The Kulture Study: (G)I-DLE 'Nxde' MV REACTION & REVIEW 

Soyeon references Lorelei in the lyrics. Lorelei was the name of Marilyn’s character in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Essentially she’s a beautiful woman who pursues wealthy men to secure her own future (keep in mind this was from an era where women couldn’t hold their own bank accounts), but is shown throughout the movie to possess a great amount of intelligence and cunning. Towards the end one of the men throws the line “They told me you were stupid. You don’t seem very dumb to me.” In which she replies “I can be smart when I want to, but men don’t seem to like that very much.” A perfect character to encompass the theme of this comeback.

Every single comeback they manage to do something new and unique yet throughout all their songs you can still hear their distinct sound. I have no idea how Soyeon does it, but she is nothing short of a genius. This comeback is incredible and especially happy for Shuhua who gets to shine a lot on this one!

Shuhua’s “How do I look” gives me such severe goosebumps I legit passed out❤

I believe the whole luxury nude thing was Soyeon trying to say that people like to place “virginity” or “femininity” on a pedestal, like how some folks believe idols can’t have boyfriends or must remain “pure” for their fans. People look down on “slutty” women and idols that sell their sex. But, when it comes to art, it’s suddenly a luxurious thing. How many paintings of naked women or women being sexualized and objectified are actually considered “artistic” or “expensive” in our world? And yet when these women are real and breathing, not objects, they’re suddenly trash. So the scene of the luxury nude painting being shredded and applauded at is a jab at people who look down on nudity and yet also place it on a pedestal when it comes to artwork, when really, there should be no difference between the two. People applaud the performance of ripping the luxury nude painting to shreds, yet they cannot applaud a real women selling her performance. This was how I understood the line “luxury nude” and the following scene.

Soyeon talked about how Marilyn was the main inspo for this song, she was always seen as just this sex symbol and often had her value reduced to her appearance when in reality she was also a super intelligent woman who was succesful and often spoke about social issues, the main "slogan" for this cb is "I´d rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I am not" so yeah, they really went after the media and the public with this one kjdskfdsakl The Banksy reference was the cherry on top to me, the rejection of the pure comercialization of art instead of its appreciation, they just rly thought about it all when making this cb I feel like all the members embodied the concept so well, the video is amazing, the lyrics are amazing, their vocals are amazing (as always), and Shuhua especially really got to shine which I love Idle songs always bring great messages and this one is no exception, I also feel that, like you said, their music has become more and more personal and I absolutely love the way they`re evolving as artists, these girls are just amazing

Shuhua is amazing this comeback her voice is so powerful omg

the lyricism of this song is phenomenal and the way its essentially making fun of society. personally i think they title and everything is a way to mock and redirect attention from when people wanna search "idol nude" they'll get this song instead. soyeon's lines in her raps essentially is her saying "oh you thought you were getting something else? nope :)" the song isnt villianizing femininity, its reclaiming it

G-idle is quickly becoming my favorite girl group because of their message and their non-existent fear to challenge the status quo. For them, this isn’t just one era of feminism, it is their entire concept and belief as group and I love that.

I find her line in her rap "did you expect an R rated show? I'm sorry" genius. she knew many people would get excited by the title and the teaser photos and hope for a sexy concept for THEIR pleasure. And she enjoyed throwing it in their faces.

The absolute peak of the MV was Soyeon undressing on stream, and the comments during the live stream are just so on point and topical, I can't get enough of this.

Soyeon is such a pure genius at this point. The song is soooo well-produced.

Nxde is not just a song It's a MOVEMENT! They say change starts with you and Soyeon is initiating a change She is voicing what a hundred female entertainers across the world from time immemorial would have liked to express I just know idle are being blessed by the souls of those numerous women across ages We have a proverb here "only a diamond dealer can accurately know the worth of a diamond, for everyone else it's a stone that shines too much and hurts the eyes" Nxde is that gem

You missed at they end they added a thanks to Marilyn and Bansky for the inspiration. Soyeon stated in her episode of that this album’s concept was “I’d rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I’m not” and referenced Marilyn because she did a lot for the feminist movement and was incredibly smart she read lots of philosophical books (and also Leaves of Grass which was referenced in the music video) but society only remembers her as the iconic dumb hot blonde. Also the character is a reference to Betty Boop. Soyeon is even initiating her voice during the intro and bridge.

