Story / Jihyeon No
Photos / Lauren Nakao Winn
Lollapalooza is no stranger to the power a Kpop act can bring to their lineup, but this year a new type of Kpop group took the stage: CUBE Entertainment’s i-dle left their mark on the iconic T-Mobile main stage with their punky, self-produced anthems. In fierce feather-embellished leather jackets (perhaps a nod to their latest release, “Crow”), SOYEON, MIYEON, MINNIE, YUQI, and SHUHUA dazzled the crowd with their unique stage presence, combining their diverse vocal timbres with artistic choreography. After the entrancing 16-song set, LADYGUNN met with i-dle to learn more about their creative process.
JN: Welcome to Chicago and your first Lollapalooza! It’s great to see you back stateside after your WORLD TOUR [i-DOL]. You have so many empowering hi-energy anthems, when prepping for Lollapalooza, how did you choose songs for your setlist?
SOYEON: First of all, we chose songs that everyone can sing along to and enjoy together. We also decided to include a brand-new song (“Morning,” from We Made) that we’ll be performing for the very first time.
JN: Are there any standout moments from your set on the T-Mobile Stage?
YUQI: In the beginning of our set when we came upstairs, and we were just standing there on top of the stage, we saw a lot of fans cheering for us. When we were starting to perform “Super Lady,” it felt like such a superpower moment for us.
i-dle opens with “Super Lady” on the T-Mobile Stage
JN: I would love to highlight and celebrate that i-dle is a producer group, partaking in the songwriting and lyrics for all your songs. Back in 2021, which was only three years after your debut, it was revealed Soyeon has written 1600 songs. Can you give us an updated number? I would also love to have a total of songs from the rest of the group!
SOYEON: Back then, I had already recorded over a thousand songs. Now… honestly, it doesn’t even make sense anymore, but I think it’s probably around ten thousand. As for the other members, they each have around a hundred song sketches.
JN: Soyeon is not just executive producer and songwriter for i-dle, but creative director. Can you tell us about your process when it comes to developing the expertly-done visuals of your concepts?
SOYEON: I think we take on a lot of new challenges. Every time, I ask the members for their opinions, and we work on creating visuals that fit each of us well.
JN: Are there any concepts you toyed with doing that you are willing to share? Ones that maybe the time has passed so you’re comfortable with speaking on because you’re confident you won’t do it?
SOYEON: There are quite a lot. We have a lot of things we’re already preparing, and there are still many new ideas that haven’t come out yet. So I hope you’ll look forward to them.
left to right: YUQI, SOYEON, MINNIE, MIYEON, & SHUHUA
JN: When you lack inspiration, how do you reset? Is there a back-to-basics totem for you, or something you reference to remind yourself where you come from?
MIYEON: When something isn’t working out, I think I reset my mind by getting some sleep.
SOYEON: I listen to “LATATA.”
SHUHUA: I meet completely new people.
YUQI: Watching movies
MINNIE: I think I can really clear my mind when I’m spending time with my dogs.
JN: Currently, the Kpop industry is being criticized for embracing “toilet music” to try to replicate hyper viral songs. I see i-dle as one of the most unique, strong, and enduring voices in Kpop. Not following trends, but creating your own and reviving old ones with expert reverence. That said, what would you like to see in Kpop?
YUQI: I don’t know if this is exactly a trend, but for us as i-dle, we always focus on doing music by ourselves, just do what we want to do and ignore all the noises and concentrate on the quality. I just hope that for all the K-pop groups out there, when you want to do music, just focus on the music you want to do, what you want to do for yourselves.
JN: i-dle is the definition of proving the haters wrong. “Wife” was criticized for the improper English but ultimately was infectiously catchy and went viral, “My Bag” and “Crow” were flexes that demonstrated every person in the group can carry rap responsibilities, Soyeon debuted the alt producer persona icebluerabbit to prove criticism of her production is biased. You’ve had such a journey and career out of being an underdog and going out of your way to send precise messages to those that oppose you. As a group on the other side of their 7 year contract, are there any messages you still want to send?
SOYEON: If there’s something fun, we always want to take on the challenge. And because people enjoy seeing us take on those challenges, we want to keep doing it.
JN: My last question is a fun challenge: There is a discrepancy between Korean TMI and American TMI. Korean TMI tends to share mundane details, but American TMI has this context of “I didn’t need to know that,” hence “too much information.” In the spirit of Lollapalooza, are you willing to share an American TMI?
SOYEON: This morning I had an acai bowl with peanut butter and almond butter.
SHUHUA: When I was flying here, I didn’t take off my makeup on the plane.
YUQI: She was so sleepy.
MIYEON: We performed today, but we’re actually coming back tomorrow to watch the other performances.
END OF INTERVIEW
