IVE Switch
- Jovi Giraffe
- Nov 12, 2025
- 27 min read
Updated: Dec 23, 2025
IVE Switch consists of 6 tracks with 2 title tracks ‘해야 (HEYA)’ and ‘Accendio’. The songs are Heya, Accendio, Blue Heart, Ice Queen, WOW and RESET.
Trailer
Heya
DIVEs are first introduced in Heya's trailer. A few noticeable scenes from the MV can be seen in the trailer (eg: dancing sequence, members turning to the camera in between pre-chorus & chorus, foot stepping on a flower shape, and the members circulating around Liz, who is twirling around with a moving umbrella). All the scenes seem to be showing through the scroll, which rolls the entire time.
Accendio
Many scenes are from the MV, while the background track of the song is used, followed by the pre-chorus. The ending scene looks like a massive pile of dead soldiers from a fantasy (not in the MV). Then we see the set without the members before showing Wonyoung gesturing to come towards her (a scene in the MV too). The font used for the title is serif, heavily used in fantasy books and movies.
Album motion preview
After the trailers, we get two motion previews of the albums.
1st preview
The motion preview is really interesting. The objects look like clear bricks and make use of the album's aesthetics. The sounds used seem to display crystals & glass cracking. The clinging sound used at the end of the MV is also used in the teasers.
2nd preview
The object changed from black and white clay to metal coloured. The background music seems to be from Accendio with the added remix. The key looks like the wand that was used throughout Accendio MV, which is the main item used in the video & storyline.
From a YouTube commenter: “It looks like a Disney Story Album!”
Highlight Medley
In every IVE album, DIVE gets a special treat of the highlight medley before hearing the full songs. The medley plays the highlights of each song while we get mesmerised by the members' visuals of the photoshoots.
They showed all the songs in the EP, highlighting Heya & Accendio as the album’s title track, before revealing each member’s photoshoots. They look gorgeous!! In each song, they also highlight the people who wrote the Korean lyrics, the composers & the arrangers as credit to them.
Heya: All are wearing uniquely designed, elegant outfits along with concept aesthetics. Their makeup used a lot of the graphics & butterflies that are heavily used in the MVs too. (0.10-0.31)
Accendio: They’re wearing their villain persona outfits & colours! They all also have their unique platform designs! (0.32-0.52)
Blue Heart: All are wearing Reddish-brown wigs, wing ears, white blouses, black skirts and pink heels. Their belt has the symbol of a blue crystal with yellow curves around it. They also use these photos for their Spotify page for a period of time. (0.53-1.15).
Ice Queen: Outfits have a modern yet fantasy twist to them. They mainly wore these outfits in the album pictures and are seen in the Heya MV. Cloud graphics are taken from the MV. (1.16-1.36)
WOW: All are wearing a white shirt with a red dress. They look innocent in a fantasy environment. The set uses flowers made using pipe cleaners. So cutee!!! There are some behind-the-scenes videos they use of the WOW photoshoots. (1.37-2.02)
Reset: More behind-the-scenes videos of the WOW photoshoot. (2.03-2.26)
Discuss fan reactions and how they set the tone.
Many of the commenters are excited about the comeback, especially with the usual elegance and classiness added with IVE’s signature twist & style. Even though their album genres are different from each comeback, they still keep the elegance and style they have in their songs. Moreover, some are happy that they don’t follow the trends of music and still have IVE’s style.
My opinion
This is the first time I took notice of the styling outfits for each song & album concept. I didn’t realise how each member shone despite wearing similar outfits. Each of them has their own unique outfit prop, and yet they all look consistent together (eg: In the WOW photoshoot, Rei’s bow tie and Leeseo’s red rose stood out and yet I still take notice of every single member). In the other photoshoots, the members' outfits are all different, and yet somehow they all complement each other. Watching the highlight medley, they look so professional in their photoshoots that I forgot that four of them only debuted 3 years ago. I actually didn’t know about their red and white outfits until writing this blog, and now I love them so much! They look so cute!!
Heya
Music Video (MV)
Thoughts:
I really love this MV. The aesthetics and styling of the MV catch my attention and fit my style & vibe. I watched Jordan Orme’s reaction before intensely watching the MV so I could pick out all the cuts & hidden details of it. This song grew on me as I used to not really like the repetitive ‘Heya’ words in the chorus, but now I love it so much! This song is also one of my bigger flexes when I sing at Karaoke because I can reach Liz’s high note in the chorus. :)
The outfits were really interesting. I am aware of the traditional inspiration used throughout the video, and their modern outfits greatly contrast with the setting. Also, the drawings are so good!!
Lastly, every single member looks gorgeous and I’m falling over for all of them. They each also have their own unique visual and dancing shots!
Jordan Orme's reaction
The lyrics are mostly in Korean with a few English words here and there. English words mostly appeared in the intro, verse 1, post-chorus and bridge, with a few in the chorus. The word ‘Heya’ means ‘Hey sun’ in Korean, 해야 (Haeya).
