Singer Heyoon (HEYOON) shared the behind-the-scenes story of her debut in a multinational group in the United States.
Recently, Heyoon held an interview at the OSEN office to commemorate the release of her digital single 'ASAP.'
Heyoon debuted as a member of the multinational mixed group NOW UNITED in 2017 and has been active globally. NOW UNITED was produced by Simon Fuller, known for the popular U.S. audition programs 'American Idol' and 'You Can Dance', and was formed through a large-scale global audition conducted in 2017.
At that time, Heyoon, who was working as a choreographer in Korea, was cast by a U.S. company after watching a YouTube video and flew to Los Angeles to audition at the age of 21. A total of 14 participants, one from each country among four participants, passed the final audition, and Heyoon was also selected as one of them, allowing her to be active as part of NOW UNITED for six years.
Heyoon, who was born and raised in Daejeon, talked about her decision to go to the United States with no connections, saying, "At first, it was really hard. I didn't speak English well. Now, I actually find it convenient to speak English often and work on songs in English, but when I first went there, even basic daily living tasks were difficult. I have always had a strong spirit of challenging new environments since I was young, so I learned a lot about communication while being active."
He said, "I think I was bolder because I didn't know what to expect. Through that, I learned everything from the very beginning by experiencing directly. But I'm a curious person and have to try everything. When I moved from Daejeon to Seoul, my parents opposed it. However, I wanted to challenge myself, so I moved to Seoul and then went abroad. That mindset has always been within me. I realized that to pave a happy path for myself, I need to step out of my comfort zone and face challenges."
In particular, Heyoon surprised listeners by revealing that she "went without saying anything to her parents" when participating in the U.S. audition. He recalled, "I thought, 'Of course, I'll just have a good experience and come back.' I wanted to go to travel, so I went without knowing much. However, I am the type to put in 2000% effort into everything, so I gave my all without being prepared for the audition. My parents didn't even know I was in Los Angeles. I went secretly and ended up passing."
He continued, "The company said, 'You have to work on the first music video while doing a month-long boot camp.' After a month, I went back to see my family during a break and was told I had to come to the U.S. right away, so I hurriedly called and explained, 'Actually, I'm in the U.S. and I passed the group audition.' I think my parents must have been very bewildered. It was shocking because I was working part-time while dancing in a small rented room in Seoul. It was such a new experience; I couldn't have imagined it. It was a complete turning point in my life."
He explained, "Because it was an audition to select a project group that would debut immediately rather than for training, only members who had already danced or sung were gathered. So, everyone went home for a month or two for a break and then gathered to debut immediately. I heard that other countries had pre-selected candidates, but Korea couldn't select anyone for two years. Most were under contract with other companies, so they were looking for someone suitable under certain conditions, and I was cast a week before the final audition in L.A. There were over 60 participants, but I was the very last. As soon as I was cast, I went and auditioned right away. The first friend who was cast apparently waited for two years. It was a long process, so we debuted as soon as we were chosen."
After six years of group activities in the U.S., Heyoon left the team for her solo activities and returned to her roots in Korea. He shared, "I missed it so much here. It had been a long time since I had been apart from my family. My parents live in Korea, but when I was active, I was so busy that I only came home about once every three years. I wanted to be close to my loved ones, and in the end, this is where I started, so I wanted to come back and share the experiences I could have," and added, "The experiences I've had are so special. Being born and raised in Korea and debuting overseas is unique to me. Since I've had such a special experience, I feel I have my own story. I want to play a bridging role to bring what I can from Korea, which is why I came back."
When asked about her parents' current reaction, Heyoon said, "I think they have accepted it now because I am so happy. I have been confident that this path is right for me since I was young, so in a way, it seems my parents are accepting it. They are both shy, so they don't say it outright, but they seem to be happy since coming to Korea. My mom even searches my name without telling me. It's hard to find things on foreign websites, right? My family is very happy that I came back to Korea."
Last November, Heyoon opened her solo career by releasing the digital single 'Plvot' in collaboration with Armani White, and last month, she made a rapid comeback after three months with the digital single 'ASAP' alongside Chris Patrick. Heyoon expressed her excitement, saying, "I plan to continue activities in Korea while also pursuing global activities. I want to release more music quickly, go on tour, and meet my fans."
He said, "I plan to release a lot of music this year. I'm preparing Korean songs as well. Since I haven't been active in Korea for a long time, I don't have much experience meeting Korean fans, so I want to release Korean songs and have fan meetings and performances. Every day feels new. I think there is always something to learn in every moment. My activities in Korea feel like a new experience, and I'm meeting new fans, so every day is a challenge. I hope everyone looks forward to what's next, and I am currently preparing the next song. I don't plan to rest." (To be continued in interview②)
[Photo] Universal Music Korea
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