NMIXX - O.O

NMIXX is finally here! When their debut was first announced last summer through the entire JYPn project, I was frankly quite surprised. ITZY was only about two years old then, and while Twice is in fact nearing the end of their contracts, it just feels way too soon for another JYP girl group. I think this sentiment is shared among a lot of K-pop communities, because the hype didn't seem that high for NMIXX. The Qualifying Covers certainly caught a lot of attention, but during the actual teaser rollout for their debut album, Ad Mare, the lack of excitement compared to the palpable hype for ITZY's debut was undeniable.

And then they dropped their title track 'O.O,' which spurred so much controversy that the Daily Mail proceeded to deem it the "worst song of all time." The song also failed to intercept Korea's Melon Hot 100 chart upon release, and fans all over criticized it for being too confusing and unpleasing. Keep in mind, this is a group from JYP Entertainment, one of the "Big 3" labels of the K-pop industry that is specifically known for its legendary track record with girl group debuts! So what exactly went wrong with NMIXX? Or did anything even go wrong?

(From the 'O.O' music video. Credits to JYP Entertainment and SQ4D)

Review: The Song

NMIXX's title track 'O.O' is one of those genre mashup tracks that switch sounds mid-song. It begins with a menacing, assertive section with blaring sirens, marching percussion, and rapping. Once the chorus is complete, the song begins its transformation by abruptly switching to a pop-rock sound. As Sullyoon declares that 'everything is fake," 'O.O' turns magical and full of gusto, with light piano and electric guitar. A quick high note then reels the song back into its original form, finishing things off with a showy outro.

Let me preface this entire article by stating that I actually do like 'O.O.' This kind of genre-switch-up music is quickly becoming the norm in K-pop, and even if people initially regard each song under it with scorn, it's clearly the much-needed next step in musical fads. On top of this, the transitions from section to section here are actually quite smooth. This especially goes for the latter one, which crisply switches back to the more aggressive soundscape with an accompanied kick in the choreography. And I adore this finale-- the buildup to it with metric modulation (a pretty smooth way of increasing the tempo) as each element drops in it sounds enjoyably fierce and climactic.

Speaking about each part of the song, they are very well produced instrumental-wise. The initial sound has a very catchy pirate-like, nautical aesthetic, while the switch-up section is feel-good and band-like. The chorus is a bit of mess, but that frenzied feeling is full of delectable energy and momentum. There are many good things going on in 'O.O,' and even if they're also very chaotic, to me, the fun of listening to the song is being able to digest it all and jam to it. But of course, I do have my qualms with the song...

(NMIXX Ad Mare teaser images. Credits to JYP Entertainment and SQ4D)

What Happened: The Arrangement

While the transitions themselves are smooth, the overall production really isn't. The problem is that 'O.O' follows an "ABCDCE" structure (each letter referring to a section in the song). No part of the song is ever properly repeated, which really hinders your ability to get into the song and be comfortable with its trajectory. Basically, enjoying music hinges on being able to predict what comes next. This is a problem when 'O.O' doesn't even repeat its chorus. Such a thing doesn't have to be bad, but 'O.O' just does it very messily. Take a look at 'Next Level' by aespa: the song also has a switch up, but the constant repetition of the main melody and bass provides a strong base for the song to go on various ventures. 'O.O' starts off catchy, but there is no main melody. The chorus is supposedly the "Watch it, baila, baila, baila" section, but it occurs just 1.5 times. (the second time is at the outro, cut off halfway!). While each verse is catchy, there is no proper pattern to them. It's just... frustratingly disarrayed. Couldn't they have just made the song longer with more sections?

(NMIXX Ad Mare teaser images. Credits to JYP Entertainment and SQ4D)

What Happened: The Mixing

With regards to music, "mixing" refers to the blending of various sounds and tracks into one, final audio. It's the process by which recorded vocals are added onto instrumentals with appropriate fine-tuning and volume. To me, the biggest issue with 'O.O' is the absolutely horrible mixing. The vocals are not properly incorporated onto the instrumental at all, sounding oddly flat and muted. The instrumental is so loud that nearly all the singing is drowned out in a very unpleasant way. They also feel oddly processed. Jinni's introduction line seems unnaturally squeaky, taking away from the fierceness of the moment. Bae's first verse seems sped up and messily tacked together. Most irritating of all, Lily's big high note is very abruptly cut off, as opposed to being allowed to naturally end. While this might have been purposely done to accentuate the song's transition, it felt very irritating, and definitely could've been done in a smoother manner. Every time the vocalists try to save things, it sounds like they're fighting against the song to be heard, which is not how it should be at all. And this is quite a shame because NMIXX's 7 members are possibly some of JYP's most charismatic idols yet.

(NMIXX Ad Mare teaser images. Credits to JYP Entertainment and SQ4D)

What Happened: The Music Video

The music video also drops the ball on letting their charisma shine. Since NMIXX hails from JYP, it isn't a surprise that 'O.O' has a large-budget music video. However, there is no time devoted to highlighting the strengths of each member. It's definitely gorgeous: from phantasmal ships, foggy battlegrounds, and stony city landscapes, to flowery town sets, summery stores, and ethereal sky-cruising, the music video is chock full of expensive, eye-catching sets. It's clear that the overall purpose was to craft a very cinematic experience, but I would argue that such a focus is not very effective for a debut song. While I browsed discourse surrounding the song online, one interesting claim made was that none of the members immediately stood out. However, switching over to their Weekly Idol episode, the comments are flooded with praises for each member's charisma and unique personality. So what is wrong with the M/V?