Intro:
‘Should I break this icy heart?’ (얼어붙은 맘 어디 깨볼까?) —> Literal intention is to break the sun from the cold or break the cold nature
Verse 1:
‘Approaching while in disguise’ (날 감춘 채로 다가가) —> Approaching the sun as humans in disguise
‘Mesmerising you with crimson words’ (새빨간 말로 홀려 놔) —> To enchant the sun’s love
‘Claw the moment you let your guard down’ (방심한 순간 claw) —> And want them sexually once the sun is not aware of its senses
Chorus:
‘The moment you're enchanted, I'll bite’ (별안간 홀린 그 순간, bite) —> They want the sun as a whole instantly
‘In a snap, I'll swiftly-swiftly catch ya’ (단 한 번에 난 널 휘리휘리 catch ya) —> They are quick in their movements
Verse 2:
‘Give me your heart right now, I won't bite’ (네 맘 나 주면 안 잡아먹지 right now) —> To trick/pretend their intentions
Bridge:
‘Even if you hide, you're still in the palm of my hand’ (숨어도 넌 내 손바닥 안이니) —> They are confident they can capture the sun no matter how much the sun tries to hide.
Heya Storytelling
Heya is a reimagined Korean folktale on ‘The Tiger Who Loved the Sun’ inspired by the traditional tale ‘The Tiger Who Loved a Human.’ The styling and aesthetics are inspired by hanbok, traditional Korean dress, as well as other traditional accessories, including norigae (pendant), fans, pipes and scrolls. The set design heavily used traditional Korean paintings, including tiger appearances and jwilbulnori (a traditional game played during the first full moon of the Lunar New Year). Group dance performances also resemble ganggangsullae (ancient dance by Women), through circling and dancing together.
In the MV, it looks like IVE members are six tigers who fall in love with the sun. They want to eat the sun and disguise themselves as humans to approach the ‘victim’ or the sun. We first see them in a case held by the sun that is trapped in cold, so all six tigers have been living in a cold world. By luring the sun, they can thaw the ice with their claws and live in a warmer environment. At the end of the video, their plan is successful, as evident where the sun shines brightly when the case closes. In one part, Rei manages to capture the sun, and as Leeseo starts reaching for it, the ice in the sun breaks. Surprisingly, Leeseo melts from the sun because all of them are already made of ice themselves. They melt into a puddle of water, and the water jumps back up to create their human form (scene: Wonyoung melts into water, and Gaeul reaches to capture the sun for all of them).
My thoughts: The concept is really nice, and I love the take on blending modern and traditional styles. I’m very glad that they retell the story as tigers who loved the sun instead of tigers who loved a human to create their own version of the story while targeting their audience. Their fanbase mainly comprises a much younger audience, and I feel that having the story revolving around loving the sun is better suited for them to prevent any misconception if the story were to be about loving a human.
Vocals & Instrumentation
Vocals
There are several moments in the songs that I love so much just from their vocals! :D
Intro:
The intro is a bop: Yujin starts with ‘Let’s get it/Look at it/Pay attention’ followed by Rei’s super cool rap!
Verse:
‘Da-da, da-dun-dun’ at the beginning is a nice blend between Rei’s charismatic rap and Liz’s graceful starting verse. After Liz’s verse, Leeseo’s rap comes in.
I love Leeseo’s rap after Liz’s verse. It’s so crisp and very her style!
Pre-chorus:
How does Wonyoung looks so pretty in her part ‘우린 더 높이 / 하늘에 닿을 것처럼 외쳐, 너를 깨워 / 올려봐, 노려봐, 넌 내 거니까 다’. Also, her last few words ‘거니까 다’ are so high but sung in a way that it’s nice to listen to. It also contrasts with Gaeul’s line ‘자꾸 널 보면 탐이 탐이 나’, which is interesting.
Chorus:
Yujin’s so charismatic in the 1st chorus ‘해야, 해야, 해야 / 한입에 널 삼킬 때야 (탐이 탐이 나)’, I could keep watching her part over and over again. :D
Liz’s voice in here ‘별안간 홀린 그 순간, bite’, especially in ‘bite’!
Post-chorus:
Gaeul’s so cool in the post-chorus ‘더 높이 / Keep it up (Uh-huh) / Happily / Ever after? Nope’
‘Da-da, da-dun-dun’ at the end by Wonyoung is a sweet reminder of the beginning phrase.
Verse:
Along with Yujin’s iconic move, the words she sings, ‘right now’ and ‘watch out’ are very interesting. She added this vibrato to flow with her dance, which makes it even more compelling to listen to and watch! ‘네 맘 나 주면 안 잡아먹지 right now / 내 발톱 아래 뭘 숨겼을지, watch out’
Bridge:
Leeseo is finally singing here! I love her singing voice in this verse ‘더 붉게, 더 밝게 / 타올라, 뜨거워도 좋으니’, it’s an interesting contrast to the previous chorus and post-chorus that had a faster instrumentation and build up.
