For Ella, the key to clearing her head is physical activity. “I love to work out,” she says. “It’s my way of resetting my mind. It’s not just about staying healthy — it helps me clear all the thoughts in my head. I’ll go for a run, and while I’m running, I reset my process. After a few days of chaos, it’s the 30 minutes, or even an hour, I get to myself.”
Narin’s ideal day off is surprisingly spontaneous. “I’d do whatever I feel like in the moment,” she says. “I might start baking like Swim Kim, or just go shopping with my members. It’s all about being flexible and living in the moment.”
However, with the May 12 release of their debut EP, MY EYES OPEN VVIDE, looming, the group has some long days — and even longer nights — ahead. The day after this interview, the group is scheduled for a 14-hour music video shoot. “It’s gonna be an early wake-up, glam, shoot all day, clock out super late,” Gawon says, rattling off the schedule with a wry smile.
“Honestly, what helps the most is when it gets really late, like mid-shoot or near the end, and we’re all so out of it, we get kind of manic and start making jokes about everything,” Ella says. “You don’t even realize it’s 4 a.m. and you’ve been awake for almost a full day.” She laughs, as if she’s right back in the moment. “It helps push us through to the end.”
“Embracing the delusion,” Gawon adds, nodding.
“Exactly,” Ella agrees. “Those are the funnest times — when we’re just so exhausted and everything becomes hilarious for no reason.”
In those moments, Ella draws strength from advice she’s received from Teddy Park, who knows the importance of pushing through for perfection. “Before every shoot, he’d message our group chat, saying, ‘Don’t stop filming until you’re satisfied with the outcome.’ He knows we all have high standards for ourselves and wants us to be happy with our work.”
“Having a personal aspect, especially in this job, is important because you can get caught up with a lot of people telling you what to do,” she adds. “That can make you feel like, ‘But I want to do this with my outfit, or I want to sing this part.’ Having our creative touch and our voice so well heard makes us want to do well as a group.”
As MEOVV continues to grow, they’re still figuring out what exactly defines them. “It’s hard to define us right now,” Ella admits. After all, the group hasn’t even celebrated its first anniversary. “We’re just exploring, and this concept is really fun and fresh,” she continues. Gawon picks up the thread, searching for something more. “We want to visit more countries and connect with fans everywhere.” Ella adds, “A dream goal for each of us is to perform in our hometowns.” Gawon then jokes, “The best people are from New Jersey,” spoken with the conviction of a true Jersey girl.
