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EXCLUSIVE: OH MY GIRL talks Real Love, viral success of Dolphin & completing seven years in the industry
The members of girl group OH MY GIRL spoke to Pinkvilla exclusively.
Bubbly and adorable, chic and resplendent, dark and confident, the many sides to K-pop music have been explored and mastered by female groups that continue to wow the audiences. WM Entertainment’s OH MY GIRL sought its own definitive debut as it instituted its course on April 20, 2015. With an eponymous release, the eight piece began its journey full of emotive tracks that have been appreciated for their strong vocals and easy going nature.
Seven years and the loss of a member later (JinE departed in October 2017 citing health issues), OH MY GIRL continues to drop feel-good music centered around the concept of discovering love and its many facets. Hyojung, Mimi, YooA, Seunghee, Jiho, Yubin, and Arin delve into their creative and fun sides with this comeback titled ‘Real Love’, the 10 track record with a titular lead single. Its success rides on the light and warm tones that follow throughout the album and highlights the intricacies of an emotion so deeply experienced around the world. Yet another detailed release that confers the group’s path ahead with well-crafted music, OH MY GIRL revels in the many touch points of love. We find ourselves hopping on this journey of discovery and adoration.
Whether they would encapsulate their releases so far under an umbrella and define them with a signature colour? The girls of OH MY GIRL think otherwise. Read their responses below.
Congratulations on the release of your second studio album ‘Real Love’. Please tell us about the concept of the album and how you feel about it.
MIMI: This time we are bringing a more elevated album containing 10 tracks filled with OH MY GIRL’s diverse charms. We based our album upon a perfume to express how everything feels unfamiliar and new when you fall in ‘real love’ with someone. Just as the album is titled ‘Real Love’, the various emotions and moments from falling in love can be felt throughout all the tracks. And as there are many different types of fragrances, each of the tracks present a different style and genre that represents various moments of falling in love. This will also present OH MY GIRL’s growth as we continue to attempt at expanding our musical spectrum! ‘Real Love’ is an album that we have returned with in three years, so we are also looking forward to it, and hope that many people can feel our love through our album.
The title track itself talks about a love that is genuine. How do you think one can realise if the feeling is real or not? What are some signs you think that can determine ‘Real Love’?
HYOJUNG: When you are certain that you are both feeling the same emotions, that’s when you can know that it’s ‘real love’. For instance, I believe that you could feel their genuine feelings when you both share moments of being like-minded, feel the same emotions, and have too many coincidences together. When you also start resembling one another and see yourself in that person, wouldn’t that indicate and show that it’s ‘real love’? Just like OH MY GIRL and MIRACLEs!
YOOA: For me, I feel like it’s all in the eyes. They say eyes are the windows to your soul. I personally think that you can tell lies but the eyes will not. So, I believe that when you want to determine whether it’s ‘real love’, I feel like the eyes deliver a greater message than the million words that are spoken.
SEUNGHEE: I also believe that you will know when it’s ‘real love’ through the eyes. When your eyes meet coincidently or when you continue to look at one another at the same time, it’s because you both may have feelings for one another. And I feel that your eyes express more genuine emotions than words at times. So, when I feel someone’s warm eyes looking towards me, then I could sense that this could be ‘Real Love’.
This is a 10 track album with very interesting names. If each member had the chance to rename any track, what would it be and why?
JIHO: As you have mentioned, all the tracks have a special title that fits each of the tracks. I believe that the overall mood of the songs are represented well with each of the song titles, so I don’t think I would change anything. I’m thankful that the tracks were titled this way.
YUBIN: I also love all the titles of the songs so there isn’t a title that I would like to rename. But if I were to choose then I feel like ‘Dear Rose’ could have a subtitle added with ‘for MIRACLE’. The subtitle would be dedicated to our fans and named after our fandom because the lyrics are about a miracle, and it’s also filled with stories that we wanted to deliver to our fans.
ARIN: If I were to change the title of the song, I think ‘Dear Miracle’ could be another good name for the song ‘Dear Rose’. The lyrics are filled with messages that we want to deliver to our MIRACLEs. The song is like a gifted rose, a representation of what MIRACLE is to OH MY GIRL, and we wanted this song to be a special gift to our MIRACLEs, so I thought that ‘Dear Miracle’ could be a good name as well.
‘Dolphin’ has been a monumental release for OH MY GIRL, as it continues to be a fan favourite. What can you pin as the reason behind its viral success?
ARIN: ‘Dolphin’ was a song with a simple melody, easy to sing along to, and is even addicting after one listen, which is why I feel that it was loved by so many. But, most of all, because the song was really bubbly and emitted bright energy, I feel that many people loved the song so much since it was a song that you could listen to whenever and wherever. And it was also the song that all ages enjoyed, so we're just very thankful.
OH MY GIRL always brings forth a vibrant, cheerful vibe to the scene. The same has also been carried in your music videos. Would you consider that to be your defining colour?
SEUNGHEE: OH MY GIRL’s defining color for music would be the bright, cheerful energy that would uplift everyone’s mood when they’re down. Our songs are filled with positive, hopeful lyrics so the songs will help make anyone’s day more special. And whenever you need strength and need cheering up, our songs will be like a vitamin that will lift anyone who is exhausted and in need of comfort.
