"Nxde" | ||||
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Single by (G)I-dle | ||||
from the EP I Love | ||||
Language | ||||
Released | October 17, 2022 | |||
Studio | Cube Studio | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:58 | |||
Label | ||||
Composer(s) |
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Lyricist(s) | Soyeon | |||
Producer(s) | Soyeon [1] | |||
(G)I-dle singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Nxde" on YouTube |
"Nxde" (pronounced "nude") is a song by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle. It was released through Cube Entertainment on October 17, 2022, as the lead single of the group's fifth extended play, I Love (2022). It was written, composed, and arranged by Soyeon with additional composition and arrangement credits by PopTime and Kako. Musically, it is an alternative pop song that utilizes jazzy instrumentations while its lyrics revolve around the notion of expressing one's true self.
"Nxde" was met with generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its production, lyricism and noted its themes of female empowerment, self-love, objectification and hypersexualization of women by the media and public. It was a commercial success in South Korea, topping the Circle Digital Chart, and became the group's second number-one single on the chart. The accompanying music video was created by Soyeon, who heavily took inspiration from Marilyn Monroe and Banksy, [2] while it was directed by Son Seung-hee of High Quality Fish, who directed the group's previous work. "Nxde" received airplay on KMVQ-FM, a radio station in San Francisco, California, within a day of its release, marking the first time a Korean-language song by a K-pop girl group debuted on an American radio station. [3] It later charted at number forty on Billboard's Pop Airplay, making (G)I-dle the first act from an independent label to chart with a non-English song. [4]
On September 30, 2022, the group unveiled the artwork poster for the title song through the group's official SNS accounts and website, revealing "Nxde" as the lead single. The poster is a shot of the members' heads to shoulders, highlighting their individuality with different tones of blonde hair and red lips, raising the expectations for the new song. [5] Simultaneously, the group released I Love sketch film that contains a preview of the EP which begins with the phrase 'How Do I Look?' in the black and white screen as (G)I-dle's photoshoot begins and proceeds to shots of the members' bodies as they slip off their clothes. [6] In particular, it draws attention by foretelling a new challenge for the group with an unconventional and daring direction projecting the concept of power, confidence, freedom, and body autonomy. [7] [6]
Cube sent "Nxde" to San Francisco's radio airplay Now FM station on October 18, 2022. Station 99.7's Jazzy Jim Archer said, "As soon as I heard the music, I wanted to give it to the listeners quickly. It is probably the first time I have played a sound source other than English or Latin on the radio. They will do well in the conservative radio media and overcome that barrier." An official from the US record industry also said, "Nxde's radio debut is a historical event as it can be seen that language is not a barrier to K-pop's entry into the global market". [3] The remix version by American DJ Steve Aoki was released on December 16. [8]
" The word 'nude' can be perceived as provocative, and people may think, 'Why is it 'nude'? Isn’t it too explicit?' But when I thought of the word 'nude', I thought of my true self, not an undressed version of me. I consider nude not as just being naked, but being bare."
"Nxde" was written, composed, and arranged by Soyeon with additional composition and arrangement handled by PopTime and Kako. [11] [1] The song is composed in the key of A minor with a tempo of 136 beats per minute. [12] [A] "Nxde" is described as an alternative pop work that samples an aria from Georges Bizet's 1875 opéra comique Carmen , "Habanera". [13] It features a jazzy instrumentations with a grand bass line consisting of a shuffle rhythm and sarcastic lyrics on the provocative views on the word 'nude', accompanied by whispering vocalizations by the members. [14] [15] The song builds around dynamic piano soundscapes, high-pitched strings, and background percussion, and is characterized by its intentional disruptive musical cacophony. The beginning of the song contains lyrics with the phrase, 'yeppi yeppi', which is Korean slang based on the word meaning 'to be pretty' ( yeppuda ). [16] A part of the song briefly references Lorelei Lee, a character Monroe played in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), as a philosophy-obsessed bookworm and self-made woman. [17] The song deliberately uses the term 'Nxde' to tease 'bare' as true self rather than taking off any outer clothing – the song's last verse, 'I'm born nude/the lewd one is you/Rude'. [18]
On the "I Love" interview, released on October 14, (G)I-dle gave a glimpse of the comeback concept with a montage-style monochrome video. In the clip, the members spoke in their native languages (Korean, Thai, Standard Chinese, and Taiwanese Mandarin). Shriya Swami of HITC calls it "a very raw and heart-touching experience." [19]
Soyeon explained, "We just wanted to show everything. I mean...To an extent where we don’t have anything on?" Minnie shares how their new era is "beyond people's expectations." The girls almost bared all for the sultry concept; as Miyeon details, "We already know what people like to see us wearing," Yuqi continues, "We will throw away all the shackles and burdens." The members further open up about letting people "see the real side of us." Shuhua expresses how they "don’t have high hopes" and "don’t ever wish for anybody to count on us." Before ending the clip, Soyeon warns the fans as she says, "We are completely nude...even you, will have to get ready for it "
