FEATURE:
Spotlight
PHOTO CREDIT: Paix Per Mil
is about the simply incredible Yves. She is a South Korean singer who rose to prominence as a member of the South Korean girl group, Loona. Her latest E.P., NAIL, has garnered a lot of praise. I am going to come to a review soon. I want to start out with Wonderland. They sat down with Yves ahead of her headline show at NTS 15 last month.
“15 years. Feels like yesterday to someone, but when put into context, you’d be surprised at how much has happened in that time. 2011 was the year we all couldn’t avoid Rebecca Black’s “Friday” no matter how hard we tried, when Game of Thrones first premiered and, for some reason, when we were all addicted to Angry Birds. It’s also the year the world was blessed with NTS (short for “Nuts To Soup”), a 24/7 radio station founded by Femi Adeyemi in a small studio in Dalston with the little savings he had. With an eclectic, unpretentious selection of music from artists on the periphery of the industry, it became a holy grail hub for discovering some of the best talents out of the UK and, eventually, the world.
From 13th to 19th April, NTS celebrated their 15th anniversary with a city-spanning programme of 15 blockbuster shows across its hometown, London. The lineup read like a love letter to the station’s genre-agnostic spirit, from art-pop powerhouse Arca to electronic savant Oneohtrix Point Never, Parisian rap riser Jeune Morty and K-Pop trailblazer Yves. The latter took over Earth Hall on 17 April, supported by Drain Gang-affiliated DJ Mechatok and Stockholm-based experimental artist Oli XL .
Formerly part of K-Pop group LOONA, Yves stepped out on her own in 2024 with her breakout track “LOOP” featuring Lil Cherry, and hasn’t looked back since, refining her unique sound that fluidly blends K-Pop, electropop and R&B. And then there’s her fanbase – fiercely devoted, unmistakably loud, their anticipation bleeding through several walls in as we sit down in the green room for a chat right before her headline show at NTS 15.
PHOTO CREDIT: NTS Radio
“NTS is a very global platform that everyone knows,” says Yves, perched on the sofa in a pale yellow hoodie, sleeves rolled up, translator Diane by her side. “I feel like just because I’m so interested in music in general, my way of discovering NTS was really natural.” Despite being born and raised in South Korea, she talks about the station like it’s an essential listen for any music lover, anywhere on the planet.
It’s clearly a platform that any rising star wants to be involved in and appear on, a stamp of approval from world-renowned curators who have their finger on the pulse for who’s going to be their next co-signed breakout. When you look at the résume of artists that the UK radio has unearthed – from the aforementioned Arca to underground legend Dean Blunt and queen of left-field dance Shygirl – it’s pretty easy to see why. “They do a great job of showcasing a lot of great UK artists to a bigger, wider audience,” Yves adds. “I feel like they’ve found a more global perspective on defining music in a different way, which I think is really great.”
She’s long had a soft spot for UK talents, citing Amy Winehouse as one of her earliest influences and even performing one of her songs at her girl group auditions back in the day. “She was a legend and also broke away from the norm, and I feel like I really followed that kind of inspiration,” says Yves.
Considering her own genre-slippery, electronic leanings, however, her current UK favourite feels almost inevitable. “My girl PinkPantheress,” she says, simply. With two collaborations already under her belt, including a feature on the UK artist’s revamped edition of her “Fancy That” mixtape on “Stars + Yves”, it felt like a dream come true – considering she’s a fan of “her whole discography”.
Following the hype-raising appearance on Pink’s deluxe mixtape, the K-electropop artist follows up her remix of underscores’ “Do It” with her latest EP, “NAIL”. Having dropped it on the same day as her show in East London, she’s eagerly waiting to perform her new tracks at Earth Hall about 30 minutes after our conversation. “Compared to my other releases before, I played a big part in the songwriting and production of it,” she says on her increasingly hands-on approach. “I turned 30 in Korean age this year and, because 30 is kind of a turning point, I feel like this release is kind of a turning point in my career and life, just because I put a lot of my own personal thoughts and stories in the lyrics and music”.
