Fashion magazine Cosmopolitan Korea released a candid interview with Girls’ Generation‘s Hyoyeon in light of her solo comeback.
Hyoyeon made a successful comeback as a solo artist with a charismatic single ‘Picture‘ just last month. On September 25, she was the focus of the interview with Cosmopolitan Korea and shared her candid thoughts on her latest comeback and even delved into how she deals with haters and malicious comments.
Q: You made a comeback with ‘Picture.’ It’s very Hyoyeon – intense and addictive.
Hyoyeon: “It’s a song with a reggae-toned Dembow rhythm. It’s a lively song you can hear in Jamaica. The dance that suits this genre the most is called dancehall, and I was interested because I’d never learned this dance before. K-pop prefers precise and powerful performances, right? But dancehall is a dance where you use your body’s characteristics to freely express your own groove. This time, I also incorporated dancehall into the choreography. I’ve been practicing to take out the power because I’ve always done performances that require strength.”
Q: What does dancing mean to you?
Hyoyeon: “It’s something that’s fun, exciting, and challenging. Haha. Did you know that new genres of dance are always emerging? If you don’t keep accepting them and practicing, you’ll remain in your current state. That’s why I like having something to keep doing. sometimes, I get a bit complacent and don’t practice much (laughs), but once I see myself on the screen, I know. If I neglect to practice, then I look unprepared, I look on edge, and look stiff. I don’t want to show that side of me so I always practice the choreography before going up on the stage.”
Q: What do you think about your own dancing?
Hyoyeon: “Wow, that’s a really difficult question. (laughs). From a young age, I’ve focused on building a strong foundation in basic skills, and that’s been my style. But in a way, I think I’ve stopped there. I think if I were to see from a dancer’s perspective, I wish I could broaden my possibilities and explore more genres. I also want to see more of myself as a dancer.”
Q: You have shown a cheerful and carefree attitude on various entertainment programs and the media. You are seen as someone with optimal mental health because you don’t seem to pay much attention to what others think, and tend to keep things simple. What kind of person do you think Hyoyeon is, according to your own thoughts?
Hyoyeon: “I think the occupation of being a celebrity makes even the most optimistic person view themselves in a negative light. Even for me – in my earlier days, right after I debuted – I thought I would only receive love, but I received a lot of criticism and attacks instead. I thought I only had to show myself to the public after training for seven years, but people were too busy leaving malicious comments about me. During that time, I rode my bike a lot. I would wake up at 6 in the morning, and ride along the Han River, watching the birds fly. I would come back, have breakfast, and then go for my schedule. I think that was a wise choice. Luckily, my innate personality is quite simple, and I tend to filter out things that aren’t helpful. So I decided to think ‘They don’t have good taste.’ You need to think about the bad things for just a short time and dwell on the good things for a long time. It’s about focusing on what’s important. So, I only remember the enjoyable things.”
Q: Have you also become more liberated from the views of others?
Hyoyeon: “A long time ago, I used to completely avoid them (malicious comments) and didn’t even look at them. To the point, I wouldn’t even monitor them. But now, if I see them I just think ‘If they leave comments like that, they won’t have any friends~’ My personality isn’t that calm either and I sometimes want to go to them and curse back at them too. (laughs).”
Q: How do you overcome your slump period?
Hyoyeon: “I usually feel my slumps during my hiatus periods. When I was doing group activities, every day would pass by so quickly because I was so busy. But during my breaks, I would feel ‘This isn’t the time for me to be like this, I should be doing something.’ That’s when I would fall into my slump period. Now my perspective has changed. I now think I can use that time to practice. I still need time to practice because if I keep trying to show myself, then I’ll eventually run out of steam. During my solo activities, I fill my hiatus period with practicing. When I see comments from people who listened to my solo songs say ‘I understand what Hyoyeon’s unique style is now,’ it makes me really happy because I spent time building up my solo tracks.”