Definitely love the end of the bridge when Wonyoung says, ‘Listen when I say-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay’ and Yujin’s ‘Yeah’. Yujin smoothly goes really high, and it’s somehow pleasing to the ears. Moreover, it fits the rising build-up to the last chorus. I was very surprised she could sing that high, and I always get super excited for this part every time I listen to the song.
Instrumentation
The instrumental parts in the song are so cool!
Intro:
In the MV, we start with the ice-cracking sound to signify that the sun is cold.
The ‘Ah’ in between every part of Yujin’s and Rei’s intro verse is really interesting, and it gets you excited for what’s about to come. It also becomes the main background sound as a rest beat when the members sing. You have to listen closely, but in Rei’s verse, you can hear them singing ‘해야, 해야, 해야 / 한입에 널 삼킬 때야 / 해야, 해야, 해야’.
In the background, a man is saying, ‘Hey, I remember’ right after Rei’s rap.
Verse:
The clinging sound between Liz’s ‘Da-da, da-dun-dun’ and her verse is really subtle, but a nice touch to start her verse.
Chorus:
The instrumentation of ‘Da-da, da-dun-dun’ is played in some parts, including interludes in between pre-chorus & chorus. In that part, we can also hear two puffing sounds right before the chorus.
Post-chorus:
In Gaeul’s post-chorus, we can hear more puff sounds, including a male puffing version. The puff sounds could represent the pipes that we see Yujin holding at the start. (The puffing sound could not be heard in this video, but can be heard in the MV.)
Verse:
We can hear clinging sounds in some parts of Leeseo’s rap.
Right before the rap (Rei throws the pendant), the instrumentation builds up.
Bridge:
In the first part of the bridge, the instrumentation is simpler. At the end of the bridge, for the build-up, there is no instrumentation, and only their voice is making the build-up.
Chorus:
In the final chorus, the drums are the most noticeable.
At the end, we hear the clinging sounds.
Behind-the-Scenes: MV (no recording behind the scenes video)
They filmed for three days. As they have three different outfits and makeup to wear, each day has its own specific costumes, and they filmed the scenes that required them to wear them. This also makes it much easier for the costume, hair and makeup artists.
Dance Practice
Thoughts:
I’m not trained in dancing, so I could only pick out the areas that I liked or noticed. Overall, I love the dance! It has elements of elegance as well as popping movements that match the lyrics. Some of my favourite parts of the dance include tapping each other before going to their formation for the chorus, Yujin's dribble and Leeseo's footwork in her second verse. They are also really synchronised which can be heard in their footwork.
Music Shows & Performances
KBS World TV / Music Bank (lyrics)
Thoughts:
I really love the intro card that shows the album's concept, colours & aesthetics. The set is so good!! The camera shakes at parts that really shine the whole performance. This video can also really tell how much experience they had compared to their past videos. Their interaction with the camera is really on point and charismatic.
Ending fairies here: Liz, Yujin & Wonyoung.
Thumbnail: Wonyoung
MBCKpop / Music Core
Thoughts:
This is one of the first times that I have seen them with costumes and hairstyles that have traditional elements in them! Also, the set background is in traditional Korean aesthetics and culture. (0.11)
Thumbnail: Wonyoung
Ending fairies: Everyone!! Thank you, Music Core, for showing everyone! 🥲
Inkigayo
Thoughts
The set! My goodness (0.00-0.05)
This is the loudest I could hear their voices in a music show video :D
Ending Fairies: Yujin, Wonyoung, Leeseo
Thumbnail: Wonyoung
M Countdown
Thoughts:
THE SET DESIGN!! My goodness! (0.13-0.15)
Thumbnail: Wonyoung & Yujin
Ending fairies: Yujin, Gaeul, Wonyoung
MAMA Awards
Thoughts:
I love the SET DESIGNS and their costumes!! The floor's visual effects are also really cool. The members' outfits, makeup and hairstyles are gorgeous! And Lee Youngji being the biggest DIVE at the end! :)
The only thing I was disappointed about was that I could not hear Yujin sing her ending bridge part (where her voice goes really high right before the last chorus), as that is one of my favourite parts.
Ending fairies: Yujin, Rei & Wonyoung
Thumbnail: Liz
Accendio
ACCENDIO MV
My thoughts:
Before loving Heya, I was in love with Accendio. I love the chorus ‘watch me, don’t touch me / love me don’t hurt / watch me, don’t touch me’ as more speaking than singing lines and then the next line is a very angelic singing ‘…accendio’. It’s nice, contrasting lines and is really pleasant to listen to. The MV itself is more storytelling than cut scenes and the usual MVs, so it was a very different watch for me, and I love it! The storyline is kinda confusing, but I think it’s about good vs evil. There aren’t many cut scenes and symbolism compared to Heya, and it's more on the analysis of the story. The main question that I have about the story is why did Gaeul steal the wand and how she found out about it. Also, how did the wand end up at a beach?
Jordan Orme’s reaction
The lyrics have more English words than Heya, with the majority appearing at the chorus.
