A “Serenade,” usually sweet and romantic, now has the word “Heavy” attached to it. It speaks of a love that has moved past light fluttering hearts to a firm conviction. NMIXX, who have reached a career high since their debut, deliver a dense confession to their fandom, NSWER.
NMIXX made a grand return on the 11th with the release of their fifth mini album, ‘Heavy Serenade’. This comes about seven months after achieving their best results to date, including topping the Melon Top 100 and winning 10 music show awards with the title track ‘Blue Valentine’ from their first full-length album last October. As member Kyujin put it, it is a result of “incorporating a wider musical spectrum to repay the overwhelming love” they have received.
The core of this new album is the process of love and the maturity of relationships. A comeback immediately after a career high often brings pressure to maintain those results. However, NMIXX turned that pressure into “motivation” to increase the quality of their work.
“It would be a lie to say there was no pressure, but thanks to that, we were able to prepare even harder,” confessed Sullyoon. Haewon’s explanation that “the title track is a song that can deeply understand whatever that existence may be” shows their clever approach.
The title track ‘Heavy Serenade’ is “Mix Pop,” precisely blending intense electronic music elements like trance, acid, and drum and bass into pop. Lyrical lyrics by singer-songwriter Hanroro are layered over a sound that could otherwise be complex. Like the lyric “Break me to make a one-and-only bouquet,” it sings of the depth of love that breaks through a fragile self to embrace another.
Bae mentioned, “Rather than being new and fluttering, the relationship has become much deeper and heavier because the path we have walked together is the same.” This suggests that this serenade is more than just a love song between a man and a woman; it is a hymn to the heavy chronicle of their bond with the fandom NSWER, with whom they have shared joys and sorrows for a long time.
Their musical self-sufficiency has also grown stronger. Lily and Bae participated in writing lyrics for songs like ‘Crescendo’, ‘LOUD’, and ‘Different Girl’, creating messages in their own words. Additionally, the ‘A Cappella Highlight Medley’ released before the comeback caught attention. This content, which builds harmonies using only the voices of the six members without flashy performances or electronic packaging, demonstrates the determination of NMIXX, often called the “hexagon girl group.”
Lily said, “The members participated in writing the lyrics, so we tried to express our emotions more directly,” and Haewon described NMIXX’s vocals as “chameleon-like vocals that blend well with any genre.”
NMIXX’s charm has already expanded globally. Starting with a sold-out arena show in Korea last November, their first world tour and performances at massive South American music festivals, such as the Sao Paulo Carnival in Brazil and the Viña del Mar Festival in Chile, have brought their live performances to a perfected level. Their bold stage presence, breaking language barriers, is expected to explode even further during the Asia tour starting in June.
Just like the youngest member Kyujin’s confident resolution to “prove that NMIXX’s growth has no limits,” NMIXX is sailing steadily within the infinitely expanding world of Mixtopia. Their heavy serenade, embracing the air of both spring and winter, is finally ready to captivate the K-pop scene.
