Since its debut in 2020, PURPLE KISS, signed under RBW Entertainment, has been putting out quality albums, proving it further with the release of ‘HEADWAY.’

‘HEADWAY’ marks the sextet’s seventh mini-album and their third project this year, following ‘BXX’ and the Japanese album ‘ON THE VIOLET.’ It boasts five songs “Intro : Concrete Jungle,” the title track “ON MY BIKE,” “Sweet Nightmare,” “Encore,” and “Light the way,” some of which members Na Go Eun, SWAN, and Yuki took part in writing lyrics.

Dosie remarked, “This album is a reflection of PURPLE KISS moving forward.” “I think the album makes the listeners feel more immersed in the world of PURPLE KISS,” Ireh added.

To commemorate the album release, allkpop sat down with Na Go Eun, Dosie, Ireh, Yuki, Chaein, and SWAN to dish on ‘HEADWAY,’ the past years spent as a member of the group, and 2025 goals. Check out our exclusive interview with PURPLE KISS below!

Shout-out from PURPLE KISS to allkpop:

allkpop: Since 2024 is nearing its end, what are some of your highlights of this year? And what are you looking forward to doing next year?

Na Go Eun: Every moment was precious and memorable, but I especially loved that we had the opportunity to visit so many different countries and meet a lot of fans this year. It made me feel grateful and happy to realize that even though they speak different languages, they all love and support us the same!

Dosie: This year, I was happy to meet PLORY (fandom name) through various opportunities! I also remember spending a day of free time with the members when we went to Turkey. I was happy that we were able to make memories together after a long time!

Ireh: The most memorable part of the ‘PURPLE KISS 2024 BXX TOUR’ was being congratulated by the staff on the last day of the tour. I would also like to make more memories with more PLORY next year.

Yuki: We traveled overseas a lot this year, and I was able to see PLORY from overseas I don't usually see often. In particular, the happy faces of the PLORY watching our performance remain vivid in my memory.

Chaein: What I remember most are the moments I made with our fans while promoting on music shows and touring. Next year, I hope to connect and communicate closely with our fans in more ways.

SWAN: This year, I was able to meet PLORY from various regions of the world, especially overseas. And I hope to continue to travel as much next year as we did this year. I want to do a lot of activities both domestically and internationally and deliver good music.

allkpop: Tell us more about the meaning behind ‘HEADWAY.’ What’s something about it or in it that you think stands out most compared to your previous mini-albums?

Na Go Eun: ‘HEADWAY’ means moving forward, and it captures our ambition to follow our own path even at the various crossroads we encounter in life. Also, while watching the fans’ reactions during the ‘PURPLE KISS 2024 BXX TOUR,’ I got to know a little about what they like most about us. I think our efforts to satisfy our fans’ tastes are reflected in our music.

Dosie: This album is a reflection of PURPLE KISS moving forward, with music, colors, and performances that are uniquely ours!

Ireh: I think the album makes the listeners feel more immersed in the world of PURPLE KISS.

Yuki: This time, I think the identity of PURPLE KISS is well captured because the members directly participated in many aspects of the album production.

Chaein: I love ‘HEADWAY’ more because it is an album that really captures the message we're trying to convey to the public.

SWAN: PURPLE KISS is back with the strong witch concept they are most confident in! I think you can see the vocals and performances that have become that much stronger.

allkpop: Now that this marks your 7th mini-album, is there anything new you encountered, something that you tried to do during the preparations?

Na Go Eun: I've always worked hard, but this time I managed to do it in more ways than one.

Dosie: It's been a while since I've dyed my hair, so I thought I'd show PLORY a new look!

Ireh: We had a lot of input into the costumes for the comeback activities by looking for costume references that matched the songs and concepts. The process of finding various costumes and conveying our opinions was a great experience!

Yuki: When recording the title song ‘ON MY BIKE,’ I tried to rap with a sound I had never done before. It was really difficult, but I'm glad it turned out well.

Chaein: In previous PURPLE KISS releases, we didn't have a lot of choreography that used big movements. But this time, we tried to emphasize cooler dance lines to fit the song.

SWAN: We used conceptual props like motorcycles, wings, and horns to further flesh out the musical colors visually.

allkpop: Which of the songs do you think suits your musical taste best?

Na Go Eun: I love all the songs, but “Sweet Nightmare” is my favorite.

Dosie: I like “Encore” because it captures the color of the PURPLE KISS well.

Ireh: The vibe of “Sweet Nightmare,” written and composed by Na Go Eun, fits my music taste the best.

Yuki: I want to choose “Encore.” Personally, this is my favorite song, and I think it's a song that brings out PURPLE KISS’ charms well.

Chaein: I think the vibe of the song “Encore” fits in well with the colors we've been trying and sharing previously!