Verse:
Rei’s rap ‘Dear priest / I have a confession to make’ (Dear priest / 고백할 게 있어) —> Having a confession to make
Following that, it’s Leeseo’s rap ‘Beautiful but born bad…You just talk too much’ (아름답지만 born bad...You just talk too much) —> Indicating that she admits she’s beautiful but born bad and admits that she talks too much.
In Wonyoung’s & Liz’s verse ‘Oh, beautiful but chilling / First impressions, the stronger the better / Oh, affectionate but cold as ice / Gonna make you crazy’ (Oh, 아름답지만 섬찟할 거야 / 첫인상은 강한 게 좋지 / Oh, 다정하지만 얼음장 같아 / Gonna make you crazy) —> The witch embraces her magic and decides to own her sins along with even in into her desires.
Pre-chorus:
‘Ooh, when your calm heart sees me / Yeah, I like that, it might stop’ (Ooh, 평온했던 심장이 / 나를 볼 때, yeah, I like that, 멎을지 몰라) —> Indicates that when the witch sees someone with a calm heart, she decides to put a spell on them to keep them in their control.
Chorus:
Their spell of choice is Accendio, which is mentioned in the chorus ‘Cast a spell, accendio’.
Verse:
In the next verse, Yujin sings ‘Pupils dyed with colours never seen before’ (처음 보는 색채로 물든 동공) —> Could mean that the transformation of the person makes their physical appearance change. The transformation can also be seen in the girls transforming into their princess outfits.
In Rei’s 2nd verse rap ‘Let them B-U-R-N, yeah’ —> They refer to the spell as literal burn. But the actual Latin term refers to a more metaphorical burn.
In Rei’s and Leeseo’s 2nd verse rap ‘A maze filled with a scent / Pushing you into the smoke / Six drops of magic syrup / And we pop into the mirror / Pearls all over my body / Swirl two fingers / Show you a sweet curse / Let them B-U-R-N, yeah’ (향기 가득 채워 둔 미로 / 연기 속으로 널 밀어 / 여섯 방울 magic syrup / And we pop into the mirror / 온몸에 붙어있는 pearl / 두 손가락으로 swirl / 보여줘 달콤한 curse / Let them B-U-R-N, yeah) —> The rap about the recipe of the magic.
ACCENDIO storytelling
Accendio means: to ignite, kindle and set fire (from Latin).
The story is about witches who have a strong temptation to be with someone they love through casting a spell. They choose the spell Accendio to make the person that they want under their control. In IVE's case, they want to turn someone's calm heart into a burning heart. The victims of their spell cannot free themselves once they fall in love with them. We can also interpret this as IVE is in control of DIVE once the latter falls in love with them.
In the MV, the spell has a time limit to defeat the evil version of themselves. At the start, Gaeul looks scared to enter the pool while the others are having a breath-holding contest. After Gaeul goes missing, the girls start to worry, and Liz calls Gaeul 13 times. The number ‘13’ could foreshadow the story's witchy nature. When Rei touches the wand, they go through a transformation. The receipt tells them to protect the wand by 12am so that they can keep their magical powers. After defeating evil IVE, they check for the wand but discover that it’s missing as they are 2 minutes late. They look quite annoyed as their magic disappears, and the wand is not there anymore.
Vocals & instrumentation
Vocals
Their vocals are so nice in this song!
Verse:
Rei’s rapping with strong enunciations and style brilliantly starts the song. Followed by Leeseo’s rap, which has that style as well, but it’s like Leeseo’s version.
Wonyoung’s and Liz’s beautiful voices brilliantly contrast the raps in the 2nd part of the verse.
Pre-chorus:
Then, Yujin’s strong vocals start at the pre-chorus, which nicely creates the change from Liz’s lovely voice to Yujin’s charismatic voice.
“Now, I'm changing, can't you see?” —> Beautiful singing tone that builds up along with the instrumentation build up. Also, I just realised that it’s Leeseo’s voice!
Chorus:
“Watch me, don't touch me / Love me, don't hurt me / Watch me, don't touch me” —> Love this part as the chorus. It’s also really similar to Heya’s chorus in terms of its punchiness. But the next line, ‘주문 걸어, Accendio’, is really sweet-sounding and brilliantly contrasts the other lines.
The ‘Ah’ parts are also really nice, especially on the super loud instrumentation.
Verse:
“Oh, 절벽에서 turn / 처음 보는 색채로 물든 동공” —> Yujin part here is so smooth and really nice to listen to after the chorus.
Instrumentation
The instrumentation here, as compared to Heya, is less complicated but still perfectly fits with the songs.
Verse:
The intro has a very interesting yet melodious sound.
Chorus:
The drum right before ‘Watch’ at “Watch me, don't touch me” is so satisfying and catches your attention to continue listening to the song.
Verse:
The drum sound on the same beat as Yujin’s ‘Oh’ in her 2nd verse is so satisfying!
