The group VVS moves forward with greater responsibility after a dreamlike debut. As the first girl group of MZMC, which has stepped into the music world in the hip-hop genre, what kind of group is VVS?
VVS (Britney, Ailey, Rena, Jiwoo, RiOne, Rena) is the first girl group of the multinational label MZMC. This is the first girl group released by MZMC, led by American producer Paul Brian Thompson, who has worked with top K-pop artists including RIIZE, Taeyeon, EXO, NCT, Red Velvet, and Kang Daniel.
VVS made a dazzling debut in the music industry through the debut single 'TEA' on April 22, after five years of training as a trainee. With the keyword meaning the top grade of diamonds, VVS proved its global potential last year with concentrated media attention from American Billboard and CNN, and has been making significant strides, releasing the new album 'D.I.M.M' following the single 'Purrfect'.
We met VVS, which is changing the texture of K-pop with its unique and high-quality producing, bold visuals, and high-profile collaborations.
Here is the VVS interview Q&A
Q. It has been a little over a month since your debut. I'm curious about how you feel.
Rena: Since there haven't been any significant changes or music broadcast activities, I don't really feel like I've become a celebrity yet. But I do feel that my passion has grown more since I debuted.
Jiwoo: I thought everything would change significantly after debut, but since we're not yet performing on music broadcasts, it doesn't feel all that real. So I'm consistently working hard and practicing more to improve.
Ailey: I don't feel much like a celebrity yet, but it hits me when our dance cover videos are posted on social media or YouTube.
Britney: The comments from overseas fans on social media have increased. There's a good response coming from South America, which makes it all the more amazing.
Q. Did all the members originally dream of being idols? I'm curious about how long you spent as trainees.
Britney: I trained for about two and a half years at MZMC, and if you count my previous agency, I spent about three and a half years as a trainee. There were times I thought it wasn't meant for me and considered looking for another path, and I got into Parsons School of Design in New York. However, after meeting my representative at that time, I joined MZMC and debuted with VVS.
Rena: I was active in street dance. While doing social media, I received many casting offers through DMs, and I was really happy for the opportunity, so I auditioned and ended up joining MZMC. Especially since my representative is well-known for producing famous songs in K-pop, I felt even more reassured.
Jiwoo: MZMC is my first company, and I trained for about one year and nine months. I originally dreamed of being an idol, but my parents were quite opposed to it. They're not in the entertainment industry, but they knew that being a celebrity isn't as easy as it seems, so they were against it. I promised that I would try until the end of my third year in middle school, and if it didn't work out, I would give up cleanly, but I auditioned and got into MZMC and debuted.
RiOne: I trained for about three months at another company and about one year and ten months at MZMC. I had great trust in my representative, who has produced famous K-pop songs, which attracted me even more to MZMC.
Ailey: Most of my family members are in the arts. I enjoyed singing and had a lot of talent since I was young, but my parents didn't want me to pursue the arts. So until high school, I only did singing and dancing as a hobby, but my desire to turn my talent into a profession grew. So even though it was late, I started going to auditions and eventually trained for about two and a half years at MZMC before debuting.
Q. Britney and Ailey are the only ones using stage names. Is there a special reason for that?
Ailey: My real name is 'Lee A-in,' but my representative thought it would be difficult for foreigners to pronounce. So, they wanted to find something global and as similar as possible to my name, which meant that in the Western context, my name would become 'Ain Lee,' which matched with Ailey.
Ailey: My real name is 'Lee A-in,' but my representative thought it would be difficult for foreigners to pronounce. So, they wanted to find something global and as similar as possible to my name, which meant that in the Western context, my name would become 'Ain Lee,' which matched with Ailey.
Q. What was your first impression when you heard the group name VVS?
Britney: At first, when I heard the group name, I wondered what it meant. After listening to my representative explain it in detail, I felt that it was a group name that suits us very well. I especially remember the emotional moment when my representative, having prepared for a long time, shared the group name with us, shedding tears.
Ailey: The word VVS means a high-grade diamond, and I thought it was a group name that matched us perfectly, bringing a luxurious and beautiful image as well as the image of hip-hop. I also liked that the name wasn't too long, making it concise yet clear.
Q. What kind of person is Paul Brian Thompson, your representative?
Britney: Although I haven't lived long, I've never met anyone as passionate as he is in my 21 years of life.
Ailey: He truly gives his all. He is honest with his emotions and continuously tries to get closer to us, often asking for our opinions and thoughts, which makes us feel warmth.
Q. You've come into the world as the first girl group of MZMC. Don't you feel a lot of responsibility or pressure?
RiOne: Since we are the first group, I believe that we need to do well so that junior groups can also emerge. I want to be proud of being MZMC's first group by succeeding.
Britney: Since it's not a large agency, I think if we don't succeed, the chances for our trainee friends to debut will decrease, which gives me a sense of responsibility. Still, I believe we need to overcome that pressure and work hard to make many people like us.