ZAPEE sat down with Yves about her astonishing new E.P. and world tour. Having completed some European tour dates, I do wonder what the summer holds for Yves and whether she will play any festivals at all. She is someone who I would love to see live, as I can imagine her shows are hugely powerful and impressive. Someone who would stay long in the mind:
“Q. How are you feeling about your comeback on April 17th?
Yves: As much as we worked hard on my return, it’s been about 8 months since my last comeback, so I’m really curious and excited about how the fans will react after such a long time. I’m looking forward to what their favorite song will be from this album, and, on the other hand, I’m also worried if fans will like my change of color.
Q. Was there anything you were most concerned about or particular difficulties you had while preparing for your EP album NAIL and title track?
Yves: I was just really happy to be given the opportunity to express my thoughts and feelings in the lyrics. NAIL is an album where birth and death especially coexist, and I hope the lyrics written imagining the concept of death reach the fans with comfort and empathy.
Q. How was the process of creating the EP with PAIX PER MIL?
Yves: Throughout the course of several sessions, I was able to find out what genre I was good at, and I think I had time to think about which genre I should try again. I got closer to producer IOAH while preparing for the fourth EP, so I was able to work more honestly and comfortably than before. I think I was able to release better songs. This time around, I specifically participated in the lyrics a lot, and I wanted to show fans my honest self, so I expressed my thoughts and what I wanted to say to the fans.
Q. It has been two years since your solo debut and LOONA. At what point did you feel you grew the most as an artist?
Yves: I feel like I have an unwavering mindset, no matter what critics say, and I have my own backbone. After starting my solo career, I heard many good things and encouraging words, but of course, there were also unsettling criticisms and commentary. At first, it was hurtful and difficult, but I took those words as attention and feedback and thought I should grow up and work harder. I am grateful for all the time that has passed now because I feel that I’ve become stronger and more flexible at the same time.
Q. What track from your new album would you recommend fans listen to the most?
Yves: I’d like to recommend “birth” the most. It’s an impressive song to repeatedly hear if you are feeling lethargic and depressed because of the lyrics “Let’s be reborn, let’s wake up as a new me.” I recommend this song because I made it, hoping fans who listen to this song can recover their self-esteem and find vitality in their lives again.
Q. Your last collaboration with PinkPantheress was a hot topic. What other artists would you like to work with?
Yves: There are definitely artists that I want to collaborate with, and we actually communicated with each other at times. However, there are a few things that have not yet been made possible due to the conflicting schedules. If we go into too much detail about our future plans, it might take away some of the fun, so we hope you’ll look forward to what’s ahead and our upcoming collaborations.
Q. Is there a particular stage or city you’re most looking forward to visiting for your upcoming tour in Europe and the U.S.?
Yves: I’m looking forward to performing my new song the most. I think it’s special that the first performance for this comeback begins with the tour. We have prepared more powerful and cool choreography for the performance, so please look forward to it. Fans may not be familiar with the lyrics of the new songs, but I’d appreciate it if concertgoers could enjoy the atmosphere and energy of the new songs that you’ll feel in that moment.
Q. In Korea, there is a pleasant superstition that says, “If you see a ghost in the recording studio, it will be a hit.” Did you have any interesting experiences while preparing for this album?
Yves: I remember having a lot of scary dreams while I was working on the album and after I finished working on it. Maybe I was very worried about whether the fans would like the song or not. I think I also had a nightmare about a big spider chasing me. I was nervous and worried about this EP, so I can’t wait to release it and see good reactions from the fans.
After sharing all of her honest feelings and interesting processes for creating her new album, Yves wanted to share a final message with her fans. With great emotion and excitement, Yves lets ZAPZEE readers know just how much she appreciates the support and interest of old and new fans alike.
