[TF Interview] Another Ji Soo-yeon Discovered Amidst a 'Pile of Papers'

First solo EP 'Pile of Paper' released on the 4thIncludes 5 songs, including the title track 'Coincidence and Destiny'Features her unique musical color, different from group activitiesSinger-songwriter Jisu-yeon, formerly of the group Weki Meki, released her first solo EP 'Pile of Paper' on the 4th./tapes[THE FACT|Reporter Choi Hyun-jung] Singer-songwriter Jisu-yeon is an artist who is fun to watch and listen to.This is not simply to mention her career as a member of the K-pop group Weki Meki.When you listen to the music she has released or participated in, there is a fresh fun that makes you think, "Did this person make this kind of music?"Furthermore, in an interview on the afternoon of the 4th at the building in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Jisu-yeon revealed another charm by continuing the conversation in a comfortable, low-to-mid-range voice, rather than the gentle falsetto in her music.In addition, Jisu-yeon often burst into laughter during the interview, and showed various facial expressions like a Disney cartoon character, such as raising her eyes or twitching her lips while thinking deeply, providing a different kind of fun.When asked if she naturally had a lot of facial expressions, she asked back in surprise, "Did my expressions change?" and then smiled, saying, "I think I've had that tendency since I was young. But my mom said I was cute."In fact, Jisu-yeon is a veteran artist who debuted with the group Weki Meki on August 8, 2017, and has about 9 months left until her 10th anniversary. If an artist who has been active for 10 years is still exuding such fresh charm, there are two likely reasons.Either we have not yet fully realized the talents and charms that Jisu-yeon possesses, or Jisu-yeon has not yet shown all of her talents and charms.And whichever of the two it is, the most fitting sentence to describe the artist Jisu-yeon is 'an artist who is fun to discover.'The first EP 'Pile of Paper,' released on the 4th, is also an album where you can 'discover' a little more about Jisu-yeon.The EP 'Pile of Paper' includes 5 songs: the title track 'Coincidence and Destiny,' 'Paper Airplane,' 'Unfinished,' 'A Book Called You,' and 'Pile of Paper.'/tapesFirst of all, 'Pile of Paper' is her first album-length solo work since her debut. The album includes 5 songs: the title track 'Coincidence and Destiny,' 'Paper Airplane,' 'Unfinished,' 'A Book Called You,' and 'Pile of Paper.'Jisu-yeon wanted to tell more stories with the increased volume. She said, "'Pile of Paper' started with the thought of wanting to unfold the emotions and feelings that accumulate in my heart day by day. I started working on the album at the end of last year and stacked them up."The album work took about a year, but the starting point was much earlier. Jisu-yeon explained, "The song 'Pile of Paper,' which shares the same name as the album, was created about 3 years ago, and it became the starting point of this album. I composed the songs by adding 'it would be nice to have this kind of track' starting from 'Pile of Paper.' It took time to complete because I revised the lyrics a lot."The fact that she went through many lyric revisions and it took a long time can also be interpreted as having a lot to say. In fact, Jisu-yeon revealed that she chose to cut back because she had too much she wanted to say.Jisu-yeon said, "The title track 'Coincidence and Destiny' started from the thought that if I let go of everything as a coincidence, it would be over, but I'm holding onto it and eating away at myself. At first, I expressed my personal emotions and what I wanted to say, but it became so much that I didn't even know what I wanted to say. So I decided to make the lyrics more direct, and that's how the current lyrics came about."As a result of organizing her thoughts and reducing her emotions in that way, Jisu-yeon was able to clearly convey the message she wanted to deliver in 'Pile of Paper.' The surprising thing is that the message is quite hollow.Jisu-yeon said, "Although I've taken out some of what's accumulated inside me through the album, there are no resolved emotions. It's more like, 'I'm living well even with these emotions.' I just wanted to let it flow indifferently. The lyrics of 'Pile of Paper' are like, 'I can't do anything about the emotions I accept, so it can't be helped, I'll just hum a tune.' I thought this was my own way of finishing, so I made it the last track."In line with the sentiment that runs through the album, most of the included songs feature a calm and minimal acoustic indie-pop sound.Through the EP 'Pile of Paper,' Jisu-yeon sings about 'emotions of contemplating things that can be dismissed as coincidence.'/tapesOf course, there's no rule against K-pop group members making this style of music, but it's unavoidable to see it in contrast to her time performing full-packed music and performances on a dazzling stage as a member of Weki Meki.In response, Jisu-yeon confided that her current music actually suits her disposition better. She said, "The music I like is minimal and calm. I started composing after listening to the music of American singer-songwriters UMI and Lyn Lapid and thinking I wanted to make music like that. As I worked, even if I tried to make other tracks elaborate, I always came back to a minimal feel. So I'm working on music with the thought, 'This is the kind of music I always wanted to make.'"The most important thing is that Jisu-yeon feels happy while making music.Jisu-yeon said, "I am very satisfied with the result of 'Pile of Paper,' and I am happy because it's my first time releasing an EP as a solo artist. Of course, I had a lot of time for contemplation, but it felt like I was giving a big gift package containing a single message, so I was new and happy throughout the process."As such, 'Pile of Paper,' completed with Jisu-yeon's full of passion, is expected to be met live soon. This is because she is preparing for a solo concert in December.In particular, at this concert, Jisu-yeon plans to present a variety of performances live, including songs from 'Pile of Paper,' previously released songs, as well as unreleased songs and cover songs, making it the best place to 'discover' Jisu-yeon's new charms.Jisu-yeon said, "I've had fan meetings while doing musicals, but I haven't had many opportunities to fill the stage entirely on my own. With this album as an opportunity, I'm practicing very hard because I really want to perform a lot. I will deliver the best live performance."Although she is a veteran artist approaching 10 years since her debut, as a solo artist, she is a newcomer who has just released her first EP, so her first concert will be held on a small scale. And Jisu-yeon aims to perform on increasingly larger stages starting with this solo performance.Jisu-yeon's goal is to release music that more people can easily listen to and meet them in larger concert halls. /tapesCoincidentally, the 4th, when the interview was held, was also the day when the AFC Champions League 2 (ACL2) group stage E match between FC Seoul and Viettel (Vietnam) was held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.Seeing the scoreboard of the Seoul World Cup Stadium glittering from afar, Jisu-yeon said, "My goal is to hold many solo concerts. I will work hard and strive to be able to hold concerts in such a large venue."The reason why Jisu-yeon wants to meet more people on such a large stage is clear. He revealed his aspirations as a singer, saying, "My big goal is to make music that many people want to listen to anytime. I want to make music that they can comfortably keep by their side and listen to."We look forward to the moment when more people 'discover' Jisu-yeon's charms and fall for her.laugardagr@tf.co.kr[Entertainment Department | ssent@tf.co.kr]