What Yves Did with “I Did” [EN:Boxing]
“I’m definitely listening to music, but it feels like I’m seeing something. I would really like to emulate that ability, and I often listen to it because I would also like to create music that is immersive like that.”
During the round interview for her second mini-album “I Did”, Yves picked Caroline Polacheck when asked who her role model was. Yves, who says she makes visualizations called “mood boards” to feel a general vibe when coming up with musical ideas, expressed interest in music that doesn’t just stop at “something you hear”, but goes on to being “something you can see”.
“I Did”, coming 6 months after her first solo work “LOOP”, is an album that wholly reflects the pursuit of that aesthetic. CEO of agency PAIX PER MIL and producer for this album, MILLIC, also described having made an album “not with music, but with scenes”.
CBS No Cut News looked a little closer at Yves’ second mini-album, “I Did”. In the first episode of the interview, which was done through writing on the 3rd, we will hear about the title song “Viola” and about the album as a whole. Producer Millic and artist Yves answered in the “Music” article.
Q&A format below.
1. I’d like to hear how you came to name your second mini-album “I Did”, and what the production team and Yves “did” in this album.
Producer Millic: With environments and systems changing a lot for Yves as she went solo, having come from group activities, I did see Yves struggling with that personally. So that’s why the name of this album was “I Did”, in hopes that she takes in a lot of positive vibes and confidence through this album. And though more so than “having done something”, it’s still the process of doing something even now. Through “I Did”, I think Yves’ colors are settling in more, and that she has been doing a good job in showing that her character or spectrum has widened, so I think that could be seen as what “she did” through this album.
Yves: What I did in this album was... The album “I Did” is an extension of “LOOP”, and before work on the album started, I was quite worried about doing a good job of concluding that. Despite that, I think I was able to gather the courage to do well on album activities.
2. In the album’s press kit, it says that you intended to make “in this album, not songs, but scenes” - what did you mean by that? And I’m also curious why you chose this direction.
Producer Millic: What we call “scenes” can be an image you feel visually, or it could be an environment, or something that’s not simply a “song” but the situation, environment, attitude, and things you can see visually; all of that was in focus as we made this album in that direction. Although a song that’s simply "good" could be worked on at any time, in order to be sure of the message conveyed based on an artist and character, I think it was because we thought that the delivery of this could become clear if we approached it while imagining things in such a visual way.
3. The title track is “Viola”. Yves had “Hashtag” in mind as the title, but I’m curious about the strengths of both songs and why “Viola” became the title track.
Producer Millic: The strength of “Hashtag” is that the song is good? The context is similar to the last question, but the meaning behind “Viola” itself as a song and its visuals fit the album’s purpose very well, so I think it was certain to be the title track in every aspect. If you only look at the song, since people have different tastes, one might feel that way, but from the producer’s viewpoint, “Viola” had the message and visuals that were in line with the album’s, so it became the title track.
4. I’m curious about how the other B-sides, “Gone Girl”, “Tik Tok”, and “DIM”, were added to this album, and how the songs were positioned. Also about the reason for all the B-side lyrics being predominantly in English.
Producer Millic: The reason why the B-sides are mostly in English is because of the message this album has, so I wanted more fans abroad to grasp it much more easily. So we mostly used the universal language of English. I thought about the positioning of the songs from multiple perspectives, from a strategic one, or what feelings we wanted to convey when actually listening to the album, and so on… After combining many viewpoints and reasons, we ended up with the current arrangement.
5. In a past interview, Yves said she enjoyed and looked forward to a third-party view and analysis of her. Where does the company think the singer Yves’ strengths and potential lie?
Producer Millic: Yves’ strength is that her tastes are solid? “Character” is a very important aspect of being a solo artist, and I think having firm tastes is a strength in that, as you deepen that, you can more clearly convey whatever you want to deliver. And I think a strength and potential of hers is that she is not only good at singing, but also good at performances at the same time.