SWAN: A lot of fans have commented that the song “Encore” feels like an extension of our previous release “Pretty Psycho.” I also love this song because I think it's close to the colors of PURPLE KISS!

allkpop: Na Go Eun, SWAN, and Yuki are credited in some of the tracks. Could you walk us through how you worked individually and together to make them come to life?

Na Go Eun: I always wish I had the opportunity to make music. This time, I made a song with producer CocoDuBuPapa, who I worked with on our last album, and producer Kang Ji Won, who has been with us since our debut. They are very open-minded and they made me comfortable working with them, so I was able to create songs more freely. Thank you.

Yuki: I was involved in making the raps for “Encore” and “Light the way.” “Encore” was inspired by a Netflix show called ‘Wednesday,’ and I wrote the lyrics while thinking about the famous prom scene. “Light the Way” is a fan song, and it contains the lyrics that express the feelings I wanted to convey to our fans.

SWAN: I participated in the title song “ON MY BIKE” and the last track “Light the way.” In particular, “Light the way” is a fan song for PLORY, so I tried to capture the gratitude I’ve felt for our fans over the years. The process wasn't easy, but it was rewarding to see the finished lyrics!

allkpop: Take us back to when you debuted. What sides or aspects feel the most different for you as an artist? What was the overall idol experience like?

Na Go Eun: When I first debuted, I was stuck in a rigid frame, but now, I'm a little more flexible in every way. After my debut, I was exposed to a lot of different music and it stimulated me to write songs naturally. I'm really grateful to have received love from my fans that I've probably never received in my entire lifetime, and I want to return it in a good way and have a positive influence.

Dosie: I now feel a pleasant excitement rather than nervousness when I go on stage! When I made my debut, I often performed on stages with no audience due to COVID-19. But as time passed and I experienced various stages, I learned how to meet and interact with the audience.

Ireh: As I've gotten older and accumulated years of experience, I'm learning more and more about how to improve the quality of our album production and activities and avoid any regrets.

Yuki: When I had just debuted, there were a lot of things to worry about and I was extremely nervous every time I performed on stage. But now, I am much more relaxed than then and can truly enjoy the stage.

Chaein: In the past, there were many moments when I looked at things too narrowly. As time passes, I want to give more meaningful emotions and strength to everyone who watches our performance.

SWAN: My skills and teamwork have grown the most since my debut, and my ability to look at myself objectively is improving. I think these aspects will continue to develop in the future. As an idol, I am very happy to have moments like performing on various stages and interacting with the fans in front of me, and I hope there will be more moments like that in the future.

allkpop: What have the past years been like for you being a member of PURPLE KISS? Being in a group with 6 members where you may have conflicting ideas or interests in music, what’s something you’ve learned from the process, from yourself, and from each other?

Na Go Eun: I'm really proud of the members of PURPLE KISS and I think they're a great group of people to learn from. We're all different people, so sometimes we have different musical opinions, but at the end of the day, we're all trying to find what's best for PURPLE KISS.

Dosie: Our members have very diverse personalities, and I think we often create better stages by naturally imitating our musical tastes and expression methods.

Ireh: All of the members are talented artists with high musical ability, so we respect each other. When our opinions clash, I like it because I get to see different perspectives on music.

Yuki: The members are all well aware of what suits PURPLE KISS’ unique strengths, so we always get along well. I always gain new insight from every aspect by working with the members, from the little things to the big things.

Chaein: We sometimes clash when it comes to musical opinions, and that's good because it frees me up to think about the music in a different way.

SWAN: We don't have a leader, so we try to solve everything as democratically as possible. As we live together, our understanding of each other deepens, and we have more moments of support rather than conflict.

allkpop: Lastly, do you have any message for your fans and allkpop readers who will be reading this interview?

Na Go Eun: allkpop readers and PLORY! Did you enjoy reading our interview? I hope you end 2024 with happy memories, and we’ll see you next year as PURPLE KISS as well~

Dosie: Have a happy rest of 2024, and please listen to our new album ‘HEADWAY’ a lot!

Ireh: We hope you enjoy this album full of our charms as much as we do, with music and performances that only PURPLE KISS can deliver. Have a happy winter!

Yuki: Our album ‘HEADWAY’ has been released! We would like to say thank you so much to our PLORY for trusting us and following us in this music activity! We will continue to work really hard in the future, so please continue to be with PURPLE KISS. Love you!

Chaein: We will continue to perform from the bottom of our hearts so that our music can be of help to many more people!

SWAN: PURPLE KISS has been walking with you for four years now, and we hope you'll continue to join us on our journey! I love you!

Socials:

YouTube: PURPLE KISS
Instagram: @purplekiss_official
TikTok: @purplekiss_official
Twitter/X: @RBW_PURPLEKISS
FaceBook: @Purple Kiss

SEE ALSO: PURPLE KISS announces 17-city North American tour, HEADWAY, in early 2025