Yves

It’s a rainy summer in Seoul. A humidity sweeps the atmosphere, and the city feels tinged in a greenish hue. As the downpour continues, a day like this could only be described with one word: gloomy. But it doesn’t reflect how I feel inside. I landed from London the day prior, with one sole purpose: the cover shoot with Yves.

I head up one of Seoul’s infamously hilly streets, clutching my umbrella. I’m excited; nervous; curious. It’s a moment I’ve been waiting for since 2017. Like most, I first encountered Yves when she debuted as the ninth ‘monthly girl’ in LOONA. I was there when the 'stan LOONA' memes took over the internet, birthing an influential sub-culture of online fandom. I watched OT12 unveiled in their final form for "favOriTe" in 2018, after an 18-month rollout – one of the most ambitious K-pop projects of all time. When LOONA embarked on their first world tour in 2022, I was there too, at the front; Poland was the only date I could make, so I flew from London rather than miss it.

That halt didn't last. By May 2024, Yves had signed to PAIX PER MIL and released LOOP, her solo debut EP – one of a run that's since become one of the most distinct in K-pop: I Did later that same year, Soft Error and its extension Soft Error: X in 2025, and NAIL this year, alongside two world tours that have taken her from Brisbane to Osaka to Buenos Aires to Manchester. Somewhere across those four projects, "solo artist" stopped being the thing she'd become after LOONA, and started being simply who she is. That's the artist I'm here to meet today.

One of today's looks sees Yves in a pastel pink wig, something between playful mischief and total command in her expression. In another, she's wrapped in a duvet-mermaid look – an image that somehow feels like the most Yves thing in the room. The two sit side by side like proof of how wide her range actually is. Watching her move between them, it strikes me that this is exactly the kind of image-making she's spent two years building towards.

As an artist, Yves is deeply fascinating; interviewing her for this cover was no different. She tells me things that made me smile, like memories of dancing to music on the TV when she was young. She also speaks with startling honesty; I was taken aback when she talked through a period of burnout tied to stage fear and audience judgement. More than anything, what I took from my conversation with Yves is that she is a true artist, through-and-through – an artist who thinks deeply about the decisions she makes, the people who support her, the art that she creates.

This is Yves, unabridged, in 2026 – the one-hour conversation I had with her; her story, her words.

What did you think of the pictures when you were seeing the previews come up?

YVES I was very happy and grateful to work with an amazing photographer and the whole team. Trying on all these beautiful clothes today reminded me of my childhood, when my mum used to own a vintage shop, and I'd take out whatever clothes and mix and match to see how they'd look. Today reminded me of that time.

What was it like for you growing up with music? What was the moment for you when you thought: this is why I want to be a musician?

YVES I don't remember exactly how long ago it was, but when I was young, my parents were always busy working, so I was always left alone with my sister at home. To keep ourselves entertained, our favourite thing to do was watch TV shows with music, like MTV. So when I was watching TV, I would imitate the singers, their dance moves. I spent a lot of time with music like that. So when I was at school, when we had to write and draw about our dreams, I would put singer down. And now, when I think back on it, I believe it comes from my mother, who used to play guitar and sing with me since I was in what would be middle school here. That's definitely in my DNA.

You said about watching TV and seeing singers on TV. Was there anyone in particular that you used to like to imitate?

YVES My biggest idols were BoA, Girls' Generation, and especially Wonder Girls. They had this huge TV show about their debut, like a competition before debuting as an idol. When I was watching that, I felt like it must be so difficult, but I really want to try and get on the stage too. I was really influenced by that.

I was a big BoA fan too. She was the first Korean artist that I discovered. So we are the same. You then went on to debut, of course, with LOONA. A lot of people met you with LOONA. So what did it feel like for you when you first joined the group? And what were your first days with LOONA like?

YVES It's a long story.

