DAVIDE K-POP

Get ready to dive into our exclusive interview with the dynamic PURPLE KISS!

We sat down with the talented group to discuss their latest release, the captivating 7th mini album, HEADWAY. From the inspiration behind the album to their personal growth, we uncovered the secrets behind their artistry.

If you’re new to the world of PURPLE KISS, let’s quickly introduce this incredible group. Comprising the talented members Na Go Eun, Dosie, Ireh, Yuki, Chaein, and SWAN, PURPLE KISS debuted under RBW Entertainment in March 2021 with the electrifying track “Ponzona.” Now, they’re back to take the K-pop scene by storm with their latest mini-album “HEADWAY’ and title track “ON MY BIKE.”

Before we delve into the interview, here’s a special message from PURPLE KISS to all their beloved fans PLORYs:

Davide: Hello PURPLE KISS! I’m Davide, thank you for taking the time for this interview. How are you all doing today? It must be busy with the new mini album out! Could you please introduce yourselves one by one to our readers? Including a fun fact or something unique about yourselves that PLORYs might not know yet.

PURPLE KISS: 
Na Go Eun: Hello! This is Na Go Eun from PURPLE KISS! I’ve been working hard on the “ON MY BIKE” activities recently. My recent TMI is that I’ve already started listening to Christmas carols!
Dosie: Hello! This is PURPLE KISS’s charismatic and cute performer, Dosie~ Since many PLORYs tell me I’m cute, I proudly want to introduce myself as the charismatic and cute performer!
Ireh: Hello! This is PURPLE KISS’s main dancer, Ireh. These days, I’m really into butter pretzels.
Yuki: Hello! This is Yuki, the honey rice cake lover. 
Chaein: Hello! This is Chaein! Recently, I tried shooting for the first time, and the shooting range owner complimented me on how good I was. Thanks to that, I won a lot of stuffed animals. It was such a fun experience that I want to go again!
SWAN: Hello! This is PURPLE KISS’s youngest, Swan! After successfully wrapping up the “ON MY BIKE” promotions, I’ve recently been buying lots of new clothes to show PLORYs my pretty looks in casual outfits during fan signings and events.

Davide: Your 7th mini album, HEADWAY, has been highly anticipated. Can you tell us about the overall concept and message you’re conveying through this album?

PURPLE KISS:
Na Go Eun: HEADWAY means “progress,” and the album symbolises our determination to carve our own path even at the crossroads of life. Just as we’ve embraced unique concepts so far, we plan to continue walking our own road in the future.
Dosie: This album reflects our ambition to move forward on our own path. Staying true to our concept, we’ve filled it with songs and performances that are distinctly PURPLE KISS.
Ireh: Just like the name HEADWAY implies, the album conveys the message of pressing forward firmly on our own path, even in moments of countless choices.
Yuki: HEADWAY means going straight forward on our own path. With this album, we’ve perfectly captured PURPLE KISS’s identity through the witch concept.
Chaein: HEADWAY signifies “progress.” It delivers a message to choose your own path even when facing various crossroads in life. Through the story of six witches pursuing their dreams, the album highlights PURPLE KISS’s identity and direction.
SWAN:  As a 4th-year idol group, we’ve explored various concepts and spent a lot of time thinking about how to move forward. This album captures our conclusion: PURPLE KISS will continue on its own path with the witch concept, powerful vocals, and impactful performances that we excel at.

Davide: “ON MY BIKE” is a powerful and energetic track. What inspired the concept for this song, and what emotions do you hope to evoke in listeners?

PURPLE KISS: 
Na Go Eun: When I first heard the demo for this song, I thought it was very intense. I also felt that the song would match well with our witch concept. If you’re at a crossroads in your life, I hope you listen to ON MY BIKE to recharge your confidence and keep moving forward on your own path. Fighting!
Dosie: When I heard the demo of ON MY BIKE, the image and message it conveyed were so powerful that it really resonated with me. The sound is intense and exciting, and I believe it’s a song that can give listeners confidence and energy!
Ireh: The song has such an intense track, and I hope listeners can feel our energy when they listen to it!
Yuki: I hope you listen to this song on the most difficult day of the week—Monday. The song is powerful, and its energy is well conveyed, so when you need strength, be sure to listen to it!
Chaein: Just like the sound of a bike in this song, I wanted to portray our unwavering progress forward. I hope listeners, while enjoying this song, feel like they’re finding their own path and racing down the road without hesitation, experiencing a sense of liberation and joy.
SWAN: When you listen to this song, especially while riding a bike, it’ll make you even happier! I hope ON MY BIKE helps relieve the stress of everyone who listens to it!

