On November 23, 2013, six-member boy group VIXX released their first full-length album, VOODOO. The album consists of fifteen tracks, including pre-release track “대답은 너니까 (ONLY U)” and an instrumental version of horror classic “VOODOO DOLL,” with member Ravi penning many of the rap parts. Ravi also penned the lyrics and music for track “Secret Night.”

The Music Videos

The music video for “대답은 너니까 (ONLY U)” was released on November 7, 2013 and features the members walking around Stockholm, Sweden, capturing the beauty of the city while also capturing the beauty of the boys as they sing about not being able to move on from a girl even while on a date with somebody else.

The shift from “대답은 너니까 (ONLY U)” to “VOODOO DOLL” is drastic. Instead of getting a beautiful city while VIXX sing about wanting somebody else, we get horror, gore, and wanting to take the pain for somebody else. The music video for “VOODOO DOLL” was released on November 19, 2013. It is dark, disturbing, and a work of art; any fan of the horror genre will fall in love with this music video. In between scenes of the boys being stabbed with pins or cut open only to be stitched back up, we see the six members each in their own creepy prisons, tied up by strings attached to rings stitched into their flesh to hold them back from a woman taking pleasure in causing them pain. 

The music video is so graphic that major networks banned it, giving the video an R rating due to disturbing imagery and violence. They also banned the choreography from being performed on music shows due to the members taking turns “stabbing” each other throughout the performance. Five days after the release of the first video, a “clean” version of the “VOODOO DOLL” music video was released. If you’re not a fan of gore, we suggest skipping the original video and checking out the “clean” version, which places more focus on the choreography of the song rather than the dark imagery laced throughout the R-rated video. There’s also a lot less stabbing in this one (and by “a lot less,” there’s no stabbing at all).

The Comeback Performances

VIXX had their comeback performance on November 20, 2013 on Show Champion where they performed “대답은 너니까 (ONLY U)” and “VOODOO DOLL.” For the performance of “대답은 너니까 (ONLY U),” the boys performed while sitting down, the boys wearing blazers and slacks while singing in front of multiple screens displaying Tower Bridge in London with clouds rolling by in the background. The track was pre-recorded, with the second half being edited out during the airing of the show.

Just like with the music videos, the comeback performance for “VOODOO DOLL” was a lot darker, the members wearing black suits with gray button ups and heavy eyeliner as they danced in front of gothic-style windows. Each member had different stitching details on their blazer, a nod to the extensive stage makeup in the music video. For this first music show performance of the song, they did not have to change the choreography and were still able to “stab” each other throughout. 

The Legacy

“VOODOO DOLL” received one music show win on December 6, 2013 on Music Bank. This also marked VIXX’s first music show win. N did most of the talking as they received their first trophy, the other members standing beside him crying or excitedly clapping, while Leo fell to the ground and hid behind the other members as he cried. Something incredibly sweet about this win as well was members of EXO and San E came forward to congratulate and support VIXX as they cried and celebrated their first win.

VOODOO peaked at No. 1 on the Gaon Weekly Album Chart while “VOODOO DOLL” and “대답은 너니까 (ONLY U)” appeared on the Gaon Weekly Songs Chart, peaking at No. 7 and No. 40 respectively. “VOODOO DOLL” also appeared on the Billboard US World Digital Song Sales Chart, peaking at No. 4.

“VOODOO DOLL” was nominated for “4th Quarter Best Selling Record Award” at the Gaon Chart Music Awards but did not win. However, VIXX and “VOODOO DOLL” were also nominated for “Best Music Video” at the KMC Radio Awards, which they did win.

Seven years after this comeback, “VOODOO DOLL” is still ranked as one of the best K-Pop music videos to watch in the month of October and a track to play during Halloween parties, and for good reason. The song is catchy and upbeat while maintaining a certain level of darkness not normally seen in mainstream pop songs, and the music video adds on to that vibe with its gorey, horrific charm, making “VOODOO DOLL” the perfect song to put you in the spooky mood.