Korean musician YVES has been making music that leads with introspection, restraint, and sincerity, and her most recent release, Soft Error: X, is a prime example of that.
From South Korea, YVES is changing the soloist game after her start in the 12-member K-pop girl group LOONA. As an artist in both music and visuality, working with push-and-pull layers, she is creating her own sound and blueprint. Though YVES states, “If that (my music’s) energy ends up looking like a new expression of K-pop, I think it’s simply because we chose to move a little more honestly, a little more emotionally, and a little more freely together.”
Emotional and honest are two perfect words to describe her music and this EP, which is an expansion of her last Soft Error EP, including one extra opening track, “Ex Machina.” This EP tackles her own emotional scars and her wounded self, while remaining vulnerable and relatable. YVES believes not all emotions need resolution; recognition alone can be enough, and this album recognizes just that.
With collaborations featuring iconic artists like UK artist PinkPantheress and Mexican indie artist Bratty, her music works seamlessly with both due to their similarities yet differences in sound and culture, even including Spanish lyrics.
Soft Error: X begins with “Ex Machina,” the added track from the original Soft Error EP. “Ex Machina” sets a completely different tone from the start. The synth vocals and guitar strums that continue and grow heavier throughout the EP begin soft and slow, paired with lyrics that express longing. The music video is a standout. It tells a story mapping tenderness versus toxicity, leaving viewers questioning whether it is personal, fictional, or symbolic, and YVES has answers.
With imagery of guns and bleeding trees, the storyline follows a queer-coded relationship. Later in the interview, YVES goes much deeper in depth, but a standout quote is: “Rather than explaining everything directly, we chose to communicate through symbols and metaphors. Love isn’t something you can define by its shape; it lives in emotional movement: what it gravitates toward, what it drifts away from, and how it transforms over time.” Watch the music video below.
The six remaining tracks stay the same as the previous release. “White Cat” stands out with hyper synths and a more upbeat sound, almost resembling a video game soundtrack, paired with a fun yet simple, visually complex music video you can watch below.
Following these tracks are the collaborations previously mentioned: “Soap” (feat. PinkPantheress), “Aibo” (feat. Bratty), and a Rebecca Black sample. Fans have described these collaborations as “queens maximizing their joint slay,” to which YVES states, “For me, ‘maximizing slay’ isn’t about perfection, it’s about emotional truth, whether that’s onstage or within the music.” These collaborations add movement and unpredictability while remaining one cohesive story told through multiple voices.
YVES is being recognized not only within her own musical space but alongside many other creative minds, most recently collaborating again with PinkPantheress on her track “Stars,” further solidifying her place within a global creative landscape.
YVES is not trying to be understood quickly, she’s trying to be understood honestly. In The Knockturnal’s conversation with YVES, which you can read below, we dive into her visuals, sounds, and story, and how this collection of songs came to be through her own honesty.
The Knockturnal: YVES! I hope you are doing well. My name is Emma Salehi, and I am from The Knockturnal. Yves, you are one of my favorite artists of this time. Redefining the scene with sonic sounds and beautifully done stories. Let’s dive into your creative mind and world.
Soft Error: X expands on the emotional landscape of your original EP, shifting from recognizing an “error of emotion” to quietly gazing into it. What inspired you to return to this emotional space rather than resolve or move past it?
YVES: When I first made the original Soft Error, it captured the moment I became aware that something inside me wasn’t quite right. It was a very small, personal feeling, but for me, it was the first time I acknowledged that something within myself was misaligned.
Rather than trying to overcome or fix that feeling, I wanted to look back at its shape more closely, to sit with it and understand what it really was. With Soft Error: X, instead of correcting the error, I chose to stay with it and quietly observe it, meeting the version of myself that still exists inside that space.
I don’t believe every emotion needs to be resolved. Sometimes, simply recognizing that a feeling still lives within you is enough. Soft Error: X came from that mindset.
The Knockturnal: You said, “I’ve been heavily scarred along the way… what I thought in a negative light always manifested in reality.” How did confronting those emotional scars shape the themes and honesty of Soft Error: X, and did creating this project change the way you now speak to yourself internally?
YVES: Yes, there was a period where it felt like the scars I carried were steering my thoughts. My emotions became distorted, and the negative things I imagined often ended up manifesting as real experiences.
While working on Soft Error: X, I stopped trying to cover those wounds and instead practiced facing them as they were. I tried to acknowledge their shape, how long they had been there, and how much they had changed me. It was uncomfortable, but that discomfort pushed me to use more direct and emotionally honest language in both the songs and the lyrics.
In that sense, this album feels like my first real attempt at no longer hiding my emotions. I used to speak to myself with frustration, asking, “Why am I still like this?” Now I find myself saying, “It’s okay. Even being here still has meaning.” Soft Error: X is a record of that shift, and the first album where I quietly spoke to the wounded version of myself.
