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| Seulgi of K-pop girl group Red Velvet poses during an online press conference, Tuesday. Courtesy of SM Entertainment |
K-pop girl group member goes solo 8 years after debut
By Dong Sun-hwa
"SG" are the initials for K-pop singer Seulgi's first name. But they also stand for "Snow White and Grimhilde" in her debut solo EP, "28 Reasons," which hit store shelves Tuesday afternoon. By playing the dual role of a sweet princess and a wicked queen, the Red Velvet member juggles between her good and evil sides in her mini-album, revealing two contrasting aspects of herself.
"The keywords of my EP are the coexistence of good and evil," Seulgi said during an online press conference, which took place a few hours ahead of the mini-album's release. "So I tried to avoid depicting Snow White as an absolute good and Grimhilde as an absolute evil. I spent much time figuring out the best tone to sing the lead single, '28 Reasons,' as I had to play two different characters and express diverse emotions in one song. I had to record it over and over again because my tone was too warm in the beginning, but after producer Yoo Young-jin advised me to sing in a less emotional way, I was finally able to finish my recording."
The 28-year-old added, "'28 Reasons' is a groovy pop dance track with the sounds of whistles, which revolve around a woman who goes back and forth from good to evil. She loves her crush, but at the same time, she wants to play a prank on him. I picked it as the lead single, as I believed it was the best track that shows who I am. I thought I would be able to show off both performing and vocal skills with this tune."
To highlight her contrasting sides, Seulgi dons both black and white stage outfits in her music video.
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| The teaser for Seulgi's debut solo EP, "28 Reasons" / Courtesy of SM Entertainment |
"I was afraid of doing everything alone without our members, but they supported me a lot," Seulgi said as she shed tears. "Wendy, who already made her solo debut last year, told me that I was already good enough and Joy said I should be more confident about myself. Irene and Yeri lifted my spirit as well, so I was really happy."
"28 Reasons" also carries five other tracks of different genres: "Dead Man Runnin," "Bad Boy, Sad Girl," "Los Angeles," "Anywhere But Home" and "Crown." For "Dead Man Runnin" ― a song about scars and vanity ― Seulgi penned its lyrics, participating in the creative process of writing her song for the first time since her debut in 2014.
"I was proud of myself because my lyrics survived stiff competition," she said. "The officials at my management company, SM Entertainment, told me that they were dark and weighty and that they were a good fit for 'Dead Man Runnin.'"
As to what she wants to achieve in the days ahead, she said her debut solo EP does not reveal everything about her music. "I have a lot of other concepts that I want to pull off. I hope a lot of people will look forward to my next releases."
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