This solo album is released approximately three years and four months after your debut album. What aspects did you focus on during preparation?
>I felt a particularly strong desire to broaden my musical spectrum. At the same time, there was undeniable fear and tension that stems from taking on a new challenge alone. Whilst I’ve tried truly diverse concepts within the group, going solo represents a challenge on an entirely different level. However, having been quite hardened in that regard via group activities, I gained considerable courage for this promotion and was able to continue with new attempts.
The concept photos were quite striking. Whilst Miyeon’s unique beauty remains unchanged (laughs), if the previously released “Sky Walking” leaned towards conventional beauty, this time it felt like you were seeking out unique points within the concept – like the photo with a snail perched on yourself.
>When you’re in love, it’s not all sweet and happy moments, is it? Devastating and sometimes melancholic feelings definitely come along too. I think that desire to show that multidimensional aspect naturally reflected in the visuals. Regarding the snail, when the company asked, “Would it be alright to place it on your face?”, I replied, “If the photo turns out well, I’d love to try it!” And when I actually saw the real thing, it wasn’t disgusting at all, in fact, it felt rather pretty, so the shoot wasn’t difficult at all. (laughs)
I’m also curious about your song selection criteria. You mentioned not predetermining the theme of love, but rather gathering songs first, like piecing together a puzzle.
>I think we instinctively chose songs that made us feel, “We want to sing this.” Simultaneously, they were songs that suited the group, i-dle. However, since I had to carry the vocals solo, I carefully considered how best to navigate the emotional arc step by step.
If the first mini-album’s title was “MY”, this time the theme was confirmed as “MY, Lover”. Could you describe how the emotional arc flows within the broad category of love?
>Even when loving one person, the emotions felt throughout the relationship truly shifts moment by moment, don’t they? One day you might hate it intensely, the next your heart might overflow with joy. I wanted to capture that multidimensional feeling. Within that, the destructive love, the break-up, the longing feeling too. Like the faces of a dice, I wanted to capture love’s many facets within the music.
The pre-release track, ‘Reno’, made even more special by Colde’s feature. Miyeon’s husky, addictive, yet simultaneously cool vocals combined with Colde’s voice create an incredibly fresh sound. I’m curious about what you felt when the two voices merged.
>This song was definitely a genre I hadn’t explored before as Miyeon, so it was the track I felt the most nervous about during recording. My desire to get it right was immense, so I practised extensively and tried singing it in multiple versions during the session. Also, since I recorded my part first, the feature part remained empty for quite a while. So even as time passed, I couldn’t quite picture how the song would come together. But when I received the version with Colde’s vocals layered on top, I felt utterly satisfied, it was like, “Ah, this is it”. (laughs) At the same time, I felt truly honoured to be able to collaborate on this track.
Weren’t you a little apprehensive about attempting something unfamiliar?
>I was definitely worried. Especially with ‘Reno’ – the song itself is so far removed from the image of Miyeon we’ve known before. When I first said I wanted to put this track on the album, I thought the company would oppose it. The title track for my first solo album, ‘Drive’, was a song the company really loved. I wondered if they wouldn’t want something like that again. But actually, everyone willingly embraced this change, which was a huge relief. However, as the time drew nearer to unveil this finished work to the world, my worries grew. But I genuinely want to make music for a long time, don’t I? I’m certain I will. To achieve that, I felt broadening my musical spectrum was truly important. So, even though taking that step was difficult, I approached it with the mindset that I must inevitably move to the next stage someday.
I’m also curious about why you chose a title track themed around separation.
>Given the bright image the public remembers me for, you probably didn’t expect me to choose a breakup song like ‘Say My Name’ as the title track. Since I’ve shown you many songs with bright energy, this challenge began with the thought that perhaps now I could express emotional depth too.
Any tips for appreciating the title track ‘Say My Name’?
>Though it is a breakup song, it isn’t one where you become deeply immersed in that situation, feeling overly sad or embracing the pain alone. Rather, it’s closer to a cool feeling, as if saying, “We’ve broken up, I’m doing fine.” When singing it, I also consciously avoided thinking, “It’s a breakup song, so I must sing it more mournfully”. The music video was shot with that same vibe in mind, so I think it would be good to listen with that aspect in mind.
Vocally speaking, I think we saw a new side of Miyeon with the title track.
>As the main vocalist of i-dle, I’ve often shown you my ability to hit high notes and fill the sound with power. This time, I aimed to show a vocal style that’s a bit more relaxed and easy to listen to. Consequently, even after finishing the song, it felt like I didn’t fully sung it all, leaving me somewhat awkward (laughs) because of the mindset that “I must hit those high notes.” There was definitely a time in the past when I was particularly conscious of that point. But ultimately, I had to let go of that ambition, focusing more on the details rather than the high notes, singing each syllable with careful consideration.
For my first solo album, you contributed lyrics to one song; this time, you participated in writing lyrics for two songs. Particularly for the third track, “F.F.LY”, you wrote the lyrics relying solely on the instinctive feeling the music gave you for the first time.
>Love is an incredibly instinctive emotion. So I felt that if I approached it with a preconceived mindset, the result might not be satisfying. When I first received the demo for “F.F.LY”, it somehow felt summery, yet as the music progress, it gradually shifted towards winter. There’s no spring, that most thrilling time of falling in love. It feels like it plunges straight into the period already nearing breaking up. So, that melancholy feeling naturally seeped into the lyrics. Rather than writing the lyrics first, composing them to fit the music allowed me to focus much more on the emotion during recording, which was a definite advantage.
Personally, the final track, “Show”, was particularly striking. Starting with “Reno”, which speaks of ruin caused by relationships, and concluding with a narrative that feels complete even in solitude, that structure struck me as uniquely compelling.
