Ahead of her headline show at NTS 15 last week, K-pop star Yves sits down with Wonderland to discuss the British radio station’s global impact and her new EP, “NAIL”.

15 years. Feels like yesterday to someone, but when put into context, you’d be surprised at how much has happened in that time. 2011 was the year we all couldn’t avoid Rebecca Black’s “Friday” no matter how hard we tried, when Game of Thrones first premiered and, for some reason, when we were all addicted to Angry Birds. It’s also the year the world was blessed with NTS (short for “Nuts To Soup”), a 24/7 radio station founded by Femi Adeyemi in a small studio in Dalston with the little savings he had. With an eclectic, unpretentious selection of music from artists on the periphery of the industry, it became a holy grail hub for discovering some of the best talents out of the UK and, eventually, the world. 

From 13th to 19th April, NTS celebrated their 15th anniversary with a city-spanning programme of 15 blockbuster shows across its hometown, London. The lineup read like a love letter to the station’s genre-agnostic spirit, from art-pop powerhouse Arca to electronic savant Oneohtrix Point Never, Parisian rap riser Jeune Morty and K-Pop trailblazer Yves. The latter took over Earth Hall on 17 April,  supported by Drain Gang-affiliated DJ Mechatok and Stockholm-based experimental artist Oli XL .

Formerly part of K-Pop group LOONA, Yves stepped out on her own in 2024 with her breakout track “LOOP” featuring Lil Cherry, and hasn’t looked back since, refining her unique sound that fluidly blends K-Pop, electropop and R&B. And then there’s her fanbase – fiercely devoted, unmistakably loud, their anticipation bleeding through several walls in as we sit down in the green room for a chat right before her headline show at NTS 15. 

“NTS is a very global platform that everyone knows,” says Yves, perched on the sofa in a pale yellow hoodie, sleeves rolled up, translator Diane by her side. “I feel like just because I’m so interested in music in general, my way of discovering NTS was really natural.” Despite being born and raised in South Korea, she talks about the station like it’s an essential listen for any music lover, anywhere on the planet. 

It’s clearly a platform that any rising star wants to be involved in and appear on, a stamp of approval from world-renowned curators who have their finger on the pulse for who’s going to be their next co-signed breakout. When you look at the résume of artists that the UK radio has unearthed – from the aforementioned Arca to underground legend Dean Blunt and queen of left-field dance Shygirl – it’s pretty easy to see why. “They do a great job of showcasing a lot of great UK artists to a bigger, wider audience,” Yves adds. “I feel like they’ve found a more global perspective on defining music in a different way, which I think is really great.” 

She’s long had a soft spot for UK talents, citing Amy Winehouse as one of her earliest influences and even performing one of her songs at her girl group auditions back in the day. “She was a legend and also broke away from the norm, and I feel like I really followed that kind of inspiration,” says Yves.

Considering her own genre-slippery, electronic leanings, however, her current UK favourite feels almost inevitable. “My girl PinkPantheress,” she says, simply. With two collaborations already under her belt, including a feature on the UK artist’s revamped edition of her “Fancy That” mixtape on “Stars + Yves”, it felt like a dream come true – considering she’s a fan of “her whole discography”. 

Following the hype-raising appearance on Pink’s deluxe mixtape, the K-electropop artist follows up her remix of underscores’ “Do It” with her latest EP, “NAIL”. Having dropped it on the same day as her show in East London, she’s eagerly waiting to perform her new tracks at Earth Hall about 30 minutes after our conversation. “Compared to my other releases before, I played a big part in the songwriting and production of it,” she says on her increasingly hands-on approach. “I turned 30 in Korean age this year and, because 30 is kind of a turning point, I feel like this release is kind of a turning point in my career and life, just because I put a lot of my own personal thoughts and stories in the lyrics and music.”

Despite the title track serving as the project’s namesake, it’s actually the song “It” that lingered with Yves throughout the process. As well as playing a pivotal part in the ideation and creation of the song, it’s the subject matter she’s most proud of. “The song context is actually about what comes beyond death,” she explains. “They’re concepts that are very common within the K-pop scene, but they’re not really touched on super deeply because they try to keep it upbeat and dance like that. I tried to find a middle ground where my fans will be able to listen to it and find comfort in what that idea is.” 

As we wrap up the interview and I wish Yves good luck on the show, my +1 and I waddle over to join the tightly-packed crowd, all pushing to the front to catch even a glimpse of their favourite artist. As soon as there was any indication the headliner was about to start her show (false alarms or not), the screams from the whole venue were deafening. This isn’t my first K-pop rodeo, but even my eardrums were taken aback by the decibel jump inside the venue. 

When she finally takes the stage, she meets the moment head-on. The energy is reciprocal – she feeds off the crowd, they surge right back. It’s a loop, a shared voltage, epitomising what NTS is really about. A mutual appreciation for the craft, style and music, no matter who you are, how many monthly listeners sit next to your name or where you’ve come from. 

Thank you, NTS. I’m now ready for the next Yves concert – with earplugs, for safety. 

Listen to “NAIL”…

Words – Jotaro Joden