NMIXX hopes its latest album will be the next big summer hit

NMIXX is back with its third single “A Midsummer NMIXX’s Dream” and is confident that it will be a delight to the ears that fully embodies its unique “Mixxpop” vibe. Mixxpop is a new genre that the girl group coined themselves back ...

Girl group NMIXX performs its lead track ″Party O'Clock″ during a press showcase held Tuesday at the Blue Square in Yongsan District, central Seoul. [YONHAP]

NMIXX is back with its third single “A Midsummer NMIXX’s Dream” and is confident that it will be a delight to the ears that fully embodies its unique “Mixxpop” vibe.

Mixxpop is a new genre that the girl group coined themselves back when it debuted in 2022. Based on the idea of mixing two or more genres into one track, Nmixx kept this signature music style throughout its discography, from the song “O.O” (2022), which saw a mixture of a faster funk tune and slower teen pop rock, to the more recent song “Young, Dumb, Stupid,” which combined pop and hip-hop track with the popular French nursery rhyme “Frère Jacques.”

“During our previous showcase, we told people that they’d have to listen to big Mixxpop songs about five times to get truly addicted to it,” member Haewon explained during Tuesday’s press showcase at Blue Square in Yongsan District, central Seoul. The group uses the term big Mixxpop to refer to their songs that have more aggressive genre changes.

“But when I first listened to ‘Party O’Clock,’ I was humming the chorus after my first listen, and I’m sure the general public will at least be able to follow the chorus on their first listen!”

Girl group NMIXX performs its lead track ″Party O'Clock″ during a press showcase held Tuesday at the Blue Square in Yongsan District, central Seoul. [YONHAP]

NMIXX has seen commercial success with all of its album releases so far, but big Mixxpop tracks, such as “O.O” and “Dice” (2022), saw mixed reviews from the general public due to its largely eccentric song structures.

Still, the girl group members made it clear that they plan on sticking with their signature sound.

“Ever since our debut, we tried hard to pull off Mixxpop,” Haewon said. “While ‘Party O’Clock’ doesn’t feature any major genre changes, it features variations within the song, and that’s part of our strong will to continue Mixxpop. It’s definitely a song that mixes our charms.”

Lead track “Party O’Clock” is also the girl group's first attempt at a “summer song” directly aimed at the warm vacation season.

“I personally enjoy listening to summer-themed tracks. When I first listened to 'Party O’Clock,' I was so glad that I finally had a summer song to sing to,” Sullyoon said.

“Seasonal songs are what all singers yearn for, and we plan on stealing the season of summer!” Haewon said.

“Party O’Clock” is also Nmixx’s first song that was produced and written by Park Jin-young, producer and founder of JYP Entertainment. Park was responsible for producing and writing lyrics for many of the agency’s girl groups' hit releases, from Twice’s “Feel Special” (2019) and “Alcohol Free” (2021) to ITZY’s “ICY” (2019).

“We were so nervous because it was our first time working with producer Park,” Kyujin said.

“But producer Park gave us a lot of directions and feedback during our album production. The lead track contains a lot of falsetto, and he himself provided us with helpful tips, and even demonstrated his falsetto.”

Only two years into their debut, members of NMIXX are already well known for their individual vocals, dancing and even a bit of comedy, but the members shared that they still had a lot left to show.

“It’s our first time trying a refreshing track, and I think we’ll be able to showcase our charms that we’ve never shown before,” Sullyoon said.

“You know, Jiwoo has been telling us that she wanted to have a go at acting, so I hope one day we get a chance for her to show off her acting skills,” Lily said with a laugh.

“Off the stage, like on livestreams, I want to be an idol that everyone can closely relate to. But on stage, I want to show off a completely different side of myself — an artistic and professional side of me,” Haewon said.

To find out more about NMIXX, visit Celeb Confirmed!

Girl group NMIXX [JYP ENTERTAINMENT]

Girl group NMIXX [JYP ENTERTAINMENT]

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]