I love the silent instrumentation right when Leeseo says ‘pop’ in her line, ‘And we pop into the mirror’. And then Rei’s part has just the drum at ‘B-U-R-N’ on ‘Let them B-U-R-N, yeah’ is so cool!!
Bridge:
The instrumentation in the breakdance part is so good!! We can also hear Wonyoung’s singing ‘’손끝으로 Accendio’ in a sweet, soft tone. (Wonyoung's soft voice cannot be heard in this video but can be heard in the MV)
ACCENDIO behind the scenes (no recording video)
After starting filming in their princess outfits, they changed into their villain outfits all the way to the end of the shoot for that day. The princess shots are very inspired by the anime they watched, especially Sailor Moon. They also wore their angel outfits for the dance and fight scenes.
The next day, they filmed their swimming pool shots. And then they end the day filming in their red hair outfits in the house.
On the 3rd day, Gaeul starts the day with her bike scenes. Then, they continue filming the scenes where Gaeul steals the wand from the villains. Then they continue filming the house scenes, wrapping their MV in their princess outfits.
ACCENDIO dance practice
Thoughts:
The starting movement of the dance is already so good! The members look up while their left arm swings behind like a beautiful statue. Even though they are doing the same move, they each have their own style. Gaeul’s dance move caught my attention the most. It’s really precise and clean. Rei's 'B-U-R-N' Dance moves look so cool, and I'm really surprised that it's not mentioned a lot. The members behind Rei do a dance move at different times (eg: some do it a ‘U’, some do it an ‘N’). It’s really subtle and smooth. I am also forever in love with Accendio's breakdance. Yujin's charisma is everything!
I watched 1, 2, 3 IVE, and I can really see Rei's improved confidence in her dancing. Her confidence really elevates her dance moves, and I want to see more Rei dancing! :)
I feel like people tend to view ‘good at dancing’ as fast-paced movements or lots of energy dancing, rather than those softer and elegant ones. To be fair, I used to be such a person too. My favourite type of exercise is actually K-pop dancing, and I thought IVE’s dancing was really easy. But honestly, they are actually really difficult. Their dance moves are really clean and precise, and it looks messy if they are out of place. Also, all the members are really good dancers! Yujin’s charisma is unbeatable. Gaeul’s dancing is clean, precise, and so good! Leeseo’s dances forever surprise me. All six of them are so good at dancing, and it can be quite easy to miss out because of their visuals.
Overall, I love this dance, and it really suits IVE’s concept so well. IVE is also really good at incorporating their hair into dances. Since most of them have long hair, they managed to use their hair flips as part of the dancing.
ACCENDIO music shows & performances
M Countdown
Their evil outfits and makeups look so good!! Rei looks so sassy! 🤭 Leeseo’s facial expressions are so on point!
Ending fairies: Liz & Wonyoung
Thumbnail: Rei
Inkigayo
I love their angel outfits! I also noticed that the dances are a lot more elegant and smooth compared to the strong style they go for in their evil outfits. Another reason could be they are tired lol. According to a commenter, it’s their last stage for this song. Four of them went with pigtails! Liz looks so cute! And Gaeul slayed her pigtails!
Ending fairies: Wonyoung & Leeseo
Thumbnail: Wonyoung
Music Bank
They look so cutee!! They also have these pink accessories in their hand, and they brilliantly complement their outfits!
Ending fairies: Leeseo & Wonyoung
Thumbnail: Wonyoung
MusicCore
Ooh, their outfits are so interestingly purple here! I love Rei’s hair!!
Ending fairies: All of them!! YAY!
Thumbnail: Leeseo & Yujin
MAMA Awards 2024
Thoughts:
Wah, I love Yujin’s bow!! The leader is here commanding her presence, and we listen. Love the extended intro! Definitely creates uniqueness and an interesting change from the song we are already familiar with. Also, the instrumentation of this song is different, but it is really cool, like they are literally guardians of the sun. The usage of drums in this version is so cool.
The people in charge of lighting are so good! We need a ‘How to be a DIVE’ guide by Lee Youngji ;D
B-sides
Blue Heart
About:
The song is about making your heart icy blue to avoid getting hurt, rather than soft and warm like a ‘red’ heart. In the entertainment industry context, Wonyoung, who participated in the writing credits for this song, implies having a blue heart to be strong against those who are aggressive towards idols.
Intro:
The intro starts with Wonyoung. Her part is really low, so I thought it was Rei or Leeseo. It’s also really nice that Wonyoung starts the song since she participated in the writing process. It’s like understanding her perspective as an idol.
‘사뿐히 즈려밟지’ (Softly crush it underfoot) —> Right after Wonyoung’s first three lines, she indicates that she’s gonna crush all those hateful comments without others knowing or creating a big scene.
Verse:
'말들 속에 숨겨진 / 진짜 뜻을 맞춰볼까' (Hidden within words / Shall we guess the real meaning?) —> Yujin’s verse is really powerful. It can be interpreted as sarcastically telling those hurtful people what their actual emotions are. A lot of times, haters are jealous and hurtful comments are a way for them to feel better, but it’s not working.
