Girl group Ive: ‘Unpredictability’ is our musical charm

Ive, a leading K-pop girl group whose previous songs have all become huge sensations, cited “unpredictability” as its charm during a press conference Monday to mark the release of its first studio album.

Debuting in December 2021 with the single “Eleven,” the sextet instantly skyrocketed to stardom as the song swept domestic music charts. The group then rose to the top position among fourth-generation K-pop girl groups with its three follow-up singles, “Love Dive,” “After Like” and “Kitsch,” became megahits.

Last year, Ive made history by receiving both a rookie award and the top honor for K-pop artists in various year-end music awards ceremonies.

“I think unpredictability is our musical charm,” member Liz said when asked what makes Ive stand out from other girl groups during the news conference held at a Seoul hotel. “We do songs of diverse genres without being restricted to one genre, while giving variations to our voices and bringing different feelings whenever we record songs.”

Leader An Yujin said she is grateful for the all the love the group has received so far and is hoping people will love the band’s first studio album, too.

Titled “I’ve Ive,” the album consists of 11 tracks, including the prereleased hit song “Kitsch,” the main track “I Am,” and “Heroine” and “Mine,” two songs whose lyrics were co-written for the first time by An and Jang Wonyoung, respectively.

“It’s an album that can best represent the identity of Ive,” An said. “It carries a message that we should not be afraid of the rising and falling of life, and even enjoy them based on confidence and self-love that comes to mind when you think of Ive.”

The band sings about the independent attitude of life with strong confidence in one’s way on the lead track, “I Am.” It features addictive synthesizer sounds and the members’ explosive singing skills.

The song’s music video also put an emphasis on the contrast between rising and falling.

“It carries a message that we should live with confidence, as life is a mixture of ups and downs,” Gaeul said.

Ranging from “Eleven” to its most recent songs, “self-love” has been the theme of Ive’s songs.

When asked about any difference between the band’s previous releases and the album in dealing with the theme, An answered that the new album explored independent life without any involvement of romantic relationships, unlike the previous ones. “Please pay attention to this difference,” she added.

The members were then questioned about what makes the group feel confident all the time. Jang answered: “I think confidence follows if you believe in and love yourself. I hope we could have a positive influence on all listeners.”