The Knockturnal: Now let’s talk music. The newest addition to the EP is “Ex Machina.” Your layered vocals create emotional tension that contrasts the soft instrumental. Was the arrangement designed to mirror the relationship’s push-pull dynamic we see in the music video?
YVES: Honestly, that contrast emerged quite naturally during the process. I wanted to keep the sound calm and grounded by using only acoustic instruments, strings, piano, and guitar, without relying on electronic elements. In a way, I was intentionally creating a texture that feels completely opposite to the idea of a “robot” that exists within the song.
To introduce tension and a sense of push and pull within that softness, I layered the vocals heavily. I wanted the emotions to overlap and clash subtly, creating friction beneath the surface. In that sense, the dynamic relationship portrayed in the music video naturally seeped into the arrangement as well; the emotional back-and-forth lives not just in the visuals but in the music itself.
The Knockturnal: Speaking of the music video, the storyboard must’ve been intense; how did you map out the emotional trajectory between tenderness and toxicity visually? “Ex Machina” portrays a co-dependent, queer-coded relationship where both sides love destructively. Was this drawn from personal emotion, fiction, or symbolic storytelling?
YVES: During the early planning stages, we talked a lot about the idea of the Ship of Theseus, that question of what ultimately makes someone human. When I sat with that question, the answer I kept coming back to was love. That became the emotional core of the music video.
With “Ex Machina”, I wanted to explore the many forms and fragments of love. The characters in the story exist separately at first, then merge into one, and eventually split apart again. That cycle felt similar to the relationship we’re currently navigating between humans and machines, how boundaries blur, how identities overlap, and how separation becomes inevitable.
Rather than explaining everything directly, we chose to communicate through symbols and metaphors. Love isn’t something you can define by its shape; it lives in emotional movement: what it gravitates toward, what it drifts away from, and how it transforms over time. The video follows that motion, moving between tenderness and toxicity without labeling either side as purely one or the other.
The Knockturnal: The MV ends with mutual destruction, and there’s a visceral shot of a gun aimed toward a bleeding tree. What does that image represent in the context of self-revelation and mutual harm? Do you see this story as a tragedy, liberation, or transformation?
YVES: The image of the gun and the bleeding tree may appear violent at first glance, but it isn’t meant to represent physical destruction or emotional rupture. Rather than signaling chaos, harm, or collapse, the scene symbolizes a moment of motion, an attempt to break outward from a closed, self-contained world the two characters have been trapped inside.
If I had to describe that moment in a single word, it wouldn’t be tragedy or even transformation. It feels closer to liberation. It represents a release from mutual confinement, a quiet but decisive step toward something beyond the damage they’ve been inflicting on each other.
The Knockturnal: Speaking of new additions to this EP we got a video titled “Soft Error #2” that showcases the carefree warmth of the biking scenes and the discipline of your dance practice. Do these contrasts reflect who you naturally are, or who you’re consciously working to become as you heal, grow, and reclaim parts of yourself?
YVES: Before the role or identity of being an “artist,” it came from me simply as a human being. We all move through the world carrying both the version of ourselves that’s seen by others and the inner self that exists when no one is watching.
For me, growth and healing don’t feel like conscious choices; they feel closer to instincts, something necessary for simply staying alive. Soft Error #2 is less about the version of me on stage or in front of a camera, and more about the moments that exist before and after that, the quiet space behind a closed door, where I face myself without needing to say anything.
Rather than something that was performed or staged, it’s closer to a private gaze inward, an honest look at the parts of myself that only I know.
The Knockturnal: Let’s talk collaborations! In this EP, you feature “Aibo” and “Soap” showcase a fascinating blend of worlds, from Bratty’s Mexican indie warmth to PinkPantheress’ British drum-and-bass softness, all while weaving in a Rebecca Black sample. How did working across different languages, cultures, and pop references shape the emotional texture of this EP?
YVES: Like many artists, we usually begin an album by setting a clear framework so the tracks connect organically and tell one continuous story. But when that structure becomes too solid, it can start to feel predictable. With this EP, I wanted to intentionally disrupt that balance by collaborating with artists from different countries, genres, and cultural backgrounds.
The goal wasn’t to break the cohesion, but to let the album breathe, to introduce movement and unpredictability within a unified emotional world. By weaving together different languages, sounds, and pop references, the record became more dimensional and alive.
It’s still one story, but told through multiple perspectives. One voice, carrying conversations from several different worlds at once.
Watch the music video below!
The Knockturnal: You were also featured on PinkPantheress’ newest project, appearing alongside artists like JT, KAYTRANADA, SEVENTEEN, and Kylie Minogue, and your version of “Stars” carries a distinct ‘Yves’ twist. How did it feel to collaborate with PinkPantheress again, and what was it like seeing your name and artistry placed among such an iconic and diverse lineup?
YVES: Just being able to work with PinkPantheress again felt incredibly special. Even though our styles and ways of expressing ourselves are different, we share a similar sensitivity when it comes to translating emotion into music. Because of that, there were many moments where the collaboration felt very intuitive.
