NMIXX explores unusual muses, makes wishes with 'Strange Muse'

NMIXX released its sixth mini album, Strange Muse, on Monday, marking the group’s first album with member songwriting and composition credits and dedicated subunit tracks. The lead single, Birthday Wish, blends future house, moombahton and Afro-house influences with contrasting dance, piano and narrated sections. The album explores people inspiring one another in MIXXTOPIA, while NMIXX hopes to grow into artists their fans can be proud of.

Strange Muse contains six songs, including Birthday Wish, Kerosene, RudE TaLK, Sing to the Moon, Hot ’n Unbothered and WHIP.

The album’s subunits pair Lily with Haewon, Sullyoon with Bae, and Ji-woo with Kyujin.

Birthday Wish combines slowed-down house synths with reggaeton-inspired rhythms and Afro-house elements, and includes a narrated bridge.

Bae contributed to the writing of RudE TaLK and Hot ’n Unbothered, while Kyu-jin participated in songwriting and composition for the album.

NMIXX said its long-term wish is happiness and good health for its members, families and NSWER, and to become artists their fans are proud of.

Published Oct 19, 2026 10:30 am KST

Updated Oct 19, 2026 11:06 am KST

Members of K-pop group NMIXX appears in an official promotional image for their sixth mini album, "Strange Muse," featuring the track "Birthday Wish" / Courtesy of JYP Entertainment

K-pop powerhouse NMIXX is back on Monday with "Strange Muse," the group's sixth mini album that pushes the boundary-pushing sextet into bold new creative territory. Anchored by a genre-defying lead single, the release marks a career milestone for the group as the members step into songwriting and composition roles for the first time.

Alongside group tracks like "Birthday Wish," "Kerosene" and "RudE TaLK," the six-song collection breaks NMIXX into distinct sub-units for the very first time. The duo pairings highlight each member's unique dynamic — featuring Lily and Haewon on "Sing to the Moon," Sullyoon and Bae on "Hot ’n Unbothered," and Ji-woo with Kyujin on "WHIP."

The lead single, "Birthday Wish," pairs future house with moombahton — a genre combining slowed-down house synths with reggaeton’s signature rhythmic bounce. Blending these with Afro-house influences, the song moves from energetic dance drops to a quiet piano and vocal passage before culminating in a narrated bridge.

In an interview provided by JYP Entertainment, the members discussed the album’s concept, their creative growth and their hopes for fans.

Q. What story does “Strange Muse” tell?

NMIXX: The album is about people becoming muses for one another in MIXXTOPIA, a place where different people can express their individuality and inspire each other, even when others do not understand what makes them special.

Q. What stood out when you first heard “Birthday Wish”?

Lily: The song felt hopeful yet unusual, and I especially liked its chorus and narration, which felt moving; the high notes required careful vocal work, and I also spent considerable time practicing because it was my first time rapping on a title track.

Hae-won: I hope listeners become immersed in the song through its opening narration and feel the precious, overwhelming emotions of two people finally meeting.

Q. What was it like working on your first unit songs?

Bae: I participated in writing “RudE TaLK” and “Hot ’n Unbothered,” working closely with Sullyoon to exchange ideas and develop the lyrics together, even when we were apart.

Kyu-jin: I had always wanted to try songwriting and composing, so participating in both for this album made me happy; the process was challenging, but I hope to keep improving.

Q. Did the success of “Blue Valentine” and “Heavy Serenade” create pressure?

Lily: There was some pressure to meet expectations, but excitement about sharing new music outweighed it.

Ji-woo: Knowing that NSWER has been waiting for us motivates us to work harder, and we approached this album by doing our best as we always have.

Q. What did winning your first grand prize at a recent music awards ceremony mean to you?

Sullyoon: The award gives us motivation to trust ourselves more and keep moving forward, and we want to repay the love we have received with better music and performances.

Bae: We see the award not as proof that we have arrived somewhere, but as encouragement that we can go even farther.

Q. What is NMIXX’s “long wish” for the future?

NMIXX: We wish for happiness and good health for ourselves, our families and especially NSWER, because their happiness makes us happy; we also hope to become artists our fans will always be proud of.

