BIBI releases sophomore album 'EVE: ROMANCE' with philosophical edge
The singer, songwriter and actor, who moves fluidly between pop, R&B, hip-hop and electronic music, has built a reputation for her bold, unapologetic presence in an industry often defined by careful image management. Her latest album features 14 tracks, including six new songs alongside previously released hits like 'Bam Yang Gang' and 'Derre.'
In an interview with The Associated Press, BIBI explained the meaning behind the album's lead single 'Apocalypse,' which carries a more poetic Korean title meaning 'The Apple Tree of the End Times.'
'I thought, if there was the fruit of knowledge of good and evil at the beginning, then this would be the apple tree at the end of times,' BIBI said.
'You know that saying — when asked what you'd do if the world ended tomorrow, some say they'd plant an apple tree, others say they'd have an orgy. ... But to me, they felt like the same thing. Both are, in essence, acts of planting seeds.'
Her interpretation, merging ideas of creation, pleasure, and existential finality, may come across as provocative in a conservative South Korean society where open discussions about sex remain rare and often taboo.
'In reality, everything has an end, and what each person chooses to do in that moment is their own,' she added. 'It can't be labeled as good or bad. After all, isn't the very idea of good and evil ambiguous?'
One of Korea's fastest-rising stars with a growing international presence, BIBI reflected on the surprising success of 'Bam Yang Gang.' The song, which means a chestnut jelly snack in Korean, became a viral sensation in South Korea last year while she was too busy to notice.
'I was filming two dramas simultaneously, so I was really busy,' she said. 'I couldn't really feel it at that time. Actually, I felt it more this year because people introduce me saying, 'Last year was the year of Bam Yang Gang.''
Despite her growing popularity, BIBI aspires to maintain an element of 'ambiguity' in her artistry.
'I want to be a mysterious artist. Like 'Gacha!' — that kind of feeling. Like you don't know what you'll get from a Gacha machine,' she explained, referencing the Japanese toy vending machines known for their randomized collectibles.
The album includes 'Pygma girl,' a track that reimagines the Greek myth of Pygmalion by reversing traditional muse-artist dynamics, suggesting the subject is the art itself rather than merely inspiring the creator.
'Midnight Cruise,' another standout track, was written after she dreamt about her late grandfather before her Coachella performance in 2024.
BIBI will kick off her first global tour in Seoul on May 16, before heading to the United States and Canada. She will then continue across Asia, with stops including Hong Kong and cities in Japan. The tour will conclude in Australia and New Zealand this October.
'EVE: ROMANCE' is out now.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Forbes
16 minutes ago
- Forbes
Idol Psychology
How does one conquer inner demons? Not the TikTok scrolling kind. I'm talking real, animated demons. The kind taking over Netflix and Spotify. KPop Demon Hunters is annihilating records while inspiring us to ponder surprisingly philosophical questions. The movie is newly crowned Netflix's most-streamed original movie of all time and recently surpassed 100 million views. And it's not just a movie. The main song Golden has topped the Billboard 100 and together the songs of fictional bands HUNTR/X and Saja Boys have beat a billion streams across Spotify and YouTube. Spoilers ahead! Perhaps it's not surprising that the movie went viral. The songs are fire. The characters and story? Fantastic. It's hilarious. Gorgeous. Unexpected. The choreography is borderline inhuman. The boy band? Definitely not human. Yet oddly satisfying. And can we talk about the tiger and hat wearing magpie? The tiger and magpie are inspired by Korean folklore. Learn more from kenji_kun on TikTok: ... More ©2025 Netflix The secret sauce that makes this movie stick, in my opinion, is that the audiovisual pizzaz is matched by the film's philosophical undertones. It echoes themes of conquering doubt, accepting self, and of course saving the world. Does any of it make the leap to real life? Heroes in movies inspire us by standing up for what they believe is right, even against huge crowds and majority opinion. Many researchers say that moral engagement, which is an activation of one's values to a degree that it drives behavior, can be the influencing factor in whether or not someone takes the terrifying step of standing up against a crowd. I wondered, is it possible to make oneself braver? Turns out, the answer is yes. Enter the numerous research findings of how Value Affirmations improve people's lives. From helping students score higher on tests to helping overweight women lose weight to reducing stress, a wide range of peer reviewed publications have found that reflecting on core personal values can strengthen an individual. How then does one embrace their inner Rumi with a little mental tai chi? Take a few minutes to write or record a voice memo about whatever comes to mind. Be kind to yourself. Reflect on who you are and what matters to you, and why. It appears that the mere act of contemplating itself makes a mind stronger. And helps the mind grow philosophically over time. Science backs this up. Affirmation of personal values literally alters one's neuroendocrine system. One study found a significant reduction in the stress hormone cortisol when participants did value affirmations before a stressful task. Self affirmation 'counteracts ego depletion' and some have referred to affirmation as a form of 'self-defense' against adversity. Turns out that fictional heroes aren't too different from us. Rumi's musical lyrics beautifully parallel her personal journey of self acceptance. The songs were written and lead vocals performed by EJAE, who has been called the Benny Blanco of KPop. She may be a master of her own mind. No one can doubt that she is a master of voice. If you want to be humbled, try to sing along to Golden. We can only hope that the song receives award nominations so that we'll get to see it performed live. EJAE's soaring voice as Rumi singing is so phenomenal that the character losing it is core to the conflict in the movie. And of course it comes with a dash of philosophy: Rumi loses her voice as she tries to hide herself. When they aren't selling out stadiums, Kpop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey use their secret ... More identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet – at first glance, an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise. But the biggest battle is the one within. ©2025 Netflix ©2025 Netflix Toward the end of the movie, when Rumi returns to her group bearing demon patterns and posture, she is perceived as having collaborated with 'them.' I get demonizing the demons. I mean, eating souls does not