South Korean artist CAMO’s new EP Secret isn’t reaching for quick catharsis. It’s not built to tidy emotion into a lesson or a clean arc. The project sits in that murky, recognisable middle space where confidence and fragility hit at the same time, where growth feels uneven, and where personal revelations don’t necessarily lead to closure. The songs carry the sense of someone moving through something rather than reflecting back on it from a safe distance. CAMO isn’t presenting a healed, perfected version of herself – she’s documenting the parts of life that happen in transition, in the thick of it.

The rapper/singer describes the past few years as a “roller coaster,” and the project carries that volatility. Each track lands like its own emotional climate: defiance, doubt, clarity, exhaustion, faith. Secret doesn’t try to flatten those shifts. Instead, it foregrounds them. CAMO writes from specific moments in her life and intentionally keeps each song distinct, almost episodic. The EP doesn’t hide that; it recognizes it as the truth of lived experience.

The visual world of Secret extends that honesty. The title track’s video weaves together different personal stories through a shared phone network – abusive households, fractured relationships, confusion around identity and belonging. They represent the kinds of hidden wounds most people carry silently. What shifts it from conceptual to personal is CAMO making herself accessible in the process, releasing her own dedicated phone number so fans could call or text her directly. It’s a rare dismantling of the usual distance between artist and listener. In a time when access is usually stage-managed, filtered, and branded, she chooses proximity, contact, an open line. The emotional stakes of the music aren’t just performed; they’re lived.

Musically, Secret holds tension rather than resolving it. “You” is gentle, reflective, rooted in gratitude and the quiet influence others can have on us. It lets breath and softness lead. “JYP,” on the other hand, leans into sharpness and self-possession, asserting skill and presence with a looseness that signals someone no longer seeking validation. These contrasts don’t clash – they map out the reality that confidence is not a permanent state, and neither is vulnerability. Life swings between the two. The EP makes room for both without judgement.

Rather than presenting Secret as a triumphant arrival point, CAMO speaks about it as the beginning of a new stretch of her path. She’s stripped back the features to centre her voice alone. She’s shifted out of her usual home studio comfort and into new recording environments to learn what else her voice can do. The project doesn’t claim mastery; it points toward where she wants to go. There’s ambition here, but also patience – a sense of someone building themselves as they go, allowing the process to be visible. Secret isn’t a statement of completion. It’s a candid snapshot of growth in real time, an artist working out who she is and who she’s becoming, without pretending the journey is linear.

1. “Secret” deals with deeply personal and often painful experiences. How did you navigate balancing vulnerability with strength while writing and performing these stories?

CAMO I think everyone has both self-empowering and vulnerable moments in life – it comes in waves. For me, I write about what I’m feeling and thinking in the moment, and for me the last couple years have been a roller coaster ride of emotions. Each song comes from a different moment of my life, so it was a matter of selecting the ones that made sense to release together. Listen to each song as its own episode!

2. The music video uses multiple narratives connected by phone lines, and you even shared a phone number with fans. What role does direct connection and communication play in your artistry and this project?

I love my fans and I know they love me for who I am, since that shows in my music. These days there are so many methods of communication, but at the end of the day someone’s phone number is the most direct and personal. I’ve gotten calls at midnight from friends who wanted to show off that they knew me (laugh). I’d pick up and they’d be like “can you talk to my friend, she’s a fan.” I wanted to give the same experience to those without the same opportunity.

3. You explore themes like trauma, identity, and emotional growth in the MV, while the overall EP speaks to unspoken truths. How do you hope listeners who might be going through similar struggles will engage with the EP?

Hopefully it provides them an escape from reality or their problems while they listen to it. At the end of the day, society tends to share similar experiences. I want them to know that they’re not alone, even though it might feel like that sometimes. Also, I want the quality of the songs to motivate them to work hard towards their goals.

4. The track “JYP” flips expectations – what inspired you to pay homage to the legendary JYP in this way?

I grew up listening to a lot of songs released through JYP (the label). Also, my family loves Jin-young Park as a person – especially my mom. He’s so passionate about his craft, business, and most importantly growth as a human. Especially for someone with so much influence, I think he’s so humble and a great role model. I’d love to be able to perform and make music until I’m his age. It’s a dream of mine.

5. This EP is your first full-length since October 2024 and features no collaborations. What motivated you to fly solo on this project, and how did working with diverse producers shape your authentic sound?

I feel like I’ve collaborated with a lot of different artists the past couple years. So for this project it made sense to just do me 100%. Honestly, it still feels like I’m just starting off. Although I’ve come a long way, I see myself going way further. I think new collaborations will come when I know I’ve made the next step. In terms of production, I worked on 3 songs with Kid Hazel. He’s part of 21 Savage’s Slaughter Gang. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love 21 Savage. He’s my favorite rapper. I got to connect organically with Hazel and brought him out to Seoul to work. I loved his vibe, direction and stories.

6. Your vocals explore new territory, especially your falsetto on “You.” How did you approach experimenting with your voice on this EP, and what did that allow you to express differently?

I usually record in my home studio. For this project, I tried to get out of the house more. Did a lot of sessions at Leellamarz’s engineer, allday4real’s studio. Worked on a new mic and developed a new vocal chain with him. His setting is fire and really picks up on the details of my voice. I don’t know if differences like that will translate to the fans, but I learned that there are so many levels to this game. Definitely trying to get out of the house more and work in different settings and with different people moving forward.