Davide: The music video for “ON MY BIKE” is visually stunning, with a strong dark angel theme. Can you elaborate on the symbolism behind the video and the overall aesthetic you were aiming for?

PURPLE KISS:
Na Go Eun: In this music video, there are many objects that symbolise witches! While there’s a common stereotype that witches ride brooms, we wanted to portray a modern PURPLE KISS witch using various objects like wings, horns, and motorcycles.
Dosie: Through our intense song and various objects, we tried to show PURPLE KISS’s unique witch concept!
Ireh: You’ll be able to see props in the music video that metaphorically express messages like dilemmas and freedom. We hope you’ll view these different objects as metaphors for our message of moving forward on our own path.
Yuki: When you watch the music video, you might wonder if we’re devils, but we’re witches! Since we’re modern witches, look out for fun and interesting elements like us riding motorcycles instead of brooms!
Chaein: We captured PURPLE KISS confidently moving forward on our own path without losing ourselves in the face of hardships. Through symbolic elements like fire, wings, and a dark background, we expressed our strong will to move forward.
SWAN:  We tried to express the witch and motorcycle concept in a more intuitive way. Using symbols like two horns representing two different paths and wings representing the will to move forward freely, we made the song’s message more direct.

Davide: I really enjoyed other tracks too, for example, “Encore” is my favourite, after “ON MY BIKE”. Do you have any favourite songs from this mini album and why?

PURPLE KISS: 
Na Go Eun: Thank you for loving our other songs as well. My favourite is Sweet Nightmare! It’s perfect for listening to on a cool autumn day while looking out the window.
Dosie: My favourite song is Encore. It’s a song with the atmosphere that PURPLE KISS often showed in the early days of our debut, so I love it even more.
Ireh: I love Sweet Nightmare, which Na Go Eun wrote and composed. The song’s vibe matches well with the cool weather these days, and it really captures the members’ vocals, so it’s the song I listen to the most.
Yuki: My favourite song is Light the Way. Since this song is a fan song, I wrote the rap with PLORYs in mind, so it’s the one I love the most.
Chaein: I also love the song Encore. It best captures our witch concept.
SWAN: My favourite song changes every day, but today it’s Light the Way! It’s the song I participated in writing the lyrics for, thinking about PLORYs.

Davide: How does HEADWAY differ from your previous albums like “BXX” and “Cabin Fever”? What new aspects of PURPLE KISS can fans expect to see in this release?

PURPLE KISS:
Na Go Eun: Unlike our previous albums, this one has a powerful intensity that allows you to feel the rock side of PURPLE KISS!
Dosie: Most of all, I think PLORYs will really love the fact that we’re revisiting our witch concept after a long time! There are also songs that the members worked on directly, so please listen to them a lot.
Ireh: Compared to the bouncy vibe of BXX and the eerie atmosphere of Cabin Fever, this album features a new side with intense guitar sounds and a strong witch concept.
Yuki: I believe this album really shows our identity. Thanks to the title track, which has a powerful rock sound and hip-hop-inspired movements in the performance, I think you’ll be able to feel the true essence of PURPLE KISS.
Chaein: Cabin Fever expressed a dark and dreamy atmosphere through the title track Sweet Juice, and BXX emphasised our soft voices, atmosphere, and bright energy. This time, HEADWAY shows our direction through songs with intense sounds and overflowing energy.
SWAN: We’ve captured the deepened concept and intense sounds in both our vocals and performances. I hope viewers will think that PURPLE KISS is not only great at singing and dancing but also a team with a very clear concept.

Davide: With the release of HEADWAY, are there any plans for a world tour or any specific regions you’d like to visit to perform for your fans?

PURPLE KISS: 
Na Go Eun: We might not have been able to visit many countries, but we’ll work hard to perform in every country that loves us.
Dosie: We’re planning various things to repay the love we receive overseas, as much as the support we get!
Ireh: While nothing is set in stone yet, I want to go and perform wherever PLORYs are.
Yuki: I’m currently preparing hard so that I can meet many overseas fans next year. Please look forward to it!
Chaein: Through our recent PURPLE KISS 2024 BXX TOUR, we’ve felt so much love from fans. Although nothing has been confirmed yet regarding specific tours or concerts, we’re working hard to meet fans from different countries and give them good energy and memories.
SWAN:  I’d love to go on tour again. I’m really looking forward to the energy on stage, especially since this song has such a powerful sound!

Davide: Looking back on your journey from debut to now, what are the most significant milestones and challenges you’ve encountered?

