In the pop culture zeitgeist, there is before BLACKPINK and after BLACKPINK. Time is marked by the phenomenon and significance of this K-pop group whose impact has been internationally recognised on a global scale. It’s been seven years since BLACKPINK made its debut, and in that period the group members have racked up a list of musical accomplishments, become ambassadors for some of the most prestigious houses in the world of luxury fashion and beauty, and completed two world tours (the second one, [BORN PINK], wrapping only recently).
JISOO, whose name alone always brings about attention, made her solo music debut in March with the release of her single album [ME].
The lead single “FLOWER” was released with great anticipation. Subtle yet powerful, polished yet authentic, the duality of “FLOWER” (in song and choreography) seemed to accurately reflect the artist while revealing a different side to JISOO. The other song on the album, “All Eyes On Me”, is up-tempo and leans more toward dance-pop. It’s a reminder that this has always been where her artistry shines — in vocal sequences that challenge her emotion and range.
On stage, JISOO is unbreakable and close to perfection. She knows exactly how to be her best. Off stage, in guest appearances on variety shows and interviews, she’s open, candid, and highly introspective. And it is this enchanting dichotomy that captivates the masses.
When it comes to JISOO — she’s always going to go beyond what is expected of her. Her upcoming projects and appearances may seem like natural evolutions of another, but they are never predictable. The only way to keep up is to keep your eyes on her. It’s as she sings in her song, “Watch me breathlessly, I’m a movie”.
*You made your debut almost seven years ago, what did you love about music and performing then and what do you love about it now? What has changed?*
Looking back to the debuting period, being able to perform on stage was pure excitement. Every practice session was done in preparation for our first show, and since we spent years practising the songs of other artistes, I realised that I wanted to do my own performance as soon as possible. After I debuted and started having my own parts in songs, it gave me a huge sense of accomplishment.
Now as I enter my seventh year, there is a certain weight and responsibility I feel when we perform. Now that the group has matured, the audience’s expectations of the group have also grown, so we feel that we have to live up to that.
*Tell us about a favourite moment you had during the [BORN PINK] World Tour. What makes this memory so special to you?*
When we did shoots with other media outlets and received similar questions at the very beginning of the tour, my reply was always that I was super excited to meet fans after such a long time, since we couldn’t before due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It felt great to be able to run around on stage again, and that alone made me very happy.
Usually, when we’re in Korea, we all have our separate individual schedules and that keeps us pretty busy. But when we’re on tour since the four of us are abroad together, we naturally spend a lot of time as a group, so I think the memories that the four of us have created would be some of my favourite moments.
Of course, seeing our fans BLINKs and being on stage are also special. Adding on to that, I had a lot of fun being able to have fun times with BLACKPINK members which brought us even closer. During our free days, we would often make suggestions like, “Who wants to go here tomorrow?” and we would all head out together. Being able to do so made me feel very lucky.
*You released your debut single album [ME] this year. Tell us more about what the beginning stage of this album was like. What did you draw inspiration from?*
I really wanted to be able to put up a solo show for our fans while on tour, so I started preparing for it sometime in mid-2022, and it was finally released earlier this year. I heard a few sample tracks and spent a lot of time thinking. I thought about the kind of music I like, the side of JISOO that fans enjoy watching, and the expectations that people had for me. I had a lot of options, so I contemplated really hard.
In the end, I chose the tracks based on what I think people hope to see from me and the kind of music I enjoy. The outcome is something that we cannot predict, so it was quite a challenge to make decisions knowing that every choice could make changes. Whether it’s the choreography, the music video, the storytelling of the music video, or the album cover. I’m glad the fans liked it. I later realised that the fans would support me no matter what decision I made, so there was no need to worry so much! I just needed to have fun.
**JISOO, As She Is**
In the pop culture zeitgeist, there is before BLACKPINK and after BLACKPINK. Time is marked by the phenomenon and significance of this K-pop group whose impact has been internationally recognised on a global scale. It’s been seven years since BLACKPINK made its debut, and in that period the group members have racked up a list of musical accomplishments, become ambassadors for some of the most prestigious houses in the world of luxury fashion and beauty, and completed two world tours (the second one, [BORN PINK], wrapping only recently).
JISOO, whose name alone always brings about attention, made her solo music debut in March with the release of her single album [ME].
The lead single “FLOWER” was released with great anticipation. Subtle yet powerful, polished yet authentic, the duality of “FLOWER” (in song and choreography) seemed to accurately reflect the artist while revealing a different side to JISOO. The other song on the album, “All Eyes On Me”, is up-tempo and leans more toward dance-pop. It’s a reminder that this has always been where her artistry shines — in vocal sequences that challenge her emotion and range.
On stage, JISOO is unbreakable and close to perfection. She knows exactly how to be her best. Off stage, in guest appearances on variety shows and interviews, she’s open, candid, and highly introspective. And it is this enchanting dichotomy that captivates the masses.
When it comes to JISOO — she’s always going to go beyond what is expected of her. Her upcoming projects and appearances may seem like natural evolutions of another, but they are never predictable. The only way to keep up is to keep your eyes on her. It’s as she sings in her song, “Watch me breathlessly, I’m a movie”.
*You made your debut almost seven years ago, what did you love about music and performing then and what do you love about it now? What has changed?*
Looking back to the debuting period, being able to perform on stage was pure excitement. Every practice session was done in preparation for our first show, and since we spent years practising the songs of other artistes, I realised that I wanted to do my own performance as soon as possible. After I debuted and started having my own parts in songs, it gave me a huge sense of accomplishment.
Now as I enter my seventh year, there is a certain weight and responsibility I feel when we perform. Now that the group has matured, the audience’s expectations of the group have also grown, so we feel that we have to live up to that.
*Tell us about a favourite moment you had during the [BORN PINK] World Tour. What makes this memory so special to you?*
When we did shoots with other media outlets and received similar questions at the very beginning of the tour, my reply was always that I was super excited to meet fans after such a long time, since we couldn’t before due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It felt great to be able to run around on stage again, and that alone made me very happy.
Usually, when we’re in Korea, we all have our separate individual schedules and that keeps us pretty busy. But when we’re on tour since the four of us are abroad together, we naturally spend a lot of time as a group, so I think the memories that the four of us have created would be some of my favourite moments.
Of course, seeing our fans BLINKs and being on stage are also special. Adding on to that, I had a lot of fun being able to have fun times with BLACKPINK members which brought us even closer. During our free days, we would often make suggestions like, “Who wants to go here tomorrow?” and we would all head out together. Being able to do so made me feel very lucky.
*You released your debut single album [ME] this year. Tell us more about what the beginning stage of this album was like. What did you draw inspiration from?*
I really wanted to be able to put up a solo show for our fans while on tour, so I started preparing for it sometime in mid-2022, and it was finally released earlier this year. I heard a few sample tracks and spent a lot of time thinking. I thought about the kind of music I like, the side of JISOO that fans enjoy watching, and the expectations that people had for me. I had a lot of options, so I contemplated really hard.
In the end, I chose the tracks based on what I think people hope to see from me and the kind of music I enjoy. The outcome is something that we cannot predict, so it was quite a challenge to make decisions knowing that every choice could make changes. Whether it’s the choreography, the music video, the storytelling of the music video, or the album cover. I’m glad the fans liked it. I later realised that the fans would support me no matter what decision I made, so there was no need to worry so much! I just needed to have fun.