Chorus:
‘Give you that frozen smile with my blue heart / 다시 태어나는 거야’ —> Love how Gaeul sings more punchy for her English part and switches to a more melodic tone for her Korean part. ‘다시 태어나는 거야’ means being born again. So it’s like saying how having a blue heart is like being born again. It could also mean that because of the harshness in the industry, they developed thick skin and won’t crumble under the pressure of the industry or criticisms of netizens.
Verse:
‘볼 일 없지 그 말엔 / 날 함정에 빠트려도 / 그대로지 이대로’ (No need to bother with those words / Even if they trap me / I remain as I am, just like this) —> Means to not be affected by harmful words. This is an indirect reference from Wonyoung’s iconic line, “No problem, I don’t care. You are you, I am me.” from the No Prepare episode 7 video. Wonyoung is a force to be reckoned with. We love her!
Bridge:
'All along, 난 또 다시 일어나, 더 높이 날아 / Better speed it up, 넌, 넌 날 못 잡아 / But you, 너는 아마 픽 넘어질 거야' (All along, I rise again, fly higher / Better speed it up, you, you can't catch me / But you, you might trip over) —> Yujin sings that IVE are going to continue rising and haters cannot catch them. Followed by Liz saying that haters might trip over them, but IVE are still going to rise.
Chorus:
‘Poppin' that reddish one then blooms blue heart / 파랗게 피어나지’ (Blooming in blue) —> Love the way how Leeseo sings the chorus. It fits her!
Outro:
'들통날 걸 red lie, 못 피할 걸 red line / Don't you, don't you realise?'(You'll get exposed, red lie / You can't escape it, red line / Don't you, don't you realise?) —> Rei’s outro implies that those haters will get exposed for their lies eventually.
And then Gaeul’s line '새빨간 저 말들은 하여간 저 멀리로' (Those bright red words / Will disappear into the distance) —> Those lies and hatred by others are never going to affect IVE and will just disappear. So there’s literally no point hating on IVE, as they are never going to be affected anyway.
Lastly, Wonyoung ends with '다시 태어나는 나야' OR ‘I'm being reborn’. YASSS QUEEN!
Blue Heart Performance
I love their costumes!! Also, the background dancers' costumes look so cool, too! They all look so pretty!
Ending fairies: Uncle cheering with IVE lightstick!! SO cute
Thumbnail: Wonyoung
Ice Queen
About
Parallels with the message of Blue Heart, IVE are ice queens with a blue heart.
Verse:
'다가오지 못하고 망설여 다들 / 해치지 않아 난 (난) / 연습하고 활짝 웃어 보여도 / 어울리지 않나 봐 (나 봐)' (Everyone hesitates and can't come close / I don't harm anyone / Even when I practice and smile brightly / It seems I don't fit in) —> Liz is saying that they feel isolated, misunderstood and hesitant to be approached because of their ‘chilly’ or distant aura. They insist that they don’t harm anyone and want to be friendly. But others continue to view them as different and hard to approach, making them feel like outsiders and not fit in with the crowd.
‘해치지 않아 난 (난)’ —> The ‘난’ in Liz's verse is so sweet and subtle.
'사람들은 말해 있잖아 쟤는/ 서늘해 좀 어딘가 (어딘가)' (People say, you know / She's a bit chilly somewhere) —> Wonyoung is saying that their response as Ice Queens is to not care about others’ opinions. They have a sense of self-confidence, and they embrace uniqueness and reject validation. They embrace themselves even when others misunderstand or misjudge them. Gaeul repeats the lines ‘I don’t care at all’ to emphasise that IVE don’t care what others say about them.
Pre-chorus:
'그때 날 향해 / 걸어오는 너 / 어쭈, 겁 없네? / Who's that, who's that, who's that boy? / (Hold up)' —> (Then you, walking towards me / Oh, aren't you fearless) Then Leeseo & Gaeul say that somebody suddenly comes to them with such confidence that they are surprised by it.
Chorus:
'I, I, I'm in the castle / 절벽 끝에 높고 뾰족한 집 (한 집) / 나의 맘은 dry ice 영하의 온도 / 얼음처럼 섬뜩 차가운 queen, uh' (I-I-I'm in the castle / A high, pointed house at the edge of the cliff / My heart is like dry ice, sub-zero temperature / An ice-cold, eerie queen) —> Here, Yujin are saying that they live in a isolated place from the outside world and their emotional state is dangerous like the edge of a cliff. They feel cold & detached despite feeling powerful.
I love how Yujin starts the chorus when she sings ‘I, I, I'm in the castle / 절벽 끝에 높고 뾰족한 집 (한 집)’. It’s a nice contrast from the softer tone in the pre-chorus.
'I, I, I wanna listen / 궁금해 넌 무슨 말을 할지 / 그 새하얀 입김 사이로 어디 / 한 번 뱉어보겠니' (I-I-I wanna listen / I'm curious what you will say / From between those pure icy breaths / Try to let it out just once) —> Rei & Gaeul are saying that their curiosity makes them seek desire for connection & vulnerability despite their cold exterior.
