Seo In-young releases solo single

By Kim Ji-soo

Releasing new work and waiting for public fan response can be a thrilling and unnerving experience for any artist.

For Seo In-young, former member of the K-pop girl group Jewelry, the wait may well have been more so. She returns after more than a year's break that followed a controversy. Seo, 34, released a new digital single titled “Close Your Eyes” after clinching a contract with Soribada recently.

Appearing for a round of interviews, Seo was bright and energetic-looking. Only when she spoke, there were certain pauses.

Seo ― known as a soloist for her tracks such as “Cinderella” and as an entertainer with a “girl crush” image ― exited from public appearances following a controversy surrounding her appearance on JTBC's reality show “With You” in 2017. A video of a woman whose voice was that of Seo was heard explosively speaking and cussing out the film crew. She later apologized and stopped all activities.

“The past year plus was meaningful time for me, I think. It was the first time I took a pause and rested, because for 18 years I had been only working nonstop, and finally I had time to take a good look at myself,” she said at a news conference to mark the single's Aug. 2 release.

“Mostly I laid in bed, doing nothing. But one thing I thought about was how I was perceived in the eyes of others, and as much as I appreciate my staff, they would not know it if I don't express it,” she said.

“I want to say I apologize to those who have been hurt by my personality and the way I speak. I want to improve, not superficially, but to become a better person for myself,” she said.

Having joined Jewelry in 2002 when she was in her late teens, both the band and its members enjoyed popularity for hit songs such as “One More Time.” Seo also began appearing on TV shows including “We Got Married” in 2008 with the Korean rapper Crown J. She was known for her candid speech and more free style of interaction, for which she earned such monikers as “Strong Unni” (older sister) and being the recipient of many a “girl crush.” Seo and Crown J regrouped for season 2 of the new reality show “With You” when the controversy broke out.

After her contract with former agency Star Empire ended last November, she signed with Soribada.

Asked whether she thought it was the right time for a comeback, Seo said “I don't know if there is an answer to whether a right time exists. I acknowledge the controversy and what I did. Right now, I have no goals. I just want to deliver a good song, have my voice heard. I want to reach out to the public through busking and through small-theater shows.”

In June videos appeared on social media of her singing in public, or rather busking, her single “Bye Romance” and the hit song “Cinderella.” “I loved busking,” she said.

Asked if she was confident about her comeback, Seo said she does not expect anything. “I want to take the long-term perspective. I don't want to dwell (on the past) too long. There is a life ahead of me and I do understand people who criticized me. If I can have just one listener, one fan return to me (with the new song), I would be grateful,” she said.

These days, performances by fellow female artists such as Sunmi, BLACKPINK and the recent work of female soloist Hyolin have her attention. “I think Hyolin's latest song is wonderful. And Sunmi, she can digest different concepts well, not to mention BLACKPINK,” she said.

If the right time comes, Seo said she would not mind doing reality shows again or a dance song like her signature hit “Cinderella.”

“No rush, if the timing is right, I hope it happens naturally,” she said.