Photo = MODHAUS

 

[Hanteo News = Reporter KANG SUYOUNG] ARTMS revealed the reason behind their bold image transformation.

 

ARTMS met with Hanteo News at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 6th, one day before their comeback, and talked about their 2nd mini album 'Hyper-Ego.' On this day, HEEJIN said, “In order to intuitively show through our image that the five members of ARTMS are each their own ego and also one single ego, we tried transforming together by all going platinum blonde, wearing the same school uniforms, and even wearing the same colored lenses.”

 

The two double title tracks have different colors. CHOERRY explained, “Because 'Blue Blood' uses a lot of refreshing and bright-feeling bases rather than ARTMS’ existing mysterious and dreamy feeling, it suits summer better and gives a cool feeling.” HEEJIN added, “'Blue Blood' combines hyperpop and J-core,” adding, “It is a super-fast club track, so we considered parts that could be enjoyed at concerts.” Regarding the meaning of 'Blue Blood,' JINSOUL explained, “In line with the special existence of a 'Born Stunner,' it carries the meaning that while ordinary people have red blood flowing through them, we are special, so blue blood flows through us.”

 

This music video was filmed in Japan. JINSOUL said, “Since the 'Born Stunner' music video includes a lot of Japanese backgrounds, we filmed 'Blue Blood' separately on a rooftop in order to capture a separate image.” KIM LIP added, “Because we thought rooftops add a sense of refreshment,” and JINSOUL continued, “Rooftops have appeared a lot in the music videos we have made so far, so we also wanted to continue that sense of connection.”

 

There was a reason they chose matching black school uniforms as the main outfits for 'Born Stunner.' JINSOUL said, “We focused on what outfits would make us stand out the most. We tried wearing flashy outfits and simple outfits, but fans seemed to like outfits that are simple yet have a clear character more,” adding, “In the case of international fans, some even come dressed in cosplay versions of those outfits.” She continued, “We took reference for the music video from the film 'Kill Bill,' and we thought that if we wore school uniforms, we could naturally melt our storytelling into it without looking too intense, so we chose black school uniforms.” HEEJIN said, “For 'Blue Blood,' both the outfits and lenses are blue, while 'Born Stunner' is red, so we prepared double title tracks with different feelings.”

 

Their thoughts on wearing school uniforms again after a long time also became a topic. JINSOUL drew laughter by saying, “Last year, I said that since I would be thirty next year, I did not want to wear school uniforms again, but HEEJIN said, ‘You are still twenty-nine by international age,’” adding, “I expect that we will try a conceptual style until this year, and from next year, when I turn thirty by international age, we may do a somewhat different concept.”

 

The members’ opinions were also reflected a lot in the hair, makeup, and styling. HEEJIN said, “There were details like white wigs and each member’s red points, and we gave a lot of opinions on really detailed parts, such as white mascara.” CHOERRY added, “We found these school uniform outfits ourselves and sent the opinion that we wanted to do something like this. There were also many different ribbon details, and we participated in many detailed areas, to the point that the ribbon we chose among them was reflected.”

 

Both double title tracks will be promoted on music shows. JINSOUL said, “Today, only 'Born Stunner' is scheduled for the stage, and we plan to continue performing both songs going forward,” adding, “We will promote for two weeks and then go straight into the concert, so after promotions end, I think we will practice for the concert.” Among the B-side tracks, CHOERRY recommended, “A song called 'Pixel Memory' is very refreshing and exciting, and it has a lot of public appeal, so I would really like to recommend it to everyone.” KIM LIP shared, “A song called 'Icarus Gang' is even deeper and hipper than 'Born Stunner,' with an extremely powerful bass. It was a song that pushed beyond our limits, so recording it was difficult, but our satisfaction with it was very high.”

 

ARTMS’ 2nd mini album 'Hyper-Ego' will be released today at 1 PM through various music sites.

 

grace@hanteo.com