Group KARD's Jeon Somin took a successful first step as a solo artist by releasing her first solo EP UNVEIL on the 2nd, nine years after her debut. She said she had been thinking about a solo album since the end of last year, and she personally participated in every process — the album title, track order, promotion — fully capturing her essence.
Jeon Somin recently held an interview with OSEN at the DSP Media Co. building in Gwangjin District, Seoul, and shared her feelings about launching her solo debut.
After the solo album project was decided, Jeon Somin showed the passion to personally listen to and monitor about 350 demo tracks that came into the company in just two to three days. He said, "Normally the company filters them first and gives us selections, but this time I asked them to hand over every single file without leaving any out, and I personally sifted through them."
The album title UNVEIL, born after intense deliberation, was an idea Jeon Somin suddenly thought of while in a taxi. He said, "The center is 'me' for now. I decided to go with things about me, and like making a bit of a mind map about who I am, I spread out that imagination in my head."
He added, "While wondering how to express myself best, the phrase 'to be veiled' flashed by," and explained, "I wanted to strip off the modifiers that had been attached to me and put the three syllables Jeon Somin on the line and show who I really am."
The title track Backseat, which Jeon Somin co-wrote, is a pop track that blends a minimal yet heavy beat, a low-set bass, and addictive synth sounds. It was also the song that immediately captivated Jeon Somin among the 350 tracks.
He said, "It grabbed me from the intro. As my first solo, I wanted to show a confident and principled side, and 'Backseat' felt most suitable." The song carries a self-directed message of "I will hold the steering wheel of my life and go straight," and is a pop track that spotlights Jeon Somin's provocative vocals over a minimal, heavy beat.
Undoubtedly the album's strongest supporter is KARD member BM. BM participated evenly in the album's lyrics, composition, and arrangement, showing warm loyalty. Jeon Somin replied, "The composer I'm closest to is brother BM. (laughs) I asked brother BM to make time and help me."
At the time, BM was filming the Netflix series Angry People 2 and, despite his busy schedule, worked on music, and Jeon Somin chose all the tracks for her solo debut album from BM's songs.
He said, "The songs brother sent all suited me so well and were songs I could do well. Brother probably thought only one or two of his songs would make it in, but since he took the time and effort and all those tracks were included, his self-esteem must have risen and he seemed very happy," expressing gratitude and adding, "While working on the songs, brother encouraged me by saying, 'This will be the best album of your life,' so I was able to keep my focus and finish."
Since the title track is Backseat, who would Jeon Somin, sitting in the driver's seat, want to give a ride to in the backseat? After thinking it over, Jeon Somin answered the fans and said, "We're going together anyway and seem to be thinking the same things. I want to keep doing this for a long time, and just as the fans want to see me for a long time, I plan to keep looking ahead and run forward. So on the road where I'm just looking ahead and running, I hope the fans will join me, and I want to take the wheel with a 'just trust me and follow' kind of feeling."
The public reaction to UNVEIL, which contains long-standing 고민 and sweat, has been hot. Jeon Somin smiled brightly, saying, "Fans have praised it a lot, saying it's the best album of the year," and added, "I'm so happy that what I was confident about was visible to the public, and reading comments day by day gives me great strength." (Continued in interview ②)
[Photo] DSP Media Co.
[OSEN]