'We're fans of each other': Oh My Girl reveals secret to career longevity with 10th EP release

Oh My Girl will release its 10th EP, “Dreamy Resonance,” on Monday at 6 p.m. as the girl group’s first new music in over a year.

Girl group Oh My Girl [WM ENTERTAINMENT]

Staying together for 10 years and 12 albums is no easy feat in the cutthroat K-pop world, but the members of Oh My Girl said that being able to pull it off is possible because they’re all “fans of each other.”

“The gallery on my phone is filled with images I’ve captured of Mimi and Arin saying or doing something funny on TV, or something they did well on their own,” YooA told reporters in an interview held Thursday in central Seoul ahead of the release of the girl group's new album “Dreamy Resonance.”

“I’ve seen Arin come from being this little middle school student saying, ‘Seunghee, what should I do?’ to this artist who leads the conversation on other programs. I feel so proud, almost as if I’m their mother, and I want to share that with other people as well.”

“I actually captured images of YooA performing solo on stage,” Arin said, reciprocating the affection. “I listen to all her songs because I love them all, and I always tell her that whenever I hear her songs out on the streets. I feel that we all watch each other even if we’re not doing something together.”

“We’re each others’ favorites,” Yubin said.

Girl group Oh My Girl [WM ENTERTAINMENT]

Oh My Girl will release its 10th EP, “Dreamy Resonance,” on Monday at 6 p.m. as the girl group’s first new music in over a year. The members have been keeping themselves busy with their solo careers as singers, actors and entertainers.

The newest album’s lead track isn’t a dramatic turn from Oh My Girl’s iconic bubbly pop vibe but has a mystical touch and a subtle sense of sadness in the melody.

Oh My Girl is a famed “summer queen” of K-pop, with hit tracks that have been especially loved and enjoyed in the hot summer season thanks to their upbeat, bright mood. This is best portrayed in songs “Dun Dun Dance” (2021), “Nonstop” (2020) and “Dolphin” (2020).

The new lead track, “Classified,” is a pop dance track with a piano and orchestra backdrop that gives a velvety texture and classical-music sentimentality to the music. The song follows the teddy bear motif in Oh My Girl’s 2021 R&B track “My Doll,” where a stuffed, childhood toy awaits the grown-up members in the attic.

Girl group Oh My Girl [WM ENTERTAINMENT]

For “Classified,” members become the "teddy bear," giving fans and listeners the consolation they need in their everyday lives.

“The lyrics are aimed at giving a touch of nostalgia, especially for Miracle,” Mimi said, mentioning the girl group’s fan club by its name Miracle. Mimi wrote the rap part of the song.

“I wanted it to make Miracle find hidden symbols here and there in the lyrics, so I snuck in the titles of songs from our past,” she said. “Plus, I had to get across the mystical vibe, as well as a comforting sensation. So, it took me a long time to write it all. There’s a part that says, ‘traveling the deep seas,’ which I wrote to say that it’s OK to wander around for a while.”

Having debuted in April 2015 as WM Entertainment’s first girl group, Oh My Girl has become one of the most consistent girl groups in K-pop, at a time when bands often struggle to stick together after members’ seven-year standard contracts end. Not only are their songs some of the biggest hits in Korean pop music, individual members have also become successful in pursuing their careers as actors, singers and entertainers.

Girl group Oh My Girl [WM ENTERTAINMENT]

Still, coming back from their solo careers for the first time in over a year helped the members get to know each other better — even after they've spent over a decade together, starting from back when they were trainees.

“It’s just like with your family,” Yubin said. “Your personality and your tastes change over time, right? And because each member is active in their own fields, we can see a difference that we hadn’t noticed before. The fact that we get to pay attention to and care about each other feels precious.”

“I can definitely feel that the members are treating the music differently compared to when we first debuted,” leader Hyojung said. “If in the past we were just busy trying to pull it off, now we really try to understand the song and think about how to paint the picture of the story in our heads and get it across to the listeners. Oh My Girl has become more versatile and more fun on stage.”

Another change that’s come with experience is that the members have found poise on stage, which wasn’t the case early in their debut.

Members Mimi and Seunghee of girl group Oh My Girl [WM ENTERTAINMENT]

Members Yubin and Arin of girl group Oh My Girl [WM ENTERTAINMENT]

Members YooA and Hyojung of girl group Oh My Girl [WM ENTERTAINMENT]

“I used to panic if I got a strand of hair in my face while I was dancing,” Mimi said. “I knew that I'd have to fix it, but I just kept on dancing, doing what I’m supposed to without knowing how to deal with it. But now, we don’t fret over having hair on our faces or even when something falls off from our outfits. We know how to keep a straight face and get the right emotions across.”

“I turn myself completely off when I’m not working,” Seunghee said, when asked the secret of how Oh My Girl members were able to keep confident without being worn down. “I blocked myself out from the world, but when I was on stage, I was completely in it. I think that compartmentalization was what kept me going.”

Oh My Girl’s 10th anniversary is still months ahead, but there’s definitely going to be something, according to the members.

“We’re going to hold a variety of events, such as concerts to spend time with the fans, starting with this album,” Yubin said. “We can’t tell you the details yet, but I hope you look forward to what we have to offer.”

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]