You hit the nail on the head with the purpose of the Marilyn Monroe references like Minnie’s “diamonds are a girls best friend” scene and the lyrics to reference it as well. That’s exactly it. She was a smart, lovely woman who was cast as a dumb blonde or perceived as one in-universe in most things she acted in. She was a gorgeous lady, and the objectification she faced was awful. Women and men hated her and treated her like dirt.

They have so much meaning in their songs and nothing they create is “empty”. I appreciate them so damn much. And their talent is astronomical.

soyeon is such a genuis she made such an empowerful message and music and its soo good too

I don't know that I'd agree that (G)I-DLE's music is becoming MORE personal over time - "Uh Oh" was an incredibly personal slapback to all the people who had run Soyeon down during her trainee and pre-debut periods and who were trying to get close to her once she was successful. What I DO agree with is that (G)I-DLE's success has bought them the freedom to BE personal in their music and message in a way that other successful groups usually don't embrace. Coming back more popular than ever after the horrible 2021 that they suffered seems to have freed them even more - the whole theme of this era feels like "You can like it or not, but we're THIS. And we're not going to change for you or anyone." And yes. YEH SHUHUA. Her era at last.

gidle is seriously outstanding, like wow.

I love the fact that this song not only has a empowering message, it also has a very positive impact. Let me elaborate. Since the song title “Nxde” was released, if people search 노드(n*de) or 여자(female) 누드 or 아이들 (idle, meaning children) 누드 the result will show this song and all the information related to this song and the promotion of I love album, instead of explicit leaked video clips. This can really help protecting women and children’s rights.

Shuhua feels so different in this comeback. She keeps on improving every single time.

Releasing tomboy with that very clear feminist message when sk had just elected a misogynist president and anti-feminism was on a high was already gutsy enough but I'm absolutely astonished that they continued this with nxde. Tomboy had such success it would have been easy -and safer- to go down a more common road instead of using their fame and success to communicate an even more powerful message. The references to Marilyn were brilliant; I was frankly worried when I heard that this comeback was going to be inspired by her because so many tend to stop at "very sexy but overly sexualized :(( " when she was also a very bright and intelligent, ambitious woman who had her road blocked multiple times unfairly. Also, I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of tea but I personally really liked the way they sampled Bizet's Habanera. I went to see Carmen multiple times and Habanera is a favourite of mine so it was a pleasant surprise. Idle's concepts are always 10/10.

They killed it. And Soyeon is incredible. She is the only female solo artist thar reminds me of the artistry of G-Dragon. She is a 360 degrees kind of artist. INCREDIBLE.

(g)-idle are artists but not just a kpop girl group. there are a bunch of kpop girl groups delivering female empowerment nowadays (which is good). but this comeback is just at another level!! there are so many references and messages. their meanings are deep and have multiple layers. it is NOT just slogan shouting. good messages always provoke people to think deeper. they did that and that's why they are artists!