I have time, so it's okay. [both laugh]

YVES So when I was twenty years old, I first moved to Seoul from Busan to become a singer, to become a musician. To go to this private academy that teaches vocal lessons, I had to do a lot of part-time jobs. One day I remember, it was a very heavy, snowy day – snow piling up on your shoulders, almost – and on my algorithm, the song that came out was the third member of LOONA's song, which is HaSeul's "Let Me In (소년, 소녀)". At first, when I heard the song, I didn't know if LOONA was some kind of project; I didn't know the names of the idols; I had no idea. But that was my first contact and impression of it, listening to that song.

I auditioned to become a member of LOONA three times. The first time, I couldn't even do it because the members were full, so I couldn't even enter. Then the second time, there was one in Incheon – I went to try, but that didn't work either. So after the second audition, when I failed, my instructor – we bumped into each other in the elevator, and I looked sad. My instructor said, I know that you're gonna make it, so please keep on trying. So I tried for the third time, but I failed again. But then after that, the people at the entertainment company looked back at everyone who didn't make it, and they found me, and they were like, why didn't she make it? And they called me. That's how I became a member of LOONA.

After they called me, I went and met them, and they just told me, when can you start? I was happy, but also very sceptical, because they were like, let's do it right now. And I was like, now? I called my mother and talked about it, and she also said it was kind of weird. That's how it went.

Even though it felt weird, how did it feel to go ahead and do it anyway?

YVES When I became a LOONA member, it was already after all the other members had spent time practising and living together – all that time had already passed, and I was the last one to join. I only had a week until the day I recorded the first album and did all the photoshoots. I was really happy, but at the same time I didn't want to stand out for not fitting in with the group. So I had to try and practice extra hard.

After that, LOONA became iconic in the history of K-pop. I was a huge fan, and I know that the fanbase was very passionate too – we had the Stan LOONA meme, which became quite iconic. So after everything you went through with the debut and the pre-debut process, how did it feel to see the group become so loved like that?

YVES It's such a beautiful thing when you do what you love and people love what you love. I think that process itself is really beautiful. The universe that LOONA had was already interesting enough for the members, including me, to go through and act on it. And it seems like people also reacted to that.

And then let's fast forward a little bit, because in 2023 you started to do other things – you wrote for Loossemble's "Strawberry soda", and then had a break before you debuted as Yves in 2024 with LOOP. During that period, what was going through your mind, and what kind of emotions were you feeling?

YVES During that time, all the members of LOONA were having trouble with the company, so we couldn't really work outwardly. Everybody just stayed home, feeling exhausted and depressed about the situation. But then the problems started resolving as time went by, and I decided, when the time came, it's time for me to really work on something. That's why I made songs for my members – to begin with, I wanted to support them, and that's where it all came from originally. I wrote songs for them, then proposed it to the company, and the company agreed because it worked with their concepts and direction. So we released the song. I was also very grateful, because our fans really loved how tight the connection between the members felt.

After that, whenever I met the members' families or our fans, everybody was wondering, when are you debuting? When is your solo album coming out? That made me feel a little rushed, but whenever those feelings came, I tried my best to calm myself down and just go with the flow, not rush. I was going to wait for the right time, the right company to work with. I went to many different meetings, and finally PAIX PER MIL eventually approached me with a clear vision for my unique identity and the next chapter of my career. I really connected with their vision, which is why I decided to join the company. So I'm now part of PAIX PER MIL.

So then LOOP was released. What kind of statement did you want to make with LOOP as your debut album?

YVES When I first debuted with the solo album, LOOP, it wasn't that I tried to show "I'm going with this concept" – I didn't want to manifest my identity or the concept of the album that way. Instead, I wanted to give a statement of, I'm starting now, with a new direction, watch me. That was it, really.

Everybody who knows me and is a fan of mine expected that I was going to do very hardcore dance, very dynamic music. But I wanted to reverse that expectation and show them something surprising.

After that was, of course, "I did", and "Viola". One of the lyrics from that song is, I'ma go far, give me a minute, and then you say, I'll dance again. I know you weren't the writer for that song, but it felt at the time like it really reflected the journey you'd been on. So when you heard the song, what was your first reaction to the lyrics?

