MEOVV Unleashes Second EP ‘BITE NOW’ with Bach-Sampling Title “DDI RO RI”
- Sarah Tan
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Would you think that a Gothic church organ sounds completely at odds with a driving hip-hop beat? If you do, MEOVV is here to prove you wrong. The five-member K-pop girl group featuring SOOIN, GAWON, ANNA, NARIN, and ELLA released their second EP BITE NOW on June 1 via THEBLACKLABEL and Capitol Records.
In its first week, BITE NOW sold 301,725 copies on the Korean Hanteo Chart, breaking MEOVV’s own record of 255,005 copies set by their debut EP MY EYES OPEN VVIDE last year.
The latest five-song project centers on “DDI RO RI,” a dramatic title track accompanied by an eye-popping music video that opens with the iconic organ blast from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor.
Widely regarded as one of the most recognizable works in Western classical music, the piece became permanently linked to Gothic imagery through early horror films such as the 1931 classic Dracula and the 1962 adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera, making it the song filmmakers reach for whenever something eerie or sinister is about to happen.
THEBLACKLABEL taps directly into this dark legacy, using the piece’s naturally ominous vibe to mirror MEOVV’s predatory, beast-mode identity on this project.
The Gothic organ gets dropped over a Brooklyn drill beat, a specific and aggressive hip-hop subgenre defined by dark atmospheres, rapid skittering drum patterns, and sliding 808 basslines that bend between pitches to build intense tension.
Opening the track with “What’s the deal? This is the start, I feel arenas / Shout my name from Korea out to Ibiza” is a declaration of intent from a group that means every word. When they sing “You know I’m the blueprint, I be on that new sh*t,” there is no room for doubt.
The collision of a centuries-old classical melody with the gritty modern production builds relentless tension, showing the group’s ambition. It also elevates “DDI RO RI” from a standard pop track into something genuinely theatrical. Even the track’s name is onomatopoeic, meant to mirror the sharp sound of the opening organ hit.
Strikingly bold and unlike anything MEOVV have released before, the rest of the EP captures the group in full reinvention, evolving into their true form across four wide-ranging and diverse b-sides.
“Hit ‘Em” is dark and propulsive, not letting you look away. “In my hands” pairs heavy EDM production with emotive vocals and an anthemic hook: “Got the world in my hands.” “Favorite song” finds strength in restraint and scales things back with a guitar-driven soul-pop groove.
The closer, “Revenge,” is an alt-R&B track that’s lush and eerily dreamy, capturing the tension of a relationship everyone knows is doomed, but no one can walk away from. NARIN, ELLA, and GAWON co-wrote “In My Hands,” while NARIN and GAWON contributed to both “Favorite Song” and “Revenge.”
Behind the scenes, the production on BITE NOW is the work of a stacked international team. Members NARIN, ELLA, and GAWON co-wrote the track alongside THEBLACKLABEL founder TEDDY and a lineup that includes 24, Dominsuk, KUSH, Vince, Kaine, lil aaron, Zikai, and DCF.
24 is the label’s primary in-house producer and the architect behind BLACKPINK mega-hits like “How You Like That” and “Pink Venom.” Dominsuk is a rising 25-year-old producer signed to the label who co-composed BLACKPINK’s “Typa Girl” and co-produced JEON SOMI’s “DUMB DUMB.”
KUSH, formerly known as E-Knock, is a legendary first-generation YG Entertainment producer and THEBLACKLABEL co-founder, known for crafting BIGBANG’s “Tonight,” “WE LIKE 2 PARTY,” “Still Life,” and 2NE1’s “Lonely.” Vince is a singer-producer under the label whose credits span JENNIE’s “You & Me” and MEOVV’s earlier tracks.
On the international side, lil aaron is an LA-based songwriter who has written for Kim Petras and Twenty One Pilots, while Swedish singer-songwriter Zikai previously produced, composed and co-wrote MEOVV’s debut single “MEOW” and BLACKPINK’s “JUMP” alongside Diplo.
Rounding out the team are global songwriter Kaine, who has worked alongside Lady Gaga, Ryan Tedder, David Guetta, and Jason Derulo, and prolific indie-pop artist and songwriter DCF, whose credits include CORTIS’ “JoyRide,” ENHYPEN’s “No Way Back Feat. So!YoON!,” ITZY’s “Girls Will Be Girls,” DAYOUNG’s “body,” TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s “Ghosting,” and Mark Tuan’s “High As You.”
The four in-house producers—24, Dominsuk, KUSH, and Vince—also share a major film credit. All four contributed to the soundtrack for the Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters, working on the music of HUNTR/X and the Saja Boys.
Their work on “Golden,” performed by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, went on to win Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards and Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 68th Grammy Awards, and has since surpassed 1.7 billion Spotify streams.
BITE NOW follows MEOVV’s debut EP MY EYES OPEN VVIDE, where they introduced themselves with “MEOW,” which landed in the Top 10 of Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart, amassed 5.1 million global streams in its first week, and exceeded 10 million YouTube views in 48 hours.
“TOXIC” and “BODY” further showcased their range before “HANDS UP” earned the group their first music show win on Mnet’s M Countdown and has since hit 81 million YouTube views. They closed 2025 with “BURNING UP,” released October 14, which now sits at 51 million YouTube views.
MEOVV, which stands for “My Eyes Open Wide” and is pronounced “meow,” launched in September 2024 under TEDDY’s creative direction.
The mega-producer and THEBLACKLABEL founder, known for his work with BLACKPINK, BIGBANG, G-DRAGON, and 2NE1, hand-picked each member of the group, making MEOVV his first girl group since producing for BLACKPINK. The label is also home to TAEYANG, JEON SOMI, ROSÉ, ALLDAY PROJECT, and Vince.
Three months after their debut, MEOVV won “Favorite Rising Artist” at the 2024 MAMA Awards, Asia’s most prestigious music award show.
They have since made their live U.S. debut at KCON LA 2025, released their first Japanese single “ME ME ME” in partnership with cosmetics brand KAO, and landed on PEOPLE’s Fall Emerging Artists list, with the publication writing that “K-pop fan or not, MEOVV will be your latest obsession.”
International music outlets have also showered them with critical acclaim from Teen Vogue, PAPER, Hypebae, The Hollywood Reporter, Elite Daily, UPROXX, Clash, and Billboard, who wrote that “MEOVV leaped onto the K-pop scene by showcasing a promising range and bold artistry set to claw out a legacy all their own.”
This summer, the members return to Los Angeles, performing on Day 3 of KCON LA 2026 on August 16 alongside TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT), ALLDAY PROJECT, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, JO1, ONE PACT, RESCENE, and So!YoON!
The three-day festival runs from August 14 to 16 at Crypto.com Arena, headlined by NCT 127, ZEROBASEONE, and TXT.
Which BITE NOW track is on repeat for you, and are you obsessed with the Bach sample in “DDI RO RI”? Will you be singing along live when they hit the stage at KCON LA this August? Let us know in the comments or reach out to us on Instagram or X.
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Edited by Michelle Leung