PURPLE KISS:
Na Go Eun: Every moment has been an important challenge. There were scary moments, but I think we were able to get through them together with the members.
Dosie: It would be a lie to say we didn’t have concerns about the concept or musical direction of each album, but in the end, I’m proud that we’re walking our own path.
Ireh: Cabin Fever, which received a great response overseas, became an important milestone as it maximized PURPLE KISS’s conceptual charm.
Yuki: It was hard to define our unique colour. I felt that if we focused too much on trends, our own charm would get lost. But through this album’s concept, we were able to express PURPLE KISS more clearly.
Chaein: Finding and maintaining our unique colour in both concept and performance wasn’t easy. I believe that through trying new things, we’ve grown and become the PURPLE KISS we are today.
SWAN:  My goal has always been to focus on the present and make better activities. Looking back, I think it’s right for us to confidently move forward on the path that we do best.

Davide: Who are some of the artists, both in and outside of K-pop, who inspire you and your music?

PURPLE KISS: 
Na Go Eun: I have many beloved artists, but singer-songwriters like IU, Harry Styles, and Taylor Swift have given me a lot of inspiration. I think their music resonates not only because of their expressiveness but also because they make their own stories into songs and express them. That’s really cool, and I want to learn from them.
Dosie: I really like KARD seniors.
Ireh: I get a lot of inspiration from the members I’ve been with for the longest and share many conversations with.
Yuki: Each of our members has their own unique charm, so I always have a lot to learn from them. The members are the best!
Chaein: We are influenced by seniors who pursue excellent teamwork and unique music. We also try to create stages where each of our charms shines harmoniously.
SWAN:  Lately, I really enjoy Sunwoo Jung-A’s album because it resonates with me a lot!

Davide: If given the opportunity, which artist would you dream of collaborating with, both domestically and internationally?

PURPLE KISS:
Na Go Eun: In Korea, I would love to sing with D.O. sunbaenim, whose voice I’ve really liked since I was a student. Among international artists, I’d love to collaborate with Harry Styles and Taylor Swift.
Dosie: I’d love to perform on stage with ONEUS sunbaenim!
Ireh: I feel that the combination of the members’ vocals and the band sound in our title track was really attractive, so I’d love to collaborate with various bands.
Yuki: It’s ATEEZ sunbaenim. Their stages are always unique and captivating, so I can’t take my eyes off them.
Chaein: I’d love to collaborate with Lolo Zouai and Bazzi.
SWAN: As I mentioned earlier, I’d love to collaborate with Sunwoo Jung-A sunbaenim.

Davide: If you could go back in time and give advice to your pre-debut self, what would you say?

PURPLE KISS: 
Na Go Eun: I’d like to tell myself that I’m doing well and encourage myself to practice writing songs.
Dosie: I would tell myself to have more confidence.
Ireh: I’d like to tell myself that I’m doing well!
Yuki: I’d tell myself to just enjoy it. One of my regrets is not enjoying the stage because I was too nervous.
Chaein: If I could go back and give advice to myself before debut, I’d tell myself that it’s okay to make mistakes. I often couldn’t fully enjoy the moments because I always wanted to show a perfect image. I’ve come to realise that imperfect moments can help us approach fans in a more genuine way.
SWAN:  I’d tell myself to look at myself intuitively and not be swayed by the surrounding situations and people.

Davide: Do you have a special message for your fans, PLORYs, as you embark on this new chapter with HEADWAY?

PURPLE KISS:
Na Go Eun: Purple Kiss exists because we have PLORYs, who believe in us and are always with us, no matter the moment. I hope we can continue to share many joyful moments together. Thank you, PLORYs!
Dosie: This album was made with all our effort to repay the love PLORYs give us. I hope you all like it~ I love you so much.
Ireh: Thanks to PLORYs, who have given us so many great memories, I truly believe [HEADWAY] has been completed. Thank you for always being with us.
Yuki: PLORYs! Thank you for enjoying our songs and performances this time. I will work even harder so that we can meet more often next year! Always thankful and love you!
Chaein: We could come this far because of PLORYs, who have always been by our side, supporting and encouraging us! I think we can work even harder to repay you with better appearances and new music! I hope this album gives PLORYs strength! Always love you and cherish you!
SWAN: Thank you so much for being with us until now! Let’s continue forward happily together! I love you!

Davide: That’s all for today! Thank you so much girls, you are doing such a great job and you should be proud of yourself! You’re killin’ it! Very well done! I hope to see you live soon! I bet “ON MY BIKE” live performance has such great energy on stage! Keep well and speak soon! 감사합니다 Davide

PLORYs, I hope you liked the interview as much as I did! In the meantime, please continue to support the talented