NMIXX: Developing A Distinctive Sound

When K-pop juggernaut JYP Entertainment is preparing to debut a brand new group, their young artists are always met with a unique, unspoken expectation to make an instant impact due to fellow JYP names like ITZY and Twice constantly asserting their industry stature. Thankfully, the company’s newest rookie girl group NMIXX (@nmixx_official) has efficiently navigated their first few collective steps in music, leading them to earn a spot as one of the most prominent girl group combinations in today’s K-pop scene. 

How so? Well, after initially diving into the scene with the quirky banger “O.O” NMIXX quickly conjured their own clever sound that differentiated them from the pack, merging elements of intense siren-like beats and sheer determination – before going the opposite direction with an alt/rock switch-up that piqued the interest of mainstream audiences. On their more textured debut b-side “Tank” NMIXX’s current six-member unit then showed off their mysterious charm, with enchanting vocal displays and an unforgettable, fast-paced chorus that ensured listeners would return to the uncommon pop group. Over the next several months, NMIXX would further develop their innovative style through the follow-up single album Entwurf, or their first mini-album Expérgo – creating unpredictable genre interpretations on tracks like the impressive trap-jazz fusion of “Dice” and their confident stance on the follow-up title track, “Love Me Like This.” 

By the time NMIXX more recently dropped their fresh 2023 single album A Midsummer NMIXX’s Dream, listeners properly learned that the group’s adaptive sound hinges on its well-rounded member composition to pull off such bold concept swings. For instance, the pre-release track “Roller Coaster” daringly roots itself in a dreamy-house state of bliss, cultivating some of their most addictive and potent-pop skills before jumping into the differing title track, “Party O’Clock,” dubbed as the group’s enigmatic “garage-based” pop era. And with more than 80 million views between the two videos and millions of streams across the board – the entire NMIXX roster is definitely building on their success with every imaginative song that’s added to their discography. 

Now, with their exciting release behind them, we had the chance to speak with the six-member unit about their music, choreography, and favorite fan content as our new digital cover stars.

There’s such a fun, recognizable energy to an NMIXX song, which we first witnessed on “O.O” and again on “DICE” because it proved that you’re not interested in limiting yourselves to traditional pop music. How has being a member of NMIXX enhanced, or altered your individual styles as artists? 

LILY: I’ve always loved a variety of genres and I’m super happy that I get the chance to do lots of different genres with NMIXX. While listening to music I often pay attention to genre changes because it reminds me of MIXXPOP! And performing NMIXX songs on stage has affected my performance style too, since the songs change up a lot, I also try to spice up my expressions according to the atmosphere of the music.

When we first discovered your music, listeners quickly realized that NMIXX had every intention of developing a unique discography! Now that you’ve had more time to grow as a group – what would you say are some of the consistent elements of NMIXX’s sound?

LILY: I think that there is never a boring moment when listening to NMIXX’s music, and that’s what keeps people interested. And, I think each of our songs focuses on enhancing each member’s vocal qualities. Whether it be powerful high notes, snappy raps or soft vocals.

It’s been a little more than a year since your debut, and in that short period, you’ve covered a lot of ground! Through all of your releases, awards, and major milestones, what’s one moment that stands out to each of you as being your proudest moment so far?

BAE: Previously some of our fans had never done an event; they made a video of us from before our debut up to now. At that time, we felt so great and touched.

JIWOO: When I met NSWERs in other countries through our first overseas showcase since my debut, I was filled with emotion, and I felt so great to see the fans who liked our performance.

You’ve recently dropped a few solid hits like “Roller Coaster” which is a playlist essential and a personal favorite! What was your first impression of the track?

SULLYOON: When I first heard this song, I really liked the dreamlike and refreshing feeling. It was so good.

KYUJIN: I thought it was a dreamlike, cool, and an exciting song with a pretty melody. The song really hit my taste.

Then we have “Party O’Clock”, an incredible follow-up single that adds another fresh, enchanting component to today’s K-pop trends! What would you say you were most excited for fans to take away from the track?

HAEWON: I thought it would be great if the song comes to mind whenever we think of the season “summer!”

The videos for “Roller Coaster” and “Party O’Clock” delivered absolute JYP perfection because they’re riddled with detail, high-energy choreography, and breathtaking locations to complete the overall experience. If you each had to choose, which of the two was probably the most challenging to create?

SULLYOON: I think “Roller Coaster” was a little more challenging. Not long after we learned “Roller Coaster” choreography, the music video was filmed. That’s why it was somewhat hard when the group dance scene was filmed, I guess.

BAE: To me, it’s Party O’Clock. There were situations where filming was difficult to me because it rained a lot on the day of filming, and after filming, I had to put on aloe diligently because my skin got tanned a lot! Therefore, “Party O’Clock” seemed to be harder!

A Midsummer NMIXX’s Dream managed to sell more copies than expérgo! So congratulations on that well-deserved achievement! If you had to guess – why do you believe fans were so quick to connect with this particular era?

HAEWON: I think it is because more people got to know us through “Love Me Like This” and expectations for this album have more increased due to that. I hope in the future the public comes to think that NMIXX is a group that always brings brand-new songs worthy of attention every time.

The new single masterfully builds on the momentum that you’ve already managed to create, making fans even more excited about what’s to come! Is there any genre or style of music that you want to challenge in the future? 

JIWOO: I’ve recently got interested in the blues music genre. I’d like to sing jazz or R&B music in my own style.

KYUJIN: I want to challenge jazz and rock genres.

You bring fans joy through music, but you’re also known to consistently bring them laughs with plenty of viral content too! What’s been the funniest thing (edit, meme, TikTok, etc.) about another member that you’ve seen on social media?

LILY: I think NSWERs are the funniest, and I love their memes and edits and things. It makes me so happy! There are so many funny ones, but what comes to mind, currently, are the edits that NSWERs made of our bodies spelling out NMIXX. Also, recently Haewon’s shoe went flying during a live performance and NSWERs and the members had a good laugh about that.

JIWOO: Meme videos related to KYUJIN’s “Big wave…” in “NMIXX-DICE!”

In closing, what’s one thing that you hope fans can take away from A Midsummer NMIXX’s Dream era?

BAE: I hope they enjoy our performance together. A fan said that she had a lot of fun watching us enjoy being on stage; I was so happy then. I hope a lot of people feel happy when they watch our performance.

KYUJIN: I guess it would be great for them to get a perception that NMIXX also gets on well with a refreshing concept like this. We’ve always shown a lot of strong and charismatic concepts so far, but I hope they know that NMIXX is an artist with a wide spectrum who can also pull off this concept.