EXCLUSIVE
[INTERVIEW] VAV is over the moon about finally making a comeback, shares meaning behind 'Subconscious'

AKP STAFF

Comprising of ST.VAN, ACE, AYNO, JACOB, LOU, and ZIU, the six-member third-generation group, VAV, has finally made their long-awaited comeback, marking their new release in three years. Under the label A TEAM Entertainment, the group made its debut in October 2015 with the mini-album 'Under The Moonlight.'

In honor of the release of VAV's new album, the members spoke with allkpop about it. Keep on reading to find out more about the band!

VAV's shout-out to allkpop readers:

ST.VAN: Hello, I’m ST.VAN, the leader of the group. I’m the leader and the vocalist.

ACE: Hi, I’m ACE, the prince of VAV.

AYNO: Hi, I’m AYNO, the princess of VAV.

JACOB: Hello, I’m JACOB. I’m in charge of the great physique of the group.

LOU: Hi, this is LOU.

ZIU: Hello, I’m ZIU, the youngest member of VAV. My talent is in singing, and my special ability is that I can say anything with an echo effect.

After a hiatus of nearly three years, VAMPZs (VAV's fandom name) can finally rejoice as they get to listen to the songs from VAV's seventh mini-album, titled 'Subconscious.'

Having been away for such a long period, the members expressed their excitement in finally showing everyone new sides of them. ZIU exclaimed, "I’m just over the moon to be able to stand in front of our fans again," as he expressed his hopes of continuing to present and release more songs in the future.

ST.VAN, as the leader, also shared that during the 2-year long hiatus, he thought about what direction VAV should take as a group. "Without having the members by my side, I learned the importance of the members," he said.

The record comprises five new songs, including the title track "Designer" and the B-sides "Call U Mine," "By My Side," "Reason," and "Cause I Miss You (2023 Version)." The latest title song follows VAV's previous Latin-influenced releases, "Senorita" and "Give Me More."

Through "Designer," VAV aims to inspire listeners and emphasize the importance of designing their own lives. JACOB explained, "The title track, 'Designer' sends the message to design and plan your own life as you want it to be. We thought that inner subconsciousness is an important aspect when designing one's own life."

Since the release of their 4th mini-album, 'THRILLA KILLA' in 2019, VAV has been actively involved in creating their music, and their latest album is no exception, proving themselves as self-producing artists.

For this particular release, LOU and AYNO took the work of writing the lyrics for "Designer." While the two members, along with ACE and ST.VAN participated in writing the sidetracks.

AYNO specifically wrote the rap for the title song. According to him, the rap verse is a 4-line poem that starts with each syllable of the word "Designer" in Korean. "It also took a lot of time to produce the side track, 'By My Side.' Hope you enjoy listening to it!" AYNO continued.

ST.VAN added, "The members have enthusiastically participated in the production of this album, and this album conveys the message to awaken your potential and design your own life."

When asked about any funny stories during the album preparations, LOU shared an incident on the first day of filming the music video. He had exercised a lot without eating and eagerly waited for his scene to be filmed, only to find out that his individual scene was not filmed that day. "It felt like my efforts were in vain, but thinking about it now, it it just a funny episode."

Spending 8 years in the industry, the boys of VAV have proved their talents as artists and passion for music, but they are still making improvements for themselves. For ACE, he tries to improve through continued practice. "I practice singing, playing instruments, and dancing whenever I get a chance, and I believe the time spent doing all that accumulates into improvement," said ACE, who believes that allocating a small amount of time doing those activities will help him do them regularly and steadily, which eventually leads to his improvement.

As for AYNO, he monitors the performances of other artists, and that stimulates him to continue to learn and improve day by day. On the other hand, LOU said that it's the feedback he receives from his members that helps him improve, saying, "For instance, ACE wrote the song and ACE choreographed 'Call U Mine' and all members gave their thoughts and feedback, which allowed us to learn from one another and eventually make improvements."

According to ZIU, the best thing about being part of VAV is that he gets to know the members and their fans more.

VAV's short- and long-term goals:

LOU: I hope to receive a first-place trophy on a music show.

ZIU: To be a member of VAV and perform until the day I die.

AYNO: I want to perform in front of 10,000 fans.

ST.VAN: My goal is to go on a world tour and be loved by our fans for a very long time.

JACOB: I want to be part of a team that continues to make music and perform.

ACE: Our fans are our reason for being, so I would be very satisfied if I could continue to present to them great music and performances. Also, I’m certain that good things will happen if we continue to make our own music.