With “Stars,” my goal was to respect the original atmosphere of the song while layering in my own emotional language, adding the textures and nuances I personally felt. I think that’s why the result still feels true to the track, but also unmistakably Yves.
Seeing my name alongside artists like JT, KAYTRANADA, SEVENTEEN, and Kylie Minogue was surreal. At the same time, it gave me a quiet confidence, a feeling that I’m allowed to exist in this space with my own voice and perspective. For me, it went far beyond being a simple feature. It was a moment where I truly felt the possibility of connecting on a global stage through the shared language of emotion.
Listen to the track below!
The Knockturnal: Fans describe these collabs as “queens maximizing their joint slay.” What does “maximizing slay” mean to you in a creative, not just aesthetic, way? You are creating pop MOMENTS, and the fans love to see it! (me included!)
YVES: To me, “maximizing slay” goes far beyond visuals or performance; it’s what happens when emotion, energy, and narrative fully overlap. Whether it’s a song or a stage, even the quietest moment can be a slay if the emotion behind it is real. It doesn’t have to be a high note or a dramatic move; if I’m fully committing to a feeling and putting everything I have into that moment, that’s my definition of slay.
When fans talk about “pop moments,” I think they’re really responding to that intensity, the feeling that this moment is real. There’s an emotional weight and impact that makes it unforgettable. That’s why I try to be a little more honest each time, to reach a bit deeper into myself when I create. So for me, “maximizing slay” isn’t about perfection, it’s about emotional truth, whether that’s onstage or within the music.
And something really important to me is that none of these moments are created alone. Every slay moment exists because of the creative team breathing alongside me, believing in my emotions and helping turn them into something tangible. Honestly, the people I work with deserve just as much, if not more, recognition. I’m deeply grateful to every person who trusts the feeling and builds these moments with me.
The Knockturnal: Yves, your sound and creative mind are completely your own. What has been your favorite vision or sound you’ve created in this Soft Error: X project? From a lyric to a music video sequence.
YVES: One of my favorite moments from Soft Error: X is a scene in the “Ex Machina” music video, a song I participated in writing, where I remove the blindfold, and my eyelashes have turned white. On the surface, it suggests that a long amount of time has passed, but to me, it also symbolizes another version of myself that remains hidden from the world.
One of the reasons I was drawn to writing “Ex Machina” beyond the influence of the film, was my desire to explore the contrast between who I am onstage and who I am offstage. That specific image captures the core message of the song so well, which is why it resonates with me so deeply.
The Knockturnal: Many fans say you’re actively rebranding what K-pop can be. Do you feel a responsibility to challenge industry standards, or does it come naturally through your creative process?
YVES: I never started with the intention of trying to “change” anything. From the beginning, I simply wanted to express the emotions I genuinely felt, and to create music and visuals in the way I personally wanted to see them. Over time, that process naturally evolved into what I’m doing now.
There were always things I couldn’t do on my own, and I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with the creative team at PAIX PER MIL, people who believe in me even more than I sometimes believe in myself, and who are willing to imagine further and more freely alongside me. Within our process, ideas like “this doesn’t work in K-pop” or “this isn’t allowed” never really existed, whether it was about genre or format.
So rather than feeling a responsibility to challenge industry standards, I mostly feel grateful to be creating within a label like PAIX PER MIL. If that energy ends up looking like a new expression of K-pop, I think it’s simply because we chose to move a little more honestly, a little more emotionally, and a little more freely together.
The Knockturnal: If your music continues to evolve in bold, experimental directions, what core truth about Yves do you never want to lose? What do you hope people understand about you as they journey through Soft ERROR: X?
YVES: No matter how bold or experimental the sound or visuals become, the one thing I never want to lose is the feeling that the emotion inside the work is truly alive. Even if something looks polished or dramatic, there might be a quiet collapse happening underneath. And even if something feels minimal, if it carries complete emotional focus, that’s what makes it feel honest to me.
Soft Error: X doesn’t present me as someone with a finished or perfectly defined identity. It’s a project that openly shows me living alongside unresolved emotions, still in the process of understanding myself. As people move through the album, I hope they come to feel, “Yves may always be wavering, but she never stops reaching inward and bringing herself forward.”
I want to be someone who shows that it’s okay for emotions and identity to remain unclear, that imperfection doesn’t prevent connection. Even in an unfinished state, I hope to keep proving that it’s still possible to connect deeply and emotionally with others.
The Knockturnal: Thank you so much, Yves, for your time! What is something you want to leave off by saying to fans and new listeners?
YVES: First, I just want to say thank you to the fans who have been with me for a long time, and to those who are only just discovering me now. I’m someone who always wants to be honest with my emotions, even when that honesty feels messy, uncertain, or unfinished. No matter what, I try not to hide the sincerity at the core of it.
If my music or my performances have helped even one person feel a little more comfortable facing their own emotions, that alone means everything to me. And I know I still have so many feelings to explore and stories I want to share. So no matter the form, no matter the pace, I hope we can continue to meet, connect, and grow together from here on.
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