Q. What are your goals for this comeback?

NMIXX: We want to promote in good health and happiness and hope “Birthday Wish” reaches more listeners; we are grateful to NSWER for always standing by us and will keep growing into artists you can be proud of.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

NMIXX于周一发行了第六张迷你专辑《Strange Muse》，这是该组合首张由成员参与作词作曲并收录了子团专属歌曲的专辑。主打歌《Birthday Wish》融合了未来浩室、姆巴顿和非洲浩室等多种音乐元素，并巧妙地穿插了舞曲、钢琴和旁白等段落。这张专辑展现了MIXXTOPIA世界中人们互相激励的理念，NMIXX也希望成长为令粉丝引以为傲的艺术家。

《奇异缪斯》包含六首歌曲，包括《生日愿望》、《煤油》、《粗鲁的谈话》、《对着月亮歌唱》、《热情无忧》和《鞭子》。

专辑中的小分队组合为：Lily 与 Haewon 搭档，Sullyoon 与 Bae 搭档，Ji-woo 与 Kyujin 搭档。

《生日愿望》融合了慢速浩室合成器、雷鬼节奏和非洲浩室元素，并包含一段旁白桥段。

裴宇参与了《RudE TaLK》和《Hot 'n Unbothered》的创作，而圭真则参与了专辑的歌曲创作和作曲。

NMIXX表示，他们的长期愿望是成员、家人和NSWER幸福健康，并成为令粉丝引以为豪的艺人。

发布于2026年10月19日上午10:30（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月19日上午11:06（韩国标准时间）

韩国流行音乐组合NMIXX成员现身第六张迷你专辑《Strange Muse》的官方宣传照，专辑主打歌为《Birthday Wish》/图片由JYP娱乐提供

韩国流行音乐天团NMIXX将于周一携第六张迷你专辑《Strange Muse》强势回归。这张专辑标志着这支勇于突破界限的六人组合迈入了全新的创作领域。专辑主打歌风格大胆创新，突破了音乐类型的界限，同时也标志着NMIXX职业生涯的一个里程碑——成员们首次尝试词曲创作。

除了《Birthday Wish》、《Kerosene》和《RudE TaLK》等团体歌曲外，这张包含六首歌曲的专辑首次将NMIXX拆分成不同的子组合。双人组合的形式突显了每位成员独特的默契——例如Lily和Haewon演唱的《Sing to the Moon》，Sullyoon和Bae演唱的《Hot 'n Unbothered》，以及Ji-woo和Kyujin演唱的《WHIP》。

首支单曲《生日愿望》（Birthday Wish）融合了未来浩室（Future House）和姆巴顿（Moombahton）——一种将慢速浩室合成器音色与雷鬼标志性的节奏律动相结合的音乐风格。歌曲还融入了非洲浩室（Afro-house）元素，从充满活力的舞曲段落过渡到舒缓的钢琴和人声部分，最后以一段旁白桥段收尾。

在 JYP Entertainment 提供的采访中，成员们讨论了专辑的概念、他们的创作成长以及对粉丝的期望。

问：《奇异缪斯》讲述了怎样的故事？

NMIXX：这张专辑讲述的是人们在 MIXXTOPIA 中成为彼此的缪斯，这是一个不同的人可以表达个性并互相启发的地方，即使其他人不理解是什么让他们与众不同。

问：你第一次听到《生日愿望》这首歌时，最让你印象深刻的是什么？

莉莉：这首歌感觉既充满希望又不同寻常，我尤其喜欢它的副歌和叙述，感觉很感人；高音部分需要仔细的演唱技巧，而且因为这是我第一次在主打歌中说唱，所以我也花了很多时间练习。

海媛：我希望听众能通过歌曲的开头叙述沉浸在歌曲中，感受到两个人终于相遇时那种珍贵而又激动人心的情感。

问：第一次参与歌曲创作是什么感觉？

裴：我参与了《RudE TaLK》和《Hot 'n Unbothered》的创作，与 Sullyoon 密切合作，交流想法，共同创作歌词，即使我们分隔两地。

圭真：我一直想尝试作词作曲，所以能参与这张专辑的创作让我很开心；创作过程很有挑战性，但我希望能够不断进步。

问：《蓝色情人节》和《重磅小夜曲》的成功是否给你带来了压力？

莉莉：虽然有一些压力要达到预期，但分享新音乐的兴奋之情远远盖过了这种压力。

智宇：知道NSWER一直在等待着我们，这激励着我们更加努力，我们像往常一样尽全力制作了这张专辑。

问：在最近的音乐颁奖典礼上赢得你的第一个大奖对你来说意味着什么？

Sullyoon：这个奖项激励我们更加相信自己，继续前进，我们希望用更好的音乐和表演来回报大家对我们的喜爱。

裴：我们并不把这个奖项视为我们已经取得成就的证明，而是视为我们可以走得更远的鼓励。

问：NMIXX 对未来有什么“长远的愿望”？

NMIXX：我们祝愿自己、家人，特别是 NSWER 幸福安康，因为他们的幸福会让我们幸福；我们也希望成为让粉丝永远引以为傲的艺人。

问：你这次复出的目标是什么？

NMIXX：我们希望传递健康快乐，希望《生日愿望》这首歌能被更多听众听到；我们感谢 NSWER 一直以来的支持，我们将继续成长为让你们引以为傲的艺术家。

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。