Forget everything you expect from a debuting K-pop girl group: VVS is rewriting the rules with a hard-core action-movie concept and faces adorned with faux scratches.

In pre-debut photos, the five members of VVS — Brittney, ILee, Rana, Jiu and Liwon — were adorned in fake scratches and scars, reflecting a dramatic and adrenaline-inducing aesthetic reminiscent of action movies like “John Wick: Chapter 4” (2023). Which is not really a stretch, considering that Koji Kawamoto, the action director of that very movie, participated in the stunt choreography for the music video for “Tea.”


With its intense hip-hop-inspired digital single “Tea,” which dropped on Tuesday at 6 p.m., the five-member girl group hopes to turn some heads and, as member Jiu put it, “become the talk of the town.” The single includes two tracks, the title and “Fact$.”

“Not everyone gets to become the center of gossip,” Jiu said during the group's debut showcase at the Ilchi Art Hall in southern Seoul on Tuesday. “We want to become the topic of tea spilled — that was the energy we expressed in this music.”

VVS is the first K-pop act to debut under MZMC, led by hitmaker Paul Brian Thompson, who is best known for his work with SM Entertainment’s artists, such as on NCT 127’s “Cherry Bomb” (2017), EXO’s “Love Shot” (2018), Riize’s “Love 119” (2024), and most recently, NCT Wish’s “poppop.”

“I've been working in the K-pop industry as a composer for a little over 10 years, but for the last five years, I've mostly been preparing VVS for debut,” Thompson told reporters. “So the fact that it's finally here after five years is very surreal — and it's a very exciting feeling.”

Addressing a controversy over the name overlapping with that of boy group Vanner’s fan club, Thompson explained that the concept has been in development for five years.

“I've had this concept for years and years,” the chief executive stressed, “I don't think there'll be much confusion with what we're doing compared to other things in the industry.”

The name of the group, VVS, comes from the highest clarity grade of diamonds, while also symbolizing the five members standing strong together against all obstacles they may face in their journey forward.

“Diamonds reflect light from many facets,” explained Rana. “So we want to be a multifaceted group just like that, offering a wide range of genres and concepts.”

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]