YVES When we were having a discussion about this album and this song, I expressed that I didn't want the fans, the LOONA fans, to think it's a tragic situation, how we were separated. I didn't want the sympathy – I wanted the support, but not the sympathy. So I expressed that idea in the meeting. At the company, I shared that idea with the A&R team, and they reflected it in the lyric: I'ma go far, just give me a minute. When I first got the song, I was busy just following and chasing the melody and didn't really think through the lyrics – I was more engaged with the music. Later, I realised what this line really means to me. That's exactly how I wanted to tell my fans.

I've been to two of your concerts in London, and when you play that song, it's always the lyric, I just need some space – everyone loves singing that lyric. So I wanted to ask, when you sing this song today, does it have a different meaning for you compared to that period when you were making the song?

YVES When I first got this song, the original concept was kind of like a colder side of me – I'm tired, give me some space, I want to be alone, that kind of vibe. So when I was doing photoshoots or performances, I tried to bring that expression onto my face and into my movement. But then I heard my fans singing this line, one of those moments at performances when they're yelling and singing along together, and it made me so happy. Without thinking, very instinctively, I was smiling, and then I realised, this is how I should react to this song and perform it, because I'm so happy to be surrounded by these fans – so why do I try to be something that's not me? While I'm on tour, when I reflect back on how I've performed "Viola" from the first stage to the latest, there's been so much transition. How I originally conceived the song was very different from how I ended up reacting to the fans on stage. The song has become kind of like the beginning of my true happiness, and how I connected with the fans.

Another song from that album was "Dim", which went very viral earlier last year. What did that moment show you about how your music could be received?

YVES It went viral without any real intention on my part, through people using it as a background for TikTok and Instagram. Once that happened, I was very surprised, and I realised that what I do, what I work on with my music, isn't mine anymore once it leaves my hands – it can be recreated into something new for the people who listen to it. It was a very interesting experience for me.

The title track for your third album was with PinkPantheress, but it was actually the fans that helped that collaboration come together. I was curious about your thoughts on how fans can influence that kind of creation.

YVES Nowadays, through online media and social platforms, music is just so diverse all over the world. If people think certain musicians are interesting enough to work together, they'll even make remixes and release them on social media, and that goes viral. They'll post about wanting this person and that person to work together, really wishing for it to happen, and that goes viral too. That was the same case with me and PinkPantheress. For me, it was a very exciting, interesting experience, and a very happy moment.

I really want to talk to you about "Ex Machina", because that also came off the album. When I was at the concert this year, I could really feel how different it is to the other songs that came before it. I think you said at the time of releasing it that it felt like a risk to release such a different song. Now that you're performing it live alongside the others, do you feel like the risk of doing such a different sound has paid off?

YVES Yes, I do feel that the risk paid off. When I first released “Ex Machina,” I knew it was very different from what people might have expected from me, so there was definitely some uncertainty. But performing it live alongside my other songs made me realize that it has its own place in my work. It also opened up a new direction for me creatively.

Many people believe that artists should be able to write their own songs, and I did feel some pressure from that expectation. At the same time, I believe being an artist is also about being able to tell your own story and lead its creative direction. For me, it isn’t simply about having my name in the credits. What matters more is that I am genuinely leading the idea and fully inhabiting it.

The song actually began with a conversation with IOAH, my producer, about the film Ex Machina. We thought it would be interesting to build an entire song around that concept. Seeing one conversation evolve into the music and eventually the visual direction made me realize how rewarding it is to continue developing my own creative ideas. So in that sense, “Ex Machina” became an important turning point for me.

It feels like that song was a turning point for you artistically.

YVES It is a turning point, but not as an artist in terms of concept or character. It's more my inner side, my attitude, that's changed. Just like many other musicians, people usually try to do what they're good at, what people like. This song was very experimental, and it's definitely not something my fans were expecting. But I still had huge satisfaction from it, and that gave me another direction to turn, more as a person than as an artist.

