NiziU Presses Play on “HEARTIS” in Korean Debut Single Album

NiziU, a Japanese girl group under JYP Entertainment and Sony Music Japan Entertainment, has made their Korean debut with the single album Press Play. This Korean debut comes almost three years into their career, which has seen massive success in Japan. Released on October 30, 2023, Press Play includes the title track “HEARTRIS,” the B-side “Lucky Star,” and a Korean version of their single “Paradise.” 

Re-introducing NiziU 

NiziU debuted in Japan on December 2, 2020 with the single “Step and a step.” Mako, Rio, Maya, Riku, Ayaka, Mayuka, Rima, Miihi, and Nina formed NiziU through the survival show Nizi Project that same year. Since then, the group has released many singles, many EPs, and a few albums within Japan. 

Though Press Play is NiziU’s official Korean debut, the group has some exposure to the Korean audience. They have released a few Korean versions of their songs previously, including one of “Step and a step.” Members of NiziU also appeared in Stray Kids’ “God’s Menu” and “Back Door” music videos.

Every Lyric Clicks in “HEARTRIS” 

With lyrics by J.Y. Park, Jung Nagyeong, and Liljune, “HEARTRIS” was composed by chAN’s, DEEPY, Boran, Tea Belle, and Weki Meki’s Ji Suyeon. Much like the objective of Tetris, getting pieces to match seamlessly, the lyrics describe an attraction that fits perfectly.* The speaker compares their compatibility to the Hangul characters ㄱ (giyeok) and ㄴ (nieun). It’s a principle of opposites attract in “HEARTRIS.” 

Unsurprisingly, more overt Tetris references appear within the lyrics: one part describes how the speaker is “coming down” [into their love interest’s life] and says to “rotate and pull down,” in order to break down walls. Here, this brings to mind obvious imagery of clearing a line of tetrominoes, but also figurative speech of breaking down someone’s emotional walls. 

The Visual Attraction of “HEARTRIS” 

The “HEARTRIS” music video pulls out all the stops: not only does it feature Stray Kids’ Felix playing a central character, but the music video combines an anime art style with reality. Just as how NiziU played roles in Stray Kids’ music videos, Felix returns the favor for their Korean debut. The music video appears vibrant, charming, and adorable. It captures a heartwarming feeling of what it’s like to chase after love. 

The song’s choreography also adds to the theme’s consistency: it carries a lot of energy in each step, and showcases fine arm and hand movements to mimic the blocky nature of Tetris. Each aspect of “HEARTRIS” helps each other create a very cohesive comeback. Whether or not listeners have prior knowledge of NiziU, this debut without a doubt understood what it wanted to deliver.

“Lucky Star” Shines Bright

Written by danke, and composed by ChAN’s, Stella Jones, and INFX, “Lucky Star” is the second track on Press Play. In the song, the speaker expresses that they want to be the “lucky star” in the night’s sky for the listener.* They want to give a light of hope during life’s darkest hours. 

 JYP Entertainment released a teaser for the song on October 22, before releasing a full track video on November 5, 2023. Anyone who enjoyed the cuteness of “HEARTRIS” will likely also connect with the “Lucky Star” video. It implements some comic book elements into its music video much like the meshing of styles in “HEARTRIS.” Overall, “Lucky Star” is a great accompanying B-side for this Korean debut. 

*Note: lyrics taken from English captions in the official music videos.