Teddy Park's Winning Formula Proves MEOVV Has the '2NE1 and BLACKPINK DNA' Through Its 'Six-Pack Home Workout' Choreography [SC Issue]

[Sportschosun Baek Ji-eun] Teddy Park was, once again, Teddy Park.

Teddy Park debuted as a member of the YG Entertainment hip-hop group 1TYM and went on to shake up the Korean music industry. After ending his active career, he reinvented himself as a producer and created K-pop's flagship girl groups, 2NE1 and BLACKPINK.

The first girl group he launched after going independent under The Black Label was MEOVV. The five-member group, made up of Sooin, Gawon, Anna, Narin and Ella Gross, drew industry attention from the moment of its debut and signaled a breakout with its second EP, BITE NOW, released on the 1st.

The title track, DDI RO RI, surged to No. 9 on Melon HOT100 and took No. 1 on the latest chart. The album also surpassed 300,000 copies in first-week sales, marking a career high.

What is even more intimidating than their growth is Teddy Park's meticulous strategy.

He set the music apart first. Recent K-pop idol music has been dominated by easy listening. Teddy Park, however, made a daring move by layering Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor over a hip-hop beat. The bold, rough-edged sound delivered a refreshing jolt to the ears.

Even more striking is the performance.

DDI RO RI features brutally intense choreography. The members are constantly stomping their feet and repeatedly performing movements that keep their weight low, such as lunges and squats, while supporting their entire bodies on one leg. The routine also includes fierce neck rolls and upper- and lower-body twists with popping elements, creating choreography that resembles a high-intensity interval workout. What is even more astonishing is that the intensity does not peak at the beginning with a dance break; it keeps rising toward the end. Even without any so-called breather section, the members deliver a flawless live performance.

And there is an even tougher song: the B-side track Hit Them, which features Siena LaRue. Onstage for Hit Them, the members even come out wearing boxing gloves and pull off absurdly demanding moves such as kicks, scissor kicks, Matrix-style backbends and plank variations. As the song races toward the finale, the choreography keeps getting more intense, yet the members sing live with relaxed expressions and no sign of breathlessness. Even fans were left stunned, calling it a 'high-intensity home workout,' asking whether they were 'Ttangkkeu couple,' and saying, 'Those six packs didn't appear for nothing.'

Why would Teddy Park attach such grueling, CrossFit-level choreography to a girl group that could have simply shown off their beauty and acted with their expressions? In short, it can be summed up as a 'winning formula for proving skill.'

As K-pop fandom has become more discerning, idols are now expected to deliver not only visuals but also flawless talent. To be recognized as a true powerhouse, they must have self-producing ability, strong live vocals and perfectly synchronized choreography. Teddy Park focused on that point. By highlighting the members performing intense choreography while singing live with precision, he made it immediately clear that MEOVV is a 'monster rookie' that cannot be criticized for its skills. Through this, he gave them the stage presence and wild energy associated with 2NE1 and BLACKPINK, while building a hip aura that sets them apart from other groups. The strategy also aligned perfectly with dance trends popular overseas. Movements with strong impact are seen as ideal for shorts, cover dances and reaction videos that global fans love.

In other words, Teddy Park carefully designed everything from the music to the choreography to show as quickly as possible that MEOVV is a skilled group that tears up the stage. Attention is now focused on how far his genius production will take the group.

Baek Ji-eun silk781220@sportschosun.com