Yves: We always seem to be close to each other, but sometimes we feel distant. I always say I love you to my fans, but I always feel sorry that I can’t express my greater sincerity. I’m trying to create opportunities to meet fans more often and in a better way every time, but it’s not easy. This year, I’ll be by your side more often in a variety of ways, so I hope you stay with me as you have done so far and we can spend many joyful days together. I love you!”.
PHOTO CREDIT: Wonyoung Ki for NME
This NME interview is worth sourcing prior to getting to a review of NAIL. NME write how Yves is fuelled by her time in the group, LOONA. She is now “effortlessly adventuring through electronic, indie and alt-pop”. This is an artist that you need to watch, as I feel we will hear a lot more from her:
“Right now, the 29-year-old is in the early years of her second artistic life – one that’s driven by her desire to do exactly what she wants, but is also, in part, a reaction to the system she had to participate in during her first, as one-twelfth of the K-pop girl group LOONA. Their seven-year run – defined by a sound that was both dreamy and empowering, cult appeal (captured in a collaboration with Grimes) and passionate fandom – came to a tumultuous end in 2023 when they succeeded in terminating their contracts with their then-label BlockBerry Creative. Most of the members went on to re-debut in new groups, as part of either LOOSSEMBLE or ARTMS. Yves, though, chose to go it alone. Instead of finding an established K-pop label to call her home, she veered into uncharted territory by signing to Paix Per Mil, the independent label founded by Korean hip-hop and R&B producer Millic.
“I wanted to make the music that I want and be able to share that with the rest of the world,” she tells NME, sitting in a swivel chair, a blue LA Dodgers baseball cap – its side adorned with her logo of a red apple, a fruit she’s long associated with rebellion – pulled down low over her face. “I feel like I owe that to myself – to be able to keep trying what I want to do and keep discovering that.” The members of LOONA were encouraged to write their own songs and were given practice rooms to work from, but Yves found there was little opportunity for the results to be released. “As it is with the usual K-pop pattern, the company would pick the concept and the song and give it to the group,” she explains. “So most of the time, we would just receive songs. It was a one-way path.”
Even when she was a child growing up in the coastal city of Busan as Ha Soo-young, music occupied a lot of Yves’ time. She and her older sister (who is also now a songwriter and producer called Min!n) would spend hours entertaining themselves with Korean music shows while their parents were at work. “We would sing along to the people on TV and even print out lyrics and do our own little concerts to each other,” Yves recalls. “I feel like that’s how I came to love music and be able to find the enjoyment of what music can be.”
She decided early on that she wanted to be a singer, but her mother wasn’t so keen. “There’s this big memory I have from when I was little where I had a conversation with my mum where I was in my school uniform, crying,” Yves smiles. “I said, ‘If I don’t become a singer, then there’s nothing else that I want to do.’”
The “inner conflict” she felt from ‘Dim’’s success fed into ‘Soap’ and her third EP ‘Soft Error’. “From a literal standpoint, if you use soap, it shows what’s really underneath,” she explains. “I tried to use that meaning to really show who I am, rather than what other people think of me.” The song samples ‘Sugar Water Cyanide’ by Rebecca Black, another artist who shed one musical life to embark on new adventures.
And now, ‘Nail’ marks a “turning point” for the rising soloist. She earned her first writing credit in her solo discography on ‘Soft Error’’s ‘Ex Machina’, and now this record is packed with Yves co-writes. Bouncing from house to alternative R&B and alt-pop with ease and low-slung allure, it captures in a non-linear way “a life cycle from birth to death and then beyond that” – exploring themes that, in Yves’ opinion, are common if not deeply explored in K-pop. “I took the challenge to go deeper than what was being represented [elsewhere].” The Lolo Zouaï-featuring title track, for instance, plays on the similar pronunciations of “nail” in English and “tomorrow” in Korean to create an ode to letting go and liberating yourself from worries about both the past and the future.
