"My role model is BLACKPINK, I want to emulate their perfect aura."
The group VVUP (Kim, Pan, Suyeon, Jiyoon) held a showcase on the 22nd at 2 p.m. at Blue Square SOL Travel Hall in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul to commemorate the release of the pre-release single "House Party" from their first mini album, and unveiled the new song stage for the first time. It was a comeback that embodied VVUP's rebranded identity, drawing attention with a look that had changed 180 degrees.
VVUP members first said, "We are so happy right now. We wanted to show the new song to fans quickly, and we were curious to see how people would react to our rebranded image, so we waited for today. We worked hard on this song, so please look forward to it," adding, "This is the first time since debut that we are holding a media showcase, and we are so nervous and awed that I wonder if this is how I felt when I was born. I'm so happy to share this special moment with the members."
"House Party," which will be released at 6 p.m. that day, is the pre-release track from VVUP's first mini album set to be released in November. It is an electronic track that blends sleek synth sounds with a lively house beat, characterized by a sensibility that captures a club mood drenched in cyber vibes and neon lights.
In a digital world where the boundary between the virtual and the real is blurred, it whimsically likens people enjoying a surreal party while wearing "filters" to the ever-changing goblin character from Korean folklore. The song offers an enchanting immersion with repetitive lyrics such as "House Party" and "goblin party" and a chorus that has addictive hooks.
Suyeon introduced the new song by saying, "'House Party' is the track that opens the curtain on our first mini album, which will be released in November. It is a song about discarding fake filters and enjoying the party as your true self."
Suyeon also explained the listening points of "House Party": "First is its addictiveness. The repeating sections are very addictive. Second is the shuffle dance, which is the highlight of the choreography. It's an exciting and charming dance. Finally, the music video contains surreal visuals where filters are applied to our faces or our appearances change moment to moment. I think viewers will enjoy both their ears and their eyes."
Jiyoon said, "This time we used Korean-style filters. We reinterpret traditional styling and Korean elements in our own color. You can see those charms throughout the new song, so I hope people listen to it a lot and enjoy it. Through this, we want to introduce Korea's beauty not only domestically but also overseas."
Pan said, "I want to call this song a 'VVUP party.' 'House Party' has the meaning of finding your true self hidden beneath filters, and because this song shows our true selves, I want to describe it as a 'VVUP party,'" asking fans to look forward to the new song.
Through "House Party," VVUP plans to rebrand across all areas including music, performance, and visuals, and show a different side from before. Leading with a unique concept, they will announce the beginning of a new narrative with the first mini album to be released next month following "House Party."
On the keyword "rebranding," VVUP said, "Visually we became bolder, and our musical color has changed a lot. By studying keywords like the goblin, our understanding of the song increased, and as our ways of expression grew, we described it as rebranding."
Suyeon explained the direction of the rebranding: "VVUP plans to reinterpret folklore from each country, including Korea, Thailand and Indonesia, in a modern way. We will present oriental stories in a kitsch, hip-hop manner and show our own originality."
The first oriental story in VVUP's rebranding was the Korean goblin. To develop the new concept and story, the members also explored by doing assignments themselves. Kim, an Indonesian member, said, "Like Korea's goblin, Thailand and Indonesia have similar beings. We thought about what kind of goblin we would want to be if we became one. We said we wanted to be goblins who heal people and give inspiration through music. It helped a lot in understanding and expressing the goblin character."
Jiyoon added, "It was an assignment to learn about myself—my personality, values, dreams I want to achieve, and ultimate goals. Because 'House Party' contains the message of enjoying my filtered self while finding the real me and taking a step closer, I felt I could learn more about myself through the assignment."
Korean folklore has recently drawn interest from global fans thanks to the Netflix animated film K-pop Demon Hunters. Regarding this, Jiyoon said, "We all watched K-pop Demon Hunters and were glad that Korean traditions and culture were well represented in it. VVUP also wanted to include Korean elements, so we chose the goblin and the tiger. I hope many fans will share Korea's charm."
VVUP previously demonstrated outstanding live performance skills by consecutively releasing songs such as 'Doo Doom Chit', 'Locked On', 'Ain't Nobody' and 'Giddy Boy'. The first single 'Locked On' entered the iTunes K-pop charts in major music markets such as the United States and the United Kingdom, and VVUP, unusually for a rookie group, performed on both KCON Hong Kong and Japan stages, proving their global popularity.
With the team newly formed, their goals were clear. Jiyoon said, "I want to earn the moniker 'VVUP level up.' I want us to be a group that levels up with each album release, so I want that phrase. Through this promotion, I want to reach No. 1 on domestic music charts. And I want to increase our activities gradually."
Pan said, "Our role model is BLACKPINK. Listening to their music made us dream of K-pop, and we want to emulate their aura and charisma that make any stage perfect. We hope to follow their example of being active globally across various fields and become like BLACKPINK."
Attention is focused on how VVUP, which has adopted a new worldview through rebranding, will expand their own story.
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