Having seven members might mean that you also differ a lot in your opinions. What do you do in such situations? Who is the best at convincing?
MIMI: It’s impossible to not have differing opinions or thoughts since there are unexpected circumstances and situations that do arise at times. Since all seven of us have distinct characteristics, our thoughts and opinions differ. When we do have disagreements, we make a decision based on majority rule. We can’t satisfy everyone but we are basing our decisions on what the majority agrees on, but of course, we make sure to listen to one another when we have a different opinion.
YOOA: We always speak or act after thinking and considering one another’s perspective. As we put ourselves in each other’s shoes we were able to understand one another more and in time we were able to accept our differences in opinions and thoughts naturally. And I would like to thank our leader, HYOJUNG, for helping us make this possible.
If you could recreate one of the looks from your past album, what would it be and why?
HYOJUNG: I want to try recreating the ballerina look from our ‘The fifth season (SSFWL)’ album to a more sophisticated and mature concept! If the overall feel and look was young, pure and innocent at that time, then the look that I want to try recreating is a ballerina that has a bit more experience, delivering a story with a deeper emotion.
YOOA: I would like to try recreating the ‘LIAR LIAR’ look. During our performances for ‘LIAR LIAR’, we wore roller-skate shoes. I’ve always wondered how our performances might have turned out differently if we were to wear more comfortable shoes since the song was such an energetic song.
SEUNGHEE: I would like to try wearing our Korean traditional Hanbok for our ‘Secret Garden’ concept. The choreography for ‘Secret Garden’ has a lot of fluid movements where much of the emphasis is put on gracefulness so I believe that the beauty of the Hanbok would go perfectly well with the choreography. And I feel that this could bring out a more mature charm of OH MY GIRL.
JIHO: For me, I would like to try recreating the look for the ‘Coloring Book’ concept. When we were promoting the song at the time, just like the title, we presented a colorful look. So, if I were able to reinterpret the look then I would select colors that best suit each of our members to bring out our individual charms more.
YUBIN: The look that I want to recreate is ‘Remember Me’. Out of all the songs that we had promoted, I feel like ‘Remember Me’ is the one that is the closest to a stronger concept song. I wish we could bring out a bit more of our emotive side to the song in order to deliver the message of the lyrics more. I also want to try recreating a more flowy look to match the song and the lyrics.
MIMI: I’d like to recreate ‘CUPID’! When I first heard the demo, it felt like such a powerful song. However, once it was interpreted into OH MY GIRL’s, I feel like the powerfulness was toned down to a softer and cuter music style and look. So, if we are given the opportunity to recreate ‘CUPID’, I would like to make it more powerful and express it in a stronger (tougher) look. I feel like we could present a different side to the song by rearranging the song and switching up the choreography to match the overall look and feel of it. Also, since it was OH MY GIRL’s debut song, I feel like we could present an upgraded version of it if we were to recreate it now.
ARIN: I also want to recreate ‘Coloring Book’. It was such a bright and bubbly song, so if we were able to recreate it with a “school look”, we might be able to present another charm to the song and concept. We just might be able to present a different vibe and energy from the original concept. And it feels like the song will go well with the casual and energetic“school look”. And I don’t think we’ve tried “school look” for any of our concepts as much, so I would love to try this look and style for ‘Coloring Book’.
Eight mini-albums and now the second full length album. That’s a fantastic discography right there. What has kept OH MY GIRL going? What path would each member like to challenge next?
HYOJUNG: My motivation are my members who always work their hardest and who are always considerate of one another. I look forward to each and every day because we always positively influence one another as we continue to grow together. The fact that we are together like this makes me so proud of us. And I would like to challenge myself by seeing if I could make my way to the musicals one day. I’ve always imagined how musical numbers would sound like if my voice was also part of the numbers filled with various characters' emotions! I want to continue to put my heart and present the best I can in all that I do in various activities as OH MY GIRL’s HYOJUNG!
YUBIN: My motivation is most definitely our fans. I sometimes wonder if we didn’t have our fans, then would I have been able to put as much passion into my music as I have. I think my next step would be to bring good music that our fans would love and promote our music through various activities to continue communicating with our fans.
OH MY GIRL completes seven years in the industry in 2022. What has been the experience like for you? What are some of the moments that hold a special place in your memory?
SEUNGHEE: I personally feel that every single moment the seven of us have spent together was precious. During the seven years, we have been working as one and worked our hardest. So all the moments that we have been together is such a precious and valuable moment to me, so I cannot just name one.
JIHO: Since we weren’t able to have many opportunities to meet our MIRACLEs in person, all the moments that we have shared with our fans in person seems even more precious. For seven years, we have met our MIRACLEs in many different places and out of all the moments, I miss the days when we used to meet our fans every Monday during our mini concerts. I hope to see our fans and interact with them as soon as possible!
ARIN: Every single moment that we had shared with MIRACLE was special and precious, but if I must choose one memorable moment, then that’d be our first debut stage! It was the moments we had first introduced ourselves to the world and met our MIRACLEs for the first time so I remember being extremely nervous. It was the moment that I had dreamt of, so our first step together as OH MY GIRL is the most memorable memory for me during the seven years.
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