NMIXX is carving out their own distinct wave in the K-pop scene. Fresh off their first world tour, the group remains steadfast in their unique sound and message with their latest release, Heavy Serenade.
This release follows the massive success of “Blue Valentine,” which earned the prestigious title of Billboard’s #1 K-pop Song of the Year, and the message surrounding love.
The EP explores the concept of unwavering, powerful love at a critical emotional threshold. Every track delves into this intensity, which leader Haewon described to us as the “process of how that love grows.”
The cinematic music video for the title track, filmed on location in Okinawa, gained 22 million views within its first four days. The visual captures an intimate, human connection between the six members, Lily, Haewon, Sullyoon, Bae, Jiwoo, and Kyujin, set against an intense yet ethereal soundscape. As Kyujin shared with us, “We were freely moving around looking for little pieces here and there.”
Heavy Serenade features six tracks that explore the start of a powerful, unwavering love story. Members Lily and Bae contributed significantly to the storytelling, with Bae marking her debut as a lyricist on the track “DIFFERENT GIRL.” Bae reflected on this milestone sharing to us, “In the lyrics, what I tried to convey was [that] when you fall in love with someone, you experience a different world with that person. But you also become a different person; you try to show the dark side, the unknown side to the lover.”
NMIXX is cementing their status as a group whose tracks will remain iconic for generations. With a blend of striking visuals, experimental artistry, and sheer talent of all six members, they have reached a new creative peak.
We sat down with the group to discuss everything from the practical effects used in the “Crescendo” music video to their personal connection to these new songs.
As a longtime listener who has followed their journey since debut, it was a privilege to witness their growth firsthand. Our full conversation regarding the making of Heavy Serenade and their recent global success is below.
(Courtesy NMIXX)
Hello NMIXX! It is such a pleasure to formally meet you all. My name is Emma Salehi from The Knockturnal. I’ve had the joy of following your journey since debut and covering your last three comebacks, it’s amazing to see how far you’ve come, and now you’re back with Heavy Serenade!
This EP feels undeniably NMIXX, even if I were blindfolded, I’d recognize your unique sound immediately. Even after a massive global tour, you’ve stayed so true to that identity. Your pre-release ‘Crescendo’ is already being praised by fans, and Lily, you’ve mentioned before that NMIXX creates music for the ‘arts over the charts.’ As NMIXX Is creating volume to their own crescendo, for this new era what specific themes does Heavy Serenade explore, and how would you describe the evolution of your sound this time around?
HAEWON: Heavy Serenade is about growing love. It’s about having growing love in an empty space. Heavy Serenade is about, showing that emotion of like big bursting love and the process of how that love grows.
Let’s talk about the focus track, ‘Heavy Serenade.’ The track is airy and easy to follow, with a bright song and message. What was the moment in this EP production where you felt, ‘This is our main track, our heavy serenade’?
LILY: That moment was when we were filming a music video, and I got to monitor us dancing to the song. You’ll see it when the music video comes out, but it’s a very beautiful moment. We filmed the music video in Okinawa, because of that, it has this beautiful background. I thought ‘Wow, look at this, I think it’s, it’s perfect for serenading.’ It’s just so beautiful and the dance is really cute. I think that was when it kind of hit me, ‘Oh, this is, this is kind of like our serenade!’
I’d love to dive into the rest of the EP. Lily and Bae contributed significantly to the lyrics of tracks like ‘LOUD,’ ‘DIFFERENT GIRL,’ and ‘Crescendo.’ What was the lyrical process like for these songs, and how did you balance their individual styles to keep the EP feeling so cohesive? Also, do you each have a personal favorite track?
BAE: I am very excited because this is my very first time writing the lyrics. I’ve never done it before! When I saw other members doing it in the previous album, I really wanted to do it. It was a challenge for me. I learned how to write lyrics. When I heard the demo for “DIFFERENT GIRL,” I really liked it. In the lyrics what I tried to convey was, when you fall in love with someone, you try to show a different world, you experience a different world with that person. But, you also become a different person, you try to show the dark side, the unknown side to the other party, the lover. That’s what I tried to convey in the lyrics.
LILY: The lover, oooh! You asked about how to balance personal styles, with the whole cohesiveness of the EP. For me, I think it’s definitely a challenge to write for our team versus writing for my own personal gain. I do pay attention a lot when I write lyrics.
We need to make it personal, but also at the same time, kind of conveying NMIXX’s message and make sure it’s not just about me, it’s also about all of the members. When I’m writing lyrics I’m definitely in my imagination a lot. Just constantly like creating a world that I think includes all of the members, and our law and our answers as well.
