interview

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interview ✦

In the glittering constellation of K-pop, a promising new star has appeared with unparalleled clarity: VVS, a five-member girl group under MZMC.

Comprising leader Brittney, main rapper ILee, main dancer Rana, main vocalist Jiu, and maknae Liwon, the group fuses raw talent with a bold, cinematic vision that captivated fans upon reveal. VVS’s new pop music arrival feels like a seismic event, backed by a powerhouse team led by Paul Brian Thompson, a hitmaker whose credits include NCT 127’s “Cherry Bomb,” EXO’s “Love Shot,” and Red Velvet’s “Rookie.” Additionally, their debut trailer, directed by HOBIN Film and featuring fight choreography from John Wick: Chapter 4’s Koji Kawamoto, unfolds like a blockbuster narrative universe that stretches far beyond music. This concept execution surpasses typical debut expectations, offering listeners a storytelling revolution, blending high-octane visuals with K-pop’s signature polish.

Now, with their unapologetically fierce debut single “TEA,” VVS invites listeners into a world where music meets mythos, crafting a legacy that’s as unbreakable as their high-grade diamond namesake. Welcome to the dawn of VVS: a group destined to shine.

The name VVS, short for “5 vs.” is said to represent a high grade of diamonds. How do each of you associate your own talents with that concept?

Brittney: What many people might not know is that there is actually a higher grade of diamond than a VVS, which is a flawless diamond. What I believe VVS represents is that we do have flaws as individuals but when we come together as a group with our unique skill sets, we create something that is almost pure like a VVS diamond. However, there are still flaws present even as a team, but hopefully that makes us relatable.

Ilee: I think my character or vibe really stands out when I perform on stage. Whether I'm rapping or dancing, I have my own unique color—and it's not just me, all of our members have their own distinct styles. That’s what makes VVS, like the highest grade diamond, even more valuable!

Rana: For me, I think I shine the most when I dance. Just like the meaning behind "5 vs.," each of us in VVS shines in our own role, and when we come together as a group, we shine even brighter—like one brilliant diamond!

Jiu: I feel like I shine the most when I sing! Just like I believe my talent can shine, each of the five of us has outstanding abilities, and that’s why we shine like VVS diamonds.

Liwon: I feel the most confident and radiant when we perform in front of others and showcase what we’ve prepared! Just like the meaning of VVS—the highest-grade diamond—I believe all five of us shine like top-tier diamonds on stage.

Your debut trailer is an adventure that incorporates elements of action, intrigue, and even a little bloodshed—directed by HOBIN Film and choreographed by Koji Kawamoto. Can you share a behind-the-scenes moment from filming that felt particularly cinematic?

Brittney: I made a lot of memories and new experiences while filming our debut trailer. I filmed many action scenes including hand-to-hand combat and weapons training. In my trailer, ‘An Unexpected Guest,’ I had an elongated hand-to-hand battle with my stunt partner, including a scene where he chokes me. To prepare for filming, we only had three days of stunt training, and I had never experienced anything that physically demanding before. For example, to prepare for the choking scene, I was shocked when the stunt director applied a real choke to demonstrate the correct technique. It was important for our action to seem realistic. Our stunt director was so amazing and he’s a master in his field, so he made the process very comfortable and helped me get the best performance even though I had a short amount of time to learn.

Ilee: Every moment of the shoot felt cinematic, but I think the most dramatic part was when we filmed the group fight scenes. Each of us had our own weapon, and working in sync with the stunt team to pull off those intense, blood-splattered action scenes felt incredibly immersive.

Rana: When I filmed my individual trailer, the location looked like a beautiful house where actual ninjas might live! Shooting the action scenes there genuinely made me feel like I had stepped into a movie.

Jiu: For me, during the group action scenes, there was a part where everyone dramatically fell to the ground, just like in a real film—and that’s when it really hit me how cinematic it all felt. Everyone acted so realistically, it made me wonder if they were actually hurt [laughs].

Liwon: The location for my individual trailer was an abandoned school. During the shoot, everything was handled with such care and precision, like in a movie. There was a scene where I’m walking into school and greeting the teacher in class, and there was a clock on the wall. The director noticed it and said, ‘Let’s set the time to match the school start time,’ so they adjusted it to 8:40 AM. I hadn’t even noticed the clock, but the fact that they paid attention to that detail and set it to match the scene still sticks with me—it was so cool!

Brittney, as the leader, what have been some of your primary goals for the group during the intense preparation for your debut?

Brittney: As the leader, one of my primary goals was to create an atmosphere of understanding because we all come from different backgrounds and have different personality types, so I wanted everyone to feel comfortable sharing their worries, doubts, frustrations, as well as the positive moments. We are really a group of sisters and I’m proud that we are so close.

Ilee, you’re the main rapper, how did you approach crafting your verses, given that this is the first opportunity to share your talents?

Ilee: I haven’t had the chance to fully craft verses myself as our company has an extremely talented team of songwriters that help us develop our sound, but when I rap, the most important aspects I focus on are my delivery and vocal character. I made sure to completely immerse myself in the lyrics as if I were telling someone a private story. I also wanted to showcase my charm as a rapper, so rather than just being my everyday self, I kept envisioning the character of VVS ILEE and put a lot of effort into emphasizing that image. I know I still have a lot to improve upon, but I’ll continue to grow and show you an even better version of myself in the future!

Rana, as the main dancer, how would you describe the group’s cohesive style as performers?

