Who is Rei? The real Rei? The Rei, we don't know? Well, I can never tell you her hidden secrets, but I can welcome you back
to idol deep dive, the show where we take a look at the stories behind our favorite idols,
and figure out what we can learn from them. And this is the very first episode where
you guys chose the group! Before this, I hadn't really watched any behind-the-scenes IVE content, so it was a whole new world for me. But after my intense research, there
was one member whose constant swag─ poetic words─ and honestly, pretty deep reflections left a real impression on me. So after poring through videos and exclusive
Japanese interviews which I've translated, I'd like to share the results of my deep dive on R E I REI! And Rei brings a decidedly different perspective to the group. Not only is she the
sole foreign member in IVE, which gives her a unique connection to an entire country, but she's
one of the very few K-Pop idols to be an INFJ, and even has her own YouTube show. So it begs the
question; how did she get to where she is now? Well DIVE, let's dive in. It's time to
follow Rei, back to the very beginning. Rei was born on February 3rd, 2004, her hometown being Nagoya, Japan. This is a case where music ran in the family’s DNA. In fact, K-Pop did. One fateful day, her mom’s K-Pop craze truly touched Rei’s heart when they both
went to a Red Velvet concert. Pursuing that wish, and becoming the rapper
of her dreams, Rei went to the Starship auditions in Japan, and passed. And guess what song she
auditioned with? That's right. She danced to Red Velvet's 'Happiness'. Because─ of course. She began to study Korean and came
to Korea when she was just 15 years old. And that’s… that's shocking. 15 years old, going to school in a
country where you’re still studying the language, and that far from your family.
What’s more, Rei was far from an extrovert. So it's only natural she had a couple
worries on her mind living in another country. But even in the case she needed emergency backup, Rei had one other trump card she could rely on. So if you see some butterflies hanging out around IVE, you better be on your best behavior. And Rei's Korean abilities improved dramatically, to the point many DIVEs would know that
she's referred to as “Kim Rei” by her members. How did that happen? Fun fact: she actually chose to go to the
High School of Performing Arts, or SOPA, because her role-model, Joy from Red
Velvet went there. She's us for real. But of course, debut is never guaranteed.
Rei still had doubts whether she could make it. So, one day she went to a fortune teller in
Hongdae, and asked whether or not she’d become the idol of her dreams. [ ♪ Toccata and Fugue in D Minor ♪ ] [Cheering crowd]
[ ♪ Final Fantasy Victory Fanfare ♪ ] And sure enough, she made it. But something might still not make
sense, if you’re following this. Rei had a sort of shy persona up to this point,
but if you see any footage of her these days─ Well, it’s sort of the opposite. How did Rei transition from the girl careful
of every word she said, to the confident, rapping icon she is today? And most importantly,
how does she view this change herself? We can uncover all the answers and more,
with four butterfly shaped bullet points. The first one: complete family support. No one can make leaps across oceans completely alone. But I guess having a mom who’s a stan is
helpful, because Rei’s mom sure made it easier. She regularly sends care packages filled
with different noodles you can only get in Japan, for a little taste of home. Y’know who's an even bigger stan than her mom? Grandpa. Her Ojiisan has framed pictures of her
performing and IVE posters decorating his house. In her vlog, he even gave her bouquet.
No DIVE can claim to be a bigger stan than that. But that doesn’t change the fact that she can’t see them without taking a plane ride back home to Nagoya─ so that brings us to our second butterfly bullet point: the members. We’ve already covered how as a trainee, the IVE members were integral to her learning Korean.
But soon enough, they became like a family. IVE didn’t just give her the support she
needed; but she gave them support too. Now I'm not really one to talk about
pairings, but I found an especially strong example of this between Rei and Yujin. Rei really looks up to Yujin. She genuinely finds her to be an charismatic and hardworking leader. Likewise, Yujin cherishes Rei's sweet manner of speaking. It’s ironic, that Yujin would
learn how to speak from Rei, but it’s true. They teach each other. Yeah they're totally dating. Now that's what I call a healthy relationship. Now the bullet points we’ve covered so far have
certainly helped explain how Rei was able to turn Korea into a home, but that isn’t enough
to fundamentally change someone. That's where we need to look at the third and fourth. We need to talk about group assimilation. [Thunder]
[Ominous Laughter] Okay it’s not that scary. Think about IVE. What sort
of concepts do they have? That’s right, IVE is all about confidence.
It’s about owning what you have. I mean, it's in the name. And this attitude has rubbed off on Rei. Don’t believe me? How 'bout she tells you herself? So there you have it; the image of IVE Rei
seems to be influencing Naoi Rei— the confident rapper, rapping confident lyrics, slowly becomes closer to her real self every comeback. But it's gradual. The fact she's a celebrity
didn't even really register until recently. But she's learning to own this new way of living,
where her dreams have come true. Even the lyrics she writes on songs like 'Royal' or
'Hypnosis' reflect this newfound confident persona. IVE is part of who she is. It reinforces her. It has become her strength. Last but not least, the final secret
ingredient to Rei’s metamorphosis. Her newfound ability to share her own aesthetic. This manifests in so many ways, it’s impossible to name them all. But I’ll try. Have you checked out Rei’s instagram? Her posts look like they’ve been
ripped straight out of a Pinterest moodboard. A pictochat callback? Bibble? Sure! Or, if you’ve ever watched her show “Follow Rei,"
you probably are aware of her immense affinity for recommending all sorts of cute, nifty, niche businesses. I mean, she tells you to go to there yourself, like it's called follow Rei for a reason. Or her absolute joy in making unconventional sentences that could really only come out of her mouth. I mean, she's literally an artist and was
able to share the portrait of her ultimate bias WITH her ultimate bias. Not bad. I even see the term “Reicore” being thrown around. Listen to this quote from Vogue Japan. Rei seems to absolutely revel in her ability
to finally give others those electric feelings that brought her on the path of an idol in the first place, through her aesthetic and her own signature Rei twists. Just like how the Red Velvet concert gave her inspiration, she’s finally letting loose and giving inspiration to others. That's still something that's setting in, day by day. At that concert in Nagoya, her hometown,
where she finally processed that she was celebrity, her parents were watching in the audience. Which means that, in a way,
years after going to the Red Velvet one, Rei and her mom were able to
attend a concert together once more; just─ in a very different way, with a very different Rei. Wow, so how was that? Thank you guys for voting IVE,
exploring them has been an absolute joy. I’m glad I could follow Rei's journey. With how much she's evolved, maybe she really is a butterfly. But like always, it’s on to the next idol. Oh, and let me know what you thought of my avatar! Like and Subscribe for more, and I'll see you guys then. Annyeong!
