We’re officially over halfway through 2022, which feels like it might just be the year of VIVIZ. And honestly, we’re really not mad about it.

After making their retro-pop debut as a K-pop trifecta, former GFRIEND alum SinB, Eunha, and Umji came out of the rookie gate swinging – dropping the perfect springtime hit, “BOP BOP!” (and hard-hitting b-sides). The poised mini-album ultimately earned themselves an immediate win on music programs before launching their reputation even further by landing themselves on MNET’s Queendom 2 (a competition series consisting of fellow rookie and veteran pop music legends).

By the time the high-stakes series wrapped, they managed to take third place surpassing icons like Hyolyn, Brave Girls, and fellow “rookies” Kep1er, proving that this is only the beginning for each member of VIVIZ. More recently, K-pop trinity finally announced their first official comeback album, Summer Vibe, and after everything they’ve been through together – there’s potential to continue down a path of greatness.

Ahead of the release of Summer Vibe, we were happy to speak with VIVIZ about all things Queendom 2 (and more)!

Firstly, it has to be acknowledged that your presence on Queendom 2 was probably one of the most consistent trending topics of the series, and on a weekly basis! Did you do any specific preparations when it came to joining the top-tier survival series, or did you feel like because of your experience and its unpredictable format that it was better to go in without expectations?

SinB: I’d say a specific preparation we did would probably be how we worked on our teamwork [laughs]. The three of us talked about how we aim to work hard to show a lot of new concepts and styles.

After your first challenge, it became clear that a lot of artists felt understandably threatened by everything you bring to the table! That being said, it’s never easy to feel targeted of course, regardless of circumstances! How did that first week impact your approach to the following challenges of your Queendom experience? Because it genuinely felt like you really showed off a brand new bold side of VIVIZ by week 2!

Umji: It was fun and exciting that people were talking a lot about us and that we were receiving the attention. We enjoyed the great amount of mentions and interest without it even being our official promotion period [laughs]. We’ve only just started as VIVIZ, and it was amazing how people are gradually getting to know about us. So after the first episode, we started being able to have fun as the continuing episodes progressed.

If you each currently had the ability to choose anything you wanted to compete with on Queendom, including a remix of your own song, or a VIVIZ-version of any artist’s song, what would you each choose?

Umji: Originally, we wanted to cover either WJSN’s “Unnatural” or LOONA’s “PPT (Paint The Town).”  We had hopes of creating a grand and conceptual performance with “PPT,” and since it’s a type of song and performance we hadn’t done before neither as VIVIZ nor GFRIEND, we were very intrigued and wanted to take on the challenge.

You have a really dedicated group of supporters who adore everything, from VIVIZ energy as a group and each member’s own unrivaled qualities! How did you initially respond to some of the outpourings of love you’ve received since your participation in the program? 

Umji: Firstly, it made us so happy to think that we still have charming aspects and passion to bring. We talked about how it would be great for VIVIZ to become a group that people are still curious about and that is constantly fresh even though it’s been close to eight years since we debuted. 

Going into some of your music, your first official music video has garnered over 11 million views and the track has already surpassed millions of streams, which must have been exhilarating to witness! Was there a moment when you were either filming the music video or recording in the studio where things clicked and you knew it could have great potential? 

Umji: We thought, ‘Ah, this song is so us!’ from the moment we first listened to it because it seemed like the perfect song to use as our first impression on many people. That’s why everyone really pushed to make it our debut song as VIVIZ. 

“Love You Like” is such a beautiful b-side and presents a few different musical stylings for listeners to uncover after your retro-pop introduction with “Bop Bop”! What would you choose as your favorite hidden-gem track on Beam of Prism?

Umji: I, too, like “Love you Like” because I think it has a distinctive charm. I like the song because it holds great meaning as it’s our first song for our fans, and also because it feels like watching the credits of a very touching movie. 

You appear to be a group that really values each member and their respective opinions which is important for longevity! Where would you say you each personally thrive the most in VIVIZ, creatively speaking?

SinB: Eunha’s trait of radiating bright energy that puts people in a good mood, Umji’s perseverance to follow through, and my persistent hard work? [laughs] come together in helping us in all of our creative work.

Now that you’ve created a fresh opportunity for the three of you to re-debut, but also bring those experiences into your present- what potential hopes do you have for the future stories told by VIVIZ?

Umji: We’ll be showing you various styles and concepts. We hope to bring the various styles and concepts through a riot of vivid colors and to tell our own stories.

Check out VIVIZ new remix of “BOP BOP!” here, make sure to stream their debut EP Beam of Prism, and prepare yourselves for Summer Vibe!