Nxde

The song builds around dynamic piano soundscapes, high-pitched strings, and background percussion, and is characterized by its intentional disruptive musical cacophony. Soyeon’s opening hook delivers a powerful melody and is later backed up by her member's vocal-driven chorus.^[11] The beginning of the song contains lyrics with the phrase, 'yeppi yeppi', which is Korean slang based on the word 'pretty' (yeppuda).^[12] A part of the song mentioned Lorelei, a character Monroe played in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), as a philosophy-obsessed bookworm and self-made woman.^[13] The song deliberately uses the term 'Nxde' to tease 'bare' as true self rather than taking off any outer clothing – the song's last verse, 'I'm born nude/the lewd is you/Rude'.^[14]

In I Love interview released on October 14, (G)I-dle gave a glimpse of the comeback concept with a montage-style monochrome video. In the clip, the (G)I-dle spoke in their native languages (Korean, Thai, Standard Chinese, and Taiwanese Mandarin). Shriya Swami of HITC calls it "a very raw and heart-touching experience."^[15]

Soyeon explained, "We just wanted to show everything. I mean...To an extent where we don’t have anything on?" Minnie shares how their new era is "beyond people's expectations." The girls almost bared all for the sultry concept; as Miyeon details, "We already know what people like to see us wearing," Yuqi continues, "We will throw away all the shackles and burdens." The members further open up about letting people "see the real side of us." Shuhua expresses how they "don’t have high hopes" and "don’t ever wish for anybody to count on us." Before ending the clip, Soyeon warns the fans as she says, "We are completely nude...even you, will have to get ready for it "

——(G)I-dle speaking of showing their true selves for this comeback，HITC^[15]

"Nxde" has received mostly positive critical reception, with most reviewers commenting on its theme of empowerment. Hien Nguyen of The Kraze noted, "By referencing Monroe, (G)I-dle shares the amazing and eye-opening message of how women and their intelligence are often diminished by society and brought down to only their beauty and bodies."^[12] Furthermore, Nguyen wrote, "The ending line, "I’m born nude/You’ve got a dirty mind/Rude," ultimately criticizes the over-sexualization of women and that women aren't prompted to be sexualized by merely existing in their natural state. Leaving aside the prejudices and stigma that society has put on women, (G)I-dle empowers women to embrace their true worth".^[12] Shriya Swami of HITC wrote: "In their empowering 'blonde' era, the girls are flawless with all the glitz and glamour as they deliver the statement of being more than just their looks."^[15] In Medium online publication, Kassy Menke opined that the song "lyrics' are strong and unapologetic. The dancing is flirtatious and full of confidence."^[16] Patchsita Paiculsiri from Mirror commended "(G)I-dle in making "Nxde" something that reminds Marilyn and communicates a new look of her to the society around the world."^[13] Writing for Genius, Sofia Gomez emphasizes that the album is to "fight misconceptions and stereotypes towards women" and "directly calls out individuals that look up the song for an objectionable" and "those that oversexualize women". The author also affirmed that "(G)I-dle has once again used their privilege as idols to bring awareness to the harm women endure from societal expectations. If you feel offended by their message, feel free to remember the introduction of the song."^[17] The Standard Pop's Hathaitarn Chatlertmongkol opined that (G)I-dle attempts to break the framework of gender stereotypes further in "Nxde", terming it a "redefine "Tomboy" in its own right".^[14]

On October 15 and 16, music video teasers were released through the group's official social media.^[18][8] On October 17 the official music video was released.^[4] Choreography for the song was created by Moon Tae-eun, a member of South Korean boy band The Vish,^[19] and Kiel Tutin, who previously choreographed the group's 2022 hit single, "Tomboy".^[20] While the music video being directed by director Son Seung-hee (Samsonii) of High Quality Fish production team.^[21] Set design for "Nxde" is lead by art director Lee Jungae.^[22] On October 15 and 16, music video teasers were released through the group's official social media.^[18][8] On October 17 the official music video was released.^[4]

The video depicts the members as movie stars in "showgirl-inspired fashion" along with numerous references to "iconic" Marilyn Monroe moments.^[4] The music video shows "the ambivalence of a showgirl" who is not what the public wants on stage. It depicts situations where (G)I-dle have become showgirls and get judged biasedly through various scenes.^[10] The scenes in the video, whether in theatres, museums and press conferences, are spaces that catch the eye of the public. In another scene, Soyeon is seen live through her phone, and the screen is full of criticism that they are somewhat incompetent and disrespectful insults.^[14] The video also references Banksy, a street artist who excels at slashing social, economic, and political satire.^[14] His Love is in the Bin painting — depicting the infamous self-shredding of the piece after being auctioned off.^[17] In "Nxde", a nude picture was destroyed in the music video thus portray a rebellion against social norms breaking their limits to create something fresher and more awesome^[14]. Sofia Gomez of Genius regarded that "the self-destruction became a performative spectacle that rejected the commercialization of art with its sole intent of humiliation. In connection to (G)I-dle's message, both the painting and music video criticize how as art, they're undermined and reduced to what society gains from them — taking away their worth and significance."^[17] Towards the end of the video, it stated in bold red text on a black background that "Marilyn Monroe and Banksy inspire the video. Thank you, and love you".

Vogue Hong Kong noted that in the music video (G)I-dle wore 3 group costumes, and each member had at least 2 sets of fashion styles to play the classic style of Marilyn Monroe. Minnie wears a pink turtleneck suede dress from Vetements and a crystal necklace from Alessandra Rich to recreate Monroe's pink dress in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Yuqi replaced the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch classic white pleated skirt with a Zimmermann white dress, showing a youthful and energetic side, subverting the sexy stereotype of Monroe in the past. Soyeon's first look for "Nxde" featured a tapered top by Jean Paul Gaultier and Lotta Volkova, emphasizing the feminine aspect. People can't help but recall Madonna's Jean Paul Gaultier infamous cone bra for her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour. The art sculpture Soyeon wore a costume made by Korean designer Kowgi, an intricately crafted pearl embroidery paired with retro silhouette tailoring. Greek statue Shuhua wore a Retrofête metallic green evening dress.^[23]

The song's title, "Nxde", positively affected the search function of the social media portal. The word '(G)I-dle's nude' has occupied inappropriate keywords such as child nude and girl nude. The name (G)I-dle '(여자)아이들' in Korean comes from girl '여자' and children '아이들'. Although the song is stylized as 'Nxde', it is still written out in Korean as '누드'. Thus, the inappropriate keywords was pushed down and was replaced with '(G)I-dle Nxde' or '(G)I-dle nude' media article, pictures, videos, stage photos, broadcast captures, album or song information or etc.^[14][32] Oh Myung-gi of Dispatch wrote in his article, "One's unembellished, natural state was expressed using the word 'nude.' It shatters the R-rated images one associate with the word."^[32]