"Nxde" has received mostly positive critical reception, with most reviewers commenting on its theme of empowerment. Shriya Swami of HITC wrote: "In their empowering 'blonde' era, the girls are flawless with all the glitz and glamour as they deliver the statement of being more than just their looks." [19] Writing for Genius , Sofia Gomez emphasizes that the album is to "fight misconceptions and stereotypes towards women" and "directly calls out individuals that look up the song for an objectionable" and "those that oversexualize women". The author also affirmed that "(G)I-dle has once again used their privilege as idols to bring awareness to the harm women endure from societal expectations." [10] The Standard Pop's Hathaitarn Chatlertmongkol opined that (G)I-dle attempts to break the framework of gender stereotypes further in "Nxde", terming it a "redefine "Tomboy" in its own right". [18] Ahn Yu-jin of Star News commented that "What they want to say through nude not only represents their opinion but the mind of women and children. [...] Their steps are the path that popular art should take." The writer also pointed out the positive impact on the word 'nude' on domestic and foreign search portals akin to Park Chan-wook's film The Handmaiden (2016). [20] BuzzFeed named it as one of the Best Career Comeback of 2022. [21] Ranking it as number 88 in their list of the top 100 songs of 2022, Rolling Stone called the song's "lyrics and the video, "Nxde" addresses the objectification of women in a way that's rare for a K-pop girl group." [22] When selecting "Nxde" as one of the 79 Best K-Pop Songs released 2022, Malvika Padinis of Teen Vogue said "Nxde" is a "clapback of epic proportions led by powerful lyricism and a seamless blend of infectious sonics and eye-catching aesthetics.", and praised all five members as they have "established themselves as an emblem of multiculturalism with their amalgamation of Chinese, Thai, and Korean culture, and continue to deliver unique artistry led by poignant messages and artistic concepts." [23]
Critic/Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Insider | The best K-pop songs of 2022, ranked | 6 | [24] |
Rolling Stone | The 100 Best Songs of 2022 | 88 | [22] |
Teen Vogue | The 79 Best K-Pop Songs of 2022 | Placed | [23] |
"Nxde" was a commercial success in South Korea. Upon release, it topped all real-time charts in South Korea and achieved their second perfect all-kill (PAK) of 2022, making (G)I-dle the fourth group in K-pop history to have multiple PAKs within the same year, after 2NE1 (2011), Big Bang (2015) and Twice (2016). [25] [26] The song peaked at number one on the Circle Digital Chart, becoming the group's second number-one single.
In Singapore, the song debuted at number 15 on the RIAS Top Regional Chart in the chart issue dated October 14–20, 2022. [27] The song debuted at number 21 on Billboard Taiwan Songs issue dated October 29, 2022 [28] and at number 13 on the Billboard US World Digital Song Sales during the same week. [29]
On October 15 and 16, music video teasers were released through the group's official social media, [30] [13] which was followed with the official music video's release the next day. [9] The visual was directed by Son Seung-hee (Samsonii) of High Quality Fish production team [31] while set design was led by art director Lee Jungae. [32] Within 24 hours of its release, the video topped YouTube's trending page and surpassed 24 million views. [33] By October 27, it received 74 million views on the platform. [33]
A dance performance video for the song was released on October 23, 2022. [34] The choreography was created by Moon Tae-eun, a member of South Korean boy band The Vish, [35] and Kiel Tutin, who previously choreographed the group's previous single "Tomboy". [36]
The video depicts the members as movie stars in "showgirl-inspired fashion" along with numerous references to "iconic" Marilyn Monroe moments. [9] [15] The music video opens with a poster welcoming viewers to a "wild, wicked and wonderful show" titled Nude. [37] Then, a scene of Soyeon wearing flappers, on the piano singing, "Why you think (that) 'bout nude/'cause your view's so rude/Think outside the box/Then you'll like it." Then, a scene of Minnie wearing a pink dress followed by Yuqi wearing Chanel No. 5, which is known that Monroe wore that perfume before going to bed. In the dressing room, Soyeon is seen wearing a bullet bra and holding a book of Leaves of Grass, a collection of poems by Walt Whitman that Monroe once read and is known for its mysterious and esoteric works, [38] and rips up a newspaper that has the writing of Monroe's life and public scrutiny. [39] In the video, the group catches the eye of the public by becoming influencers of works whether as statues, or being displayed in a glass box. [18] [38] In another scene, Soyeon is seen live through her phone, and the screen is full of criticism that they are somewhat incompetent and disrespectful insults. [18] An animated character, a reference to Jessica Rabbit, is shown who is poorly portrayed by the people because of her femme fatale image, contrary to her true self – Like her signature line 'I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way.' The video then cuts to a scene of (G)I-dle's version painting that says 'nude' across a figure of a woman being destroyed at a museum, thus portraying a rebellion against social norms and the breaking of limits. [18] [39] The destruction of the painting referenced Banksy's Love is in the Bin piece, which infamously self-shredded upon being auctioned for $25 million. [10] [39] Towards the end of the video, it stated in bold red text on a black background that "Marilyn Monroe and Banksy inspired the video. Thank you, and love you".