6. While working on the songs, which went the most smoothly, and which was most demanding? And if you have an anecdote from recording?
Yves: “DIM” was the most particular to work on. CEO Millic is like a ghost when it comes to bending vocals, he’s spookily good at calling out when notes are bent with the wrong levels of power. So before, when I sang a part wrong, I used to say, “Oh, I’ll go again!” But now, we don’t even need to speak to know when it’s time to redo a part, and he’ll play the tracks in succession for me, which I find scary but also fun about him. But for “DIM”, I found it hard to sing in an effortless way, and I think the smoothest song was, unexpectedly, “Viola”. I think my tone was reflected well in the hyperpop genre and the producers said it was really good, so we made quick progress through it.
Producer Millic: For songs like “DIM”, it’s actually not so much the performance of the song, the real importance comes in the catchiness. I think one difficulty of working on this album was the big lack of time we had, and recording while things still felt unfamiliar. In the case of the title track “Viola”, we changed the arrangement a lot to keep improving it until the very end, but I think that as well was an issue of not having enough time. So although the recording went smoothly from the producer’s perspective, honestly, I don’t think there were any songs that went smoothly. (Laugh)
7. Could you tell us where the “sense of space and visuals created by the meeting of sounds” that producer Millic mentioned shows itself the most?
Yves: In “DIM” there’s a part of the track where my voice drops out and just the instrumental plays. Despite the key part of vocals being missing, they produced the track to leave a lingering impression of those vocals from before. That song was written in a very spatial way, so if you listen to it while being still, it kind of feels like you’re in a different world. So I think that part feels like what the CEO said.
Producer Millic: I wrote “DIM” while imagining Yves on her own. Rather than a song made to show her performance, it’s a track where I tried to convey a visual aspect that could be imagined through the category of sound.
8. Producer Millic: How satisfied are you with the album “I Did”?
Yves: I’ve been gifted all these amazing songs, so I give the songs a 10 out of 5. I want to do well in the future as well and there are many things I’d like to change looking back so, always having regrets, I give myself a 2 out of 5.
Producer Millic: I also have parts where I think “I could’ve done better too”, so as a whole it’s a 7 out of 10.
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“Yves’ “Viola” MV, minimalism that isn’t boring” [EN:Boxing]
CBS No Cut News looked a little closer at Yves’ second mini-album, “I Did”. The second episode of the interview, which was done through writing on the 3rd, deals with the music video, choreography, and visuals of the title song “Viola”. Producer Millic, artist Yves, the director, performance director ISTMIA, visual director Nagi, and designer Philip answered.
Q&A format continues.
1. “It’s sensuous,” “it feels like I’m at the national museum of modern art” - the “Viola” MV has received much praise. Director Lee Ho-soo, who worked on Taeyeon’s “To. X” as well as Mark’s “200” worked on this, and I’m curious how you came to work together.
Director: While looking for the director of the music video, as soon as I found Director Lee Ho-soo, I felt that he was good, according to my own taste. And I felt intuitively that there would be a good synergy when the things that the director wanted to show, besides his work, are combined with the artist Yves' popularity. So I proposed the music video for this album and he accepted it willingly, so we were able to proceed with it.
2. What did you want the “Viola” MV to embody the most? Looking back at the final version, how satisfied are you with it?
Director: The thing I wanted to embody the most was “minimalism” and the key point was for the artistic items within it to feel fresh. I thought that I would like it to feel simple to the viewer but not in a boring way. Actually due to internal coordination, there were more cuts and flows that I wanted to add but wasn’t able to, so there was room for improvement as well personally.
3. There were many interesting parts, such as various circular objets, angry-looking portraits with slightly changing expressions, Yves’ upper and lower halves appearing separated but united as one body, and text growing or moving to fit the lyrics. Is there anything in the music video you want others to view carefully? It would also be nice if you picked a few scenes that you like.