The only person who reviewed this song and got the message. Like women and men all went: look how good they all look. The only thing I think that they got from the lyrics was: how do I look? Like literally, I was appalled. And G-Idle proved their point to me twice and it broke me and made me laugh at the same time. So, honestly, thank you for existing. And yes, this song needs more views, recognition and just...attention on it. For the message. Cause yes, they are gorgeous, but their voices, their concept, message, the inspiration...is just something that only G-Idle could put out without getting disbanded day two I think. The only other person would be Hyuna, maybe. But no other group. Like anyone else would get slashed. But thanks to Soyeon's extravagant and perfect persona that has prepared everyone over the years made this possible. I doubt the Korean tv will ever play it, but man, I can only wish. Also, because of this song I've learned that Marylin Monroe actually spoke up about Se-ual harassment, about how females are treated poorly at work, entertainment... and how, in general, they are sexualized and forced to act in a certain way to appeal to the male gaze. And the line: You tricked me, you a liar. Some learned that she was actually a smart woman who used her looks to ...survive. Although the ones who were in control of her career choose her look, the direction of her career and all. And she just did such a good job, she fooled everyone but she was never her persona. And then they kept selling her as a s-x symbol and buried anything else. It just goes to show that's what they wanted her to be and that's all that mattered. And that happens today too of course. Like...I don't think males are an exception, but if they talk about anything that it's 'important' or 'revolutionary' everyone listens. A woman? She's complaining...like 8 out of 10 in the industry. Or more...but in real life? Ha. Try to care about anything besides pleasing the boss or your future/ present husband/ child. Nah. Like it's incredible how brainwashed we are all. I don't think anyone is really 'evil' and wants anyone to be unhappy, but if you're always told you should do this and only this then one day you will start saying the same thing even if you don't 100 percent believe it or realize that nothing is truly forbidden or wrong.

For me an other layer of the song was that yes women don’t want to be objectified and loved only bc of their look and body, but that doesn’t mean that they themself can’t love their body and can’t appreciate their femininity. We were born with this body, we want to love ourself and be sexy and confident without the public objectifying us and thinking immediately about sex. “I’m born nude/ you’ve got a dirty mind/ rude”

Shuhua. That's all I really have to say for this comeback. But in all seriousness, Shuhua obviously absolutely killed this comeback more than any other, and I love how the message of the song, saying to the public they shouldn't decide what G-Idle's members' bodies should look like, is emphasised from the confidence from the members. I love G-Idle.

they said in an interview that the marilyn reference goes deeper, as you said! they were exploring how people overlooked her talents only bc of her looks and the rumors people made about her, and made her something she was not. also how they, as a girl group, can relate to the press painting pictures of them that aren't accurate, and how them and marilyn could've had a lot in common in many aspects.

Shuhua's "How Do I Look" made me so happy, im addicted been a Nevie since Han and I've never been disappointed. They make me so happy

If im not mistaken Lorelie is the name of Marilyn's character in Gentleman Prefer Blondes. That verse seems to be in reference to how everyone equated Marilyn to her characters when she was a well read bookworm.

Soyeon wrote such amazing lyrics. She must've done so much research to come up with this. I mean, Lorelei!! That line is so perfect. Soyeon, just like Marilyn Monroe, is a real bookworm.

i love the way they're saying "baby how do i look", because it sounds like they actually dgaf what the man thinks about them, but they ask him only because they're supposed to. they're expected to care about male gaze and i love how they depict it there

I've been counting down hours since the release for your reaction 🥹

This is just art, Soyeon is a genius

with every comeback she makes, Yuqi just screams she wants to sing hard, strong rock songs

I think Shuhua got so many lines and shined this comeback because this is a topic that's important to her. Shuhua has often said she wants to maintain natural beauty and not change her appearance much for the sake of others and often calls out trolls or people making mean comments. She isn't afraid to be herself.

i understand if some people don't like the song because it's clearly not a mainstream sound, but you can't deny this is a piece of art that deserves all the hype always loving your commentaries form of therapy, love u ❤️

This cb clearly shows that Gidle is definitely not limited to the kpop girl group label but still since they have to work in the industry they have to somehow make these statements "work" in their pieces, and they did it so well in nxde. Also not the catchiest of their songs but it definitely grows on you, I've found myself humming to 'how do I look' multiple times already. Ty for the amazing reaction PD

People are saying that the cartoon character is SOOJIN! Small detail in Leaves of Grass, the book Soyeon was holding. Leaves of Grass is also notable for its discussion of delight in sensual pleasures during a time when such candid displays were considered immoral. The book was highly controversial during its time for its explicit sexual imagery, and Whitman was subject to derision by many contemporary critics. Soyeon's attention to detail is INSANE! G-Idle is my ultimate favorite group. Their concepts and their self produced/written songs just hit way harder for me than other kpop groups. I also found them at a time I was struggling and they just inspire me so much!