This year you had NAIL, the EP, and then your second world tour. I know you wrote a lot of the songs on NAIL. What do you want us to learn about this current form of Yves in 2026?

YVES While I was working on the album Soft Error with “Soap”, I had this period of burnout. I didn't really like being in front of many people at the time, because I felt like people were judging me, like they had this "let's see how you do" kind of perspective. I was very overwhelmed by that. During that period of burnout, I struggled a lot with feeling gratitude about being able to be on stage, singing in front of people, but on the other hand there was a fear growing inside me. I struggled a lot with that. I tried to remind myself that none of these moments should be taken for granted, and that I should do my best with every opportunity I’m given. Repeating that to myself really helped me move through that period.

For my NAIL album, I changed my attitude: let's just enjoy this moment, let's not look too far ahead, just look at now and live now. I started to get excited about sharing the work – the songs I'd put myself into – with the audience, with my fans, and that became a really big joy for me. That's how I got over the stage fear. That's how the NAIL album came about.

You said you were feeling some fear. Do you know specifically what that fear was about?

YVES From the time I was having meetings with companies before finding this one, and after debuting as a solo artist and working non-stop, I felt like I was only focusing on what's good on the outside – my looks, my concept, my musical direction, just what's visible. I really wanted to prove myself to other people. When I was focusing on the outside, it was because I wanted to prove to everyone that I could do it, like external validation. But at the same time, I yearned to deliver messages of hope to my fans, and I wanted to encourage myself to be hopeful too. I didn't have enough time to really look inside and bring out my own true story.

Do you think this is what you expected being a singer would be like, when you were younger, when you were dreaming "I want to be a singer more than anything"?

YVES When I was younger, one of my idols was Girls' Generation and Wonder Girls, and I only dreamed of being in a group, a girl group. I never thought I'd become a solo artist. That's something I never dreamed of when I was young. When I was young, watching music TV with my sister, I really felt like those musicians were accompanying us, cheering me up, encouraging me with hopeful messages. And when I look at people's feedback about my music now, that it helped them get through the day, that it encouraged them to be hopeful, I think that's how I wanted to be when I was growing up – giving those messages to people. I'm very happy that I'm achieving that now.

It's really interesting to hear you speak about these things. I think the first thing people tend to say about you is, oh, Yves is really cool, very edgy. What do you think being cool actually means?

YVES I think being cool is when you put a lot of effort into something, but you don't look like you've put in the effort. You know? So I guess it's effortlessness, but you're actually really trying underneath. For example, in fashion – if you think about awards shows, red carpets, people usually imagine a very dressed-up look, a very elegant look. But what if you wear a white T-shirt and blue jeans? And for music, instead of very common harmony, what if you just whisper the song? So my whole point was, you try your best, it's a very delicate process, you try with every little bit of it, but you don't look like you're trying. That attitude – that's what cool is to me.

Even when I’m working on something with the company, rather than continuing to add more, we focus on carefully stripping things back. We aim for something minimal, but still intricate and intentional.

Where do you want to be in a few years from now? If I were to talk to you in a couple of years, where do you want to be at that time, professionally, personally?

YVES In two or three years, going back to what I said, rather than simply having my name appear more often in the credits, I want to continue being an artist who can genuinely tell her own story and lead the creative direction. I’m grateful to have more international fans than Korean fans, and I want to continue building my identity and reaching a wider audience. I hope to become an artist people trust and continue growing with.

Is there anything else you want to add?

YVES It's kind of a common message, but – a message to my fans. After debuting as a solo artist, I always check the replies, the feedback online, to check if I'm going in the right direction, and if I should take on board some criticism to level up in a way. Whenever I read messages from my fans, they make me want to become an even better artist. I hope I can continue growing and make them proud.

[Yves switches to English] And – love you. Love you, and please always support me, and I always support you. You guys always say to me, “I support you Yves,” but I always support you. Don't be sad and lonely. Please say to my fans.