"Why you think that ‘bout nude?" purrs Soyeon, blonder than ever, over a piano rendition of "Habanera" — the popular aria from Georges Bizet’s 1875 opera Carmen. It’s the opening scene of the music video for (G)I-DLE’s latest single, "Nxde." Looking like Marilyn Monroe if she starred in Moulin Rouge!, the leader and main rapper of the group instigates further: "'Cause your view’s so rude / Think outside the box / Then you’ll like it."
It turns out that "Nxde," off (G)I-DLE’s latest EP, I Love (out Oct. 17), has nothing to do with taking your clothes off. It’s all part of Soyeon’s plan to bare (G)I-DLE’s true selves instead. "It’s not that we want it to be erotic, we just want to change [the public’s] perspective," Soyeon said in a May episode of MBC’s reality show "I Live Alone."
Breaking stereotypes has always been (G)I-DLE’s main drive. Formed in 2018 by Soyeon, Miyeon, Minnie, Yuqi, and Shuhua, the K-pop group established themselves as daring creatives and songwriters, involved in every aspect of their music. From Latin sultriness ("Señorita"), to trap-infused temptations ("Oh My God"), to rebellious pop rock (March’s "Tomboy," which topped the iTunes charts in 24 countries and is still in the Top 100 of South Korea’s biggest music charts), (G)I-DLE revel in challenging expectations.
In "Nxde," (G)I-DLE pay homage to Marilyn Monroe — not for her sex symbol status, but for the smart woman that so few acknowledge her to have been. Yes, they all went blonde (even Shuhua, who had never bleached her hair before) and the music video is brimming with references to her movies, but also to other artists such as Banksy, Walt Whitman (Marilyn’s favorite poet), and Madonna. Through their lyrics, they show that there’s always more than meets the eye, and that loving yourself for who you are is priceless.
That is also the main message of I Love, whose remaining five tracks tell — in reverse order — how (G)I-DLE went from suffering for the love of others to fully embracing self-love. The gloomy atmospheres of "Dark (X-File)" and "Sculpture" open the way for experimentation in the acoustic "Reset" and the minimalistic, tempo-shifting "Change," which finally lead to the brash guitars of "LOVE" and the theatricality of "Nxde."
GRAMMY.com caught up with (G)I-DLE over Zoom to learn more about their rise to the top, how they are still learning to love themselves, and what comes after I Love.
In your previous single, "Tomboy," you say that "stuff like love can't make a single scratch on my body." However, in I Love, you explore the opposite of that statement. Would you say that I Love tells the story of how (G)I-DLE became the women in "Tomboy"?
Soyeon: I don’t think that "Tomboy" and I Love are totally different. "Tomboy" is about how we won't get scarred by other people's love, and I Love is an album with the message that we want to focus more on loving ourselves, rather than being loved by others.
"Nxde" presents a witty subversion of what it means to be naked. Soyeon first suggested the concept, but for the other members, did you reflect on what "nude" actually means for you, too?
Miyeon: When the creative process begins, we share every stage of it. When we put out a new album or new music, we pretty much have the same mindset. So in terms of how we think of "Nxde" and the message there, we’re all on the same page.
Shuhua going blonde was a big move, and even the members thought that it wouldn't happen. As artists and as a group, how do you feel about getting out of your comfort zone to reach a greater goal? And how do you decide "this is something that I won't do"?
Shuhua: I just decided OK, it’s time to show fans our new appearance and it really suits that concept, so that’s why I decided to go blonde.
Your singles are very concept-driven, and you need to watch the music video and read the lyrics to get the full experience. What's the middle ground between concept and musicality for you? How do you deliver your message while making sure that people can still enjoy your music?
Soyeon: I think through and try really hard to keep the balance between popularity and sharing our thoughts into the music. If I feel like I’m missing something out, then I try to focus and fill in that with other parts of the music or the concept. At the end of the day, I want to make sure that we put out something that people would like. We try to keep it balanced by utilizing concept images and other elements of production as well.
Minnie: We try to express our message not in a heavy way, but easily [understandable] for the listeners.
This album dives into some personal themes for you and, as always, Soyeon, Minnie, and Yuqi also participated in the writing and composing of the songs. What are some things that you discovered about yourselves while preparing for this album?
Yuqi: During the recording of title track "Nxde," there's a part [I sing] that goes "How do I look?" and Soyeon asked me to just do whatever I wanted to do, in any style I wanted. So I did it, and it just came out like… Like a growl [laughs]. I didn’t see it coming, but Soyeon really liked it, so we put it in the song. That was actually an accident.
Me and Minnie as well have always produced our songs, and this time, "Dark (X-File)" was really a new style for me. Something like indie pop. It was my first time, but I think it’s a good try, and I will take advantage of this song to make better [ones] in the future.