Gaeul’s line ‘그 새하얀 입김 사이로 어디’ in between Rei’s line is so sweet-sounding! Especially with Rei’s punchy tone.
‘Can you handle it?’ —> Liz then questions if the person can handle their complexity and tough exterior. Also, the ‘Woo-woo’ part in the chorus is the reason for making me fall in love with this song.
Verse:
'나쁘지는 않아 그 넘치는 패기 / 생긴 것도 제법 cute (He's cute) / 한여름의 태양 같은 그 눈빛 / 눈을 뗄 수 없거든 / 너라면 좀 어떨까 (Oh, oh) / 함께해도 좋을까 (Nah-uh) / 상상을 좀 해봤어 (봤어) / You and me 모르지' (It's not bad, that bravado of yours / Looks quite cute (He's cute) / Those eyes like the midsummer sun / I can't take my eyes off / What if it's you, would it be nice to be together / I imagined a bit / You and me, who knows) —> In verse 2, Yujin & Liz are acknowledging that the person is brave and affectionate. They don’t seem to want to stop this connection and even want to go deeper. They are uncertain and yet fantasise about the future together. I didn’t know Yujin & Liz's voices blended so well together!
Bridge:
'Oh, 그래 혹시 혹시 만일 만일 너라면 (너라면) / 이런 내 마음도 녹일 수 있을지도 (을지도) / 까짓 사랑 그따위 / Ooh, 한 번 해볼까 어디 (Oh, yeah) / Ayy, 각오했니 you ready? / Watch it burn / (Hold up)' (Oh, maybe, just maybe if it's you / Could you melt this heart of mine / Such love, such triviality / Shall we try it once / Ay, are you prepared? You ready? / Watch it burn, hold up) —> Liz, Gaeul & Yujin are hopeful that this person can remove their tough exterior and ask if they are prepared for the possible intensity and excitement yet heartache.
Outro:
The 'Ha’ parts right before Wonyoung’s outro line are so sweet-sounding! Have to really pay attention to hear it.
Instrumentation
Ice Queen is actually my most favourite B-side in this album, mainly because of the instrumentation, I love it!
Ice Queen Performance
This dance move is really clever in showing that they are like sitting on a throne. Their crowns are a nice addition to their lovely costumes. They look so beautiful and elegant, like literally Ice Queens!! They be glowing 😍 I also love how they have ballerinas as background dancers. It really fits the concept of ice queens and cold beauty.
Thumbnail: Liz
WOW
Meaning: (My interpretation)
IVE are ice queens who are in love with the person and how they feel about them. They feel that they are different from them, and yet they feel something about the person. This is a love story between the Ice Queens and people who are very different from each other, but have a loving relationship.
Verse:
‘어쩌면 N극 S극같이 / 루틴도 취향도 전부 다른 우리 / 반대가 끌리는 이유란 게 뭔지 / 아직 이해 안 돼 정말 이해 안 돼’ (Maybe like N and S poles / Our routines, tastes, everything are different / I still don't get why opposites attract / Really don’t get it at all, I don't get it all) —> Leeseo is singing how different the person and IVE are. She starts the song so beautifully! I feel warmed! 🤗
'언제나 다정한 너의 배려 사이 / 난 내가 중요한 attitude 까지 / 어떻게 이렇게 다를 수가 있니 / 모든 게 다 반대 완벽하게 반대’ (Between your always kind gestures / I maintain my self-important attitude / How can we be so different / Everything is the opposite, perfectly opposite) —> Wonyoung is reemphasising the differences. I love the way she sings the 3rd line where she emphasises the word ‘게’ in ‘어떻게 이렇게’.
Pre-chorus:
In her line ‘설레는 걸까?’ (Yet it feels thrilling) —> Rei questions how it feels thrilling to be so close when they are so different.
Chorus:
Yujin and Liz then sing in the chorus part about how they feel when they are with that person, and not caring how different they are. Their lyrics ‘두근두근 두근’ and ‘자꾸자꾸 자꾸’ mean heart, and they sang so cute!
Post-chorus:
The post-chorus is so cute lol. The ‘(Oh, wow, wow, wow)’ after Gaeul sings ‘Wow’.
Verse:
The second verse to the post-chorus emphasises the idea of the feelings they are experiencing.
Bridge:
‘시니컬한 난 웃고 / 맘 여린 넌 울고 (Ah) / 우리 서로 반대면 어때? / Never let you go (You go) / I like you’ (I, the cynical one, laugh / You, with a tender heart, cry (Oh) / What does it matter if we are opposites / Never let you go / I like you) —> IVE is admitting that they do not care about being polar opposites and Liz’s line ‘I like you’ confirms that they like this person.
Instrumentation:
The overall mood is pleasantly soothing to listen to and is nicely placed between the strong B-sides (Ice Queen and Reset)
Thoughts:
This is the only song in IVE Switch that I didn’t have an emotional liking to, as compared to the other songs. From the lyrics and the instrumentation, it feels like the normal standard songs about liking someone despite being polar opposites.
