Interview Questions and Answers (Draft)

1. Have you always wanted to become a singer? If not, what did you want to be and how did you end up where you are now?

“I’ve not always wanted to be a singer. I first wanted to be a lawyer but singing has always been my hobby. I used to go to choir as a child due to having a Christian upbringing. My parents were very focused on me having a successful job with good pay so they tried motivating me to become a lawyer like my sister however I never enjoyed studying it very much so I decided to pursue music even though I was constantly told by my parents that I wouldn’t be successful with it. Despite all of this, I tried my best to be successful in my studies and when I auditioned for YG and passed I was so happy to prove my parents wrong and show them that you can be successful no matter what job you try to pursue, as long as you’re happy.”

2. Who was/is your inspiration to write songs?

“When I was young, I moved from Los Angeles to Daegu, and I would often overhear my sister listening to groups such as Shinhwa and Girls Generation and I would often find myself singing their songs in my spare time. These two groups have influenced my style as Shinhwa experimented with different styles and Girls Generation created the standard for girl groups throughout the K-Pop industry, however, I don’t want to be another artist going with the norm, I want to start something new and try use their aspects in different ways to create my own style.

3. Who would you like to work with in the future?

I think that it would be pretty cool to work with Ailee or Taeyang as I think they both have amazing vocals and have their own solo songs which can help me learn about how more experienced artists develop and create awesome songs that their fans love.

4. How do you think being born in America has an impact on your music in the K-Pop industry?

I feel like I bring new ideas and concepts to K-Pop as many groups try to stay on the safe side instead of going out there and trying out new things, so I feel like by trying out new concepts and

ideas with my music, I feel like I’m going to help introduce and create acceptance for other cultures and styles in Korea.

5. How do you think you have changed as a person after you entered the music industry?

I feel as if I’ve become more mature in how I view the world and myself as a person. I used to be timid and shy from showing the world my voice but I feel like my voice is something to be proud of, something I can even show off to the world as my own talent and speciality. I’m aware that many people sing well and that it doesn’t make me that special but being good at what I enjoy makes me feel special and no one can take that away from me.

6. What do you family and friends think about your work?

My mum loves what I do! She’s so happy that I came back to Korea and that I’m not afraid to show who I am and how I’m different from your everyday Korean person. She supports me 100%! My dad was skeptical about my life choices but when I passed the audition for YG, he started believing that I might actually have a future in the idol industry.

7. What song have you been listening to the most recently and why?

I’ve been listening to Shinee’s Tell Me What To Do a lot since it came out recently. I’m in love with the vocals! They’re so flawless and flow with the rhythm of the song so well!

8. What advice would you give to new musicians entering the scene?

I’m not going to be cliche and say to be themselves because, realistically, that’s not always good enough. I’d say to be ready and open for criticism on how to change yourself because everyone at that stage will only give criticism on what you could do better and improving yourself in doing what you love is what should be top priority.

9. When did you first start trying to make music?

I  first started making covers of popular songs such as Girls’ Generation’s Gee, TVXQ’s Mirotic and Shinhwa’s Venus. Since I wasn’t very confident in my abilities, I just videoed myself singing and never showed them to anybody but I did use them to assess myself. I’d watch them back and this “this part was off-key” and “I’m off-beat here” and that would help me to try improve myself. Some of the best criticism was from my mum when she caught me singing and praised me for how good she thought it was. She was the one who encouraged me to pursue music. I owe her a lot.

10. Do you think music has played a big part in you personal life? Such as helping you get through tough times etc.

Music was the one thing that kept me feeling safe and secure when times weren’t too great. I felt like I could relate to the lyrics and the soothing rhythms would help me calm down after getting angry or flustered. Now I want to be the artist other people find calming and relatable in their need of comfort and reassurance, just like other artists were for me.