The K-Pop Girl Group Talks Teaching Fans To Be ‘Confident And Bold’

It’s been less than a year since South Korean girl group IVE released their first song, but in that short span of time, they have quickly established themselves as not only one of the hottest new acts in their home country, but as one of the most successful all-female vocal troupes in the world.

The adventure began on December 1, 2021, when IVE dropped their two-song set Eleven, which was fronted by a single of the same name (on a short project called a single album in South Korea). That effort bolted right to No. 1 on the South Korean charts, and it turned out to be just the beginning.

Since then, IVE has released two more single albums, each with its own proper single, and with each passing era, they become more and more popular. They have reached an international audience, landing on the Canadian Hot 100 (twice), scoring a top 10 smash in New Zealand, and even cracking the top 40 on Billboard’s Billboard Global 200 songs tally with a pair of wins.

Simply put, IVE has accomplished more in less than 12 months than many vocal groups will in years, and they’re still gearing up for even larger, greater things. I spoke with the band recently about their immediate success and what they want to do next.

Hugh McIntyre: I’m so impressed with what you have all been able to do in less than a year. You’ve achieved some really incredible things. Describe to me what the past year has been for you.

Yujin: I think it has been a very busy year and I still can remember clearly when we were getting ready, when we were preparing for our debut. I cannot believe it’s almost [been] a year since that time. We learned lots of things this year.

McIntyre: So the one year anniversary is coming up. Are you all planning anything special for that?

Yujin: For our one year anniversary, I think it would be nice if we have a delicious dinner with all of our members, talking about each other and talking about the past year. It could be nice.

McIntyre: That would be nice. You’ve had three single albums come out, and they all went to No. 1 in Korea. I mean, that’s huge. What did it feel like to hit No. 1 for the first time and then do it over and over again?

Gaeul: When we had our first No. 1 on the music charts, it felt like a dream. I was really amazed and thankful that we could be ranked as No. 1, even in a very short amount of time. But even after that, we got to rank multiple times! So I’m just really thankful for our DIVE [the group’s fandom name].

McIntyre: The single albums did really well, but your singles, they were huge in Korea, but they also reached an audience all around the world. And I saw them on Billboard’s global chart, and they keep going higher and higher. That usually takes people a long time to manage. What does it feel like knowing that your music is reaching so many people all around the world?

Rei: I was amazed by the chart [and] our accomplishments not only on the Korean chart, but also in my home country of Japan. I heard from a lot of people that IVE is really big [in Japan]–and not just for our focus tracks. [Fans also] enjoy listening to our B-side tracks as well. I was really amazed by that, and it made me feel very accomplished and proud of myself.

McIntyre: Listening through your single albums, they’re all pop, but they differ from one another and there are many styles of pop featured. How would you describe your group’s sound?

Yujin: I think it’s really trendy and catchy because each single, each title song has some unique parts in it. So I think the listeners can remember those typical parts [well].

McIntyre: Your single album After Like was released a little more than a month ago. Tell me a bit about that project and what you wanted to say with those songs.

Leeseo: “After Like” is a song that will boost your confidence and self esteem when it comes to love. We want our listeners to feel empowered after hearing this song.

McIntyre: You have now released three single albums. Are you planning on an EP or a full-length album at some point?

Yujin: Of course. We’re not sure when it will be, but I will prepare for an EP or full-length. I want our global DIVE to stay tuned.

McIntyre: There are a lot of vocal groups in the K-pop world. For people who don’t know this space very well, what would you say makes you stand out and makes you different from other vocal groups?

Gaeul: IVE, our music and our overall style, puts emphasis on being confident and bold. I think that our listeners learn from that, I guess, kind of take in the music and actually apply it to their lives. IVE’s ultimate strength is to influence those kinds of people in a positive way.

McIntyre: I love the message of your music and what you’re saying about making people feel confident. Where do you all find that confidence to then be able to share it?

Rei: We tend to compliment each other on a daily basis. We compliment each other very often. We gain confidence and boost each other’s confidence as well.