[SHOWCASE] Jihyo of Twice loving life as she drops first solo album

Having joined JYP Entertainment at the tender age of 8 as a trainee, debuting was a thing she had always dreamt of. A solo debut was also another tick off her wish list, but there’s nothing she wishes for more than to be loved by fans.

Jihyo of girl group Twice poses for photos during a press conference held at the Fairmont Ambassador Seoul hotel in western Seoul in celebration of her first solo album, ″Zone,″ released on Friday. [NEWS1]

Whenever Jihyo of hit K-pop girl group Twice is on stage or making music, she’s not thinking about how she looks on camera or if her expression is pretty enough.

“I always think about whether I’m enjoying myself and making sure that other people feel it too, because if you’re not enjoying your own music, then who will?” the singer told reporters during a press conference held Friday at the Fairmont Ambassador Seoul hotel in western Seoul to mark the release of her solo album, “Zone,” on the same day.

“Zone” is Jihyo's first ever official solo release since her debut in 2015 as leader of Twice, though she also contributed to TV show soundtracks last year.

“All I thought about is how I could give my best to prepare for this album so that I leave no regrets behind, regardless of how people react,” she said. “Rather than an album that I’m 100 percent satisfied with, I want to say that I gave my 100 percent effort for this album.”

An image of Jihyo's new song, ″Killin' Me Good″ [JYP ENTERTAINMENT]

Jihyo lends a powerful, youthful touch to Twice’s songs with her unique voice, especially her ability to hit all the high notes even during the group's elaborate choreographic sequences.

For this album, Jihyo took part in the production of all six tracks of the EP aside from the lead track, “Killin’ Me Good,” including B-side tracks “Talk’ About It,” “Closer,” “Wishing On You,” “Don’t Wanna Go Back,” “Room” and “Nightmare.”

U.S. rapper 24kGoldn joined as a collaborating artist on “Talkin’ About It,” and singer-songwriter Heize sang with Jihyo on “Don’t Wanna Go Back.”

The album was chosen as one of the 15 must-listen releases of August by Grammy.com earlier this month.

Jihyo’s solo project began last year when the agency first told her that it was her turn to make a solo debut, following member Nayeon, who released her first EP in June last year.

Jihyo of girl group Twice answers questions from local reporters during a press conference held at the Fairmont Ambassador Seoul hotel in western Seoul in celebration of her first solo album, ″Zone,″ released on Friday. [NEWS1]

“The agency told me that it was my turn, but without anything specific,” she said. “They told me that I could do anything that I wanted, which was actually harder for me because I had to really think about what I wanted to show for this album.”

So, in the end, what she came up with was “being truly myself."

“Killin’ Me Good” is a rhythmical dance number focused on showing “Jihyo as herself,” with words that best portray a young woman in love. The lyrics were written by Park Jin-young, founder and chief producer of her agency, JYP Entertainment, with music by producers Melanie Fontata, Lindgren, Marcus Lomax and more.

“I think of myself as very easy-going, bright and energetic,” she said. “I’m a very lively person and I think that shows on stage when I dance very powerfully and sing with a smile. I think that’s shown through on the stage both as a singer and a person.”

Jihyo of girl group Twice poses [NEWS1]

Having joined JYP Entertainment at the tender age of 8 as a trainee, debuting was a thing she had always dreamt of. A solo debut was also another tick off her wish list, but there’s nothing she wishes for more than to be loved by fans for as long as possible.

“I feel that I’ve grown a lot over the years. I used to fret over every single performance in the past and worry about messing it up, but now I can enjoy myself while performing for people,” she said.

“But one thing that hasn’t changed is that I love the fans. And the biggest hope that I have is that they love both me and Twice just the same in the future. The biggest hope that I have as a singer is to be loved by fans.”

Looking back 10 years ago before she debuted, all her dreams have come true. For the next 10 years, her dreams are humble and modest.

“I don’t know whether I will be as loved as I am right now, but I hope that I become someone who knows how to be happy and enjoy every day without negative thoughts, rather than having big ambitions as an artist,” she said.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]