Minnie: For me, during the music video shooting of "Nxde," I thought that this concept was very new and quite challenging, because I've never tried this style before. So I've been studying movements and gestures, I've been researching Marilyn Monroe, because it was inspired by her, and I think it came out very, very well. [It’s] very challenging, but not too hard for us to do and express.
You have mentioned in previous interviews that you want to break any stereotypes about you. However, as idols, there are certain rules that you have to follow. How do you work within those restrictions, while also pushing boundaries?
Soyeon: We don't try too hard to keep up with the restrictions because we're a K-pop group. We just express ourselves as much as possible and as much as we want.
Minnie: Like we said in "Tomboy," "just me, I-DLE." Just being honest to our fans.
Yuqi: We think that there are no rules in this society, in any parts or in any ways. We just want to tell people to do what they want, because there's no rules in this world.
During this media showcase for this album, you said that you need to love yourself first before you love others. Have you all reached that stage where you can say that you love yourselves?
Soyeon: We’re still in the process, but we wanted to deliver the message to people out there to start [doing that] too. We can’t confidently say that we fully love ourselves right now, but we’re exploring.
I think that music helps us to love ourselves more, and in the same way that seeing your work is inspiring for us listeners, I imagine it's inspiring for the artists as well.
Minnie: Yes. I hope our album will inspire a lot of people, especially in our generation, to be more confident and to start loving themselves more, because we are searching for that too. We’re learning — I am learning. [Minnie makes quotes with her hands in reference to their album titles, which always start with the pronoun "I"].
Maybe I Learn can be the title for the next album?
Yuqi: Oh! Good idea!
Minnie: Thank you for that! [Laughs].
In the video for b-side "Dark (X-File)," there is a phone screen with several concerning headlines about (G)I-DLE's future, such as "(G)I-DLE are on the edge" and "Are they being forgotten?" Are those some of your concerns as well?
Yuqi: We wanted to use that to tell people that everyone is getting judgments and everyone is getting those comments. It’s not because we are famous and because we are singers that [this doesn’t happen to us]. So we just wanted to tell people to not care about it. And about the question you asked, of course. Life is about ups and downs, but we just want to focus on ourselves. We kept doing this, and I think we will keep doing this. That’s our attitude.
You found incredible success with "Tomboy," and "Nxde" seems to be following the same steps. Do you ever feel pressured that you won't be able to surpass your previous achievements?
Soyeon: We would be lying if we [said we] didn't feel any pressure about it. But I don't think that our previous achievements are the farthest that we’ll ever get. We always have a new message that we want to deliver, and always have something new to talk about as we get older. We just want to continue doing that, and not get too tangled up thinking about heights and positions.
What's the biggest lesson that you learned since debut?
Minnie: Wow. [Laughs]. Pretty deep one.
Yuqi: OK, me first! There is a sentence I say to my fans and to myself: Always be proud of yourself. That's the message I want to say to the world. Don't care about the comments and judgments, you are you, you are doing a good job, so just focus on [that]. If you lose yourself, you lose the world, so be proud of yourself.
Soyeon: The biggest lesson I learned was don't get swinged by popularity. There's good popularity and bad popularity, and I shouldn’t be swayed too much by the potential of positive attention. But I also learned that I shouldn't be too frustrated or pressured by all the negatives that come with it. I realized that attention only lasts for a brief moment.
Minnie: I've learned that life is about changing, since after debut our lives changed a lot. You can see in the lyrics of [our b-side] "Change," where I wrote that "our life has ups and downs, it’s alright." It's just that simple. You have to learn how to deal with that situation and how to cope with new environments. My mom always says, "Now you're going up, but there's one day that you’ll have to go down." So one day, when you go down, just go as beautifully as you can.
Miyeon: Before [our] debut, I was afraid of challenges, but after I got to try out new concepts, new hairstyles, new makeup, I really enjoyed trying new things. Now that I have a lot of fans and people who encourage me, it really motivates me to meet new challenges.
Shuhua: I learned that I have to believe in myself when I perform on stage. I have to trust myself a lot, because the audience is there, but they are only there to see us and support us, so I need to have faith in what I do and in my performance.
Are you already planning the next album?
Yuqi: Always!
Minnie: I have something to say. I think Soyeon always has something in her head, and every time she’s, like, "Oh, this time maybe we should do this, maybe let’s try that," out of her million ideas. There’s a lot of things in her head.
Soyeon: Yes. The next album will be fun.
Is there anything I didn’t ask that you want to talk about?
Yuqi: First of all, thank you for inviting us for this interview, I think it’s everyone’s dream come true. We’re planning to do more activities, more TV programs and stages in the U.S., and maybe English songs? So please expect that, and stay tuned. (G)I-DLE is coming, (G)I-DLE is rising up, and the next album will be amazing too. [Laughs]