HEART OF WOMAN’s Active Legacy-Making

The group talks about merging the past, present, and future in their sound and style.

Photo courtesy of BLUEBROWN RECORDS

Please introduce yourselves and talk about the special charms or talents each of you bring to the group! 
Jihyun: Hi, I'm Jihyun, the leader and main dancer of HEART OF WOMAN. I like staying at the center of our performances and making sure our energy and mood come across clearly on stage. All five of us have really distinct charms, and I think that's exactly why we create such strong synergy when we're together. 
Chaei: Hi, I'm Chaei. More than anything, I love connecting with our fans through music and performances. The moment I step on the stage is when I feel most like myself and most alive. I pay attention to every little detail when preparing for a stage, and I think that sincerity adds richness to our team's color. I bring confident energy and an intense mood, but offstage, I like to meet fans with a bright side of me. 
Ayne: Hello, I'm Ayne, the main vocalist of HEART OF WOMAN. I trained in classical vocal music for a long time, which gave me a solid foundation and a deep understanding of how to interpret a song. That's why I try to bring out a different tone and rich expression in every part, so each track shows a different side of me. Offstage, I have a rookie-like innocence and a quirky, playful streak — catching people off-guard and making them laugh is kind of my specialty! I want to keep being the main vocalist you can trust onstage and the member who brings bright energy and fun offstage. 
Liri: Hi, I'm Liri. Onstage, I love showing energetic movements and a range of expressions while staying fully locked in to the performance, and I put my heart into singing, dancing, and rapping all the same. I pay attention to small details only I would notice, so I talk things through with the members a lot to raise our overall level. Offstage, I'm usually the one lifting the mood, and I think that positive energy is good for the team! 
Liuyin: Hi, I'm Liuyin. I'm the lead rapper and sub-vocalist. I was born and raised in Italy, so I bring a different kind of charm to HEART OF WOMAN through my Italian rap. I also speak six languages, so I feel like I help connect the members with fans and staff from all over the world. 

How would you introduce yourselves to people who haven't listened to your music yet? 
We'd like to introduce ourselves through the meaning behind our name. Instead of simply following a set path, it captures the idea of constantly asking ourselves “HOW” we want to move forward and find our own way. HEART OF WOMAN's music doesn't follow a fixed answer; we're always creating our own new musical flow.

Photo courtesy of BLUEBROWN RECORDS

Do you have a fandom name yet? 
We don't have an official fandom name yet, but we're planning to create one together with our fans soon! 

Can you talk about the meaning behind your debut album’s title and cover art? 
Our album title, Heart Byte : LEGACY, carries the idea of carrying forward the stages and music we've always admired and now writing our own new legacy. The clock artwork on the cover represents being connected through our music and moving towards a new time. If you look closely at the artwork, you'll find hidden numbers and time references that symbolize HEART OF WOMAN. We hope you'll explore our album and story to find them! 

Why was “Lost in Proof” chosen as your first focus track? And why does the album use the title “Lost in Proof” while the music video is titled “How Not to Lose Myself (Lost in Proof)”? 
Better than any other track, “Lost in Proof” captures the message of moving forward without losing yourself, even when you're shaken, and it reflects our own story, so we hoped it could bring comfort to people who feel the same way. “Lost in Proof” represents the moment we felt lost and shaken, while “How Not to Lose Myself” speaks to the ways we still hold on to who we are. 

Did debuting with a full album help develop the characters and overall musical world of HEART OF WOMAN? In other words, did debuting with a full album help you settle into your concept more than a single or a mini-album would have? 
Yes, it meant a great deal to us. Putting together 13 tracks for a full album let us express the many different emotions and stories we have through a range of genres and moods. 

Should the music videos and songs be seen as connected, as telling the same story? 
You can see them as connected through the same theme. In “Lost in Proof,” we find our own direction without losing ourselves in surreal spaces, like a mine and an underground bunker. In “($.$),” a scrapyard transforms into a massive jungle — our own “Dream Land.” Both stories move from a collapsed world towards something that's truly ours. “Skit.exe” is about a signal we send out by putting up “H.O.W” posters around the city and how that signal spreads. So it's all connected under one bigger theme: finding our own world within a world that keeps shaking. 

Will the hidden meanings in your videos stay open to interpretation, or do you plan to reveal them eventually? 
Both! We want to reveal some parts gradually as we continue promoting, while leaving other parts open for fans to interpret and enjoy freely. We'd rather unfold it slowly together than show everything all at once. 

Can you share any behind-the-scenes stories or “TMI” moments from making the album or music videos? 
Liri: I had different nail tips for each song and outfit, but they kept flying off my fingers during filming. After almost every cut, I'd end up searching for them in the strangest places, like the floor or even between my belt [loops]. It was tiring, but looking back, it feels like a funny scavenger hunt memory. 
Ayne: We filmed the title track's music video late at night in a mine, and the atmosphere on set was so grand and striking. It reminded us of a movie set. Standing in that space really felt like stepping into another world, and I remember being amazed the whole time we were filming. 

Do you plan to keep releasing full albums, or will you also release singles and mini-albums going forward? 
We're planning to explore different formats going forward, like singles or mini-albums. We'll take our time and figure out the best way to tell the stories we want to share. 

You've mentioned Wheesung as a source of inspiration. What other artists who were popular in the early 2000s inspired your sound? 
Rather than pointing to [other] specific artists, we drew a lot from the sensibility of Korean R&B's golden era. Instead of simply bringing back the nostalgia of that time, we wanted to reinterpret it in our own way and give it a more polished, modern sound. The way the album is structured — following one continuous story from start to finish — came from that same idea. 

Beyond the music, how has Y2K culture influenced HEART OF WOMAN's style and visuals? 
We didn't set out to chase a specific style or visual concept. Instead, we tried to naturally weave the mood of that era, along with a genuine sense of musical authenticity, into the album's message, composition, artwork, and content. 

Photo courtesy of BLUEBROWN RECORDS

What are HEART OF WOMAN's short-term and long-term goals? 
In the short term, we naturally want to introduce ourselves through our first full album. Our title track, “Lost in Proof,” has a distinctly Korean feel, and we thought that could show our beginning in an original way. In the long run, our goal is to stay true to our own style while growing closer to fans around the world. 

Lastly, is there anything else you'd like to say about yourselves or your music? 
We want to be a team that brings passion and great energy onstage and comfort, courage, and happiness through our music. We believe music can turn even an ordinary moment into something as special as a scene from a movie, so we hope our music can make someone's day a little warmer. Going forward, we want to keep challenging ourselves with new genres and new sides of us, without fear. And beyond growing as a group, we want to show that each of us is growing as an individual. Thank you always for your support. We hope to stay together with you for a long time.

Check out HEART OF WOMAN’s debut album here!

View the Substack version of this piece here!

Answers have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.