Lee Hwa-yun from GQ stated in her article: "(G)I-dle ultimately goes to the message of 'I will wear the beautiful me', regardless of how the public sees them. The 'luxury nude' they draw is not the erotic work that the public expected, like Jessica Rabbit's shattered nude. It means to wear yourself as you are, even if you are not loved or look good. And, 'Think outside the box/then you’ll like it', [the group] boldly invite the public to a wider world." [38] Some speculated that the character is the group's former member, Seo Soo-jin due to the visual similarity, [40] while also noting that Soojin herself referenced Monroe numerous times as her inspiration when she was a member of the group, suggesting that the group could've also used "Nxde" as a homage to their former member. [41] Sofia Gomez of Genius regarded that "the self-destruction became a performative spectacle that rejected the commercialization of art with its sole intent of humiliation. In connection to (G)I-dle's message, both the painting and music video criticize how as art, they're undermined and reduced to what society gains from them — taking away their worth and significance." [10] And after the nude painting is shredded, they deliver the final verse, "You are the perverted one". [38] DD of Rolling Stone India named "Nxde" as "(G)I-dle's rebellion as they boldly declare their intentions to challenge perspectives through their music, even if that results in a dip in public affection." [37]
Critic/Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Rolling Stone India | The 10 Best Korean Music Videos of 2022 | 7 | [37] |
Tidal | K-Pop Videos: Best of 2022 | 30 | [42] |
Vogue Hong Kong noted that in the music video (G)I-dle wore 3 group costumes, and each member had at least two sets of fashion styles to play the classic style of Marilyn Monroe. [43] Minnie wears a pink turtleneck suede dress from Vetements and a crystal necklace from Alessandra Rich to recreate Monroe's pink dress in the Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). Song Yuqi replaced The Seven Year Itch (1955) classic white pleated skirt with what Katherine Ho described as the 'K-pop version' of the outfit—a Zimmermann white dress. The intention of their fashion choice for Song was to subvert the restrictive stereotype of the sexy Monroe by showing a youthful and energetic side. Soyeon's first look for "Nxde" featured a tapered top by Jean Paul Gaultier and Lotta Volkova, emphasizing the feminine aspect. The piece was a callback to the infamous cone bra that Gaultier also designed for Madonna's Blond Ambition World Tour (1990). In another scene, Soyeon depicts herself as a white sculpture—sporting platinum blonde hair fixed in a ponytail. She paired it with retro silhouette tailoring made by Korean designer Kowgi. Greek statue Shuhua wore a Retrofête metallic green evening dress, a reference to Monroe's green dress in the film River of No Return (1954). The concept of 'nude' was expressed by wearing a skin-toned top and maxi skirt. [43] [44] [39]
Prior to the release of I Love, on October 17, 2022, the group held a live event called "X-Love Show Private Premiere" to introduce the album and its songs, including "Nxde", with the attendance from the media press and 112 winners from the Makestar event. [45] [46] (G)I-dle promoted the song on various radio shows, including Naver Now, Miyeon's Gossip Idle, [47] KBS Cool FM, Minhyuk's Kiss the Radio on October 19, [48] and Youngjae's Got7 Youngjae's Best Friend. [49] On October 19, they performed the song for the first time on M Countdown [50] followed with a performance on Music Bank the next day. [51] They appeared on Show! Music Core on the 22nd and Inkigayo on the 23th. [52] [53] Later they appeared on The Show on October 25, [54] followed by Music Bank and Show Champion on the afternoon of 26th and 28th. [55]
The song's title, "Nxde", positively affected the search function of the social media portal. The word '(G)I-dle's nude' has occupied inappropriate keywords such as "child nude (아이들 누드)" and "girl nude (여자아이들 누드)". The name (G)I-dle '(여자)아이들' in Korean comes from girl '여자' and children '아이들'. Although the song is stylized as 'Nxde', it is still written out in Korean as '누드'. Thus, the inappropriate keywords were pushed down and replaced with '(G)I-dle Nxde' or '(G)I-dle nude' media articles, pictures, videos, stage photos, broadcast captures, album or song information, etc. [18] [56] Oh Myung-gi of Dispatch wrote in his article, "One's unembellished, the natural state was expressed using the word 'nude.' It shatters the R-rated images one associate with the word." [56]