While 'O.O' prioritizes story-telling through action, it forsakes the traditional pillars of K-pop. For example, the choreography sections shown were oddly sparse and didn't showcase their full intricacy. If you were to watch the music video, would you be able to tell what the point choreography is? I didn't think so. The overall product does not seem very rushed, but there's no time to settle down and meet the members since the song hits the ground running. None of them have a striking solo scene, which, in conjunction with the fact that there are 7 members, is probably the biggest issue. There is no time to appreciate the details of each set or the outfits and expressions of each member because the song is always moving. As such, while the M/V sets up NMIXX's lore, it doesn't succeed in setting up the members.

(From the 'O.O' music video. Credits to JYP Entertainment and SQ4D)

What Happened: The Comparisons, and Plagiarism

Now, onto the elephant in the room: the plagiarism claims. With the pirate concept NMIXX seems to be going for, the comparisons to Ateez, who have adopted similar imagery for 4 years already, were unavoidable. However, some scenes truly do cross the line between similarity and congruence. The prime example of this is that of the ship in the background (pictured below). The images are almost identical!

NMIXX also holds many parallels with aespa. It's awfully obvious that the group in and of itself is JYP attempting to establish a direct competitor to aespa. From the cinematic M/V and establishment of lore, to the polarizing genre-mashup music, NMIXX is definitely taking up many of the trends that aespa has greatly popularized. The latter is probably the most obvious since aespa's most successful track yet is 'Next Level,' the epitome of a genre-switching song. So if NMIXX and aespa are so similar, what exactly allowed aespa to succeed in comparison to NMIXX? Well, aespa's label, SM Entertainment, has been using genre-mashup music for as long as it has existed within the K-pop realm. The group is nearly 8 years in the making too. As a result, aespa's tenure so far has been exceptional in quality, as well as more "positively" strategic: they started off with a safe but eye-catching debut, and then hit the stage with the weirdness.

NMIXX, on the other hand, is the first group under JYP Entertainment to even try out this music style. The time period feels like an odd point to make, though, because SQ4D also had quite a while to prepare for NMIXX-- at least two years to our knowledge. But their messy attempt at the style feels a bit elementary and crude, as does their management of NMIXX itself. Have they even chosen a proper center? They seem to constantly switch between Jinni, Kyujin, and Sullyoon. Why was Jiwoo's signature not vetted? How did they not realise their handsign was incredibly similar to that of ITZY? It's admittedly ever more irritating, then, that JYP is trying to claim the genre-mashup style as their own by labeling it as NMIXX's signature "mix-pop." The Big 3 girl groups have always been attached to an identity of originiality: ITZY popularized teen crush, aespa has the AI-futuristic concept going on, Blackpink revitalized girl crush-- the list goes on and on. It feels like a bit of a miss, then, that NMIXX has to be so overtly attached to an aespa comparison, their overall image platformed on ideas and sloppy recreations of already popularized trends. They've thrown everything they have at the wall, hoping something will stick, or at least make a stain.

(From the 'O.O' music video. Credits to JYP Entertainment and SQ4D)

What Happened: The Actual Intent (?)

Coming back to the messy structure of 'O.O' for a minute, another point I've seen made is that the song feels like a highlight medley. It feels like apt criticism, but let me make a proposal: what if JYP did this on purpose? I mentioned that 'O.O' incorporates a lot of lore and storytelling in its music video. As of now, we do not know anything concrete about this story they are crafting, but, overall, I think this is exactly the kind of effect JYP was going for with NMIXX gaining attention in the oversaturated girl group market.

The song starts off with imagery of desolation and destruction as NMIXX sings to the listener, beckoning them to look around and get ready to travel somewhere better with "eyes open wide like ’O.O'." Then the switch-up happens and the music video turns warm, cheery, and bright. NMIXX changes at the same time as well, exclaiming that this paradise is the place they hope to take the listener to. But then we're back, "it's time to blink, baby." We're back in the world of destruction, and we end off with NMIXX encouraging intrigue about that paradise: "how about that, that, that (O.O) / That's it, it, it." The way I see it, the song is MEANT to be like a highlight medley because it is NMIXX quite literally introducing their universe and giving us a taste of what's to come. It's an interesting strategy: I assume JYP hoped it would be met with enthusiasm, but even if it didn't, isn't all press still good press? The method has definitely worked, because what K-pop fan doesn't know about NMIXX at this point? But as Bae and Haewon sing, "cross those arms, sit down... It's just a teaser."

(From the 'O.O' music video. Credits to JYP Entertainment and SQ4D)

What Happened:

Clearly, there was a lot of intent involved in NMIXX's debut, but was it focused in the right places? 'O.O's cinematic, jarring features are not really the issue: it's the lack of refinement that is. We can never be sure if JYP purposely played the game to elicit a negative response for attention, or they truly hoped NMIXX would be received well. Regardless, the messiness of the entire rollout is truly disappointing, especially considering how solid the groups' vocal and dance lines are.

In the end, NMIXX is a JYP girl group. A Big 3 girl group, even. They will succeed just fine over time. I could easily see their trajectory mimicking that of labelmates Stray Kids. Just look at the reception to their musically-odd b-side, 'Tank': even with weird lyrics and arrangement just like 'O.O,' the song has become quite the favorite for many listeners online. 'O.O' has also been gaining popularity since its release as well, slowly climbing charts and breaking records. I just hope JYP and SQ4D see the mistakes they've made and try to correct them, because NMIXX has such an incredible pool of talent. I just cannot bear seeing their potential waste away like other acts under the label.

(L: From the 'O.O' music video. R: NMIXX Ad Mare teaser images. Credits to JYP Entertainment and SQ4D)