On “ICKY”, KARD Refuse to Be Conventional
DSP Media
On KARD’s new mini-album “ICKY”, the group confronts a subject most K-Pop groups shy away from: Sexuality.
The EP is full of several evocative, eyebrow raising moments that feel almost foreign to K-Pop releases. “Don’t you want a taste? Don’t you wanna put your tongue around it?” Somin asks in the B-side “Cake”, written by BM.
But sometimes, like with BM’s English rap-verse in the title track, the group is just downright blunt: “Its about to get risky/ Hands getting frisky/ Threw it back like a frisbee,” he raps before spitting a line that almost instantly caught social media’s attention: “Got you excited/ Said she wanted more than a tip/ I ain’t talking about guidance.”
Since their debut in 2017, KARD’s existence has challenged the boundaries of K-Pop. They are one of the first mainstream idol groups, aside from OGs like Kyoto, to debut with two men and two women in the group. Being a trailblazer, though, means that by kicking down doors regarding sexuality, KARD has not received the international or domestic acclaim that many groups have. But KARD sees their mixed-gender lineup as a strength.
“What we do as KARD can only be done because it's us, because we are a mixed-gender group," Jiwoo told Yoon So-yeon of Korea JoongAng Daily ahead of ICKY’s release. "Our songs make you feel like you're listening to a man and a woman talking to each other, like they're in a conversation," BM added.
KARD’s discography is built on this conversation between men and women. The members are now in their thirties, and age has freed the members to make complex music about love and sex. In the comeback for their fifth mini-album “Ring the Alarm”, the group paired off with Somin and BM trading verses between Jiwoo and J.Seph about the attraction they feel for one another.
But perhaps where KARD is most boundary-breaking is that the women are allowed to be as sexual and powerful as the men. Take for example, how Jiwoo taunts on “Ring the Alarm” that she can be a “good girl or bad,” then adds, “It [just] depends on how I feel.” In KARD, the women are given their autonomy.
According to the Korea JoongAng interview, the group “toned down” some of Jiwoo and Somin’s most sexual lyrics for “ICKY” in “consideration of Korea’s conservative culture”. But “a changing world is allowing them to talk more freely about sexuality” and the group believes that their mixed-gender concept allows them to push forward with music that can sound subversive or even shocking to the Korean public.
"We believe this is our weapon," Somin said in the same interview. "As a mixed-gender group, we can talk about the love between men and women like no one else. We can make it beautiful and accompany it with great performance, vocals and rap. We believe it's something that listeners of all countries can relate to."
While J.Seph has cautioned that he doesn’t want “ICKY” to sound “too explicit”, BM stated that the group was intentional in writing innuendos that older listeners could enjoy. "There are a lot of innuendos," BM told the Korea Herald. "Many of our listeners are kids. We wanted to make the song fun for them, while making some twists for those who understand the implied meanings (behind the lyrics)."
The group credits BM for pushing them to create more mature music. American audiences might be most familiar with BM, whose work on Dive Studios has increased his international popularity. He was the MC of “Get Real” for two years, appeared frequently on the Daebak Show with Eric Nam, and is currently participating on “HWAITING”, a variety-style game show with other idols. Dive Studios fans will likely know about BM’s “Big Tiddie Gang”, a gang of men in the K-Pop scene who he considers jacked as hell.
And perhaps, BM is breaking the norms of idoldom. He’s never claimed to be perfect and on Dive Studios, he’s honest to a fault about his life and struggles. This authenticity has pushed KARD into being an atypical idol group.
"BM always pulls out the potential of each member and knows how a co-ed team can stand out,” Somin said in the same Korea Herald interview.
The group are eager to earn a music show win this era, a feat that would honor their six years of hard work in K-Pop. But even if that doesn’t happen, the group believes they’re breaking glass ceilings simply by preserving.
"I think the comparatively low popularity we have in Korea drives us to keep working for it. We call it our 'homework' because we have to accomplish it and we believe we're on the way to achieving it," Somin explained. "Eventually, we hope to set the standards as a successful co-ed group."
