Nearly seven years since she first debuted, Yves is starting over. Until now, the singer has been best known as the leader of LOONA, the girl group known for their complex lore and intoxicating songs. Last week (May 29), though, she reintroduced herself as an artist standing on her own, making her solo debut with an EP that kickstarts her new journey in dazzling form.
Just over a week before the release of ‘LOOP’ and the moment when she officially starts a new chapter of her career, Yves is at ease and approaching her fresh start with the relaxed confidence of a seasoned pro. “At first I felt big pressure about my solo debut, but then my fans are giving me a lot of love and support,” she tells NME from Seoul, sitting close to the camera, hands bunched up around her face. “I’m much more excited than intimidated now.”
She has plenty to be excited about. The four tracks on the EP cover a spectrum of sounds but makes each feel like a natural fit for the star. She’s also preparing for her first showcase, which takes place on the day of release. Getting to this point hasn’t been completely straightforward, though. In 2023, LOONA were separated by legal issues within their company Blockberry Creative, and by mid-June, all members had terminated their contracts. For the first time in her adult life, Yves’ future was unclear.
While the unexpected change in her situation could have been a door to try her hand at something completely new, the singer was determined to continue in music. “I felt this unspoken responsibility towards the fans because they love LOONA for their musical career,” she explains. “So I wanted to continue as a musician. By being part of this new company, she got to relieve that responsibility by making my own music and from there, I could expand into other areas, like acting.”
Despite LOONA not being together, the group’s name still acts as a guide for their leader. “We made a little promise to ourselves to do our best in our own separate positions outside of the group and not ruin our reputation,” she shares. As each of her bandmates has made their own new debut, sharing music with each other before its release, Yves takes on the role of cheerleader, “supporting them and giving them courage whenever they would say, ‘I’m so nervous about this project’”. “Now, it’s my turn,” she says, “but because of that process with the previous members’ debuts, I feel very calm.”
While some of her bandmates formed new groups and signed deals with labels with more of a K-pop identity, Yves took her time finding a new home for herself. Eventually, she settled on Paix Per Mil, the company run by respected producer Millic and home to multifaceted artists like Ioah, Blah and Han. “I didn’t want to choose the obvious path,” Yves laughs of her decision. “This company never had an idol as part of their artists, and it’s their first time giving it a try with me. I expected something different, and they have different expectations, so all these differences could harmonise and create a new vision.”
“The more I looked into myself, the more I found that I have so many different layers and dimensions to myself”
‘LOOP’ finds Yves on a new journey not just in terms of contracts and the amount of people around her, but as a person trying to discover who she is, too. Across the EP’s four tracks, she showcases different elements of her artistry, from how her sweet vocals float through the gossamer flow of the alluring ‘Diorama’ to the spirited rock of ‘Afterglow’, each song putting a different side of her in the spotlight.
“The more I looked into myself, the more I found that I have so many different layers and dimensions to myself,” she says. “I don’t have just one single personality.” Although ‘LOOP’ is part of the search for her true identity, she says she hasn’t completely discovered what that is just yet. “I’m on the way to defining myself, but the next album and the album after that will reveal another layer of myself and [continue to] find the truth.”
The process of finding out who you really are – holding a mirror up to yourself and confronting the parts of you that you thought were sure things and finding them to be false, making unexpected revelations about yourself that set you on new paths – can often be disorientating. In the EP’s title track, Yves both acknowledges and embraces this turbulence when she sings: “Yeah, I’m lost, but I like it.”
“Because this EP is like my own diary, that line is a very direct reflection of how I felt,” she nods. “I went through a lot during the whole process of leaving my old company and finding a new one. I learned a lot through it and now, with what I’ve done so far with this EP, I’m really enjoying every moment.”
“I had big ups and downs depending on the result of my work, so it was really hard to control my emotions during this process”
That song – driven by an addictive house beat and layers of Yves’ voice that envelope you and immerse you in the music – features rapper Lil Cherry, who brings extra bite to the track at the suggestion of Yves. “When I was working on the title track, I wanted a professional rapper to contribute to the song,” she explains. “Lil Cherry has such a unique tone, and I thought it would work really well.”
Although she seems confident now, Yves has had moments of doubt throughout her journey to her solo debut. When she first heard the tracks for ‘LOOP’, she says she was struck by the thought: “What if I ruin this song?” “Each song felt so complete and perfect that it made me worry,” she reasons. “But the producers really led me well, and I tried my best, so I’m satisfied with the result.”
Ask her how she kept motivated during times of worry and difficulty, and Yves replies with two words: “My fans.” It might seem like a run-of-the-mill response for an idol, but throughout our conversation, her thoughts return to those who’ve supported her often. When she talks about them, it’s clear that this isn’t just fan service – something that’s reinforced by the heartfelt ‘Goldfish’, which is described as a message to her fans.
Even with her loyal followers by her side, there’s still a lot to get used to in her new role as a solo artist. Yves might have borne the responsibilities and pressures of being LOONA’s leader, but she says now that role was “much easier” than leading herself. “I’m realising how uneasy a person I am as a human being,” she says. “I had big ups and downs depending on the result of my work, so it was really hard to control my emotions during this process.”
For the first time, she’ll be alone in front of the crowd – something she says she thought would be scary. “But now I want to do it quickly,” she smiles. “I’m really, really curious how I’m going to look on the stage by myself, so I can’t wait to monitor it and learn more from that experience.” When we speak, Yves has been working hard for the EP’s press showcase and looking at performances by other artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Ariana Grande and Madison Beer as guides for “how to fill the stage by myself”.
She hopes that it’s not just herself who is curious about what’s to come for Yves, whether that’s on stage or on her records to come. “I’m curious about the future – I want people to have this question [when they hear ‘LOOP’],” she explains. “Whether it’s good or bad, I want people to feel that curiosity about who I am and what I’m going to do next.” This EP more than achieves that, acting as both a brilliant fresh start for Yves and an intriguing stepping stone to a future full of possibilities for what she might do and who she could become.
Yves’ debut solo EP ‘LOOP’ is out now on Spotify, Apple Music and more
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