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[Interview] Billboard Korea Interview with Yves: "Yves doesn't hesitate now: 'I'm a little less afraid of new environments than before'" (241116)

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Yves constantly throws herself into new environments. From transitioning from an idol group into being a solo artist, to making the decision to partner with independent label Paix Per Mil instead of a traditional K-pop agency, Yves has always embraced the unknown. “I often think, ‘How can I learn more and hear from the fans that I have evolved?’ I think that’s what keeps me pushing myself into new situations, even if it’s scary and challenging.” And this mindset has become her reality. Following the release of LOOP on May 29, 2024, Yves presents a new side of herself with her latest EP, I Did. Much like its title, delivering the concise yet powerful message that “I Did It,” Yves continues to take risks and achieve.


When I saw Yves as a group member, I thought, “Maybe she’ll stand on stage as a solo artist someday.” And that became a reality back in May.


Everyone says it’s an “Yves-like” choice. Actually, I didn’t know that I would be a solo artist. Perhaps, fans had been watching my personality and the style I’ve pursued for 7 years and already considered the possibility. Looking back, when I was a group member, I made music and had the company listen to it, and I gave presentations in front of the CEO about comprehensive things like outfits, makeup, and dance.


I’m sure many things still feel new for you.


It’s not an exaggeration to say that everything does. When I was in a group, my voice, dance colour, character, image and so on were pre-decided. But now I’ve changed everything. I’ve done a lot of research to find new tones, and I learn every time I receive new songs.


Your new EP I Did has been released, reflecting that newness. How do you feel?


The biggest goal of my solo career was to get my fans to empathise with me. In the profession of being an artiste, there are times when you have to hide your feelings, you know. But rather, I wanted to bare everything honestly, and thought it would be nice to let fans listen to my songs befitting their various situations and feel comforted and empathised with. So in LOOP, I expressed a variety of emotions in various genres, and in I Did, I honestly expressed the feelings I felt in the process of finding peace. Peace is the element of my happiness that accounts for the biggest share. When I listen to it in order, from the intro to the outro, I feel at peace.


Peace is the most important thing in life, and this album gives you that feeling. So, is that why the title of the album is I Did? As in Yves did it.


The only way I can talk about this is in comparison to LOOP. I think that LOOP, like its MV, is an open-ended album where I keep wandering and drifting while moving to another world. On the other hand, I felt really good when I finished recording I Did, and I can confidently say to my fans, “I feel like I’ve found happiness.” Maybe it could be I Did in that sense.


While doing solo activities, what’s the thing that has changed the most?


Whenever I thought, “Can I act like this?” or “If I do this, wouldn’t the fans hate it?”, there were many things I was careful about. But now, even if I’m skeptical about it, I just do it first. Then I feel like I’m breaking the mould bit by bit, thinking, “I worried too much. Actually, that wasn’t a big deal.” That’s something that has changed. To give an example from singing, like how there are parts of your face that you don’t like, I also have a voice tone that I dislike. When that tone gets recorded, I point it out and say, “I’ll redo this part.” But sometimes, as an exception, the directors like it and a voice I really don’t like ends up in the final product. That’s when I think, “I don’t always have the right answer.”


‘Voice you don’t like?’


The song “Gone Girl” is calm and clean at the beginning. So I had to relax and go for elegance while singing it. It’s already so hard (laughs). That’s why, to my ears, this beginning part just sounded too dainty. So I asked Ioah what he thought, and he told me not to worry about it because it came out so well. And at the end of the same song, there’s a pretty falsetto tone that suddenly comes out. I thought it was unbalanced, but apparently that’s the charm. I don’t like this voice, but when the company and the team say it’s good, I trust them and try it.


What's different, outside of music? Like fashion, for example.


It's very different. I really love clothes. My mother has run a vintage clothing store since I was young. I used to hang out there and try on different outfits and play model. I even tried to audition as a model, but I didn’t grow to be tall (laughs). That’s how much I love clothes. But when I was a group member, we had many members. So we generally wore uniforms, and that made my desire towards outfitting grow even more. You know what I mean, right? I relieved that through my personal outfits. I wore such diverse outfits that when I ran into my members on the street, they couldn’t recognise me and just passed me by. But when I’m solo, I can do that in my job, too. I can express my love for clothes in a way that matches the music. When I do my fittings, I coordinate my thoughts with the company, and when my opinion is accepted, I feel good. (We do use that expression “wearing the right clothes”, after all.) That’s exactly it. I feel like I’m wearing the right clothes.


What kinds of outfits are you attracted to?


It’s delightful when I pull off clothes that stand out in colour or are unusual in shape. Since elementary school, I built up a lot of experience trying things out, like wearing a handkerchief on my head, wrapping it around my neck, attaching it to a belt, trying out heels. Through that I gained interest in wearing a variety of styles, so instead of a brand outlet, I prefer going to a vintage shop and buying clothes that I find unique. So, I don't have a “basic” item. It’s hard to find plain clothes in my wardrobe.


The celebrity Yves who likes clothes that stand out, the individual Ha Sooyoung who loves peace. Seems like it would be difficult to balance the two.


It’s very difficult. It feels like the task of my lifetime. My mom is always telling me, “Your personality really isn’t one to be a celebrity.” I shy away in new environments. So that makes no sense. So whether it’s on Instagram, or in music, or on my blog, or wherever, I try to express myself honestly. I’m always asking my fans too, “Don’t I seem like a neighbourhood friend?”


What kind of responses do you get?


Just that. They say I’m like a neighbourhood friend. If I say “I need to be more mysterious,” they say, “But that’s your charm so don’t change”. When I go live on fan interaction apps, sometimes I just get under the sheets and sleep, telling them to wake me up in 10 minutes. Even last night I was chatting with fans until 3 AM and doing Infinite Challenge impressions. Then they’re posting chat messages like, “Unnie you’re so much like a real-life friend. You talk the same way.” Whenever that happens, I think, “It’s too late to try to be more mysterious. I’ll just have to admit to who I am.” If people like the way I am like this, there’s no need to change that.


We all try to change or make up for shortcomings. What is a shortcoming for Yves?


A sense of mystery (laugh)? I think it’s an embarrassment that I shouldn’t present. Even now, if someone goes to watch a video of me while I’m there, I desperately stop them. Regardless of which performance it was, I feel like I’m lacking in all of them so it’s hard for me to endure someone watching that. So I prepare harder, so that I don’t have regrets. But I still have shortcomings. Seems like it’s inseparable from me.


Then on the other hand, any traits that you’re satisfied with?


I trust that my fans will also love what I like. I wasn’t sure before, but after going through a series of events, and after the fans and I shared our feelings over time, I became very certain that my fans will feel my sincerity when I’m doing something happily. So now I chase the things that I like to do.


It seems like a transformative process, moving from being someone who seeks stability and consistency to someone who constantly throws herself into new places.


I try to view myself objectively. But I realised that if I simply kept going on according to my tendencies, I wouldn’t see any development at all. Thinking about how I could learn more and hear from the fans that I’ve evolved, I think that’s what makes me keep putting myself into new situations, even if they’re scary or difficult. Now, I’m a little less afraid of new environments. I can have an attitude of making bold decisions and move a bit further forward.



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