Former LOONA member, known for her genre-fluid approach and distinct sonic identity yves continues to redefine its place within and outside of K-pop, crafting a sound that feels both intimate and expansive. Through PAIX PER MIL, “NAIL” reflects a world in motion, one that pulsates, flows and resists easy categorization.
As she prepares to bring this new era to the stage on her 2026 world tour, including stops in Latin America, Yves continues to build a global connection with audiences captivated by her singular vision and evolving artistry.
We had the opportunity to sit down with Yves and talk about building a sonic world based on physical sensation rather than narrative, the hypnotic and body-moving nature of tracks like “Halo” and “It,” how this new project ultimately symbolizes a forward momentum, an invitation to cast aside hesitation and just move forward, and much more.
What steps did you take toward creating a strong world around physical sensation rather than emotion or narrative?
For this project, I found myself focusing more on physical sensation than narrative or emotion. Especially with “Halo”, instead of trying to convey a very specific meaning through the lyrics, I wanted to follow the way an emotion inhabits your body and slowly draws you deeper. The melody repeats certain words almost as if they’re echoing in your head, and in the final outro, there’s this breathless part that leads directly into the intro of “Nail”. To make that feeling more real, I even recorded parts of it while running.
Tracks like “It” and “Halo” offer an almost hypnotic atmosphere. What emotions were you hoping to evoke in the audience with this project?
With “It”, the melody itself is very emotional, so I think it naturally brings up different memories or emotions for each listener. Instead of describing a specific situation in the song, I wanted to convey the feeling that whatever worries or difficult moments you’re going through will eventually pass and you’ll start flowing again. That’s why I kept repeating the phrase “flow again.”
“Halo”, on the other hand, focuses more on rhythm and tempo. I wanted it to be a song that makes your body react immediately, something that makes you want to move as soon as you hear it. The lyrics also repeat like something going on in your head, so it’s the kind of track you can feel before you even try to understand it.
You collaborated with Lolo Zoua and Lexi Liu on this EP. What did each of them bring to the creative universe on “Nell”?
Lexi Liu’s vocals are so beautiful, and she delivers the emotional flow of “Break It” in a way that feels very natural, adding even more depth to the mood of the song. Lolo Zaoui brings this rhythmic, effortlessly cool energy that fits so well into the world of “Nel.” As his part comes in, it changes the temperature of the track and gives it a different texture. I am very grateful to both of them because they made the songs even richer.
Your music resists being confined to a single genre. Is this a conscious decision or a natural outcome of your artistic development?
I think it’s quite natural for me. I always like to take something familiar and twist it a bit to make it less predictable. That tendency naturally shows up in my music as well. My creative team is very similar in that way, so I think that shared mindset has shaped me into an artist who can move more freely between sounds and concepts.
Critics and fans are responding to your music as beyond traditional K-pop. Do expectations feel more like pressure or possibility?
I’m a Korean artist, and LOONA is a big part of where I come from, so I see myself as a K-pop artist. But at the same time, I don’t think labels like K-, J-, or C-pop mean that much anymore. What seems more important now is the music and whether an artist has a world and identity that truly feels their own. That said, I’m proud if my work helps expand people’s imagination of K-pop and shows that there’s room for many different types of artists.
This new world tour includes stops in Latin America. What are you hoping to get out of that engagement with your fans at this stage?
The fans in Latin America always bring huge energy and I really feel it on stage. By the end of the show, I am completely exhausted because it takes so much out of me. This time I will be performing new songs there for the first time, so I’m especially excited to see how This Connection sounds live.
As a former member of LUNA and now an established solo artist, what lessons have shaped your artistic identity today?
I always like to think about direction – how to bring things together and make each person shine in their own way. I learned a lot about it during my time at Luna, and it naturally inspired me to get more involved in the creative side. Because of those experiences, becoming a solo artist didn’t seem as scary as it might have seemed. In many ways, it felt really exciting.
If you had to summarize a single idea or feeling for someone who hasn’t heard it yet, how would you describe it?
I would describe it in one word: “Go.” It’s about leaving hesitation behind and devoting yourself completely to the moment. Even when something feels uncertain, sometimes you have to move forward and trust that feeling first.
