IVE Is That Girl (Group)
“You’ll fall in love by the end of the song,” IVE member Liz belts out in the pre-chorus of the girl group’s latest single, “Attitude.”
The confident and infectiously catchy pop track is a perfect fit for a group that has spent much of its four-year career dubbed as some of the “It” girls of K-Pop. “I’m that, I’m that girl,” the song’s chorus fittingly continues. Featured on the group’s latest album, IVE Empathy, “Attitude” and the album’s pre-release track “Rebel Heart” are the latest in a string of singles that have found immense domestic success.
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Hailing from Korean entertainment company Starship Entertainment, the six-member girl group made their debut in December 2021 with their first single, “Eleven.” But anticipation for the group – comprised of members Yujin, Gaeul, Rei, Wonyoung, Liz, Leeseo – began before their debut; Wonyoung and Yujin finished first and fifth, respectively, in the wildly popular Korean competition show Produce 48 and were members of the show’s temporary girl group, IZ*ONE, until earlier that year.
Since their debut, IVE has been an unstoppable force, particularly on Korean music charts. The group had previously achieved the coveted “Perfect All-Kill” (PAK) status with four separate songs – an accomplishment that is awarded to a song or album that has simultaneously reached No. 1 on the real-time, daily and weekly charts across Korea’s major music providers. “Rebel Heart” joined the elite club Tuesday morning Korean local time. With five songs hitting PAK status, the group now ranks third for the artist with the most songs to hit the milestone.
IVE Empathy is the group’s third EP and feels like a natural sonic evolution from their 2024 EP Ive Switch. “It was [in the] very cold winter [when we prepared for the album], so there are lots of scenes that we had to shoot outside,” Yujin, IVE’s leader, tells The Hollywood Reporter of shooting music videos and promotional materials ahead of the album’s release. “It was a mountain, and it was really snowy. We were worrying we couldn’t go back home because of the snow,” the 21-year-old adds. Thankfully, the group was able to make it out.
On Empathy, members of the group were able to take part in the creative process, each with their own favorite on the six-track album. “My favorite song is “Attitude,” Wonyoung says, adding she wrote some of the song’s lyrics.
“I’m talking about good luck. If you heard the song, you might have lucky power,” the 20-year-old jokes, adorably pushing her hands up as if she’s sending good luck through the Zoom call. “I want [the fans] to just concentrate on the lyrics, and think about us while listening to the song.”
Liz contributed to writing an album highlight, “Thank U,” saying it has a special place in her heart. “I tried to include a story about [my fellow group] members. It was a new experience for me,” the 20-year-old says. The song is a heartwarming three-minute track where the girls thank each other for the journey. “The current me exists thanks to you,” they sing in the song’s chorus.
“I really wondered what Dive [IVE’s name for their fans] would think about [the song],” she adds. “There are some little hidden points or cute clues in the lyrics, so I hope they’re able to solve what they mean.”
While IVE radiates “IT” girl nonchalance onstage, the members of the group are endearingly energetic in the way that any group of young women in their early 20s and late teens might be. The group is mostly around the same age with Gaeul serving as the oldest member at just 22 years old and the youngest, Leeseo, at 17 years old. Throughout the Zoom interview, the group members throw up hand hearts to encourage each other.
“We really have a lot of downtime,” Yujin says, explaining the group’s current dynamic. “Time really flies when I talk with my [fellow group] members or have lunch or dinner together. Every day they help me to live my day.”
“Even though we have a very busy schedule, I think we really respect each other’s times,” Leeseo adds. “It works out really well for us.”
A hobby that’s come out of that downtime is social media – Rei serving as the resident star of the group’s zany TikToks. “It’s just part of my daily life,” she says of why she films the short-form videos. “When I vlog, I just want to do fun things and put it on video for people, especially our Dives, but even people who aren’t our fans. I really enjoy the process.”
As the group reflects on the last four years, they say they’ve learned plenty through their performances. Yujin says, citing the 2024 world tour that allowed them to headline arenas, “It really helped us to improve a lot, and I think my confidence has grown a lot.”
The tour also brought them into direct contact with their fans. “During our concerts, when we’re on tour, we’re able to meet Dive face to face and I can really feel that they love our performances and us as a group,” Gaeul says. “I want to work hard and give back that love to them.”
The group thinks for a second about what they might want to tell international fans. “Stay healthy,” Wonyoung says, her group members repeating her sentiments. “Be rich,” Yujin jokes. Wonyoung adds, “We’ll be there soon.”
Feb. 10, 9:07 p.m. Updated with IVE’s latest PAK achievement for “Rebel Heart.”
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