KARD: “There hasn’t been a co-ed group like us”

Between KARD, their numerous producers, company directors and staff members, no one could really agree on what was the best direction for the quartet. It took so long to nail something down that nearly a year came and went since their last release, ‘Re:’ in June 2022. “It was a really tough process because everyone has an idea of what’s going to be the best or what’s going to sell the best,” BM, the band’s only native English speaker and de-facto translator, tells NME over a Zoom call, while the rest of KARD huddle around him in front of the camera.

The American-born rapper admits that ‘ICKY’ almost didn’t become the title track for their new mini-album – which, in hindsight, would’ve been a big mistake, given the current hype behind it. “It could have even been a completely different album,” he says, adding that all four members of KARD really believed in the potential of ‘ICKY’. “Having so many different perspectives agree on one thing, one song was really the hardest part about this, but we really pushed.”

But don’t be mistaken, the addictiveness of the song was no happy accident, but instead was a careful reshaping of KARD’s own signature moombahton-inspired sound. “There’s a new element that ‘ICKY’ holds that [our older] songs didn’t. When we were building the track, the way we pocketed certain sounds is very modern as opposed to how we did it before,” BM says. “If you listen to the hook, there are these little synths that come into the pockets and that’s what I find hits so unique.”

“I just wanted to make the nastiest song we could make” – KARD’s BM

The other secret to their success this comeback? The shockingly evocative nature of their subject material, a substantial majority of which was co-written by the group themselves. ‘ICKY’, in particular, was what caught the attention of the K-pop community, who were more than a little surprised to hear the sexual overtones of its lyrics. “Got you excited / Said she want more than a tip / I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout guidance,” BM raps on his fully English verse.

Though it may be provocative for your standard K-pop fare, long-time fans of KARD have already expect the quartet to push boundaries. “What’s funny about that verse is I went into it with the intention of being as explicit as possible, while trying to stay in the PG15 to 17 range, so we’d be able to [perform it within] the Korean broadcast [regulations],” say BM, who’s known for employing risqué imagery in his songwriting. “Luckily enough, we were able to pass all the age restriction limits. I wanted it to be as sly as possible.”

The remaining tracks on the album are equally as daring when it comes to their sexual subject matter. The explicitly titled ‘Fxxk You’, performed by Jiwoo and Somin, is a Latin pop-inspired song that epitomises the push-and-pull of a passionate relationship. “We really wanted to up the explicitness of it. It does get a little bit sexual sometimes. There’s a lot of ‘I want you, but I hate you’, ‘Fuck you, but I like you’,” Jiwoo describes. “It’s a very love-hate relationship, but also very romantic and heated at the same time.”

Another B-side, ‘Been That Boy’ – this time performed, written and composed by remaining members BM and J.Seph – on the other hand, goes back to the duo’s roots. “Me and J.seph have been together for nearly 12 years now. It’s always been the two of us together and we always made plenty of songs together in the past,” BM reminisces, although has an important disclaimer, delivered with a sheepish chuckle: “Mind you, they’re not good, obviously, since it was so long ago.”

“There’s no right way of going about things. Sometimes, you take a complete left and it works for you” – KARD’s Jiwoo

“As a rapper – rap coming from hip-hop culture – it’s about having confidence, swag in your own way and really living in that and expressing it through your own creativity,” BM notes. In terms of rap delivery, both musicians exhibit their distinctive prowess: J.seph demonstrates a flair for rapid-fire flows, while BM takes command of the slower, rhythmically intricate verses. “We’ve been that boy since we were trainees. [We still have] that confidence, even though back then we know we sucked, but back then we still had that confidence and that confidence really sticks with us now.”

But ‘CAKE’, co-written by all four and produced by BM, is the culmination of KARD’s musicality. “I just wanted to make the nastiest song we could make. It’s a little bit more explicit than ‘ICKY’, but what’s interesting about the process [of producing it] was that it was all done within the group. The demo that we recorded, those track files that we recorded is what you’re hearing on the album,” BM declares, a glint of pride evident in his smile when he talks about the song. Somin chimes in: “I really appreciate the fact that he always tries to get us to be more involved in the creative process. There were no rules and there’s no pressure when making music with just the four of us.”

Although half of 2023 has come and gone in the blink of an eye, the year is far from over for the four-piece. They’ll be embarking on a massive 17-show world tour from July onwards, with some extra locations yet to be announced. “We’re already in talks about Asia, nothing’s set yet. We also have Australia in the works right now. No set dates, no set cities, but there’s a high probability of it happening,” BM tells NME. “We really want to be able to visit all of our fans, so we’re going to be very busy on tour but we’re also gonna be planning our next album.”

In an industry that prefers to follow accepted playbooks and formulas for success, how KARD challenge preconceived narratives of what defines a K-pop group is a breath of fresh air. “There have been co-ed [K-pop] groups in the past before, but we feel like there hasn’t been a co-ed group like us. To be specific, one that does the type of genres that we do, one that holds the type of image that we do as well,” Jiwoo wonders aloud.

“In this generation right now, it’s been a really long time since a co-ed group came out and made noise like this,” she adds. “It’s really important for us to continue differentiating ourselves from other groups, because there’s no right way of going about things. Sometimes, you take a complete left and it works for you. I think our situation is this situation, so we want to encourage others to have fun with it and not be afraid to take risks.”

KARD’s new mini-album ‘ICKY’ is out now.

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