I think its so important for Shuhua to have shined so much in this cb because, being the literal visual of the group, the message really shines close to home for her position. Making this statement and standing out so much in it while being whats seen as the "pretty face" of the group is so outstanding.

It's probably been said in the comments but the amazing thing about this sing is not only the lyrics, but also that people in korea who try to look up cp online are going to get results for this song. G-idles korean name is the word for female child/little girl. People who want to look up that word with "nude" attached to it are now gonna get results for G-idle. Feminists in korea are praising soyeon for that as far as I've heard :)

Soyeon’s musical genius amazes me every comeback!! Giving Shuhua the killing part in the chorus is remarkable and IM HERE FOR IT 👏🏾👏🏾 Edit: after checking all the dates of comebacks with idle and all comeback dates that include Soojin, I was mistake and I apologize for the confusion lol

I mean they are beyond The title: IDOL. They are f**king ARTISTS! Giving us MASTERPIECE!

Gidle is THAT girl group, they are no afraid of talking or making song with hots topics specially in korea

The music is not my cup of tea but the message is soooo good! Soyeon is always a genius - in e ve ry aspect. Like I always said. She don't need CUBE. CUBE needs her. (G)I-DLE is on a level of some boy groups who produce their own stuff. Shuhua was in Tomboy absolutely great or actually already in Oh My God.

Shuhua, with adlibs, actually got the second most lines in this song after Soyeon.

I actually had the pleasure of seeing (G)I-DLE live this summer and I thought it was so cool because every single one of the members was speaking english the whole time, which I thought was very impressive and I haven't seen another group do that since. Also they very shameless and badass and that is two words that I think describe the group and this comeback very well. They have this "we will do what we want and we don't care what you think" attitude about them which I love.

Something I just realised as well (I don’t know if it’s been mentioned already) but the way it transitions from Minnie’s light vocals to Yuqi’s deep tones was so perfectly done when you think about how Marylin has said herself that “Marylin Monroe” is a character she plays for the world and her real voice was actually very deep. A modern example I can think of is Paris Hilton.

I feel like Soyeon keeps reminding people of Soojin, even when she's not around. Like Shushua's visual looks like Soojin this era, and the animated girl could be her too

Maybe it's a mistranslation, but I can't help but think about the difference between the phrase "I'm nude" and "I'm a nude". "I'm nude" makes me think about honesty, authenticity, and letting everyone see you for who you are. But being *a* nude means being put up for display for nothing but your body and looks. A nude is stripped of their personhood and becomes a fantasy, an object that people place their own ideas of who the person depicted is

When they released Oh My God, I thought it would be hard to top that concept and mv, but omg this one... It got me hooked since the first concept photos... It's so them, so fresh, unique, so goooood omggg

The fact that Mamamoo, I-dle, Le Sserafim and Kep1er all released power anthems instead of cute-sy songs while maintaining their image and sound tho. i-dle's edge is they're embracing the side that public doesn't talk that much is a big wow for me.

YES I WAS WAITING FOR YOUR REACTION AHHHHH!!!!!!!

Im sad that soojin didnt get to be in this song because she used to inspire from marilyn to improve her facials. I would love to see her doing this concept

They remind me every time why they are one of my favorite girl group ever. They never miss. Soyeon never misses ! I stan her, and her talent. And Shuhua ?! I've always liked her, but damn ! She just showed up and showed out. Left no crumbs, and even ate the damn plate.

they’re so unique, the song is still growing on me but i absolutely love the concept

It's very important. Cube told her not to do it, but Soyeon would not be dissuaded. She has, I believe, found her power.

I’m also thinking about the word Nxde and how whenever you’re naked, you’re exposed, vulnerable and what I’m thinking is they want to be seen in a deeper view not just as women who are only there to look pretty.

The more u listen the more u love it

"Soyeon moved me" 🥺🥺🥺 i guess she would love to hear that, because this is what is all about.

Nobody does it like Soyeon .... She is very underrated ! No 4th gen is doing it like her . They are taking kpop to the next level, it's not always bubbly & cheerful . We are definitely ready for this kind of slap. Damn it's a Bopp, if u understand it you'll love it ..

