-Please introduce yourself.
▶I am Minami, the only Japanese and only foreign member of Rescene. I am from Chiba, Japan. Among the members, I am in charge of languages and serve as an all-rounder.
-You celebrated your 2nd debut anniversary last month. How did it feel?
▶To be honest, it doesn't quite feel real yet. However, when I met fans and ordinary citizens on the street, many of them recognized us. Seeing that made me feel that we have grown a little.
-When did you first start dreaming of becoming a K-pop singer?
▶I first discovered the genre of K-pop when I was in the 3rd or 4th grade of elementary school. At that time, I really liked 3rd generation idols like BTS and TWICE. Watching them, I thought, 'There is such a fascinating genre in the world.' That is how I fell for the charm of K-pop.
-You speak Korean so well. When did you start studying Korean?
▶No, not really. (Laughs) It wasn't studying; I improved by talking with friends around me. I think I improved a bit more during my time as a trainee. It has been almost five years since I came to Korea. When I first arrived five years ago, I couldn't even speak the language at all, but I think I became able to do this by practicing and talking with my friends.
-When did you first decide that you needed to come to Korea?
▶I thought that I could only work hard if I was in a situation where I had to speak Korean, sing, and dance. I believed that confining myself to such a situation would give me the energy to work harder, so I think I told them I was going to Korea right away, but my parents were very worried. They seemed very concerned about me, and since there were many things I could do in Japan without necessarily going abroad, and I said I would go overseas and do it alone at such a young age, they raised many issues from their perspective, such as, "Then how are you going to handle school?" But considering all of that, I told them, "If I can't debut by the time I turn 18, I will give up and come back." Since I set my own limits and said I would do it, my parents told me to "give it a try."
-What was your life like before 'My Teenage Girl'?
▶I think I was a completely ordinary middle school student. Ordinary, but someone who loved dancing and singing so much. So, I was in a dance club, and I really enjoyed performing in front of people. Whenever there was an event at school like a presentation, I was the type of person who would always volunteer to take the lead.
- I heard that after 'My Teenage Girl,' your current agency CEO, Lee Joo-heon, personally came all the way to Japan to persuade your parents for your debut. What was that process like?
▶ After 'My Teenage Girl,' my debut was originally decided (with another company). But that fell through, and when I returned to Japan, I felt so lost at the thought that I had to start from scratch again. I started thinking, 'Should I audition again?' 'Should I start using social media?' I was wondering what to do when suddenly a KakaoTalk notification popped up. I wondered, 'What is this?' and saw 'Lee Joo-heon' written there. Since it was the name of my current agency's CEO, I thought, 'What is this?' But since I didn't know this company at all, as soon as I heard the offer, I thought I would just talk to them once, and if it didn't work out, I would apologize.
However, after talking on the phone for two hours, I could feel the CEO's sincerity. He told me he wanted to take me on board, so I suggested to my parents that since it seemed like such a great company, they should talk it out. Then, he suddenly called again and asked, "I’ve just arrived in Japan. Where are you right now? How about we meet up for a meal and talk?" I could really feel his passion in going to such lengths, and I thought, "This company is going to make a name for itself," and "If I work with this CEO, something great will come of it."
-What did CEO Lee Joo-heon say he saw in you that made the offer?
▶I think he looked up videos from the 'My Teenage Girl' era. There is a performance of 'Genie' that I did. It was my first stage, and after watching that video, he told me, 'You speak Korean so well, you sing so well, and you are pretty.' Also, when people within the company asked, 'What do you think of this girl?' and 'What do you think about her coming and debuting together?', I think everyone unanimously agreed that she would be 'absolutely great.' I am so grateful to the staff for that as well.
-Since you came to Korea alone at a young age, did you experience any difficulties due to cultural differences?
▶Regarding culture, even though I grew up only in Japan, I was very interested in foreign cultures and languages, so I didn't find it difficult to face barriers. However, when you hear that five women from different regions are coming to live in one house and have to work together as a team, you naturally expect to fight and not be able to become close right away. But I think I still get along really well with the members. I think I adapted to the cultural aspects quite quickly as well, so I don't think there were any particularly difficult parts.
-Then, what is the food you have come to like the most while living in Korea?
▶I am a total Korean food lover right now. I really love things like Kimchi Jjim, Seolleongtang, and Gukbap. Also, I can't handle spicy food, but Gamjatang isn't *that* spicy, right? So I like things like Gamjatang, and I also love Korean home-style Baekban.
- Rescene always has scent as a key concept. If you were to describe yourself through scent, what kind of scent would you be?