land one on the nice list. But as she begins to question what is 'known' about demons, Rumi is shunned… but later her bravery and boldness activates a response in the stadium that is replicated in social science. Albeit, not as stylishly. You've probably heard of the infamous 1960's shock experiment by Milgram whereby participants were told by authority figures to administer (what they didn't know were fake) electric shocks to others. Many continued to shock other study participants (who only pretended to be shocked) even after they screamed and it seemed that they had passed out from pain. It's been referenced in every 'I did it because they told me to' situation and cited nearly 10,000 times. But it's not just authority that shapes behavior. Witnessing resistance also changes us. A 2025 study showed a 30 % jump in willingness to confront bias after witnessing an act of courage from someone else. A highly cited social simulation found that if 10% of a population are 'zealots' (i.e., agents that promotes their own ideas without allowing their mind to be changed), the consensus of the crowd can be flipped. Another study of online groups found a higher threshold, though still perhaps lower than expected. When 25% of people go against consensus, they can flip majority opinion. It's like the classic dude dancing on a hill. One bold leader making a clear, concise, continuous point. Dude got the hill to dance. Leaders do the same, just on a bigger scale. They become the gravitational pull that forms a group. So why has the world fallen for KPop Demon Hunters? Because beyond the beautiful animation and herculean heroines lies a mirror. Not just who we are, but who we could be if we faced our inner demons. May "your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more," as John Quincy ... More Adams said. ©2025 Netflix Finally, since we're all about conquering demons, I would be remiss to end this post without a little pop poetry. I'll leave you with these lyrically luminous lines to live by from HUNTR/X:


San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has dinner with singer Katy Perry in Montreal
MONTREAL (AP) — Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry had dinner together in Montreal this week. A communications consultant for the restaurant Le Violon confirmed Tuesday that the former prime minister and the singer spent about two hours at the fine-dining spot Monday evening. Photos of the meetup published by TMZ sparked speculation of a budding romance. Samantha Jin said the pair kept to themselves and neither the staff nor other patrons approached them for a photo. 'We kind of got the vibe that they were a little more chill,' she said. Jin added that there was no indication of romance in the air, noting: 'No visual signs of PDA or anything.' The report about the dinner first appeared on TMZ, which posted video of Trudeau and Perry in animated conversation at the eatery. Perry recently split from longtime partner Orlando Bloom and is on tour with stops including Ottawa on Tuesday, Montreal on Wednesday, Quebec City on Friday, and two dates in Toronto next week. Trudeau and his ex-wife Sophie Grégoire separated in 2023. During the meal, Jin said security watched from the bar as the pair noshed on a chef's menu featuring a range of appetizers including tuna, beef tartare, lobster and asparagus, with lamb as their main course. Jin said Chef Danny Smiles stopped by their table to say hello, and before heading out, they came into the kitchen to thank the team. A spokeswoman for Trudeau didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokeswoman for Perry wasn't immediately available for comment. Trudeau announced his resignation earlier this year after nearly a decade in power. His father, late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was a bachelor when he became prime minister. He dated actresses Barbra Streisand and Kim Cattrall and married a 22-year-old woman while in office at age 51. Born and raised in California, Perry is a 13-time Grammy Award nominee. She helped usher in the sound of '00s pop, quickly becoming one of the bestselling artists of all time for her campy, big, belting anthems. She has released seven studio albums, most notably 2010's sugar-sweet 'Teenage Dream.' The album produced five No. 1s that tied a record set by Michael Jackson's 1987 album 'Bad.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Coast Guard begins salvage operation and investigates cause of boat collision that killed two girls
Coast Guard begins salvage operation and investigates cause of boat collision that killed two girls MIAMI (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard was beginning a salvage operation on Tuesday while investigating the cause of a boat collision near Miami that left two girls dead, officials said. Capt. Frank Florio, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Miami, assured the victims' family members during a news conference that the Coast Guard and its partners would do everything in their power to learn what caused the crash. 'We owe you answers, and we are committed to finding them," Florio said. Officials didn't immediately identify any of the victims or release a cause for the crash. The collision between a barge and a sailboat occurred around 11 a.m. Monday in Biscayne Bay, between Miami and Miami Beach. All six people on the sailboat, a teenage sailing camp counselor and five children, ended up in the water. They were in their last week of a camp for children aged 7 to 15, according to the Miami Yacht Club. All six were pulled from the water, and four were rushed to a Miami hospital, officials said. A 7-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl were pronounced dead shortly after arriving, while two other girls, ages 8 and 11, remained in critical condition Tuesday. A 19-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl were rescued but not hospitalized. Local media and prominent TV personalities in Argentina identified the 7-year-old girl killed in the boating crash as Mila Yankelevich, the daughter of director Tomas Yankelevich and actress Sofia Reca and granddaughter of the prominent Argentine television producers Gustavo Yankelevich and Cris Morena. Marcelo Tinelli, a popular TV host and friend of the family, posted on X that he was 'devastated' by Mila's death. 'I can't believe it,' he wrote. 'My immense love to the entire family, who are part of my life.' Actor and presenter Nicolás Vázquez, currently starring in the musical 'Rocky' produced by Gustavo Yankelevich, expressed his heartbreak on Instagram. 'Mila's passing is one of those tragedies that hurts to the soul,' he wrote. Addressing Yankelevich he added: 'Even if we are not blood relatives, what we feel makes us brothers.' Across the U.S. last year, there were over 550 deaths in recreational boating, but only a sliver of those — 43 — were caused by vessels crashing into each other, according to Coast Guard statistics. The Associated Press