In ‘I’ve IVE’, they double down on that meaning and showcase 11 solid tracks that are cohesive beyond their years. The name IVE comes from that fullness: I have, period. A place where they can envision their potential and embody all that they want to be. They measure their words carefully, as if IVE’s titanic success was some parallel world that they go in and out of. Dressed in comfy sweats and sitting around a conference room table for this interview, Wonyoung and her teammates Liz, Gaeul, Leeseo, and Rei (Yujin couldn’t participate in this call due to an overseas schedule) are sweet and relatable – a little shy, even. While onstage, IVE are posh and commanding, but they couldn’t be more down-to-earth when the lights are off and the show is done. “In our new songs, we hope that our listeners will not just see us, but that they realise they should have confidence too, and practice self-love.” “We always showed self-love and confidence,” says Gaeul. While Regina George and The Plastics had a burn book before gaslight and gatekeep were a thing, IVE want everyone to girlboss instead. The only thing IVE aren’t, though, are mean girls per se. “We’re going to shine at the top, we belong at the top and give great messages” However, because IVE are IVE, and not Gretchens or Karens, when they sing “I pop up on your algorithm everyday / Can’t control how high it goes, it’s a crazy score / No one can expect this nineteen’s kitsch”, we can’t help but nod and agree. Nothing to do with the “high-school, but haute couture” atmosphere that they present in the music video for ‘Kitsch’. Think handcrafted vacation souvenirs, for example, or those little porcelain animals available at any grandma’s house. It’s a little different from the original meaning.”Īccording to the books, kitsch means an object or design of poor taste, but with an ironic, sentimental appeal. “We just describe as a new word,” Wonyoung tells NME via Zoom, with the casual tone that only someone who never had to worry about their lunch being stolen could. Off their first studio album ‘I’ve IVE’, the brash, bratty pre-release track ‘Kitsch’ has become the first song of 2023 to achieve the coveted PAK (Perfect All-Kill), meaning that it charted at Number One on the daily and real-time components of all major South Korean music streaming platforms. Heck, their first fan concert is named ‘The Prom Queens’.Īnd now, they want to reclaim the word kitsch. Their second single, the intoxicating ‘Love Dive’, won Song of the Year at the 2022 MAMA Awards and dominated South Korean charts for months. ‘Eleven’, their lush first single, immediately stood out and prompted the Internet to coin their concept as “ chaebol crush” – or what happens if Tiktok’s old money aesthetic is mixed with bangers reminiscent of Britney Spears’ best moments. Since debuting in December 2021, IVE have gone from surprising rookies to industry sovereigns. However, swap Evanston, Illinois’ North Shore High School to Seoul’s Starship Entertainment, and not much has changed. ![]() READ MORE: The NME 100: essential emerging artists for 2023Īt the time the movie came out, only half of six-member girl group IVE were born (member Rei, for reference, was two months old).Who dares to create new buzzwords without a crown atop their head? ![]() ![]() Gretchen, who was Regina’s less-popular sidekick, was adamant in creating a new slang to use at their high school, unaware that she was trespassing royal rules. “G retchen, stop trying to make ‘fetch’ happen! It’s not going to happen!” yelled Regina George – the undying meme and quintessential queen bee – in the 2004 teen comedy Mean Girls.
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