LOVE (a secret visitor) : Commentary with parkjiyoon

So!YoON! The track we are going to talk about now is ‘LOVE (a secret visitor) (feat. parkjiyoon)’. If you have listened to the song, you might feel the same way, but compared to all the other tracks, you might think it is a very different track. In my case, I feel it different. But in my standards, other tracks are a bit serious, and they are a bit dense. I think ‘LOVE (a secret visitor) (feat. parkjiyoon)’ is relatively casual track. In terms of message, as well as musical genre, it can be said that this is a form of pop, ballad, and R&B that So!YoON! has not tried in her discography so far. Of course, ‘LOVE (a secret visitor) (feat. parkjiyoon)’ is one of the challenges that I wanted to try and also absolutely, you can say that the commentary is very precious for all tracks, but especially for this track, I really wanted to leave an answer about the work and I am so happy and honored to be able to share that conversation with jiyoon, who participated in the track ‘LOVE (a secret visitor) (feat. parkjiyoon). Anyways, the opening was long. Let us invite jiyoon and have a conversation. Nice to meet you. parkjiyoon Yes. Hello. Glad to meet you too. So!YoON! I remember contacting jiyoon through an email to suggest a collaboration, and she called me immediately, asking if I had sent her an email or message. At that time, I was lying on the sofa at the company during the middle of the day, and when I received the call, I exclaimed "Wow!" I still vividly remember that moment. Despite being busy, you kindly accepted the proposal, and I would like to express my gratitude once again for your acceptance. parkjiyoon At that time, I was also busy raising my child, and I am still doing so now. Of course, I received your email back then, but I was not sure if proper demo was attached, as I usually receive emails through a different channel. So, I was a bit skeptical at first. Since, now my husband is helping me a lot with my work, and he's like, "Hurry up, it's Soyoon from SE SO NEON! Contact quickly!" He's actually checking emails and messages for me more frequently, as I am not able to do it promptly. He even contacted me and told me about it first. So, I was thinking, "Is this really her?" and then I remembered that I had contacted you right away back then. And also, at that time, to be honest, these days, there are a lot of collaborative tasks that can be done separately without seeing each other's faces. But then it was the So!YoON! said, "I'll come see you first." So you came all the way to a place near our house to make me feel comfortable. Seeing her like that, it didn't feel like she was just a kid from these days. And her first impression really surprised me. The visual I saw on the screen was so intense, with edgy makeup and a charismatic presence. She has a lot of charisma on stage, but when she arrived, she looked so natural and casual without heavy makeup. I remember greeting her with "You look so young!" And she said, "I don't wear much makeup." She said that, and I thought, "I want to work with her because her music is so good." But lately, after working with many people, I realized that sometimes it's not easy to work with each other and it can be a bit uncomfortable. But looking back, those moments were also beautiful and precious times So!YoON! Even now, when I think of it, it is funny that I sent an email recklessly. In a way, I chose the standard tactics, but in fact, there were many cases where we were already close or connected through social media, but for the first time, it was a relationship that I had no connection at all and it was my first-time suggesting collaboration. parkjiyoon That first email really came to me sincerely and I think I felt something. I think it was better for me that you have contacted me like that. So!YoON! I cannot remember the exact wording, but I remember you saying, “Why did you contact me?” and I think the process is the most important in collaboration. As you said, if you are not connected in the process or if you are not truly involved to this work, it will not be released or there will not be that much left. In my case, I especially, ask somethings through just email. Of course, there are a lot of cases that communicates through email. I do not think there is anything wrong with it, but even though it is not for a long time, talking to you in face, would be an experience and probably would make the song richer. Anyways, to talk about how the track developed, the title is very straightforward. Actually, most of the songs are released as the title that was in the demo state. In the demo, I just said ‘LOVE’ without much of thoughts, but it was very straightforward, so I thought I would definitely change it later, but it straightly went to the same name which became ‘LOVE’. Before, I talked to you, I thought about this track. I made this track in the summer. But I have some fantasies about the summer. It reminded me of ghosts and things that happen in the middle of summer. Love came to my mind like an image and I wanted to talk about things that I could not see it. Because I had to sing eleven different songs about love, and I thought that this track could be the most spiritual or fantasy. I remember meeting you vaguely just because I fell in love with something unrealistic. It was a short time, but I got a lot of hints while talking to you. If you recall the conversation, do you remember about the love which you explained you currently have? parkjiyoon I remember it vividly. So!YoON! asked me what kind of love I feel the most right now, as we were working on various lyrics related to the theme of love for this album. At that time, after giving birth to my first child, and I was experiencing the emotions of love towards my child for the first time, which I had never known before. The presence of my child was so precious, but at the same time, the fear and anxiety were overwhelming. I shared with So!YoON! that she might be able to relate to that part as she doesn't have a child herself. It was a conversation about fear. So!YoON! I think it had a strong impact. The conversation really helped as a referenced in this music, and I felt like I learned a form of love that I could not reach it at all. So, I thought, ‘This is it! I should write the lyrics with this.’ And I also said, “I will write the lyrics and come back.” I still remember the season passed a little at that time. I contemplated about it. To make it more critical, in the track without lyrics, we wanted to make it fit each other in terms of language, pronunciation, and content, but we also wanted to mix the conversation well, so we had to think a lot about it hard parkjiyoon You must have a lot of thoughts. It is great that you made it into lyrics. So!YoON! Anyways I was impressed and through the conversation and collaboration, I was able to reflect abstract emotions about the coexistence of love and fear in the lyrics. In fact, in the process of recording, I think I was more impressed than you. It is because I have never done so many things before. It was my first time when someone participated in my music and I watching it or gives a small direction. So, I was like, ‘Wow, this really happens to me.’ parkjiyoon Do people usually work separately and mix the songs later on? So!YoON! I have never had someone feature me as a vocalist with an explicit announcement like "This is a vocal featuring." So that was the first time for me. What was nice was that I got to record my part a few days before you did your recording, right? I was worried about how we would blend together, and how I should sing to match her style. I think I sang slightly differently from my usual vocal style. parkjiyoon The music style itself is a bit different. So!YoON! Yes, maybe this album could be the first time for me to try a color like that in a track. But in a way, it's also quite traditional, right? The duet isn't just me coming out in the B part, but actually singing together. parkjiyoon I think those things make the duet song unique. So!YoON! It is a standard duet, but it is hard to see in these days. So, I was worried about mixing it with you. So, I practiced a lot and since you did some research. ‘Let us combine this.’ And I think that was the resolution. What was fun was that I thought my voice was unique and I heard that my voice is a bit low and husky. When I sang it, I thought it was okay. I heard you and someone with level ten came in. To put it simply, I thought myself I am still in low level that straighten up my mind. I remember, when I came here with a humble feeling which I still cannot reach the depth, I still have a long way to go. I think it was very impressive that I was able to learn a lot of expressions as a vocalist when recording. I am curious if there is anything that you care about the most when you record or sing. parkjiyoon These days, When people say that someone is good at singing, they usually refer to the ‘power of singing’ such as high notes and the vibrato that is common in Korean music. But, as a singer, I find such comments a bit strange. The more I sing, the more I feel that embellishing and using vocal techniques is actually easier and more comfortable. Removing those embellishments, on the other hand, is more difficult. So, singing with short breaks, without vibrato, and in a calm manner, like speaking, seems to require more effort, and I personally prefer it as my taste. Also, now that I realize that many of the genres I sing in are somewhat poetic and acoustic, I want to convey my songs without overdoing it. I seem to be paying more attention to that. The more I go, the more... So!YoON! In my opinion, that part was the reason I felt that it's an area I can't handle yet when I listen to it. Because of that part, I dare to think that you are a musician who excels in that aspect and is the best in Korea. This is my personal opinion, so parkjiyoon Thank you so much for recognizing me which nobody knows. So!YoON! No, it is not. I really respect that part, so I wanted to sing with you. At first, the reason I wanted to sing with you was when I heard your recent single album. It was so nice. I have been listening to the album which was released decades ago since I was young too. parkjiyoon Not when you were young, but probably when you were a baby? I debuted when you were born So!YoON! You debuted in the year of 1997. I was born in the year of 1997. parkjiyoon After debuting as a singer So!YoON! Although I have always admired your music, recently there is something condensed, something that I can't quite put into words, in the way you sing. It feels like the songs you sing are reaching me on a deeper level. Anyway, you debuted a long time ago, around 26-27 years ago, and during your music career as a musician, I expect there must be a lot of differences between then and now. I'm curious if there have been any changes in your attitude towards music, your mindset towards coexisting with the music market, or any other changes in your approach to music parkjiyoon The ear has changed and the music scene has changed so much. To tell you just for fun, the first