Ailey: Being the first group from MZMC, I have a strong desire to achieve great results and accomplishments.
Q. What is the driving force behind VVS that helps you overcome such pressure and responsibility?
Jiwoo: The synergy is tremendous as the members trust each other. Although there are responsibilities and pressures, we are tackling everything with the mindset of 'we can do it.'
Rena: The strength of the members is great. Since we are the first group, our company staff also gives us immense support. We are working harder to meet those expectations.
Q. What direction do you want to show through a group name that signifies the highest grade of diamonds?
Britney: Even diamonds have flaws. We are not perfect. Therefore, we want to show our humanity through our activities and demonstrate that we shine and are perfect when we come together, continuing activities that we can enjoy together with our fans.
Jiwoo: Just like diamonds have flaws, none of us is perfect, but we want to appear like perfect artists when we come together as one.
Ailey: Although each of us has a different background, we want to show that we can become a wonderful group when we come together. We've produced a lot of content focusing on this even after our debut. While it's hard to express what kind of influence we want to exert as newcomers, considering that we're in the hip-hop genre, we aim to show VVS's unique hip-hop style, expanding it further and broadening our influence through that.
Q. It's unique that you debuted in the hip-hop genre. It's a different approach from existing girl groups; did you feel any distance?
Rena: I've been close to hip-hop since I was young. Since I mainly did street dance focused on hip-hop, I feel hip-hop embodies who I am. I believe that what I can express well as an artist is hip-hop, and I'm glad I can showcase the dance and songs I've always performed on stage.
Britney: Even when we auditioned, my representative played this song for us, saying, 'We will debut with this song, and if you don't like it, you shouldn't sign the contract.' Since all the members listened to this song before joining, there was no sense of distance or aversion to the hip-hop genre.
RiOne: Hip-hop is not an easy genre. When I heard we would be doing hip-hop, I wondered if I could do it well, but as I practiced, I saw significant growth. I like other genres too, but I began to have more affection for hip-hop.
Q. What is the difference between VVS and existing girl groups?
RiOne: If you watch the 'TEA' music video, you will see that we have action acting included. I believe that the expression and physical parts are differentiated. Rather than focusing on beauty, I think that our cool action and performance are what sets us apart from other groups.
Ailey: Our choreography is very hip. In both 'TEA' and 'D.I.M.M,' there are parts where we dance like total hip-hop dancers, but there's also choreography where each member can showcase their charms well. Each one of us has the ability to express that well, and I believe that's where we are differentiated in performance.
Q. Who is your role model in VVS?
Britney: Rather than picking just one group, I respect all our seniors and want to become an even more amazing VVS by learning from their strengths.
Q. Have you learned things about each other that you didn't know during your debut process?
Britney to Rena: I became very close to Rena while living together in the dorm for a long time. I thought I knew her quite well, but through the debut process, I felt there were differences. I also think Rena has been picking up on my cute personality.
Rena to Jiwoo: Though she looks cold at first, she brings the mood up and has a strong sense of humor. During the tough times in our debut process, I gained a lot of strength from her. She is like the vitamin of our team.
Jiwoo to RiOne: Since this was my first experience as a trainee, I relied a lot on RiOne. We both lacked in dance, so we took many classes together, and I think I gained strength and grew a lot because of RiOne. She's been a great support.
RiOne to Ailey: She's really a great sister with a good taste in food. Even if she eats one meal, she has a mindset to enjoy it deliciously, bringing happiness to everyone.
Q. You have a lovely girl-next-door charm offstage, do you have any funny stories related to that contrast?
Britney: During my trainee days, there was a time I delivered a super strong rap for an evaluation. I rapped intensely while being fierce, but as soon as the stage ended, I switched modes and everyone burst out laughing.
Q. Now that you've achieved your dream of debuting, what do you want to do with your fans?
Ailey: While I've met fans through live broadcasts, I want to hold a fan meeting to meet our fans face-to-face.
Rena: Since I'm from Japan, I want to hold a concert there. I want to have the opportunity to invite my parents since it's where I was born.
Q. What kind of group do you think VVS will become in about five years?
Ailey: Rather than thinking about where we might be in five years, I have a vision of where I want us to be. It's just a little over a month since our debut, but in about five years, I want to be able to hold solo concerts under our name and perform on big stages. I also want to film many advertisements to promote ourselves.
Q. What is VVS's goal?
Jiwoo: In the near term, I hope our songs can rise on the music charts and be heard by many people. I imagine our songs playing on the streets. In a bigger sense, I want to see our songs on the Billboard charts.
Ailey: As we've been influenced by the seniors in K-pop and debuted, we want to become someone else's role model. To realize that, we will work harder.
Q. What message would you like to convey to your fans?
Britney: It's been about a month since our debut, and I'm very grateful for the interest and love you give us. We will work hard to come back with even better songs and performances.
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