CIX: ‘Love is the Most Honest Feeling!’

What is love? It’s a question that great philosophers, artists and poets have been grappling with for centuries. Unfortunately, there’s no concrete definition of this innate emotion; after all, it is best experienced, more than being articulated. For decades, love has bloomed fairytale-like romances, provoked wars and perhaps made your world in the grand scheme of life a better place. But above all, it has inspired a phenomenal discography of records, including CIX’s fifth EP ‘OK’ Episode 1: OK Not that helps you experience the intensity laced in every single aspect of this emotion. 

“In the previous album, the overall story of youth was the main topic, so we showed a brighter and more refreshing side of us in that album,” leader BX reminisces about records before diving into the quintet’s latest release. “For this album, we focused on being more mature through the love young people experience and the various emotions derived from it. Of course, it’s closely related to our universe story.”

The fourth generation of K-pop undoubtedly houses some of the most prolific performers with intriguing themes guiding their discography. This is the case for CIX members Baejinyoung, BX, Seunghun, Hyunsuk and Yonghee, too, who’ve culled out references from Italian poet Dante Alighieri’s narrative work Divine Comedy that outlines Dante’s journey through hell, purgatory and paradise. Given today’s competitive landscape, having a riveting lore alone will win you a one-way ticket to the realms of the unknown; a reality CIX seems to be aware of. To match the gorgeous details of their lore, the quintet often employs dexterous performances over a throbbing discography of pop, electro-hop and R&B, making them an act to watch out for. 

On the four-track ‘OK’ Episode 1: Ok Not, the group explores love, pain and everything in between through a mature perspective. Kicking off the OK series with the first studio album, ‘OK’ Prologue: Be OK in 2021, the latest EP is a result of a year of preparation and reflections. Sonically cohesive, the EP outlines the members’ tussle with nailing down the nature of love. With the lead single “458” being a powerful declaration of love, encouraging listeners to hit the gas pedal when pursuing romance as opposed to reasoning with any second thoughts, ‘OK’ Episode 1: Ok Not does a beautiful job at expressing the quintet’s mature personas through an array of emotions derived from love.

“’Love’ – the keyword of this album – is not just about love itself but also about expressing one’s mature self with the essence of love through various emotions such as pain, patience, and emptiness derived from love,” Hyunsuk, CIX’s youngest member, explains about whether the group’s mature perspective is restricted to love alone or has influenced other matters of life. “That’s why we think we’ve grown not only in love but also in all aspects.” 

The coming-of-age perspective is effectively conveyed with the opening track “Without You.” Characterized by a gradual and effective build-up, the opening soft-pop sequence seamlessly morphs into a bolstering EDM-stylized soundscape, ensuring the hook, “I’m nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, eh/ Without you,” echoes for days to come. Picking up right from the sonic high of “Without You,” “458’s” electro-hip-hop beats dial up the intensity. The heavy use of dark piano notes and synth-heavy instrumentals runs adjacent to the emotional conflict the track underlines: “Go run in the Ferrari, into you falling/ My heart is very addicted to the pain you cause me/ Breakless wandering steps/ Finding the missing you.” With crisp guitar plucks and mellow piano notes, the subsequent track, “Bend The Rules,” temporarily dials down the energy, allowing you to soak in the irresistible falsettos. What follows next is a thumping concoction of electro-trap beats with powerful synth flaming the soundscape – it’s an experimental track done right. The EP concludes on a dreamy note with “Drown In Love.” Reminiscent of a typical Korean drama OST, the song’s orchestral-like piano and soft-pop instrumentalization support a bed of lush ad-lids and soaring vocal deliveries, reminding you of the blooming opportunities that lie on the horizon for CIX. 

In an exclusive chat with Rolling Stone India, CIX break down their latest EP, the preparation process and how they’ve grown sonically.

Aside from maturity, were there any other focal points you were keen on showing through this EP?

Yonghee: In the previous album, we showed a refreshing image, but this album contains the process of youth growing up. We wanted to show not only how mature CIX is, but also a strong and sexy image like whirlwind emotions in love.  

You paced yourself and released this EP after a year. What did the preparations for this EP look like during this past year?

Seunghun: We spent a very busy year preparing for the release of our Korean album, releasing our Japanese album, and playing concerts in and out of Korea. In the meantime, we prepared an album to meet our fans. It was a busy schedule, but we were very excited as well.

How would you describe your artistic growth during this period?

Baejinyoung: We wanted to show a new side to us, so we exchanged a lot of feedback while preparing for this album. The concept of the album was also the opposite of the previous album, so we shared our opinions on both the choreography and visual parts. In that process, we felt that our skills grew a lot. 

Since this EP focuses on love, how do you define love?

Yonghee: I think love is the most necessary driving force while living our daily lives. Thanks to the love that our fans give us, we’re able to always gain strength and work hard! Therefore, we feel that love is both our motivation and a precious, thankful and very pure emotion. 

What took priority while recording this EP? Tapping into the right emotion or getting the technicalities of recording right?

Seunghun: Since love was the keyword in this album, we tried to express emotions as much as possible. The technical part is important too, but we thought that the listeners would be able to immerse themselves in the song if we expressed the emotional part in more detail. 

This EP is emotionally rich, exploring the various facets of love. How did you ensure you were embodying the right emotion for each track?

BX: We shared a lot of feedback among the members. Personally, I had some regrets while recording, so I re-recorded my parts again and asked for a lot of opinions on how to express my feelings well. 

What track from the EP presented itself as a challenge during the recording process?

Hyunsuk: While recording the song “458,” we recorded it several times to master the delicate emotions. It wasn’t easy to express the mixed emotions of love, so we remember receiving feedback several times while recording. 

“Bend the Rules” is a song about bending the rules for love and facing the consequences, which requires an immense amount of courage. What advice would you give to anyone willing to place their faith in love?

BX: Love is the most honest feeling! I hope you don’t hesitate to believe in your own love! 

Seunghun: I think love is the easiest yet the most difficult emotion. I’d like to say that it would be good to trust your heart as you wish!

Tell us more about shooting the music video for “458.” What parts did you enjoy filming?

Baejinyoung: We paid the most attention to showing our universe and concept visually in the music video of “458.” Therefore, the members filmed the video in various ways. We put a lot of effort into our outfits and makeup to show our strong and energetic image. I was filming with a heavy camera on my body, and I was proud because the director praised me for my facial expressions.

How do you wish to grow from here on? Have you mapped out a growth plan or is CIX a group that believes in focusing on the present and making the most of it?

Seunghun: We definitely have plans and goals, but foremost, we want to show CIX’s unique colors to the public. We want to grow into a group that can continue to promote ourselves through performances and songs, and give back our fans’ love to them! The most important plan right now is definitely to create more opportunities to meet our fans worldwide.

What are you currently working on? What can we expect from you before the year ends?

Baejinyoung: We want to finish this promotion well and try anything if we have a good opportunity! Moreover, we want to make more opportunities to meet our fans worldwide, and will do our best to meet our fans in more new and diverse ways!

Do you have a message for your Indian FIX?

Yonghee: Thank you for your support and love from afar. We haven’t been to India to see our fans in person yet, but if we have an opportunity, we would love to visit and meet you. Please show a lot of love for our fifth mini album, ‘OK’ Episode 1: OK Not, and we’ll always work hard to be a proud group! We love you, Indian FIX!