In 2022, JYP Entertainment, one of the largest K-Pop companies, introduced the idea of MIXX Pop, a genre-blending concept for its new girl group NMIXX.
From their experimental debut, “O.O,” to their latest single, “Know About Me,” the six-member girl group — comprised of members Haewon, Lily, Sullyoon, Bae, Jiwoo and Kyujin — has made a career out of versatility. Their fourth EP, Fe3O4: Forward, is the last story in NMIXX’s Fe3O4 series.
The group’s pre-release track, “High Horse,” a drum and piano-heavy ballad, showcases the group’s undeniable vocal talent. NMIXX also dropped cinematic short films to tease the recently released album, including one to “High Horse,” which features the group members trying out modern dance instead of their typical hip-hop and jazz-influenced routines.
Below, the members of NMIXX speak with The Hollywood Reporter about Forward, what will always be at the core of the group’s identity, how they strengthen their bond as a team and what they’re most proud of from their three-year career.
What were some of the highlights from making this new album?
HAEWON When we were filming the “High Horse” film, even as a trainee I’d learned modern dance and jazz, but this time we had to adapt it to more of an NMIXX style of modern dance choreography. It was really tough, but if you see the film, you’ll see how amazing and brilliant it is.
“Know About Me” is really interesting because although it sounds a bit similar to some songs you’ve done in the past, it’s quite different for you as a group, in an exciting way. What was it like trying something new? Were there any challenges?
LILY I personally really love the song “Know About Me,” and it is true that it is a little different to what NMIXX has released in the past. However, I think it was really natural how well we adapted to the song. I don’t know whether it was because [of] how we practiced when we were trainees, but I think all of the members really suit the song very well. I’m also just really excited to see the public’s reaction to it because it’s just a really good song. I think a lot of people will like it.
Kyujin, Haewon and Bae of NMIXX.
Courtesy of JYP
Do you have any personal favorites on the album?
BAE There’s a song called “Papillon” and there’s a very fast rap in it. Obviously, you need to rap and also you need to enunciate properly, so there was a lot of concern when I got that fast rap part. But I really worked on it, and I was really happy with the outcome, but it was a very big challenge for me.
KYUJIN My favorite is [the ballad] “High Horse,” which was already pre-released. This type of song is something that we haven’t tried before and it was a challenge. In a way, it felt really special, and it was kind of hard to imagine how the performance would go along with a song like this. When it came forward, it was something very refreshing and something that I’m also very proud of. I’m really grateful because the fans’ reaction is also very positive, so it feels like all the hard work that we’ve put in is being rewarded.
Where does this album fit in your own personal rankings, in terms of the style you like?
LILY The title song’s [“Know About Me”] genre is a mix of trap beats, R&B and pop. Those are a lot of my favorite genres. I would say it’s definitely up there with favorite genres that we’ve tried. “High Horse” is also very new for us, but at the same time, I really like that genre as well. I’d say it’s pretty high up there in genres that I like.
As you hit your third year as a group, how are you feeling about your teamwork? Do you feel there’s a bit more ease in going through this process now that you are a bit more seasoned in it?
SULLYOON We’ve definitely gained more experience in terms of activity. We also try to build teamwork through a lot of communication.
K-Pop girl group NMIXX is back with a new single, “Know About Me.”
Courtesy of JYP Entertainment
Do you find that you kind of just understand each other in a way that you maybe didn’t when you first debuted?
LILY I think that because obviously the life of an idol, it’s not an everyday job and not everyone can really relate to how we feel. The only people who can really relate to the situation are the members around us. Of course, that definitely brings us closer and there’s definitely a little bit of a bond that happens even without having to say much. We already know how everyone feels most of the time because we all go through the same stuff. That’s definitely helped us grow even closer, and that’s how we can definitely communicate in those types of ways.
What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned about yourself as a performer or yourself as a person since you’ve debuted?
JIWOO Over time, as a performer, you get to learn a lot more about how you’re portrayed on the camera or how the fans see you. I’m also getting much, much better at managing my physical [health] in the midst of busy, busy, crazy schedules.
Do you have anything you’re most proud of that you’ve accomplished since you debuted?
HAEWON One of the most memorable and proud moments is when we would tour in a country that I’ve never been before and the people, the fans, would sing a Korean song, a completely foreign language, from the start to the end. That moment reminded me [why] I really became a singer.
BAE This is definitely the moment I’m most proud of. [The group’s translator interjects she’s proud of Bae as well]. I was in L.A. for the first time, and I prepared all the interview answers in English because it was an English interview. When it got to the time that I was supposed to be interviewed, my god, they asked me all the questions that I prepared, so I was able to do it flawlessly. That made me very, very excited.
When the world hears the name NMIXX, what do you hope they think of?
HAEWON Even though we do multiple genres, there’s always a core message that never changes and that has to do with appreciating diversity and tackling stereotypes. That is something that is very unshakable, and that is at the core of NMIXX. It’s one of the reasons we do MIXX Pop. Hopefully, fans will be able to actually feel that when they listen to an NMIXX song.
BAE As a person, I lacked confidence in the beginning, but as I communicated with my fans and they gave me all the positive energy, I really was able to feel more self-confident in a way. Because I received so much love from the fans and interaction with the people, I really, really want to give that back to them through music and give them a lot of courage.
From left: Jiwoo, Sullyoon and Lily of NMIXX.
Courtesy of JYP
As a group, you’ve made a career out of challenging yourself by constantly trying new genres and styles, but what does that mean for you as an artist? How do you prepare for that and really put yourself into the concept that you’re doing at that time?
KYUJIN As an artist, your color and your capability and spectrum is really important in that way. The fact that we’re trying multiple genres, and very different genres, I think it’s the manifestation of that skill as an artist. Not only do we try different genres of music, but the spectrum of the choreography and the performance is also very wide. I think that is something we also showcase as an artist.
What are your goals for the year ahead? What are you hoping to tackle next?
LILY We always try to give a lot of confidence and love to our fans and try to encourage them to be themselves no matter what. In that, we also try and be ourselves and show them lots of different sides of us. One of my goals, our goals, I hope for the future is that I hope that the more NSWERS [the name of the group’s fan base] we get, the more that they can all feel a lot of comfort in our music. I really hope that we can bring more joy to lots of different people all over the world with our music, and we can continue our story — because we have this whole lore — we can continue it on. That’s also a lot of fun that fans find in our music and content, our lore. Bottom line is I hope that we can have more NSWERS in the future who love our music, and who find a lot of joy in our music.
BAE We are pretty much packed and ready to embark on a voyage back to MIXXTOPIA, our universe [in the group’s lore], so we definitely want to go on that journey and bring a lot of people along with it. Would you like to join?