해야 (HEYA)

At its core, “HEYA” is a powerful anthem of female empowerment, agency, and unapologetic desire, reconstructed through a modern lens. The song is built around an original, group-created fable titled ‘The Tiger Who Loved the Sun’, which reverses traditional fairy tale tropes where women are often depicted as the passive prey. In this narrative, the members of IVE embody the fierce Siberian tiger—a historical and cultural symbol of Korean strength and tenacity.

The ‘Sun’ represents the ultimate object of desire, an imposing, brilliant force that seems untouchable. Instead of being intimidated, the hunter pursues this light with unwavering confidence, using metaphors of stalking, hunting, and taking a bite out of the sun to symbolize their intent to fully conquer and win over their love interest. The song subverts traditional courtship dynamics, championing a bold, self-reliant attitude where the pursuer openly declares their victory before the game has even finished.

A fierce and confident predator initiates a bold hunt, demanding immediate and absolute attention. The protagonist addresses a potential lover whose heart remains frozen and guarded, expressing an eager intent to shatter this icy composure. There is no room for hesitation; the target is urged to simply surrender and agree. A psychological game of tag begins—as soon as the protagonist calls out, the target's frozen state melts away, forced into action. Operating from the shadows like a wild beast, the huntress narrows her gaze, holds her breath, and assumes a low, precise stance, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce. Her piercing eyes glow in the darkness as she stealthily approaches, mesmerizing the prey with vibrant, alluring words. Just when the target lets down their guard, the metaphorical claws strike.

Rising high into the night, a collective shout echoes toward the heavens to awaken the sleeping target, demanding they remain aligned with the predator's sight. Looking is no longer sufficient; there is an intense, insatiable craving that can only be satisfied by taking a single, savoring bite. This hunt is represented by the sun itself, as the protagonist chants to the blazing star, confident in their ultimate victory. The moment the target becomes truly enchanted, the final, swift blow will be dealt, capturing them in the blink of an eye. There is no room for passive fairy tales or artificial endings. Time is of the essence, and the protagonist grows weary of waiting, easily seeing through the target's facade of fearlessness. Despite any desperate attempts to flee, the target remains destined to become the prey. The huntress playfully warns that if the heart is surrendered willingly, no harm will come. Underneath the razor-sharp claws lies a deeper truth waiting to be uncovered, a dazzling revelation that will soon be unleashed under the scorching sun.

Released on April 29, 2024, “HEYA” serves as the lead single for IVE's highly anticipated second Korean-language extended play, IVE SWITCH, under Starship Entertainment. The track represents an ambitious musical step forward for the group, blending their signature polished pop sound with heavy hip-hop influences. The production boasts an impressive roster of domestic and international collaborators. It was composed by a team including the legendary Grammy-nominated American producer Dem Jointz (Dwayne Abernathy Jr.), known for his work with Red Velvet, NCT, Kanye West, and Rihanna, alongside K-pop hitmaker Ryan Jhun, Ido Nadjar, Kloe Latimer, Jack Brady, and Jordan Roman.

The lyrics were penned by prominent writers including Lee Seu-ran, Sohlhee, and EXY (the leader of sister group WJSN). To accompany the track, IVE's creative team conceptualized a visual and thematic experience celebrating Korean national heritage. The members wanted to express Korea's distinct beauty to a global audience, drawing inspiration from historical aesthetics and traditional folklore. The music video features custom Hanbok-inspired wardrobe, traditional accessories like norigae, and backdrop sets styled after Irworobongdo, the iconic Joseon-era folding screens depicting the sun, moon, and five peaks.

The song is composed in a driving 4/4 time signature with an energetic, mid-tempo groove running at approximately 118 BPM. The rhythm relies heavily on syncopation, particularly in the verses where the rap lines bounce playfully against the steady thud of the bassline. This creates an alternating sensation of tension and release, matching the push-and-pull nature of a predator stalking its prey.

Lyrically, the song features a mixture of perfect Korean end-rhymes, clever internal rhymes, and English-Korean slant rhymes. The flow of the rap sections is snappy and staccato, emphasizing harsh consonants that evoke the sharp movement of claws. In contrast, the chorus utilizes a repetitive, rhythmic chant (“HEYA, HEYA, HEYA”) that aligns perfectly with the heavy, driving downbeats, transforming the track into a powerful, hypnotic anthem designed for live crowds to sing along with ease.

