aims for the tension of a charged moment: summer heat, physical energy, the heightened awareness of a held gaze. The members had a hand in selecting the track from the sourcing stage through to the final cut. The single is accompanied by B-side "WHAT!", described as more freewheeling in energy.

Natti drew a deliberate contrast with their earlier summer track: where "Sticky" evokes a midday summer lunch, SWEAT pictures confident women dancing barefoot on a beach. The music video centers on that image, with choreography that pulls from belly dance, built around hip movement. "You'll find it fun to watch," she said plainly.

Julie pushed back against the idea that a song titled SWEAT is only about heat and sensuality. The group wanted the word's other register, the one that means effort, to come through just as clearly. "Accepting that you're not perfect is also a sign of maturity," she said, describing how the members have tried to grow by sharing their difficulties with each other rather than keeping them private. She also mentioned that all four members trained hard enough for this comeback that their abs are visible in photographs, which she said with a laugh, but the point about physical preparation was genuine.

Bell kept it direct on the group's longer ambition: "We want to keep giving people energy, the way we always have. We're always thinking about what we can do to make that happen."

Julie returned to the "indie miracle" label that has followed them since their early chart wins. Rather than deflecting it, she said it motivates her: every time she hears it, she notices more opportunities opening up for other small-agency artists, and she wants to extend that track record further. "As a senior from an independent label, I want to achieve even more," she said.

Following the single's release, KISS OF LIFE will promote through television music programs and are scheduled to hold concerts domestically and internationally in the second half of the year.