MEOVV on Splashing Onto the K-Pop Scene with Eyes Wide Open
Debuting as the first all-girl group from THEBLACKLABEL, the five newcomers to K-pop are ready to show what they’ve got.
Becoming a K-pop sensation comes with major life transitions, and THEBLACKLABEL has engineered some of the most sensational icons on the current scene. Now, the major South Korean label has made yet another splash by unveiling its first-ever girl group, MEOVV (My Eyes Open Wide).
The group’s five members, NARIN, GAWON, ELLA, SOOIN, and ANNA, were keenly aware of the drastic changes that this trajectory would bring, but instead of shying away from them, they eagerly welcomed the new opportunities and friendships. Each musician brings their own unique energy to the stage, as they all come from different backgrounds, but they align over a shared desire to express themselves creatively and defy the industry’s expectations.
The girls made their mark in style with their debut single and music video, “MEOW,” which released in September. Once they had introduced themselves, they announced two new singles to be released side by side: “TOXIC” and “BODY.” This double-release was unveiled on November 18, showing off both a soft and fiercer side of MEOVV — just a taste of what’s to come.
What were some of your earliest connections to music?
NARIN: Music has always been a part of my life since I was very young. It always felt so natural and it was always around me. My mom loved classical music, so in my home, it was always playing. I definitely loved singing and dancing and it was natural for me to imagine myself on stage and that’s how I started to dream about doing all of this.
As the first girl group from THEBLACKLABEL, how do you plan to make your own mark?
GAWON: Our training periods under the THEBLACKLABEL came very naturally. It felt natural for us to preserve the essence of the label in our music and in what we do because it’s just embedded in our training. Moving forward, to establish ourselves as MEOVV and as the label’s first girl group, we’re focusing on building our own identity and just embracing ourselves as five different individuals and girls.
ELLA: I think that also ties into being an empowering figure. I think that showing where you’re from can be a big part of embracing your true identity.
GAWON: That in itself can be important in setting a good influence for others.
How do your personalities all balance each other out?
GAWON: We have so much fun together and [our personalities are all so different]. For example, we have SOOIN. She’s like the brightest person on earth. She’s always energetic. She always brings this positive energy to the group and to all of our practices. She really lights up the room. Contrasting to that, ANNA is very calm and she’s very shy. But then because of these different personalities, I think SOOIN brings out parts of people that you might not see at first. Our contrasting personalities work so well together and create a very healthy balance and healthy relationship.
It’s cool that you all get to connect over a shared love for music. How did you land on a sound and a vision that equally represents you all?
ELLA: I think because we’re so different when you put our different voices together on the track, it’s like the perfect harmony.
GAWON: I would describe our sound as colorful. We’re just trying new things out sonically. Collectively, we create a sound and vision that we push forward. I think that process comes naturally from us being together 24/7. We’re just always around each other, always talking and having these conversations about our likes and dislikes. Just getting to know each other on deeper levels really contributes to that. Communication is the biggest factor in finding that balance.
NARIN: Communication is key.
Not only do you all bring vocals to the table, but some of you rap as well. Do you have any major hip-hop influences within your music?
NARIN: We definitely listen to a lot of hip-hop.
GAWON: We listen to a lot of Lauryn Hill, NAS and Missy Elliot.
In your music video for “MEOW,” there were so many different looks. Where do you pull your fashion inspiration from?
SOOIN: We are all very passionate about what we wear and love building new outfits.
GAWON: We’ll always catch SOOIN with mountains of boxes.
ELLA: Her closet is just full of new clothes [laughs].
NARIN: Not just her closet, her entire room. It’s on the verge of exploding.
SOOIN: When we do fittings and get to wear different outfits for our music video shoots, I definitely learn a lot about my personal style and what really suits me. I’m finding my style more throughout this process.
The group hopes to break from the conventional K-pop mold — what does this mean to you all? How are you breaking barriers in the industry?
GAWON: Just by staying true to what we can do and our abilities. Because even during the training period, we experimented with a bunch of different genres, languages and styles of music.
ELLA: I think also with this upcoming release, the two songs are so different from each other, so it definitely shows our versatility, and I think it’s a good expression of who we are and what we’re capable of. This is just broadening our range and what we hope to do and establish further in the future.
NARIN: We didn’t really know the deeper meanings of the black cat symbol before, but now that we know, I feel that for us it definitely represents both good luck and breaking away from boundaries and expectations. I think that resonates with us well. We’re always looking to do things our own way.
GAWON: We really are just five black cats [laughs].
What do you all like to do when you’re not making music?
GAWON: In our free time, we kind of balance it out with time spent on our own. But then we still look for each other in our free time — even though we’re together every day. Whenever we have a day off, we like to go out to eat and we watch a lot of movies together.
ELLA: Since we’re always together, it’s just natural for us to want to be together. Even the other day, we were just hanging out and we were like, “Do you wanna make bracelets together?” We’re always bonding over something spontaneously.
NARIN: We bake a lot and like to cook for each other, too.
What’s your favorite thing to cook?
GAWON: Oh my God, NARIN made me the best breakfast the other day. Can you explain what you made?
NARIN: It was eggs with feta and guacamole on a tortilla. It’s my signature — it’s very simple but so good.
You dropped your debut single, “MEOW,” in September. What made that a good introduction to your audiences?
NARIN: ANNA’s favorite song of ours is “MEOW.”
ANNA: It really shows who we are as a group.
GAWON: It started us off in a good way, as a self-titled song, it establishes our identity and solidifies it before we go into some other sounds we’d like to experiment with.
ELLA: It’s just the tip of the MEOVV iceberg.
Your two new singles come out this month, “TOXIC” and “BODY.” What are you most excited for fans to hear?
GAWON: Because these two new releases contrast each other completely, I’m excited to see how people are going to react to that contrast and the difference in the sound and the message that each brings. But then also how they just blend so well together. They really go hand in hand.
What was the process like working on both of those?
GAWON: They’re very personal to us. They have a very special place in our hearts.
NARIN: Especially “TOXIC” because we wrote the lyrics, so we are very emotionally attached to the song. It’s so special.
GAWON: Those emotions that we had while in the process of creating the lyrics are really shown through the music video and the vocals of our girls.
ELLA: And “BODY” is just so savage. Since we’ve been practicing this choreo for a while, that energy is always with us.
On the note of choreo, how do the dance moves inform and elevate each song?
GAWON: I fell in love with the process of seeing myself grow as a performer. “BODY” has been a good way to show off the work that has been built up from our training days.
SOOIN: “BODY”‘s performance is definitely an upgrade from “MEOW.” It’s a lot more powerful and it has that energy. There’s an upgraded dance break as well. I’m so excited for everyone to see that in the video.
How would you describe the group to someone who’s a new fan? Now that you’ve shown audiences who you are, what is the impression you’d like to leave?
ELLA: MEOVV is actually an acronym for “My Eyes Open Wide.”
GAWON: I think that pretty much sums it all up. We’re ready, we’re here.
SOOIN: And our eyes are open wide!