Something I never want to gloss over is NMIXX’s visual identity, which is just as intentional as your music. In ‘Crescendo,’ we see these incredible practical effects, like Jiwoo, Bae, and Kyujin physically being lifted, that give the world such a tactile, grounded feel. It keeps the art feeling human. Aside from those moments, were there any specific visual effects or practical sets from the Heavy Serenade shoots that particularly stood out to you as a highlight?
KYUJIN: Because we filmed in Okinawa, it wasn’t a set, we were out in the nation. The most memorable part was actually the Okinawa Ocean. We were freely moving around looking for little pieces here and there. That was very memorable for me. You will know exactly the kind of spectacular view that I am talking about as soon as you see the music video!
I’d love to touch on your incredible global growth this past year. From ‘Blue Valentine’ being named the #1 K-pop Song of the Year by Billboard to performing for two million people at Brazil’s Carnival, congratulations! How have you taken that massive momentum and turned it into a lesson for this stage of your career? Do you feel that newfound confidence or growth reflected in Heavy Serenade, your recent tour, or even just within yourselves as artists?
BAE: I am incredibly happy that the kind of music we make, with the message we want to deliver has reached so many fans. I will continue with the team to continue music with the messages that we want to share.
I didn’t realize it had already been 6 months since your last first ever album full release. Was it any different coming back with music this time around due to having a full release and seeing how well it was received to now this EP.
LILY: Since our last album, Blue Valentine, got so much love, for this EP we’re feeling the pressure a little bit. We want people to love it just as much as Blue Valentine. Not only our title song last time, but all of the songs in the track list, got a lot of love from a lot of different people.
This time, we definitely want to live up to the expectations of people. We made sure that our whole EP is going to be full of songs that everyone can love. We’re kind of connecting the stories (of the last album) and exploring even more deeper themes about love. We’ve definitely paid attention to those details as well.
I also have to talk about your success in Brazil. NMIXX is one of the first groups to blend K-pop with Brazilian funk, and seeing that major success, including your two collaborations with Pabllo Vittar, was incredible. Why was that specific creative decision made, and moving forward, is there another genre or ‘MIXX’ of sounds you’re personally excited to play with next?
KYUJIN: Since the debut, we have been doing a lot of ‘mixes’ and Latin American music was definitely something that we’d been wanting to try. Since the collaboration with Pabllo Vittar and now being at the carnival, we feel like we’ve gotten closer to this goal. It makes me very happy!
I am incredibly thankful to the fans, from overseas in Latin America who love their music. There’s so many genres I would like to try. Samba, there’s a variety. Personally, she would like to try more rock and jazz blends as well.
I’ve mentioned many achievements, and I recently watched your documentary that highlights your dreams now and how you have made them reality. For a fun question based off the track ‘IDESERVEIT’: What do you all feel most proud of during this era (or the past) that you feel truly deserving of?
HAEWON: Since the debut we have wanted to do this style of music with this message. And we’re doing it! Yay!
LILY: What I’m proud of in our career, one of the biggest things is that we’ve always really wanted to have our own concert tour. Our NSWERS have always been talking about it, that’s one of the things that I’m most proud of. We recently had this amazing concert in Seoul, and then we went on our first world tour ever. That’s one of the things I’m most proud of in our career.
I was lucky enough to attend your last tour, and I’m not just being flattering, it was truly one of my favorite shows of all time. Between the live band and the choreography, it was a masterpiece. As the artists, did you each have a specific moment from that tour that felt particularly meaningful to you?
KYUJIN: The set list was actually quite long, it could have been physically draining and exhausting, but because the fans’ energy was so incredibly high, I felt like I was like receiving energy. I was not tired, and I wanted to reciprocate that to the fans, I enjoyed it fully.
LILY: One thing that I remember during our tour was that one day in Paris, there was some issue with the mics, I think. No sound was coming out. We really had to stall a bunch, and we really were saying anything to NSWERS, and it was really heartwarming to me. We weren’t really saying that much, but the NSWERS were really hyping us up on the stage, I felt really grateful.
I feel like maybe if it was some other fans, they wouldn’t, maybe they would feel we were being boring because we weren’t singing, but NSWERS, they really hung on to every single word we were saying.
Despite the technical difficulties, it was a really good night. I remember it was very interesting, they had this kind of stomping concert culture. It was interesting because I’ve never seen that before in a concert. I remember that.
NMIXX’s story is one that will tell tales! Leaving off the interview is there any message you’d like to say ‘LOUD’ and proud to say to NSWERS or new listeners?
SULLYOON: We’ve definitely prepared a lot for our fans. I really hope that NSWERS love this release just as much as their others!
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