▶ Actually, I’ve talked about my favorite scents in many interviews, but it’s difficult to say it’s a scent that represents me. Among perfumes, I think it’s a scent that is strong at first, but becomes nice the more you smell it. I don't have a huge impact, but I think I’m the kind of member who gradually blends in.
- You’ve recently been getting attention for your "Gyaru" concept on member Woni’s YouTube channel. How did that start?
▶ Actually, I’m not a Gyaru myself, but I thought the Gyaru mindset was cool. Woni and I were wondering if there was anything fun we could do on our personal channels when our CEO asked if I could do the Gyaru concept, and I said, "Of course I can." I ended up doing it so seriously that I wondered, "Is this the right thing to do?" but since there was definitely a reaction from those around me, I think it’s okay.
- There were a lot of comments; which one did you find the funniest?
▶ When I was eating Seolleongtang, comments like "A Gyaru ghost is leaving" or "Suddenly you feel so Korean" were really funny. Also, when I was doing it with Woni, I found comments like "It's even funnier because she can't do the Gyaru look" and "It's hilarious watching the two of you do it together" to be quite amusing.
-When I watch Woni's YouTube videos, I get the feeling that the members have really great chemistry. What do you think?
▶I think that feeling gets stronger with every promotion. Since we practice together and spend a lot of time together — even though we often can't see each other's faces because of our individual schedules — we are together during practice. So, there are many times when we think, "We're actually pretty good."
-In live broadcasts, you seem to have a very close relationship with CEO Lee Joo-heon. What is it like in reality?
▶To put it nicely, I think we should say that we are "unpredictable." I think people just see us exactly as we appear. It seems like our conversations with the CEO are broadcast exactly as they are, so I feel very relieved that the fans like that. The CEO also tells us that it would be good to be more active with live broadcasts. While we are live, the CEO occasionally suggests, "Let's try this," and we respond with, "What are you talking about?" I think the fans appreciate that kind of great back-and-forth banter. Also, since the CEO graduated from Berklee College of Music, the company has absolutely nothing to worry about regarding the musical aspect. The CEO directs us during recording sessions and gives us a lot of advice. Since many of our employees have a background in music, I think I found a great company in that regard.
-What kind of stages would you like to perform on in the future as Rescene?
▶ First of all, we want to perform at year-end events. Since our music is good, I think it would be really cool to perform at year-end awards ceremonies with great music and arrangements. I also think our company is the best in that regard. Also, we love live performances, so we want to try doing solo tours and perform a lot.
-Do you have any aspirations for activities in Japan?
▶ Since I came from Japan, I always tell our CEO that it would be nice to hold a fan concert there. Our company believes the Japanese market is huge, so we are thinking, "Let's try everything we can do in Japan." So, I hope we can have more opportunities this year to make ourselves known in Japan by holding many fan signing events and concerts.
- Rescene has released a lot of really good songs over the years. Is there a song you would like to recommend that still sounds good even now?
▶ We have a song called 'Déjà Vu' that we really, really love. It is the title track of the album 'Dearest,' and I really like it. I want to spread the word because I hope more people will listen to it. Also, since this song went viral in China through a challenge, I hope there will be an opportunity for more people in Korea and Japan to hear it as well.
- You are currently promoting your new song. What kind of song is it?
▶ We have made a comeback with the digital single 'Runaway.' We worked really hard on 'Runaway,' and this time, the main scent is incense. It feels like a fragrance that lingers for a long time, like a subtle afterglow, and the concept is five girls setting off on a journey to find freedom. You know how in everyday life, not necessarily out of obsession, but when you feel a bit stressed and exhausted, you just want to run away? I think it is a song that resonates with you when you just want to break free.
- Then, is there a specific achievement you hope to accomplish with this new song?
▶ We are currently fluctuating around the 'Hot 100' chart, but if people listen to the song diligently, I think we could make it into the 'Top 10.' If the people reading this article listen to it just 10 times a day, I think we can achieve it. (Laughs)
- Do you have any aspirations for what kind of image you want to leave behind in the K-pop scene as Rescene?
▶ We hope to become a group that leaves a lasting legacy with genuine music, featuring only good music no matter what album we release. We want to be a group that people trust and listen to.
- Then, how would you like to be remembered as the singer Minami?
▶ I want to be a singer who is seen simply as Minami, without the notion that I am a foreigner. I want to be a talented singer who can do anything. Even now, friends from Japan are working incredibly hard in Korea. Seeing them working alongside me gives me a sense of purpose and motivates me to work hard. It’s not easy for anyone to come to a foreign land and pursue their career. But there are so many friends who are actually making it happen right now. There may be friends in the future who look up to me and dream, and I hope to become a figure like the senior artists who inspired me to dream.
No comments:
Post a Comment