Soyeon x Winter x Liz collaborative single draws mixed reactions online

Going viral: Released on music video distributor M:USB’s YouTube channel on Thursday, the music video for K-pop single “Nobody” has already received over 5.1 million views as of this writing.

Studio Beyond, the producing company behind the single, explained in a statement to The Korea Herald that “Nobody” is “based on disco-influenced production” that deviates “from the mainstream songwriting style in K-pop.” The song was produced by Big Hit Music producer El Capitxn, whose real name is Jang Yi-jeong, with lyrics written by Seo Ji-eum.

Why it matters: “Nobody” is reportedly part of the South Korean government’s effort to make Busan the chosen city to host the 2030 World Expo, M:USB noted.

South Korea is gearing up its effort to secure the 2030 World Expo as it competes against Italy and Saudi Arabia for the opportunity. The host of the expo, which will run from May to October 2030, will be announced at the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions general assembly on Nov. 28.

Earning praise: Several YouTube users in the comment section of the “Nobody” music video praised the (G)I-DLE, Aespa and IVE singers, with one user calling it an “amazing collaboration,” adding that they love the song’s vocals and rap.

“Winter voice is charismatic and confident, Soyeon voice is cool and strong and Liz voice is soothing and chic,” one fan noted.

“Almost can’t notice that they are so pretty because I got hypnotized by their TALENT,” another fan commented.

Expressing criticism: While many fans expressed support for the efforts of Soyeon (Jeon So-yeon), Winter (Kim Min-jeong) and Liz (Kim Ji-won) in the collaborative single, other fans over at a thread dedicated to the new song on the subreddit r/kpopthoughts did not like it. As one Reddit user put it, “It looks more like a song featuring the three of them more than a song by the three of them.”

Another Redditor critiqued the single as “very forgettable, bland and a bit of a disappointment,” while one fan admitted it was “meh at best.”