Year | Organization | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | Circle Chart Music Awards | Song of the Year – October | Nominated | [57] |
Program | Date (11 total) | Ref. |
---|---|---|
The Show | October 25, 2022 | [58] |
Show Champion | October 26, 2022 | [59] |
November 9, 2022 | [60] | |
M Countdown | October 27, 2022 | [61] |
Music Bank | October 28, 2022 | [62] |
Show! Music Core | October 29, 2022 | [63] |
November 12, 2022 | [64] | |
November 19, 2022 | [65] | |
Inkigayo | November 6, 2022 | [66] |
November 13, 2022 | [67] | |
November 20, 2022 | [68] |
Award | Date (2022) | Ref. |
---|---|---|
Weekly Popularity Award | October 24 | [69] |
November 7 |
Credits adapted from album liner notes, High Quality Fish and OH!ArtCrew. [70] [31] [32]
Location
Song credits
Visual credits
Weekly charts
| Monthly charts
Year-end charts
|
Region | Date | Format | Version | Label | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
South Korea | October 17, 2022 | Original | [85] | ||
Various | Cube | ||||
United States | October 18, 2022 | Radio airplay | [3] | ||
Various | December 16, 2022 |
| Steve Aoki remix | [8] |
I Burn is the fourth Korean extended play by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle. It was released on January 11, 2021, by Cube Entertainment and Republic Records. The EP consists of three physical versions: Winter, Flower and Fire, and contains six tracks, including the lead single "Hwaa". The album contains various emotions felt in the process of regaining happiness after separation. I Burn is the fourth of the 'I' series, which started from the debut album, I Am (2018). Commercially, the EP surpassed 200,000 copies, making it the group's first project to do so. I Burn is the group's final release as a sextet, before Soojin's hiatus and subsequent departure from the group in August 2021.
Jeon So-yeon, known mononymously as Soyeon, is a South Korean rapper and record producer under Cube Entertainment. She first gained attention for competing in the television shows Produce 101 and Unpretty Rapstar before debuting as a solo artist on November 5, 2017. On May 2, 2018, she debuted as the leader and rapper of the girl group (G)I-dle, for whom she has written and produced most title songs. She is also part of SM Station X girl group project Station Young and has portrayed League of Legends character Akali in the virtual musical groups K/DA and True Damage.
(G)I-dle is a South Korean girl group formed by Cube Entertainment in 2018. The group consists of five members: Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi, and Shuhua. The group was originally a sextet, until Soojin left the group on August 14, 2021. They are praised for their musicality, versatility, and for breaking stereotypes as a "self-producing" idol group, known for writing and producing much of their material. Since their debut, they have been acknowledged as one of the most successful South Korean girl groups outside of the "big four" record labels.
I Am is the debut extended play by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle. The album was released digitally on May 2, 2018, and physically on May 3, 2018, by Cube Entertainment. The album contains six tracks including the lead single, "Latata", which was composed by Big Sancho and member Soyeon, and is a blend of several different genres.
"Latata" is the debut single recorded by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle as the lead single from their debut Korean extended play (EP) I Am. It was released on May 2, 2018, by Cube Entertainment and distributed by Kakao M. It was written by member Soyeon, who also produced the song alongside Big Sancho. A music video for the song was also released on the same day. Promotions for the song resulted in (G)I-dle's first music show win on SBS MTV's The Show on May 22, 2018. The song also resulted in a second win on Mnet's M Countdown.
I Made is the second extended play by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle. The album was released digitally and physically on February 26, 2019. The album contains five tracks including the lead single, "Senorita", which was composed by member Soyeon and producer Big Sancho.
"Senorita" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle. It was released on February 26, 2019, as the title track from the group's second EP I Made (2019).
"Lion" is a song recorded by (G)I-dle, a South Korean girl group who participated in the reality girl group survival show, Queendom. It was released digitally on October 25, 2019, as part of the show's extended play Queendom Final Comeback. Its lyrics were written by Jeon So-yeon, who also composed, produced and arranged the song with Big Sancho. (G)I-dle went on to finish third in show.