RESET
Meaning: (my interpretation)
After IVE hangs out with the person, they realise that the person is not as sweet and understanding as they turn out to be. They seem to find the person different and irritating and they want to go back and reset the time to when they didn’t know this person.
Reset is carefully placed as the last song in the album because we start by finding out IVE are ice queens with a blue heart and they meet this person who seems to be interested in them and IVE fall in love with them in experiencing wow and surprising emotions. However, after discovering the person’s actual personality and attitude, they want to reset to the time when they didn’t meet this person.
Verse:
‘하루 종일 울리는 알림 / 반갑지 않은 상대 / 머릿속은 과부하 상태 / 아뜨, 아뜨 / 다정하던 너는 어디 간 건데? / 이모지 하트 대신 널 / 보내줘야 할 때가 됐네 / 널 drop, 안녕’ (Notifications ring all day long / An unwelcome presence / My mind is overloaded / Ouch, ouch / Where did the sweet version of you go / Instead of emoji hearts / It's time to send you off / Drop you, goodbye) —> In a shocking relevation, Yujin & Gaeul sings that they are hurt by the person and they want to break up.
Pre-chorus:
‘흔적조차 남지 않길' (Hoping not even a trace remains) —> Gaeul emphasise that they don’t want to even have any trace of the person in their phones or even in their memories.
Chorus:
In the chorus, Leeseo, Liz & Wonyoung are emphasising that they are removing any trace of that person, and now they just want to sleep and forget that this person even existed. The words ‘ㅋㅋ’ means lol, and ‘T-T’ means crying emoji, which are in the lyrics sweetly sung by the members.
Verse:
‘있을 때 좀 잘하지? / 떠나려니 붙잡네 / 그게 무슨 심보야 너’ (Why didn't you treat me right when I was around / Now you try to hold on as I leave / What kind of attitude is that) —> (Verse 2) After Rei’s part, Gaeul questions the person’s strange attitude of not treating IVE kindly when together and now they want to treat them kindly when rejected.
The rest of the song reemphasises the emotions they are experiencing now and wanting to reset to the time they didn’t know about the person.
Instrumentation:
The words ‘Oh, I don’t’ spoken by a male voice in a nice syncopated rhythm can be heard at the beginning of the song and in Yujin’s 1st verse.
At the chorus, the instrumentation nicely softens and smoothly blends in with the members’ lovely voices.
Thoughts:
Reset also has a really simple meaning of a shocking revelation about a person they love and want to go back to the time when they didn’t know each other. As someone who has never been in a relationship, love story songs don’t really affect me emotionally. But, I actually like this song for how the members sing in the chorus with the ‘ㅋㅋ’ and the ‘T-T. It’s different from the usual breakup songs, which is probably why I appeal to this song. (I also had no idea what the song is about until finding out about it when writing this blog)
B-sides thoughts:
IVE B-sides always had an interesting mix of songs and melodies in their albums. Some songs appeal to me and others don’t, which I don’t mind. As a violinist who doesn’t really understand Korean, I listen to K-pop songs mainly for the melodies and the idols' way of singing the song. In IVE Switch, Blue Heart and Ice Queen have really nice melodies and instrumentation that fit their concept really well. Wow, and Reset may not appeal to me as much, but they still have IVE in them. IVE has always been slaying their vocals!
Album & packaging:
Every album usually has group photoshoot pictures, followed by individual member photoshoot pictures. The lyrics and credits of each song are cleverly placed between the members’ photoshoot pictures. The album also comes with the CD, a poster of the group and a member's photocard. Some albums also have other interesting accessories such as cologne smell, stickers and postcards.
The album cover cleverly uses graphics and aesthetics that make the words and the colour pop out. The colours are yellow, green, blue, purple and white, which are cleverly blended together to create a majestic colour scheme. The pages are blue blended with purple and are used on every page.
Note:
All images are photographed from my personal copy of IVE’s Switch album. Pictures are only used for commentary and review purposes only.
IVE Switch starts with the group’s photoshoot image, followed by Wonyoung. The lyrics & credits of the title track, Heya, are placed between her pictures.
After Wonyoung, we have Gaeul’s pictures and Accendio’s lyrics & credits.
Next, we have Yujin’s pictures and Blue Heart’s lyrics & credits.
Then, we have Rei’s pictures and Ice Queen’s lyrics & credits.
After Rei, we have Leeseo’s pictures and Wow’s lyrics & credits.
Lastly, we have Liz’s pictures and Reset’s lyrics & credits.
Each member also has a 2-page portrait picture of them with a blue or purple filter used to create a flowy vibe that matches the colour and album’s aesthetics.
The back of the album has the credits of all the people involved in the album. I got a Liz photocard and a heart-shaped bookmark of Liz & her signature!
Violin covers:
Thanks for reading! Comment below what album I should cover next! :)
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