Kim Lip, JinSoul, Choerry, HeeJin and HaSeul are not about close the gates to the LOONAVERSE, that enigmatic and often arcane mythical universe that has captured the imagination of their loyal fans. But as ARTMS, they have set their sights on more ambitious frontiers.
“We’ve begun with the LOONAVERSE, and carry on with the lore of ARTMS. But as we take off from that universe, we are also starting anew with our own lore,” HaSeul tells Bandwagon.
In the words of their mythos, they are “rising together, back to the moon and beyond."
The five girls are battle-tested and resilient industry veterans who have originally debuted in 2018 as part of the 12-member Third Gen powerhouse LOONA (stylised as LOOΠΔ; 이달의 소녀 in Korean), after a string of solo and subunit releases rolled out since 2016.
After some laborious legal skirmishes all over the K-Pop news cycle with their former company, the mentioned five girls have since reunited with their former creative director during their nascent years, Jaden Jeong, now their CEO at Modhaus.
The ARTMS project was launched in 2023, initially with HeeJin and the ODD EYE CIRCLE trio and HaSeul later joining them midway through the year. Kim Lip, JinSoul, and Choerry was reintroduced by way of <Version Up>, followed by HaSeul’s single ‘Plastic Candy’ and HeeJin’s mini-album <K>.
Now, they have just released their first full-length album, <Dall> (Devine All Love & Live) this May.
In this interview, ARTMS are decidedly looking to the future as they reflect on their prolific and trailblazing legacy.
They talk about shaping the “virtual” world of <Dall> and becoming like the celestial beings that dwell in it – an allegory to their bond with their fans, OURII (or once upon a time, Orbit).
The quintet also speaks about being more involved and hands-on in their own songcraft, especially now as artists far more equipped and self-assured than when they had started.
“It’s great to build on our career, but I think it’s more meaningful to be involved in making the songs we sing,” said Kim Lip. “So, we build on our career, and if we stand onstage with songs, lyrics, and concepts we made ourselves, I think OURII will like it more.”
This also puts them in a position where even as they are reunited with their former collaborators aside from Jaden Jeong – producers like MonoTree (LOONA title tracks ‘Hi High’ and ‘Butterfly’, JinSoul’s and HeeJin’s predebut solo singles, as well as ODD EYE CIRCLE’s debut mini-album Mix & Match, and several more), they also get more to explore musically working with other professionals for the first time: like Vendors and EL CAPITXN (a frequent collaborator of BIGHIT Music acts BTS and TOMORROW X TOGETHER) on their title track ‘Virtual Angel’.
As they go back on the road for their Moonshot world tour kicking off in Seoul (20/7), we catch up with these self-avowed “virtual angels." Watch our interview:
ARTMS Moonshot 2024 World Tour kicks off with a two-day concert in Seoul on 20 July. See the announced tour stops here.
Like what you read? Show our writer some love!
-