Brown Eyed Girls' leader releases 2nd solo album

Jea / Courtesy of Mystic Entertainment

By Kim Ji-soo

Ten years leading the K-pop girl band Brown Eyed Girls, Jea released her second solo work on Friday. Three years after her first single, she has released two songs, one a collaboration with Jung Yup of Brown Eyed Soul. The tracks are among the numerous music sources or songs she has on her cell phone, which she has decided now is the right time to release.

With “Bad Girl”(Feat. Jung) and “Island of Tears,” she shows off her appealing vocals and a sad sentiment. It is a sound different from the sexy, strong music of the idol group. But it is one that the public knows through the soundtrack for the highly popular Korean drama “Chuno” and the movie “Harmony.” She plans to release the songs digitally without a physical album. There will be a music video for the songs too.

“I hope fans will enjoy the music,” said Jea, adding with a laugh that she wishes that they will sing the songs at karaoke and make them top hits there.

In person, Jea is outgoing and straightforward but strongly passionate for music and composing.

“I write songs mostly in the evening and when I am outside,” said Jea. “I also write often after seeing a movie,” said the singer-songerwriter.

She said she sees “a lot of movies,” once being a “VVIP” customer of Megabox. “That’s like when you see one movie every three days,” she said.

Traveling is another source of inspiration for her writing.

“I write a lot on airplanes,” she said, adding it’s a good place for her as her schedule is demanding and hectic.

She said it doesn’t bother her too much that people are not aware the she writes, sings and leads the girl band that has been at work for 10 years. For her, her solo songs are an expression of her kind of music — ballad songs — while with the Brown Eyed Girls, she and the three other members experiment more.

In fact, Jea has composed many songs since her 2006 debut. She has also produced for other artists.

Brown Eyed Girls have stuck it out for the past decade in the K-pop industry while other girl bands have disbanded or been forgotten.

The four members — Jea, Miryo, Narsha and Ga-in — were highly successful with “Abracadabra” (2009) where their distinctive dance moves resonated with audiences. Singer Psy adapted the moves and recruited one of them for the 2013 music video to “Gentleman.”

“I think it’s our teamwork,” Jea said. “Also, the members all have distinctive personality, and we were lucky.”

As the leader, she said her direct, to-the-point approach to situations is what has kept the band’s teamwork good.

“I am optimistic about life and just tell it as it is, and try to work it out simply,” said Jea.

She recently served as a vocal mentor for the cable channel audition program “Produce 101,” which recruited aspiring trainees from the nation’s talent agencies. The final 11 will debut soon.

“They should not let instant fame get to them,” she said, while forecasting bright prospects for the group.

She hopes that she will continue to stay with her band.

“Even if we get married, I think we can stay together and perform as a band,” she said. Coincidentally, news of Narsha’s relationship broke out this week, making her the third member following Jea and Ga-in to be publicly dating.

The band, whose sixth album “Basic” dropped in 2015, is planning a special event soon marking the 10th year since their debut.

“We are thinking of something where we can approach the public in a more friendly way,” said Jea, not adding any other details.