TWICE member Jihyo’s solo debut album ‘shows who she is’

TWICE leader Jihyo made a debut as a solo artist Friday, eight years after she debuted as a member of the popular K-pop girl group.

She dropped her first individual album, “Zone,” at 1 p.m. to become the second TWICE member to go solo following Nayeon.

“I was excited when I heard the idea of releasing a solo album at first. I also had a lot of concerns about how people would accept me not as a member of TWICE, but as a solo artist,” the vocalist said during a press conference held at a Seoul hotel a few hours before the album’s release.

Jihyo entered JYP Entertainment, the group’s agency, as a trainee in 2005, and debuted as a TWICE member 10 years later.

She said she wanted to show the public who she is as an artist through the album, without any pretense.

“I see myself as someone who is straightforward, cheerful and full of vitality,” she said of her self-image. “That was evident on the stage. I believe it’s me who performs powerful choreography, sings bright songs and smiles often.”

While working on her first solo project, she enjoyed the freedom to do whatever she wanted to do without any set concept guidelines. This led her to experiment with diverse vocal styles and genres, driven by the goal of showcasing her versatility as an artist.

The outcome is a seven-track EP encompassing a range of musical genres. It features low-pitched songs, a partly singing-rap track, and also includes R&B and Latin genre pieces.

The lead track, “Killin’ Me Good,” highlights Jihyo’s own rich and powerful voice layered atop rhythmic and groovy sounds.

Park Jin-young, founder and chief producer of JYP, wrote the song while Marcus Lomax from the leading American production and songwriting team The Monsters & Strangerz, Melanie Fontana and Lindgren are credited as co-composers.

“I took a long time to write the lyrics,” she said. “I was quite fond of the title that Park came up with. The lyrics carried a lovely and candid quality, which matched well with the melody.”

The EP also showcases Jihyo’s capabilities as a musician as she participated in the production of six of the seven tracks as a lyricist or a composer.

The singer believes she was fortunate to make her debut as a soloist at this point in her career.

“I came to know myself better in the process of working (with TWICE),” she said. “I was fortunate to be able to prepare for the album knowing my strengths and when I look good.”

She thinks the album’s quality is satisfactory even though it has yet to receive public evaluation.

Her bandmate Nayeon reached seventh on the Billboard 200, becoming the highest-charting K-pop female solo artist, with her solo debut EP, “Im Nayeon,” released in June last year.

“I believe I’ve achieved my goal by creating something that satisfies me, something that I’m not ashamed of, and something that truly represents me as an artist,” she said. “I hope fans will comfortably enjoy my album.”