Rana: Our group VVS has a wide variety of choreography styles depending on the song. Some tracks are super hip and technically complex, while songs like “TEA” have a more feminine vibe with point choreography that's easy for people to follow. I believe we’re a group that can pull off any style naturally and confidently, without it feeling awkward – we’ve worked hard to be well-versed at multiple styles of dance and choreography. And when we’re on stage, I think we genuinely enjoy performing together, so regardless of the style, we just have fun!

Jiu, as the main vocalist, what was it like recording “TEA” under the guidance of Paul Brian Thompson, who’s worked on iconic tracks like EXO’s “Love Shot”? How did you push your vocal boundaries for this debut?

Jiu: “TEA” was not an easy song for me. It has many high notes and a variety of difficult vocal techniques that I implemented, so I put in a lot of effort to express those techniques in a way that suited the song while maintaining my own color. During recording, our producer/CEO monitored everything very carefully and thoroughly, and I think that’s why the final result came out with such high quality. Our CEO keeps the recording sessions fun, but his ultimate goal is for me to improve on every vocal take. He records until we get it right; however, if we nail it in the first few takes, he moves on. Thanks to the feedback I received, my vocals improved a lot, and I’m proud of my vocal work.

Liwon, as the maknae, you’re responsible for bringing the fresh energy to VVS. That being said, how have you evolved since joining the group?

Liwon: I feel that I’ve grown the most in terms of my skills! During group practices, whenever there was something that I struggled with or got wrong, the older members would explain things in a way that was easy to understand and often demonstrate it for me. When I first joined MZMC, I was extremely overwhelmed because the older members were already so skilled and talented. However, I used their skills to my advantage to push myself harder—I had amazing examples of the standard I needed to achieve to be successful. Thanks to them, my skills have improved a lot!

Your group has a strong narrative universe as teased in the debut trailer. What are some of the major themes or messages embedded within your debut era?

Brittney: If you watch the individual trailers closely, each member has their own background and betrayal that they must overcome, which represents each girl's personal struggle to get to the point of debut. However, at the end of our debut trailer, you catch a glimpse of VVS members meeting for the first time, and it's implied that our individual skill sets will combine to defeat an even greater evil. I feel this concept represents how VVS comes from a small company, and we are trying to achieve success in the massive music industry, but that success is only possible if we work together as a team.

Ilee: The five of us come from completely different backgrounds and each has distinct personalities, but in the end, we’ve come together, walking the same path as one strong and powerful team. You can see this story reflected in both our group trailer and the music video for our title track, “TEA.”

Rana: If you watch our trailer, you’ll see that each of us is in a different place, fighting different enemies. But, eventually, we all come together. It’s like fate brought us together, and now we unite our strength to fight with a shared goal. I think that storyline really reflects who we are as VVS.

Jiu: In the video, you’ll notice that each of us experiences betrayal in different places, and eventually, we all gather as a group of five. The message is that when the five of us are together, we become truly strong and confident—our obstacles can be overcome together.

Liwon: Each of the five of us is given a mission. Within those missions, we’re all leaders in our own story. After completing our individual missions, we each head to a safe house—and that’s where all five members of VVS finally come together. The scenes that unfold in the safe house are where our title track “TEA” kicks in and connects to the main storyline.

The K-pop industry is known for its high standards. How did someone like Paul Brian Thompson’s experience with SM Entertainment shape your training process, and what’s one piece of advice he gave that stuck with you?

Brittney: I think you can hear a lot of SM’s influence in our music in terms of song structure and musicality, such as how we stack harmonies and vocal textures. I do think some of our training process mirrors what he learned at SM, but our CEO also has very unique training methods that come from his American background.

Many people in the company say the CEO and I are similar in personality, and so I think we understand each other well. One piece of advice he gave me was that if the goal is fame or wealth, I can get lost chasing those things, but if I enjoy the process of creating my music and my art, then I will find happiness regardless of the level of success I achieve. I think when I started this training process, fame was my main goal, but his advice stayed with me, and now my passion for music is incredible, and I’m having so much fun.

Ilee: As you mentioned, our CEO has experience working at one of the biggest companies representing K-pop, and he shares so many valuable lessons with us based on that background. Training as an idol trainee is, of course, intense, but he always gave us opportunities to find genuine joy in the process and provided feedback that truly helped us grow.

About two years ago, I was really struggling to find my own color as a rapper and feeling a lot of stress over it. I still remember him telling me, ‘You’re doing a great job discovering your voice. Think about when you first joined the company—you’ve already grown so much, and there’s still so much room for you to grow even more.’ That encouraging feedback completely shifted my mindset. It pulled me out of a low point and gave me the motivation to push even harder.

Rana: The advice our CEO gave me as a trainee really helped me grow and made a huge difference. I tend to get very nervous before evaluations or performances, but one thing he said that helped a lot was, ‘Whenever you perform, imagine you’re on a huge stage in front of a big audience. Most importantly, enjoy it.’ From that moment on, performing in front of others started to feel more natural, and I was able to really enjoy being on stage.

Jiu: Our CEO always gives us advice that’s truly helpful during training. One thing that really stuck with me was when he told us to enjoy it. No matter how hard things get, he said if you can find a way to enjoy even the tough parts, it changes everything. After hearing that, I started to approach challenges with more of a mindset to enjoy them, and that’s helped me a lot.

Liwon: For me, one of the things our CEO always says that has meant the most is, ‘You can do it.’ He’s been saying that to me ever since I first joined the company. Whenever I struggled or faced something difficult, he would tell me, ‘It’s okay—you can do it.’ And every time he said it, even when I felt like giving up, it gave me strength and made me want to keep going. His encouragement always lifts me up, and even now, whenever he cheers us on, it still makes me feel so happy.