Like their name, K-pop girl group NewJeans are an atemporal classic. Despite debuting just one year ago — no teasers, no big announcements, only a delightful summer hit by the name of "Attention" — their carefully-crafted ID is both utterly cool and longingly comfortable. It’s as if they could fit anywhere, from early-aughts MTV to the most underground basement parties, but still deliver a twist.
And while some might argue that being so fluid isn’t a compliment — no one is doing it like they do. Their recently released sophomore EP, Get Up, continues to prove that NewJeans are at the cutting edge of music, blending genres like U.K. garage and favela funk into something curiously progressive, but never unpleasant. The album sold almost 1.2 million copies within 24 hours, becoming the second-largest first-day figure for a Korean girl group in history.
Formed by ADOR, a new label under HYBE (home to K-pop giants like BTS and TXT), the quintet range from 19 to 15 years old, but have reached senior prestige in the blink of an eye. Their eponymous debut EP and single album OMG both also sold over one million copies. They scored branding deals with juggernauts like McDonald's and Coca-Cola. They were featured in Time's Next Generation Leaders. And each of the members landed a high fashion ambassadorship, including with Gucci, Louis Vuitton, YSL, Chanel Korea and Dior.
But behind all the glamour, Minji, Danielle, Hanni, Haerin, and Hyein are simply teens moved by their passion for music. Their lyrics and music videos depict real-life situations: boy troubles, the complexities of friendships, growing up surrounded by technology. Stripped back from K-pop’s usual overload, they look, sound, and move relatably for their age — an aspect that made their music stand out even more.
Get Up holds that trend. Its six tracks are short snippets of a dual world, depicting the highs and lows of growing up as a woman: sweet and bubbly in "Super Shy," or in "The Powerpuff Girls" collaboration "New Jeans," but haunting and restless in tracks like "Cool With You," or the frantic "ASAP."
The night before the release, NewJeans spoke with GRAMMY.com over Zoom from Seoul. Excitement is the core feeling as they eagerly answer each question. Sometimes, they fall into laughter, or into partial dancing — one arm slide here, one shoulder bump there. As Hanni says more than once, being NewJeans is "just so much fun."
Read on to know their thoughts on what makes their music so special, their rapid rise to fame, and still feeling like kids sometimes.
Congratulations on your new EP, Get Up. What were some of the challenges of preparing this record, compared to your debut EP?
Minji: As we prepared this EP, we tried to capture multiple genres, and that also applies to our performances. We tried out waacking and some contemporary moves, and vocally speaking, I think we tried to take on new challenges too.
In your first song, "New Jeans," you sing "Look it's a new me / Switched it up, who's this / All eyes on us NewJeans." What new sides of yourself were you able to discover in Get Up?
Hyein: Because we haven't even reached our first-year anniversary yet, I think we have much more to offer and show to our audience. I always thought about us as a group that is constantly striving to bring something fresh to the public, and I feel like this album really solidified my confidence and conviction about our identity.
Although you haven’t even celebrated your first anniversary yet, NewJeans have found incredible success from the get go, and reached milestones that other groups usually take years to get to. How do you manage the pressure of having "all eyes on you"?
Danielle: First of all, we're very, very flattered by all the accomplishments, but I feel like we're still beginners, and we try to have that mindset. I think it's important to stay calm and humble about it.
You recorded the music video for "Super Shy" in Lisbon, "Attention" and "Hype Boy" in Barcelona, and you also have upcoming performances at Chicago’s Lollapalooza, Tokyo’s Summer Sonic Festival, and Music Bank in Mexico. How does getting to know other parts of the world influence your work?
Hanni: It's definitely a wonderful opportunity that we're given a chance to film our music videos overseas, and now with Lollapalooza and Summer Sonic, they’re such big international festivals, we're really looking forward to it.
These types of schedules are very eye-opening experiences, and they give us the opportunity to learn different cultures, like, this is how this city looks like, and that city looks like. It just makes the work we’re doing more exciting. I've been so grateful.
The lyrics In "ETA" depict a very relatable conversation between friends. Do any of your songs feel particularly relatable to your life?
Haerin: I think there's something that we can relate to in every song we've had until now, but if I had to pick just one, it would be "Super Shy." I find myself relating to its lyrics a lot, and the duality between the lyrics and the choreography is quite fascinating, because the performance aspect of it is really dynamic and powerful. And yeah, again, I do relate to those lyrics. [Laughs]
A very important question: why is "Get Up" only 36 seconds?
Haerin: Because it's an interlude track, first and foremost. And if you were to look at the order of songs on this EP, "Get Up" is sitting right in the middle of two tracks, so I think that positioning has the job of bringing the entire EP together.
We need more, because that song is so good! Also, "Cool With You" shows a more mature side of NewJeans. When you think of the other members, in what other ways have you noticed their growth?
Hyein: I am the youngest one in the group, so it feels a bit weird to be commenting on the other members. [Laughs]
Minji: No, it’s not. [Pats Hyein’s shoulder]
Hyein: But if I were to speak for the entire group, I think that the type of feedback that we exchange amongst one another has gotten much more specific and detailed, and we are quicker to understand that feedback and apply it to what we do. We have three title tracks in this EP, and each song has a different genre of choreography, so when we were practicing, we had to really focus on putting ourselves in a different mood for each.
This EP talks a lot about time and the timing of certain things, as in "ASAP" and "ETA." You're teenagers now, but do you feel like grown ups? Or do you still feel like kids sometimes?
Danielle: When I was younger, I was always like, "I wanna be older, and I want to be more mature." [Laughs] But now I feel like growth comes naturally when you enjoy the present as much as you can.
Being with the members makes me feel like I'm still a kid sometimes. When I look at myself in music videos from a year ago, I look much different than how I look now, and so I think it's about your mindset, your environment, and who you're around with in the present. The boundaries between kids, teenagers, and adults, I don't feel they are that important.
Minji: I definitely agree. It’s not that important.
Hanni: And we have such wonderful staff members who help us enjoy everything even more. So whether we’re more mature or kids, I think just being able to enjoy it is the most important.
Danielle: Each of us have very different sides. It’s fun to get to know them.
Your songs are often minimalistic and delicate, which stands out in an industry where over-the-top tracks are quite popular. Is there strength in softness?
Haerin: We have a distinct style, but we also like to think that our style is very fluid, and that we are not putting ourselves in boxes. We’re always taking on new challenges and enjoying the ride; that’s what makes NewJeans.
Our music might sound minimalistic and delicate right now, but who knows what's coming in the future? I think that sort of uncertainty and mystery makes this journey more exciting.
As young women growing up in the entertainment industry, how do you balance your personal lives with your onstage personas? Is there a separation between the two?
Hanni: I don't think there is a very clear separation between the two, because music for us started out as a hobby, and soon it turned out into something we really enjoy, so it was very much molded in childhood.
I think we always try to focus on how we can be professional and how we can perform more enjoyable stages for everyone, and doing this is just a part of who we are. There is no line at all. We are silly as we are on and off camera anyways. [Laughs] It’s just lots of fun.
In Korea, you are celebrating the Year of the Rabbit — an animal that is sort of a motif to NewJeans and also the name of your fandom, Bunnies. 10 years from now, how do you think you will look back on this year?
Minji: Well, 10 years is many years down the line, but I do think that I will still be doing what I love. And if [future] me just looks back on me right now, I think she would just feel an immense amount of gratitude for our members, for all the hard work, and be proud of what we're doing.
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