This song deserves a Grammy Nomination.. I love how meaningful yet catchy the lines are, not just repeated and shallow lines.. if Lady Gaga or a well known American artist performs this even half as much as they did, I kid you not they are winning the Grammys..

I get mad at how talented and intelligent Soyeon is. Like idk how to explain the feeling better

(G)I_dle seriously killed it with this comeback. I've not been a fan for that long (generally avoid girlgroups cause body image issues) but I really appreciate the message they're conveying. I love how daring they are and actually address the issues instead of just hinting at them. The message of Nxde is very clear and in-your-face and I love it! Also I'm a huge fan of the burlesque aesthetic/sound so this was bound to be an absolute hit for me.

As a song that I consume it’s a 6 or 7 out of 10 since it’s not a huge replayable song, but in terms of creativity and just sheer artistic power this is probably my favorite comeback of all time. They all delivered and went beyond; as vocals go they were each super bold yet cohesive, and of course the meaning goes deeper then I could try to analyze- and it’s insane. Listening to this reminded me of when Soyeon had her audition for Produce 101 and Cheetah complimented her- not just for her performance but for her artistic skill. At the time, I was like hmm.. her performance is memorable and her skill is undoubtedly one of the strongest that was shown through the first two episodes, but I was so confused what the magic Cheetah saw was. But now it all makes sense; this is such a daring song, and it was planned and executed amazingly. Soyeon, once again reminding the world that she’s one of the strongest producers and artist because she can make a song that isn’t an ear worm (for me), but it lingers heavily on my heart that I want to replay it and dissect it more.

Another thing in the music video is that the part where she is standing on a pedestal in a green dress looks like the cover of the book "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo". The book is a historical fiction about a Hollywood movie star and her rise to fame and the criticism she received. Not to mention the author says that Marylin Monroe was one of her inspirations for the book.

Nxde singlehandedly made me appreciate being a woman even more, all the references are amazing and having seen Soyeon's behind the scenes while directing the girls you can see everything has a meaning. What a genius song!

Lorelei is the name of the gold-digger type character Marilyn played in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which is the film Minnie's pink outfit with the big bow and men holding the paper hearts are a reference to. (A diamond tiara is a part of the plot.) Leaves of Grass (the book that Soyeon and the animated blonde are holding) is a collection of philosophical poems. Marilyn was a big lover of reading, hence the bookworm line.

Not idle making a new war inside me with Nxde and Lion. Both songs are so amazing with amazing messages

Fun fact: I rewatch your videos for my favorite artist all the time 😂 i’ve been following So-yeon since produce 101 and thus also (g)i-dle. I’m very proud of Shuhua. I don’t know if it was learning the language better or the departure of Soojin (😭) but she’s worked hard and her confidence is 1000 times improved from how it used to be

✨the second listen of nude ✨>>>>

i personally think the banksy reference is commentary on the commodification and fetishisation of the female body. women cannot do anything without it being SOMEONES fetish. someone’s getting off to this no matter what. you can be beautiful and of course people love it , you try to break free from the commodification and people love to watch the struggle. the tortured woman is so fetishised and it’s so evident in how if you aren’t a straight cis white male, you’re a p*rn category. the shredding adds value. the struggle adds value. people always watch.

FINALLY SOMEONE COMMENTING ON YUQI'S PART BECAUSE FRR It's one of the highlights it sounds so THEATRICAL

this is amazing from start to finish oh lord i love everything about that moment for gidle

your the only one i’ve seen that understood the message. everyone just thought it was a sexy concept

Another thing I’d like to mention is the way soyeon sings in the beginning is alike to how Betty boop sings.

soyeon has said the marilyn reference was intentional and deeper than surface

Really enjoyed the attention to detail that this comeback had. The MV and concept was outstanding, though understandable that the song itself is not for everyone. I personally enjoyed the title track and all the B-sides were great

I interpret the Banksy reference in a very 'metalanguage' way. They are presenting/baring themselves (in this comeback specifically, but also in past comebacks), aka, nude, and that itself is the art, is what is commercialized. But they are expecting to be torn down by the audience, as they often are, and it's like being shredded is seen as part of the performance, increasing its value. Like they themselves, but also the audience, sees the hate they receive as part of their act. I see that as being a commentary about the industry, media, and the audience, and how women have to subject themselves to this pain in order for their message to be heard, but at the same time, this struggle is also commercialized. That's why the last shot of Soyeon is so impactful to me, I feel like she's saying 'despite all that, I am bearing myself [this is me nude]'.