The EP’s closer, ‘Birth’, though, is perhaps the strongest indicator of where Yves is at right now. “Be born again,” she whispers between bubbling electronics. “Be born in your own light.” It’s a direct nod to the rebirth she’s been through since leaving LOONA and starting out anew on her own. “You can always start again,” Yves affirms. “There’s always another chance”.
I am ending with Ones to Watch and their thoughts on NAIL. This is an extraordinary artist who I was instantly struck by. I did not know about her past work and have come in unaware of what has gone before. I do feel like Yves is a stunning talent who will play a lot of U.K. dates in the future:
“Since launching her solo career in 2024, South Korean popstar Yves has taken ownership over what her music can, and should, sound like. Her new project NAIL is an ambitious dance-pop experience that speaks volumes, both with and without words. As someone not entirely familiar with her work in LOONA, I was recently introduced to Yves from her appearance on underscores’s “Do It (Remix)”, which was the perfect preparation for diving into this intriguing new project.
When you’re in a group, your individual freedom is suppressed by nature. In NAIL, Yves embodies the music entirely to the point where even when she’s not singing, she’s communicating the internal message. The project has moments of both abstract and straightforward delivery, strengthening its thesis. The record opens with “it”, a track that primes listeners for a mixture of industrial beats and Yves’s tender vocal performance that works beautifully in tandem. With exquisite use of distortion and a spaced-out beat, the track is both dreamy and intense. It introduces her sound by keeping the music unpredictable but not abrasive, something that shouldn’t make sense but does.
The following track “HALO” brings the energy up by focusing on the production, letting vocals take a backseat. But don’t be fooled, this track still has something to say. Over a deliciously subdued house beat, Yves uses repetition to enter a trance-like state. It’s clear this is an artist who knows the value of creating a vibe instead of having to explicitly say it through so many words. The transition from “HALO” to the project’s title track is essential to highlight, as it took my breath away (literally). Just as the trance feels impossible to escape, there’s the sound of a door opening to another room, leaving the music behind and creating a 4D experience for the listener. We hear exasperated heavy breathing that perfectly sets up what comes next.
“NAIL (feat. Lolo Zouaï)” is the thesis statement of the EP, which makes sense for a title track. Over a disjointed computer beat, there’s a whispered demand: “Stop taking my picture”. This lyric changes everything. This track focuses on freeing one's mind and letting your body do the feeling instead. It’s communicated with so much confidence that you have no choice but to agree. It’s a true standout track with so many layers, which means it can be taken as deep or as simple as you want to perceive it.
With “NAIL (feat. Lolo Zouaï)” and “Break it (feat. Lexie Liu) back to back on the tracklist, one thing is for certain: although Yves has shed her girl group past, she still works wonderfully with another female vocalist to bounce off of. The second collaboration on this project is the most traditional pop song on the record, but still strays from expectation in exciting ways. It’s only right to add a song about breaking the rules, which Yves has done consistently throughout this EP and her solo career.
The final track on this record is also aptly named, and acts as a final release in this complex soundscape of an EP. “birth” feels like breathing, with a high pitched melody that floats above the clouds. Fans of oklou will undoubtedly connect with this one, and appreciate the personal twist Yves offers on the beloved computer-pop sound that’s become classic over the past few years. There’s a melancholy to this one, mixed with airy vocals and production that combat the sensitivity with letting go. It’s a beautiful way to close out the project.
As an introduction to the world of Yves, NAIL is about as perfect as you can get. All of the elements come together to create something entirely her own, never comprising creativity and personal expression in any moment. The focus on bodily sensation tells us more about her artistic point of view than words can sometimes convey, which creates a closeness between the listener and artist. This record is another fabulous addition to the ever-evolving “hyper-pop” genre, and a testament to the late SOPHIE’s everlasting impact. Thankfully, Yves is making it entirely her own”.
I am going to wrap up now. NAIL is the latest work from the extraordinary Yves. I am now committed to following her work and seeing where she heads next. NAIL is an E.P. that you need to check out, as it truly confirms Yves is a special artist. One that has…
MANY years ahead.
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