ARTMS on hard times, healing and hopeful reunions: “There was a moment when our wings were broken quite publicly”

The most widely recognised framework of grief suggests that there are five stages to it: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. But for long-time fans of LOONA, coming to terms with the sudden unravelling of their beloved K-pop girl group – at the peak of their career no less – might have taken them far more. But from the ashes of that legal firestorm, five of the group’s members – HeeJin, HaSeul, Kim Lip, JinSoul and Choerry – came together to start anew as ARTMS.

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Rooted in their shared history, they shot for the stars with the release of their debut album, ‘Dall’, in 2024. Beyond just the promise of continuing the legacy they had to leave behind prematurely, the rich, genre-spanning record also showed how the five K-pop stars still had so much more to offer. Now, fresh off their second world tour, ARTMS are opening the doors to ‘Club Icarus’ – their new EP, and a secret sanctuary for the broken.

“We considered how we can retell, or perhaps even reshape, the story [of Icarus] – while looking into internalising [our version] of this story,” says HeeJin of this new sonic safe haven they’re building. “It is ARTMS’ retelling of Icarus not as a tragedy, but as a message of hope. This idea that you can fall down, but you can also get back up again.”

She adds that even though they’re using the myth of Icarus, there’s a more personal symbolism behind the concept. “Even the idea of a wing, even a broken wing, can be healed so you can fly again,” HeeJin explains. Her thoughts are echoed by HaSeul, who says that the group “also had our personal experiences of having our wings broken. That’s why our fans can sympathise and resonate with us, because of our experience.”

“A lot of our fans mention that through our music, they were able to come out of the darkness – and that’s something that means a lot to us,” she continues. “Even in our track ‘Virtual Angel’, there’s a lyric that goes: ‘I’ll be there for you when your wings break’. This line resonated a lot with our fans, cutting deep into their hearts.”

Speaking of ‘Virtual Angel’, there’s a clear shared emotional thread running through it and ‘Icarus’. Was that intentional?

HeeJin: “There’s definitely some level of continuity. I mean, if you take a look at our concept alone, the idea of ‘Virtual Angel’ with the wings going into ‘Icarus’ – it’s a continued idea. And it’s also something that can be very sentimental, there’s a sentimental approach in a way that people can really sympathise with and feel comforted.”

Now that you’ve mentioned comfort, which I understand is the core concept of the EP, could you tell me more about the idea behind ‘Club Icarus’?

HaSeul: “The idea is to heal the souls that’ve been hurt. Even [if] the myth of Icarus itself is quite a tragedy – but the idea is to heal such a soul. If you watch our music video when it’s released, then I’m sure you’d fully understand it.”

Healing is such a personal journey, and ‘Club Icarus’ is described as a secret sanctuary for the broken. How do you personally connect with that?

HeeJin: “The idea of ‘Icarus’ is our life story – the very journey of us as ARTMS. If you look into it, there are a lot of parallels. And, you know, we had a moment when our wings were broken, which happened quite publicly. You know, our previous team was gone. But we had each other, we [cared for] each other, and we supported each other.

“There were also many others supporting us. So, it kind of feels like, ‘This is my story’. The idea to once again be able to fly away, giving me another chance, another opportunity. I feel that this is what gives a lot of comfort and hope through our music, and I hope the fans and other people can also feel this comfort as well.”

Was ‘Icarus’ the immediate choice for the title track then?

Choerry: “Yes! We just knew from the very beginning when we heard this song. I thought, ‘Wow, this is so ARTMS, and it really captures the essence of who we are – we can really express ourselves through this track’. And, I still love it so much… I’ve actually been listening to it every day!”

Sounds like ‘Club Icarus’ is quite a significant release for the group. How did the group go about preparing and working on the EP?

Kim Lip: “At this point, we’ve been working on it for maybe half a year or more. Even when I was watching the scenes [from the music video], I got teary-eyed, and I think the fans will too. Plus, when you consider the ARTMS universe and lore, it’s like a whole literature of its own. To analyse, to dissect it, it’s also a joy on its own.”

Where in the greater story of ARTMS are we continuing from then, with the release of ‘Club Icarus’?

HaSeul: “I think you can think of ‘Virtual Angel’ as the start, and in a way, ‘Burn’ is like the burning of the wings, with ‘Icarus’ being the fall, yet giving hope to the fallen. As you can tell, wings are quite symbolic for us. This whole album is about finding our wings that have been lost.”

You mentioned ‘Virtual Angel’ as a fresh start for ARTMS – but with so many fans who’ve followed you since your LOONA days, how do you feel about the sentiment that you’re continuing that story lore-wise?

HeeJin: “Of course, every one of us in ARTMS came from LOONA. I think even if they think of us as ARTMS or as LOONA, we’re still very grateful. But I do want to say, for example, ‘Burn’ was [originally supposed to be] a LOONA song, but now, it’s an ARTMS song.

“Perhaps if LOONA had released ‘Burn’, it would’ve been different. Now, the idea of ‘Burn’ – it’s our connection between ‘Virtual Angel’ and ‘Icarus’. It’s a story unique on its own for ARTMS. In a way, I’d like to think of ARTMS as an extension of LOONA, but also a completely new essence of its own – starting its unique journey.”

Speaking of this journey you’re on, after all this time together, even performing as separate sub-units or soloists over the years, how different does it feel to be seen as ARTMS now?

HaSeul: “Simply put, we’re just truly a family now. For example, if you see our shoots, right before it starts, we’re just talking and talking. The shoot starts, and we stop talking. That’s the only time we ever stop talking to each other. Other than that, we’re joking around, we’re chatting – it just feels like there’s no walls between us now.”

What is that one core message that you wish listeners to take from ‘Icarus’, even if they aren’t fans yet?

HaSeul: “In the chorus, there’s this lyric that talks about how you can fly away again. It’s a lyric that’s carved deep in my mind. This message of falling but getting back up again, being able to fly away again – I hope that’s the message that people take away from this song.”

What’s the track that you’d recommend people check out right after ‘Icarus’?

HeeJin: “This one is called ‘Goddess’, and it’s going to be very refreshing – I wrote the lyrics. It’s so different that I even asked [our label head] Jaden Jeong, ‘Is this okay?’. It’s just on another level. So if you want to listen to another side of ARTMS after listening to ‘Icarus’, I recommend you check out that track.”

One last thing before we go: Fans are dying to know – is a LOONA reunion still on the table?

JinSoul: “Although there’s nothing set in stone, if there’s an opportunity – we’d really want to do it. Our recent world tour, ‘Lunar Theory’, was to continue the legacy of LOONA, and we’ve been performing a lot of LOONA’s songs. It really made me nostalgic, so It’d be great to have all of us perform together again.”

ARTMS’ new EP ‘Club Icarus’ is out now via Modhaus on Spotify, Apple Music and more.

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