I gotta say, this comeback is absolutely GENIUS. Not just in terms of the song, the message, the concept, but also just pure marketing. The girls are coming off huge success with Tomboy, and I'm sure they knew that 1) there will be many more eyes on them this comeback, and 2) it will be hard to match or top that success. So how do they go about it? By bringing forth a concept so meaningful and important that, like PD, you may not love the song, but you absolutely cannot hate the message. It's truly genius.

Idle and Soyeon are once again making a statement with art. Isn't that what good art is about? Brilliant once again.

10:52 Leaves of Grass is a book of poetry by Walt Whitman written in the mid 1800s. It was PRETTY controversial for the time and often referred to as...well...smut. I think it's a great reference on Soyeon's part for two reasons. 1. Whitman was one of the founders of "free verse" poetry. A significant number of modern poets and social media poets now employ this style. There's no defined structure, rhyming, meter etc. It, quite literally, freed poetry from the box. 2. Much like the style of poetry, the content of Leaves of Grass did away with the general sentiment of poetry at the time. In the 1800s there was a lot of emphasis on the ethereal world, the religious, the spiritual, intangibles. For example, his contemporary, Emily Dickinson, who wrote about things like death, hope. Leaves of Grass was about as far away from that as you could get. It was highly criticized at the time as obscene and immoral. The reason is that Leaves of Grass focused heavily on humanity, not spirituality. It discussed man as self, it discussed material goods, it discussed sex and sensuality. Both Whitman and Soyeon challenge us to consider how and why we think about "nude" (feminine sensuality, sexuality, ourselves as humans etc) the way we do. We make things "rude." We force a value and meaning onto things that don't necessarily HAVE to have that value and meaning. We commercialize and commodify things like sex and art (this is where the banksy reference makes perfect sense.) If you've ever heard of "I Sing The Body Electric," that poem was by Whitman and published in LoG. I'm going to quote bits of it because it's a great work and I highly recommend it as a read. It's quite long, though: "The love of the body of man or woman balks account, the body itself balks account, That of the male is perfect, and that of the female is perfect." "Be not ashamed women, your privilege encloses the rest, and is the exit of the rest, You are the gates of the body, and you are the gates of the soul." "If any thing is sacred the human body is sacred." I'm not gonna lie. I actively dislike the SOUND of the song, which is weird since I'm a huge fan of (g)i-dle. But the meaning is flawlessly executed and all the little references sprinkled throughout add significantly to the meaning. Also, "Lorelei" definitely refers to Marilyn Monroe's character in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the film which is also being referenced in Minnie's scene.

IT'S LITERALLY AN ART PIECE!

As a non fan, I can see that this group's versatility is insane, Like they can nail every concept, I might start knowing them

funfact: fans speculated that the animated girl in the scenes are representing soojin!

Most people get the Marilyn and Banksy reference in reaction but the instrumental part during the chorus part right after they say "yes I'm nude" is very close to Habanera from the opera Carmen as well. Not a direct sample but draws heavily from it. This makes for a good reference and fits in with Nude's underlying message because at the time the opera first came out its themes and the character Carmen herself were scandalous amongst critics who were scathing in their review of the "behavior of a free woman" in the opera.

i'm so glad i-dle exist

Damn I'm late but this.... This truly feels revolutionary. This song needed to grow on me but I literally watched the mv 10 times right after release so honestly it didn't take long 😂 but besides that, the whole message of this is so great especially at the current time. I also just LOVE the visuals. Now I also get how Tomboy was a re-debut for them. Nxde truly feels like a second comeback and they seem to have developed a whole different style. I can't wait to hear more of it!