Yves: I think I’ve already told you all the scenes I like? (Laughs) I felt that the director’s abilities were impressive in how he constantly replaced the shape of a circle with various objets in a way that doesn’t feel boring for those 3 minutes, despite it being just one shape. In fact, even though there weren’t many sets for the shoot, there was a scene at the end where the truck pulled forward and I was left alone, and that kind of effect also utilizes the set, doesn’t it? It was very interesting to even use empty space as a set, and it’s my favourite part because it feels like it leaves a lingering impression.
Director: I also think that the office art that used the truck was the most important scene. After that, I also liked the on-set performance scenes made up of LEDs.
4. The music video starts with Yves dancing, and there are scenes where you dance alone or where her facial expressions are highlighted, so her role in performing and acting must have been especially important. I’m curious what sort of things you discussed while making this.
Yves: As the lyrics of “Viola” aren’t all happy, and they’re sad in a way, I tried not to have overly bright expressions. The director also instructed me to show slightly less emotion so I think there were more scenes of myself seeming a bit less energetic than how I usually am but I think of that as a charm.
Director: I remember how I repeatedly said to Yves at the set of the MV, “This work will remain with you forever so don’t worry about anyone, and be confident while doing this.”
5. What did you focus on when composing the choreography and performance for “Viola”?
Performance director ItsMia: I think the part that I paid most attention to in the choreography and performance of “Viola” was the visualisation of “space”, which keeps appearing in the lyrics. I think I mainly used the hand gestures to express it in the chorus parts, and the overall feeling of the performance was bouncy to fit the hyperpop genre, but contrastingly chic at the same time, so I worked hard to get both feelings without giving up on either! Personally I think Yves understood the performance and expressed it very well, so I’m content!
6. Through music shows, you displayed various styles such as open-side outfit + ponytail with bangs down, hair with a band + outfit with vivid horizontal stripes, sporty dolphin pants and cropped shirt + necktie. For each of these, please explain what you were going for.
Yves: Since this album is about the emotions I faced in order to find peace, multiple egos became the focus, so I worked with the director. I wore many outfits that had character to show unique and diverse concepts, and it was well received so I liked that too. Personally, my favourite outfit is one from my last music show; this outfit actually came to be because I told the director a lot about what I wanted to pursue. I was sure that the fans would like it, so I looked forward to it a lot.
Visual director Nagi: As for the overall concept mood, I think I was definitely trying to bring a minimalism similar to that found in the music video. For the dolphin pants + shirt + tie, I wanted to pursue an unconventional style by combining office vibes and sportiness. But the key here is that I thought that the unconventional vibes would be amplified when the artist known as Yves wore this outfit, and I made that my goal.
For the striped outfit, it was a candidate at first but after fittings, it suited her so well that it became a main outfit. I actually thought that the elements that seem like a late-90s to early-00s aerobics look was more fresh when worn today and in more of the right direction and concept and that it fit Yves well. The fans also liked it so I was glad.
The ponytail and suit outfit seems like an office look, but it’s actually very avant-garde. When looked at in detail, it’s reminiscent of Jean Paul Gaultier’s collection from the 1900s. It was a challenge to attempt this look, but I think it looked good on Yves.
7. With an interest in the visual aspects, Yves has shown that she would like a lot of mutual discussion, even having mentioned explaining with PowerPoints she makes herself. How involved was Yves, and how was she as a “collaborative partner”?
Visual director Nagi: Whenever an artist really explains visual aspects that fit their album’s concept, I think I am able to approach it from an unforeseen perspective, so I think she’s a collaborative partner who instils in me a fresh view on things.
8. In the album there are fun inclusions such as crossword puzzles and lottery tickets. Whose idea was that?
Designer Phillip: I thought there was much left to show the public and the fans more about the artist known as Yves, as well as showing them more about the concept of the album. So as I was thinking about how to show these, I thought of crossword puzzles, so I went through with that by throwing the fans a quiz. In addition, the previous album [LOOP] also included a lottery scratch ticket, and by including a lottery ticket this time as well, I think I wanted to make an album that fans could take part in with more interest.
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