“HEYA” utilizes a brilliant fusion of modern Western urban production and traditional Eastern storytelling devices. Musically, the song's most defining feature is its prominent sampling and interpolation of the iconic 1996 R&B classic “No Diggity” by Blackstreet. Producer Dem Jointz seamlessly weaves this familiar soulful groove into a modern, hard-hitting trap-style beat characterized by booming bass, crisp percussion flourishes, and punchy synth arrangements.

Lyrically, the song employs dynamic vocal delivery shifts to convey its narrative. The track opens with a commanding, low-register rap verse delivered by Rei and Gaeul that immediately shifts the atmosphere, mimicking the stealthy approach of a predator. This is contrasted by the soaring, highly melodic, and angelic vocals of Liz and Wonyoung in the pre-chorus. The chorus transitions into a high-energy, stadium-ready chant that is both addictive and universally accessible. Additionally, the song makes use of onomatopoeia (‘Da-da-da-dun-dun’) to mirror the suspenseful thumping of a startled heartbeat.

Upon its release, “HEYA” made a massive cultural and commercial splash. It dominated domestic music charts, quickly climbing to the top tiers of Melon, Genie, and Bugs, and secured a notable position on the global iTunes charts. In March 2026, Starship Entertainment announced that the music video had officially surpassed 100 million views on YouTube, making it IVE's sixth video to reach this milestone and solidifying the group's reputation as global hitmakers.

Beyond its commercial success, the song became a focal point of intense cultural pride and discussion. Domestically, Korean netizens and cultural critics widely praised the group for their bold integration of traditional Korean culture—such as modern Hanboks, norigae charms, and Joseon-era landscape backdrops—into modern global K-pop. However, the video also sparked a heated geopolitical debate online when some Chinese social media users accused the music video of appropriating Chinese art styles (such as traditional scrolls, landscape painting, and auspicious clouds). This was firmly rebutted by Korean art historians and the music video's 2D designer, Park Ji-eun, who detailed how every visual element was directly drawn from historical Korean paintings like Irworobongdo and Korean folktales, sparking widespread international conversations about cultural exchange and heritage in modern pop music.

The track is rich with layered cultural symbolism and metaphorical motifs that elevate its narrative beyond a simple love song:

• The Tiger (호랑이): Symbolizes the members of IVE. Historically revered as the protector and spirit of Korea, the tiger represents fierce independence, calculated grace, and relentless power. Here, the tiger represents the ultimate pursuer who is in complete control of the romantic chase.
• The Sun (해 / HEYA): Serves as a metaphor for the lover or a grand ambition. The title itself is a clever double-entendre; while ‘Hae’ (해) means sun, and ‘ya’ (야) is a friendly vocative calling out to it, the phrase ‘heya’ (해야) also means ‘must do’ or ‘have to’ in Korean, underscoring their absolute resolve.
• Tigers Smoking Pipes: A visual and lyrical homage to the classic Korean folktale opening phrase, ‘Once upon a time, back when tigers used to smoke...’ This establishes the fantasy and mythological scale of the song.
• Claws (손톱): Metaphor for striking at the perfect moment, capturing the target's heart, and leaving an unforgettable mark of their presence.
• Frozen Heart: Represents the emotionally distant, guarded state of the target, which the predator's warm, fiery passion is destined to break and melt away.

Several key lyrical and musical motifs are woven throughout the track to reinforce its core themes:

• “HEYA, HEYA, HEYA”: The central rhythmic hook and title. Its repetition acts as a spell-like incantation, locking the listener in and driving the folklore-inspired narrative forward.
• The Heartbeat Motif (‘Da-da-da-dun-dun’): This dramatic, rhythmic chant acts as a sonic transition, signaling the prey's rising heartbeat and the impending strike of the predator.
• “Craving, craving ya”: Repeated in the background of the chorus, this phrase emphasizes the tiger's primal, insatiable hunger and obsession with capturing the sun.
• Claw and Stalking Imagery: Frequent references to ‘holding one's breath,’ ‘targeting with two eyes,’ and ‘clawing’ are repeated across different verses to maintain the predator-prey suspense throughout the song's structure.