The virtual girl group of your dreams is here! OWIS, short for Only When I Sleep, have officially made their debut with the awe-inspiring MUSEUM mini-album, and it’s everything we dreamed it would be. The project includes seven mesmerizing songs, including title track ‘MUSEUM’ and its English version. We’re still fairly early into 2026, but we’re convinced that it’ll remain one of our top K-Pop releases of the year. Serene, Haru, Summer, Soi, and Yuni are bound to be some of your favorite new voices on the global music scene.
OWIS are the first group to debut under all my anecdotes, a new company founded and led by CEO Jay Kim, formerly of Warner Music Korea, and CCO Lee Haein – yes, the Lee Haein whose work you’ve already loved with KISS OF LIFE and CLOSE YOUR EYES! We got to attend a virtual panel with Lee Haein through Keens Academy a few years back when she was working with KIOF, and some things that stood out most to us were her drive for creative success, her unique understanding of the industry from both trainee and producer sides, and a story she told in which she had to recruit people for a team and wound up choosing a jewelry designer with no former music experience to make room for new perspectives.
The group name suggests that they “can only be met within dreams,” and their main narrative storyline is that the group is looking for their lost dreams. That idea is especially compelling when you consider the real-life artists behind each virtual character – they haven’t been officially named, but social media clues point to the members being Lee Haein (ama’s Chief Creative Officer, a former soloist, and a former trainee at multiple companies), Lee Ruri (a former I.B.I member and soloist who participated in Produce 101 alongside Lee Haein), Adora (a soloist who has produced for HYBE artists like BTS and TXT), Ryu Sujeong (debuted in Lovelyz, who are currently on indefinite hiatus), and JINI (a soloist who initially debuted in NMIXX).
Each of these women have passionately pursued their idol dreams in spite of the challenges and redirections they’ve faced along the way! They’re refusing to let their dreams be lost, coming together for an exciting new chapter that brings us into an ethereal world full of charming memories and ambition. Let’s step into the world of OWIS with a closer look at their debut MUSEUM mini-album – for clarity, we’ll be referencing the English translations of each song by the Genius Korea community.
Something feels very familiar and comforting about OWIS from the very first song, ‘MUSEUM,’ when a voice calls you in: “Hi, it’s me again. I was just thinking… we should have been in a museum.” Based on the group’s predebut content and this era’s Museum of Memories concept – which ‘MUSEUM’ co-writer Summer told Starnews Korea was inspired by the memories in Inside Out – we think this voice represents the members’ inner children or past versions of themselves that are still lingering and hoping for their time to shine. The song’s fun guitar line and surreal atmosphere feel so nostalgic, like a childhood summer.
The key lyric in the chorus, “I feel like I’m in a museum,” carries a double meaning, and each direction is very powerful. First, they’re observers in their own Museum of Memories, feeling inspired as they wander through the art and memories around them. Then they feel like the actual art in the museum, embracing their past identities and dreams to become more fulfilled, realized versions of themselves. And the fact that they actually repeat “I feel like, I feel like” suggests that both perspectives are true simultaneously, even if it’s in different facets of themselves right now.
Throughout the mini-album’s b-sides, OWIS blur the lines between dreams and reality, memory and the present, and love for others versus the love you have for yourself and your potential. Each of the b-sides seems to be a love song on the surface, but we think they could just as easily apply to the excited rush and nervous hesitation that comes with pursuing your dreams wholeheartedly.
‘airplane : 143,’ ‘juicy,’ and ‘missing piece’ tell love stories in refreshing ways using production that matches the lyrics beautifully, drawing you in with every note. For example, ‘airplane : 143’ uses a lot of reverb and you’ll hear different sounds in the left and right channels if you’re listening with headphones, as if you’re literally going to “fly through fantasy” and clouds with OWIS to reach a new world where anything is possible. Meanwhile, ‘juicy’ centers around a refreshing, energetic guitar line and the steady beat on ‘missing piece’ functions like a heartbeat as the girls sing about “all [their] little fantasies” coming true thanks to a special someone.
After opening with a stunning, music box-like intro, ‘lonely lullaby’ is where some fear creeps in, possibly referencing self-doubt and imposter syndrome as OWIS start pursuing their goals. They ultimately accept their doubtful parts as “another side of” themselves and invite them to “stay a little while” so they can understand where the fear is coming from. The members may also be singing to each other and offering compassion during their challenges leading to debut – the song culminates in an incredible bridge where they harmonize together, as if sticking together is the thing that will offer them confidence through their worries.
‘ONLY WHEN I SLEEP’ is the only song other than ‘MUSEUM’ that’s titled entirely in capital letters, which we think might mean OWIS are becoming more comfortable in the dream world their past selves beckoned them into with the title track. “I know it ain’t real, but it happens inside of my mind” embraces their memories and the mystical world around those memories as a viable place to “run away” and find new strength. Meanwhile, fluttery vocals and harmonies add a magical, dreamy vibe that pulls you right in.
The narrator of the song could even be a single member trying to convince the other members to pursue their dreams and become OWIS – “This could be our playground… we could run away.” Together, they can face the doubts that might come up along the way and find a way to truly make things work.
The final new song on the tracklist, ‘forNEVER,’ feels like a conversation between the OWIS in their dreams and the OWIS in their present realities, wondering if they’re willing to finally take the jump and live out the life they’ve wanted to. Reflecting how each real-life member has pursued various avenues in their career while still pushing through to reach their goals, a dream self insists, “Messed up, take two, no matter how many times, just go.”
With a sense of urgency, the song ends with an alarm clock tone, propelling OWIS out of their dreamy Museum of Memories and back into the present moment. So what’s it going to be: pursue their dreams, or let them exist ‘forNEVER?’ For OWIS, that answer is to push through and honor the dreams they’ve held in their hearts for so long.
It is a song with a stylish mood that is different from the existing songs, and focused on naturally melting the team’s world view in the lyrics that use rhymes. In particular, it can be said to be a trailer for the next album. Please look forward to it.
Serene to Starnews Korea
When an album has an English version of its lead single as the last track, it can often feel like it’s just a last-minute addition tacked on at the end. But hearing the English version of ‘MUSEUM’ feels like a full-circle moment that adds dimension to OWIS’s story. It’s as if they’ve woken up after the alarm at the end of ‘forNEVER’ with a new spark to make their dreams a reality and their visions more accessible to fans all over the world. We’re witnessing an awakening in every sense of the word and we can’t wait to see what dreams OWIS turn into a reality in the future!
What do you love most about OWIS and their debut with ‘MUSEUM?’ Which track on the mini-album is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! You can also buzz on over to our Reddit community to chat with us.
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