"Oh My God" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle as the lead single for their third extended play I Trust. It was released in both Korean and English through Cube Entertainment and Kakao M on April 6, 2020. It is an urban hip hop track with trap and pop influence. Its lyrics revolve around the themes of self-trust, and contrasts between light and dark, purity and sin. It was written by Soyeon and composed by her and long-time collaborator Big Sancho, while the lyrics for the English version were translated by Lauren Kaori.
Dumdi Dumdi is the first single album by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle. The single album was released digitally and physically on August 3, 2020, by Cube Entertainment in both a Korean and Chinese version. The physical version is available in two versions: "Day" and "Night". The single contains two tracks, including the lead single of the same name. The group participated in visual concept planning such as hair, makeup, and styling, and leader Soyeon participated in lyrics, composition, and arrangement. Commercially, the album recorded 94,587 copies of one-week sales, making (G)I-dle the second girl group to break the single album sales record.
"Dumdi Dumdi" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle, released on August 3, 2020, by Cube Entertainment and Republic Records as the lead single of the group's single album of the same name. It was written by member Soyeon, who also produced the song alongside Pop Time who has produced many of Zico and Block B's songs.
"Hwaa" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group (G)I-DLE, released on January 11, 2021, by Cube Entertainment and Republic Records as the lead single of the group's fourth extended play, I Burn. The song is written by member Soyeon and co-produced by Pop Time. The inspiration for the song came to Soyeon when member Shuhua once said 'winter girl' in a conversation. She took the idea and created the concept of a woman trapped in winter. Musically, it is a moombahton, dark pop, dream pop and synth-pop track with oriental instrumentations, and contains double entendres about fire and flowers. The song was the last single released by (G)I-DLE as a sextet, before Soojin's departure from the group in August 2021.
This is the list of South Korean girl group (G)I-dle videography. It includes music videos, lyric videos, dance practice videos, music clips and commercial films since its debut in 2018.
I Never Die is the first studio album by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle. It was released digitally on March 14, 2022 and physically the following day, by Cube Entertainment. It consists of three physical versions: RiSKY, CHiLL and SPOiLED, and contains eight tracks, including the lead single "Tomboy". The album marks the group's first release as a quintet following the departure of member Soojin in August 2021, and the fifth release in the 'I' series, following I Burn (2021). Members Soyeon, Minnie, and Yuqi served as the album's primary producers and songwriters.
"Tomboy" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle for their first studio album I Never Die. It was released as the album's lead single by Cube Entertainment on March 14, 2022. The song marked the first release of (G)I-dle as a quintet following the departure of member Soojin in August 2021. It is an alt-rock and pop punk song that takes influence from rock music. It incorporates guitar riffs, drum beats, and lyrics that revolve around breaking the mold of being a perfect girlfriend.
I Love is the fifth Korean extended play by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle. It was released digitally on October 17, 2022, and physically on October 18, 2022, by Cube Entertainment. It consists of three physical versions: Born, Act, and X-file. The EP contains six tracks, including the lead single "Nxde". The EP discusses various kinds of love and emotions of a person who is looking for real love – ultimately loving themselves. The tracks in the EP are listed in reverse as it narrates the process of love, starting with track 6 of someone experiencing love for the first time to track 1 of loving themselves. The EP took the form of vintage Hollywood-inspired concept.
"Dark (X-File)" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle for their fifth extended play I Love as the sixth track. The song was released on October 17, 2022, by Cube Entertainment. It was written by leader Soyeon and produced by member Yuqi and Siixk Jun. The song is about the essential feelings from being in love.
"Queencard" is a song by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle. It was released through Cube Entertainment on May 15, 2023, as the lead single of the group's sixth extended play, I Feel. A pop song driven by rock and roll influence, and 2000s-inspired electronic production, written and produced by Soyeon, the song relates to the storyline of "Allergy," and addresses themes of self-acceptance and self-confidence. The single sees the group's departure from their previous sounds to a lighter, comical, and retro style.
"Super Lady" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle for their second studio album 2. It was released as the album's lead single by Cube Entertainment on January 29, 2024, in conjuction with the album. An electro house and G-House track driven by military drums, chants and "a strong bass", the song was written and produced by group member Soyeon with additional writing credits from Pop Time, Daily and Likey. Its lyrics discuss themes of female empowerment, confidence and strength.
"Klaxon" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle for their seventh Korean extended play I Sway. It was released as the EP's lead single by Cube Entertainment on July 8, 2024.