After a momentous 2025, K-pop girl group Billlie are ready to open a new world to fans this year with their latest single cloud palace ~ false awakening.
Debuting in 2021, Billlie made a splash with their debut hit RING X RING, introducing members MOON SUA, SUHYEON, HARAM, TSUKI, HARUNA, SIYOON, and later SHEON. Their first EP The Billage of Perception: Chapter One created a surreal world through catchy songs and music videos using surreal, horror-based elements.
The choice to focus on storytelling through music videos set them apart from other fourth-generation groups. And with the release of GingaMingaYo (The Strange World), EUNOIA, and remembrance candy, their fans, known as Belllie’ve, were hooked with each new song. Despite a competitive industry that was recovering from the pandemic, the group overcame those challenges, earning them numerous awards, including the Melon Music Awards for New Artist of the Year and the Seoul Music Awards for Best Performance.
Last year, the group performed alongside Patti Labelle and Megan Thee Stallion in Apple TV+’s star-studded variety competition show KPOPPED. Meanwhile, members MOON SUA and SIYOON created the group’s first sub-unit with the sizzling rap track SNAP. After a year-long group hiatus, Billlie is making a long-awaited comeback with a fresh twist. They’re keeping it real by swapping eye-catching visuals with acoustic vocals and live performances.
Working with R&B artist Junny and SM Entertainment songwriter minGtion, their latest single also features two remixes and concludes the trilogy of musical storytelling that began with The Collective Soul and Unconscious: Chapter One and The Billage of Perception: Chapter Two.
In an exclusive conversation with Lifestyle Asia, the girls tell all about the behind-the-scenes of cloud palace , their goals for 2026, and how they make their songs shine among the saturated K-pop space.
Billlie get real with their latest single ‘cloud palace ~ false awakening’
Last year was an eventful one for you guys, with a world tour and performing with Megan Thee Stallion on KPOPPED. With 2026 now in full swing, what is one goal you want to achieve as a group this year?
MOON SUA: 2026 is a year that we want to show a clearer picture of where we’re headed. We learned a lot about what we want to highlight on stage through our experiences on our world tour and KPOPPED. So based on these experiences, we hope to further solidify Billlie’s identity and artistic direction this year. While results are important, we want this to be a year where we feel more confident in every step of the process we take.
HARAM: I want to make 2026 a year where we meet our fans, Belllie’ve, more often and on a deeper level. We want to make more moments where we can connect in different ways, other than just through music or on stage. Through new music and opportunities to meet face to face, I hope to share Billlie’s story more intimately and also listen to the stories of Belllie’s. It would mean the world to me if our fans could say, “In 2026, I feel closer to Billlie than ever.”
What is the story being told in your new song?
MOON SUA: This pre-release single marks the final chapter of the ‘palace’ trilogy that began with “M◐◑N palace” from our second mini album and continued throughout “$UN palace (Stroop effect)” from our third mini album. I see it as a story about a moment of being in a realm between dreams and reality. It captures the realisation that the moment you believed you had fully awakened may have been just another dream, and the confusion and shift in perception that arise at that boundary between dream and reality. Within Billlie’s overarching narrative, the song represents the point just after closing one chapter and right before stepping into the next step.
SIYOON: Emotionally, we wanted to portray a state where uneasiness and a dreamy sense of calm coexist at the same time. The emotions that arise in moments when certainty and doubt, reality and illusion overlap, and lead you to reflect on yourself. I hope our listeners can interpret the ‘cloud palace’ in each of their own ways and take time to face their emotions and inner selves through this song. This pre-release single is a key that opens the door to the story that continues to the next album.
JUNNY was also a composer for the song. What was it like to work with him during the recording process?
SHEON: I’ve always been a fan of JUNNY’s music and I always keep a few of his songs in my playlist. So, when I first heard the demo for cloud palace, I immediately noticed that it was JUNNY’s voice. Later, when I found out he actually participated in the track, I was even more surprised and happy. It was truly an honour to work together, and I think that’s what makes this song even more meaningful to me.
SIYOON: Since JUNNY had already created so many incredible songs, I was very excited for what kind of music we’ll be working on together this time. I actually got more nervous than usual on recording day because the demo that JUNNY recorded himself was so good that I wanted to preserve that tone. Songwriter MinGtion also worked on this track following “M◐◑N palace” and “$UN palace (Stroop effect).” She always gives us a lot of compliments during recording sessions, and I think that helped us focus more and complete the song in better quality.
What was the reason for choosing to release a live performance video over the usual music video for this song?
SUHYEON: We felt that the emotions within the song and sound itself were incredibly important for this pre-release single. Therefore, we’ve been thinking a lot about how we could convey that atmosphere in the most direct and honest way, and concluded that it would be through live performances. I thought the minute details of the sense of air and the smallest emotional tremors created on stage while performing together with the band were essential to fully understand this song, and we wanted to show those elements just as they are.
HARAM: In addition, it seemed more meaningful to capture the atmosphere of cloud palace exactly as it is. Rather than adding fancy edits or production, we wanted to make a choice that would allow our audiences to focus entirely on the music itself. That’s why we thought live performance videos would be the best way to convey the tension and immersiveness of the song. I hope our listeners experience the song as if we’re connecting together live.
Was there a memorable behind-the-scenes story while recording the live video with the band?
HARUNA : During breaks, one of the band members was playing a Japanese song that I love on the guitar, and the music that drifted over in silence was so beautiful that I got mesmerised by it. It made the atmosphere on set feel more relaxed, and even though it was very brief, I still remember it as a comforting moment.
What new side do you want to show Belllie’ve with your upcoming music this year?
SIYOON: Through our next album, we want to show where Billlie stands as a team now more honestly. We want to express our complex emotions just as they are and convey a deeper sentiment through our music. It’s less about our story becoming clearer; rather, we want to present a wider range of possibilities.
SHEON: The reason we want to keep showing new sides of ourselves is that we want to record who Billlie is today. For our next album, we want to capture the very process of questioning and reflecting through our music and performances, rather than presenting a completed answer. I hope Belllie’ve can also experience that process with us and naturally connect with the honest emotions hidden within oneself through our next album.
What New Year’s message do you want to tell Belllie’ve through this new song?
TSUKI: When the new year begins, it often feels like things have to be certain or completely different. But with cloud palace ~ false awakening, we wanted to say that even the moments of confusion and uncertainty are meaningful in their own way. As we’re at the beginning stage of 2026, I hope our message that it’s okay to follow your own pace will come through clearly to our listeners.
Watch Billlie’s performance video for ‘cloud palace ~ false awakening’ here:
All images by Mystic Story
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.