Both PD and the comments already said everything I wanted to say so I'll just say: Jeon Soyeon is nothing short of a genius

10:48 LORELEI LEE is one of Marilyn Monroe's famous roles. Here's one of the quotes on the movie "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)" Lorelei Lee : Don't you know that a man being rich is like a girl being pretty? You wouldn't marry a girl just because she's pretty, but my goodness, doesn't it help? Esmond Sr. : Have you got the nerve to tell me you don't want to marry my son for his money? Lorelei Lee : It's true. Esmond Sr. : Then what do you want to marry him for? Lorelei Lee : I want to marry him for YOUR money. Mr. Esmond Sr. : Say, they told me you were stupid! You don't sound stupid to me! *Lorelei Lee : I can be smart when it's important. But most men don't like it.*

I can’t express how impressed I am with soyeon!!!! I’ve been i fan since debuted and every comeback I realise how talented she is. I also watched her in unpretty rapstar and I didn’t know who she was but she did leave an impression on me.

I dont know if you read it but at the end of the video is a text that says "This video is inspired by Marilyn and Banksy." That explains the references we can see in the video. Thank you for your reaction. I was waiting for itttt :))

the song is mostly inspired by marilyn monroe’s quote “id rather be hated for who i am than to be loved for who im not”, and since marilyn moneoe is also very sexualized and her other aspects are ignored, soyeon combined these 2 ideas and came up with nxde. For one, nude means to bare it all, take off all the images and show the truest self, like how the dance in the chorus is them unzipping, then flip their clothes open. then they asked the question “how do i look” because they just “put on their beautiful self”, even if the answer they got might be “i hate it”. on the other hand, obviously nude also reference the hypersexualization of MM and in kpop industry. they were born nude, im in my natural and pure state, and you are a weirdo for always sexualize everything. and also they cross out the U to say that we are not getting nude for u, but to show our true self. so in this sense, nxde is like a new word created by them, and is used as a noun to describe someone like that, hence “im a nude” (which i think would be more obvious if its written like “im a nxde”)

miyeons and minnies voice were so outstanding... i cant pick whose era it was honestly.

(G)I-DLE's been so daring with their comebacks lately. It feels like they're kind of breaking away from typical girl group comebacks especially in terms of MV and song lyrics. They're very bold as a group and it's really nice to see.

The weird wah wah sound you're referring to sounds like a trumpet with a mute - with the player either their hand or a plunger to get the wah wah effect.

Some background information on the references in this music video for anyone who is interested: The part in the beginning where Minnie is dressed in a pink dress is very much a reference to Marilyn Monroe in the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes where she sings Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend in a pink dress as the character Lorelei. In that movie she manages to get her hands on a diamond tiara. So there are lots of references in the lyrics to that movie as well. Most characters played by Marilyn were pretty women who weren't the smartest on the surface. To me the song seems to be referencing Marilyn's characters, movies and even the image people have put on her. The pretty, dumb blonde. That stereotype still exists today describing women who are pretty can't be smart at the same time. Then later on in de music video, the white dress with the short, curled blonde hair is a reference to the iconic dress Marilyn Monroe wore in the movie The Seven Year Itch, where it blows up in the wind coming from the subway grating. I think it's smart to come out with this song and music video soon after the movie about Marilyn Monroe's life called 'Blonde' was released since it stirred a lot of commotion and therefor got a lot of attention. Later on in the music video we see a painting being shredded inside it's frame, which is a reference to the Banksy painting which was being auctioned off and got shredded just after it had been sold.

Soyeon is my favourite artist (music-wise) at this point. Most of her songs are so impactful, meaningful and empowering. Like feminism and empowerment is a theme troughout their career and they are one of the few groups who truly stand behind it.

"Loralei" is a name of German origin which means "She whose singing lures men to destruction". And the sound you were asking about is a trumpet with a mute in the bell. It was a sound popular in 1920's jazz.

gidle and lsrfm coming back together both with overflowing girl power concepts, both VERY DIFFERENT, is just such a WIN

It is amazing! And I can’t help myself to think how amazing Soojin would be in this concept