(Continuing from interview ①) Group KARD member Jeon So-min's first solo EP UNVEIL is the result of an artist with perfectionist tendencies laying bare her painful efforts and worries.
On the 2nd, after releasing her first EP UNVEIL and taking on a new challenge as a solo artist, Jeon So-min recently sat down with OSEN at DSP Media Co. headquarters in Gwangjin District, Seoul for an interview and shared various stories about the album.
The process of preparing a solo album was by no means easy. Jeon So-min said she had been thinking for years about what she would try if she went solo, but when it finally came she felt the burden and weight were no joke. She said she barely slept for about three months thinking about it constantly. She confessed that each song was precious to her and that she was always grateful every day that such great songs came to her, and that she wants to show a perfect and professional appearance on future stages.
Her struggles during the recording process stood out. Jeon So-min spent a detailed 6 to 7 hours per song directing vocals and dedicating herself to recording. Recalling the recording of the included song Keep It Cute, she said it differed from the direction she had imagined and, wanting to do it perfectly, she recorded while holding back tears. She said she was so sincere that she went home, listened to the monitoring files while crying and wrote down edits one by one in a notepad. She also confessed she cried when monitoring the reggaeton track Como Yo A Ti because it felt like her emptiness was exposed.
She also made bold attempts to break vocal barriers. Jeon So-min said that while KARD albums had only brief sections that couldn't express all the varied sounds, she freely expressed them on this solo album. She said she approached it with a mindset of playing with her voice, and when BM monitored and gave feedback like, 'Oh, you could do this,' she gained confidence and realized she could do it, proving her growth.
She added sincerity by participating directly in the songwriting. Jeon So-min personally wrote the lyrics for the title track Backseat as well as Got It Like That and Closure. Regarding the reason she excluded explicit lyrics from the included songs, she explained it was because she wanted more teenagers, people in their 20s and 30s to be able to listen to her music comfortably and give feedback.
About the fan song Closure, she said she tried to put herself in the position of the hidden card. Although KARD always showed many sides with four members, there must have been disappointment and hurt, but she thought about what she would like to say if the fans who had stood by them until now were to be addressed. She said the second verse begins with getting used to it, and that familiarity felt so sad. She felt it would capture the fans' emotions and continued writing from there, revealing her special love for fans.
She also took charge of visual directing and performance planning. Jeon So-min showed dedication by carrying posters around Seongsu-dong and shooting promotional videos herself. In the music video, she toned down artistic extravagance and focused on performance.
She said she wanted to show a new side as a solo artist. When she worked on albums with members, she unconsciously relied on them, but because this solo album had to be led and driven by her, her mindset was very different. She realized that dozens of people were working because of her, and she felt she had to step up bravely so those people would not get tired, so she researched a lot. She thought a lot about how to do photos, how to do the music video, what to pursue and what to give up.
She continued that she insisted on keeping the performance and musical aspects while sacrificing some of the art direction in the music video. She said they used a water cannon truck at Black Horizon to perform the choreography, and although it was very cold and she got cramps, after seven to eight attempts they achieved a satisfying cut. (Continued in interview ③)
[Photo] DSP Media Co.
[OSEN]