time I recorded, it was when a reel tape rolled and then the market has changed so much. Back then, there was a singer who sold over a million copies and there were songs that the entire nation loved. But now, I think it is more diverse in terms of genres. Since now that it is a global era, there are more opportunities in some ways and you can do a variety of music, so I think So!YoON! has a very strong fandom like these times. I have been doing music for a long time, but what I did in the 90’s and early 2000’s. was when it was planned by producers and when my seventh album came out in the year of two thousand eight So!YoON! Seventh album? parkjiyoon Yes, when I first started producing my 7th album, my attitude towards music changed a lot. The biggest difference was starting to express my own color and my own music. Now, I'm preparing for my 10th album, but I honestly don't know how I'm doing it. I'm just taking it step by step, and fortunately, various circumstances around me have aligned to allow me to continue making music until now. I'm truly grateful for that. It seems that my efforts alone may not be enough. So!YoON! Yes. Can not be done by yourself. parkjiyoon And on all such occasions, I met good, Actually, now there are not many people around me who does music right now, so I always think and kept saying, ‘Can I have a concert next year?’ ‘Will I be able to do it again next year?’ But I am so grateful that I can think about my tenth album until now. However, I just think that is what I think now. Rather than trying to do something new, I think it makes me to think that if I can continue to do something that is just me, I will continue to do something that is just me. So!YoON! To be honest, I have never said this to other musicians. “Please continue to do music.” A lot of fans say this. and whenever I meet you too, I will say, “Please continue to release music.” parkjiyoon I was so thankful that you told me that when we first met. So!YoON! I personally like the live album of yours. parkjiyoon Ah, really? So!YoON! Yes, nowadays there aren't many bands that release live albums in the style of rock bands, although there are many live performances. However, for me, you, jiyoon, have a very pure and honest sound even in recording situations, but when you perform live, there is an added resonance. The live performances have a strong emotional impact in real-time, and I am still listening to them. Anyway, I just wanted to share this story with my fan heart. parkjiyoon I appreciated. Really. So!YoON! And the album ‘Episode1: Love’ that I planned this time was actually an album with a variety of colors and spectra. There is electronic music and there is a breakthrough. As I said in the intro, I thought that it would be different and fresh for listeners. And I thought that if they knew about this process, they would love this track even more. I started to perform ever since I was 20 years old, and now six years are passing. It is so hard whenever I do it and whenever we release something. parkjiyoon We often say that releasing an album means to say giving birth to a child. So!YoON! The process of creating music, it can be challenging for anyone. It requires constant immersion, concentration, and such aspects sometimes seem to be taken in a calm manner. Existing within the music market, there are moments when it feels lonely or burdensome, as these things just exist in the industry. In those moments, I often wished for a good senior, someone to look up to. I've always had these thoughts. parkjiyoon It was the same for me, If someone had told me this while I was walking on the street earlier, I would have thought about it and acted on it. However, I believe that this industry often makes you walk alone, and that's the case for everyone. The work can sometimes feel lonely. So!YoON! Whenever I feel this way, I turn on YouTube or music streaming sites and look for female singer-songwriters who can get advice like my seniors. ‘Is there anyone?’ And then I think, ‘jiyoon is here.’ There is a cool person who keeps doing music. I actually wanted to meet you even if it was not a duet. I really wanted to meet you once. So, asking you to continue to do music gives me strength just by continuing to work on as a singer. It gave me strength. I did not know it would work. However, I felt like I am becoming strong and strong person after going through a lot of waves. That gave me a lot of strength. parkjiyoon On the other hand, you told me to keep doing music in any kind of form. That encouraged me a lot. Back then, I had a lot of thoughts about how to do music. When my junior told me this, I thought, ‘Yes, I should cheer up.’ It really gave me that strength. So!YoON! It was such a beautiful ending. Thank you. parkjiyoon I am curious how it will turn out. So!YoON! But the funny thing about this commentary is that there are people crying, people who wails, people who are overwhelmed, and I think it is a place where we talk about things later time. So, I am really thankful that you are here with us. parkjiyoon When I heard that this type of album was coming out, I was also wondering what it was, but I was thankful that I could be with you. And more than anything, it is not just about singing and ending, but we can talk about the process and share this time while waiting for the music. I think that is very meaningful. So!YoON! Thank you for feeling that way. Let us wrap up the commentary on ‘LOVE (a secret visitor) (feat. parkjiyoon)’. I will move onto the next track. Thank you, jiyoon. parkjiyoon Yes. Thank you. So!YoON! Good Bye.