1 Comment
This solo album is released approximately three years and four months after your debut album. What aspects did you focus on during preparation?
>I felt a particularly strong desire to broaden my musical spectrum. At the same time, there was undeniable fear and tension that stems from taking on a new challenge alone. Whilst I’ve tried truly diverse concepts within the group, going solo represents a challenge on an entirely different level. However, having been quite hardened in that regard via group activities, I gained considerable courage for this promotion and was able to continue with new attempts.
The concept photos were quite striking. Whilst Miyeon’s unique beauty remains unchanged (laughs), if the previously released “Sky Walking” leaned towards conventional beauty, this time it felt like you were seeking out unique points within the concept – like the photo with a snail perched on yourself.
>When you’re in love, it’s not all sweet and happy moments, is it? Devastating and sometimes melancholic feelings definitely come along too. I think that desire to show that multidimensional aspect naturally reflected in the visuals. Regarding the snail, when the company asked, “Would it be alright to place it on your face?”, I replied, “If the photo turns out well, I’d love to try it!” And when I actually saw the real thing, it wasn’t disgusting at all, in fact, it felt rather pretty, so the shoot wasn’t difficult at all. (laughs)
I’m also curious about your song selection criteria. You mentioned not predetermining the theme of love, but rather gathering songs first, like piecing together a puzzle.
>I think we instinctively chose songs that made us feel, “We want to sing this.” Simultaneously, they were songs that suited the group, i-dle. However, since I had to carry the vocals solo, I carefully considered how best to navigate the emotional arc step by step.
If the first mini-album’s title was “MY”, this time the theme was confirmed as “MY, Lover”. Could you describe how the emotional arc flows within the broad category of love?
>Even when loving one person, the emotions felt throughout the relationship truly shifts moment by moment, don’t they? One day you might hate it intensely, the next your heart might overflow with joy. I wanted to capture that multidimensional feeling. Within that, the destructive love, the break-up, the longing feeling too. Like the faces of a dice, I wanted to capture love’s many facets within the music.
The pre-release track, ‘Reno’, made even more special by Colde’s feature. Miyeon’s husky, addictive, yet simultaneously cool vocals combined with Colde’s voice create an incredibly fresh sound. I’m curious about what you felt when the two voices merged.
>This song was definitely a genre I hadn’t explored before as Miyeon, so it was the track I felt the most nervous about during recording. My desire to get it right was immense, so I practised extensively and tried singing it in multiple versions during the session. Also, since I recorded my part first, the feature part remained empty for quite a while. So even as time passed, I couldn’t quite picture how the song would come together. But when I received the version with Colde’s vocals layered on top, I felt utterly satisfied, it was like, “Ah, this is it”. (laughs) At the same time, I felt truly honoured to be able to collaborate on this track.
Weren’t you a little apprehensive about attempting something unfamiliar?
>I was definitely worried. Especially with ‘Reno’ – the song itself is so far removed from the image of Miyeon we’ve known before. When I first said I wanted to put this track on the album, I thought the company would oppose it. The title track for my first solo album, ‘Drive’, was a song the company really loved. I wondered if they wouldn’t want something like that again. But actually, everyone willingly embraced this change, which was a huge relief. However, as the time drew nearer to unveil this finished work to the world, my worries grew. But I genuinely want to make music for a long time, don’t I? I’m certain I will. To achieve that, I felt broadening my musical spectrum was truly important. So, even though taking that step was difficult, I approached it with the mindset that I must inevitably move to the next stage someday.
I’m also curious about why you chose a title track themed around separation.
>Given the bright image the public remembers me for, you probably didn’t expect me to choose a breakup song like ‘Say My Name’ as the title track. Since I’ve shown you many songs with bright energy, this challenge began with the thought that perhaps now I could express emotional depth too.
Any tips for appreciating the title track ‘Say My Name’?
>Though it is a breakup song, it isn’t one where you become deeply immersed in that situation, feeling overly sad or embracing the pain alone. Rather, it’s closer to a cool feeling, as if saying, “We’ve broken up, I’m doing fine.” When singing it, I also consciously avoided thinking, “It’s a breakup song, so I must sing it more mournfully”. The music video was shot with that same vibe in mind, so I think it would be good to listen with that aspect in mind.
Vocally speaking, I think we saw a new side of Miyeon with the title track.
>As the main vocalist of i-dle, I’ve often shown you my ability to hit high notes and fill the sound with power. This time, I aimed to show a vocal style that’s a bit more relaxed and easy to listen to. Consequently, even after finishing the song, it felt like I didn’t fully sung it all, leaving me somewhat awkward (laughs) because of the mindset that “I must hit those high notes.” There was definitely a time in the past when I was particularly conscious of that point. But ultimately, I had to let go of that ambition, focusing more on the details rather than the high notes, singing each syllable with careful consideration.
For my first solo album, you contributed lyrics to one song; this time, you participated in writing lyrics for two songs. Particularly for the third track, “F.F.LY”, you wrote the lyrics relying solely on the instinctive feeling the music gave you for the first time.
>Love is an incredibly instinctive emotion. So I felt that if I approached it with a preconceived mindset, the result might not be satisfying. When I first received the demo for “F.F.LY”, it somehow felt summery, yet as the music progress, it gradually shifted towards winter. There’s no spring, that most thrilling time of falling in love. It feels like it plunges straight into the period already nearing breaking up. So, that melancholy feeling naturally seeped into the lyrics. Rather than writing the lyrics first, composing them to fit the music allowed me to focus much more on the emotion during recording, which was a definite advantage.
Personally, the final track, “Show”, was particularly striking. Starting with “Reno”, which speaks of ruin caused by relationships, and concluding with a narrative that feels complete even in solitude, that structure struck me as uniquely compelling.