K-pop girl group ARTMS. Photos courtesy of MODHAUS

MANILA — The story of K-pop girl group ARTMS is a compelling narrative of resilience in pursuit of musical dreams. 

Originally part of the 12-piece act Loona, which garnered a dedicated fan base through a unique pre-debut project, the members faced a significant setback when a legal dispute with their former company forced a change in direction.

Undeterred, the women—HeeJin, HaSeul, Kim Lip, JinSoul, and Choerry—continued their K-pop journeys. Their paths converged once again when they joined Modhaus (also home to TripleS), the company led by Loona’s former creative director Jaden Jeong.

JinSoul

“We were confident that Jaden [Jeong] knows us best and could help us maintain our unique color while allowing us to grow,” JinSoul said in an interview with ABS-CBN News.

“He worked hard to bring all the members together. We are always grateful that he listens to our opinions and reflects them so well,” she said.

Following a similar trajectory to their Loona days, ARTMS members initially focused on solo and sub-unit activities. This period saw the reunion of the Odd Eye Circle trio and solo releases from HeeJin and HaSeul.

Their long-awaited full group debut arrived in May with the album “Dall.” “Initially, I had a lot of worries and was quite nervous,” Kim Lip admitted.

“But after debuting, I realized the importance of my fellow members and thought about how much I wanted to make good music with them for a long time as ARTMS,” she added.

HaSeul

HaSeul echoed these sentiments: “The feeling and emotions I had when we first stood on stage as ARTMS are unforgettable. It felt like a miracle that the five of us were together and it was like a dream come true.”

Composed of 11 tracks, “Dall” explores the blurring lines between reality and the virtual world, a concept mirroring the complex relationship between K-pop idols and their fans.

“The distinction between reality and the virtual world is becoming less clear, and I feel the same applies to the relationship between fans and idols. There’s an invisible barrier, and to overcome that, we aim to get closer to our fans,” HeeJin said.

More from our interview with ARTMS (with the answers edited for clarity).

Before releasing “Dall,” Kim Lip, JinSoul and Choerry promoted as Odd Eye Circle while HeeJin and HaSeul released solo music. What were those experiences like for you and how does it feel now that all five of you are promoting together again?

HeeJin: Working as a group of five definitely feels more reassuring than my solo activities. The chemistry among the five of us is amazing, and this makes our time together feel very precious and fulfilling.

HaSeul: After a long time since [my solo single in Loona] “Let Me In,” I released a digital single called “Plastic Candy.” It’s a different genre from “Let Me In,” so I was very nervous before showing it to our fans.

JinSoul: Odd Eye Circle was a unit group I kept in my memories, and being able to perform again made me feel so happy. It feels like a dream to restart the music of Odd Eye Circle! And I’m so grateful and fortunate that the five of us can be together as ARTMS. I’m looking forward to our future.

Choerry

Choerry: Unlike the activities with Odd Eye Circle, there was some pressure [in debuting] as a complete group, but I was excited and determined to show a better side of us.

Please introduce the title track “Virtual Angel.”

HaSeul: The title track of this album, “Virtual Angel,” is a song created with Y2K vibes and Eurodance [genre] as its foundation. The music video also has two versions: a “Human Eye” and “Angel” version, so please make sure to watch both.

The music video for “Virtual Angel” has a surreal and psychedelic vibe. Can you give us some insight into the creative process behind it? What were your initial reactions upon seeing it?

Kim Lip: From the beginning of the album production, we had continuous meetings with the music video directors. Since these directors have been working with us for a long time, they understood the direction we wanted to pursue very well. We also trusted the directors, which resulted in a great piece of work. When we first saw the music video, we were all worried, wondering if we could really attempt such a style. But in the end, trusting the directors turned out to be the right choice.

Kim LipThe members have been working with each other for years now. What is something new that you learned about one another while working as ARTMS?

Choerry: First of all, our teamwork was excellent, and we realized once again how beautiful and charming each member’s voice is. It also felt like we were gradually starting to resemble each other’s good qualities.

What can fans expect from the ARTMS members in the coming months? Will there be solo and sub-unit releases or will you focus on promoting ARTMS as a five-member group for now?

HeeJin: While we always keep our options open regarding possibilities, I think we will focus on promoting as a five-member group under ARTMS for the time being.

Heejin

What do you hope to achieve as ARTMS?

HaSeul: Personally, as ARTMS, my goals are to achieve first place on music shows and chart on Billboard. With our debut album, we reached a career high and topped the Billboard New Artist chart. Therefore, our ultimate goal is to make it to the higher ranks of the main Billboard chart.

Please send a message to your Filipino fans.

Kim Lip: To OURII (fans) in the Philippines! We will come to see you as soon as possible, so please wait a little longer. Thank you so much for always supporting and cheering for us from afar. We really want to go on a Southeast Asia tour and meet OURII in the Philippines as well! We love you!

For more news and features on K-pop, K-drama, and K-stars, visit the Hallyu Corner microsite.