무면허 류수정의 새 차 공개 | 류수정 인터뷰 | 러블리즈, 하우스 오브 드림즈 | demure Portrait.

무면허 류수정의 새 차 공개 | 류수정 인터뷰 | 러블리즈, 하우스 오브 드림즈 | demure Portrait.

Really? I loved it so much, I got ripped off buying it and everything I endured by focusing only on the music – Like a ‘I’m gonna be a rapper’ kind of vibe? Here at demure Portrait where I invite musicians I really like and want to meet to have a chat. Today, too, we have a truly in my opinion, a really cool musician with us so with a happy heart I’d like to conduct this interview. A member of Lovelyz and as a solo artist who is showing her own unique colors, we have singer-songwriter Ryu Sujeong with us. – Hello everyone, I’m Ryu Sujeong And I released a new album called [NEW CAR] on July 25th. – I imagine you must have been busy preparing for the album, but could I ask how you’ve been lately? – Lately, I’ve been really busy preparing for the album and also diligently preparing for my concert. When I was promoting with my team(Lovelyz), it felt busy because of dance practice or filming, if it was that kind of busy, this time, there’s a lot of paperwork to organize and it feels busy because there’s just so much to sort out, I’m experiencing a new kind of busyness right now. – We’ll talk about it later, but you’re doing a lot more of the work by yourself now, right? – That’s right. – How do you usually spend your day? – I’m really an all-or-nothing person. If I feel like I need to recharge my energy, I do absolutely nothing. I just lie down and – Just in bed like this? – I try to do nothing, and then when I have a lot of work or I’m busy, I just start working as soon as I open my eyes. But if there’s a routine I always stick to among all that, it’s that I always make time to think by myself at night or to unwind. Whether it’s reading webtoons or watching YouTube. – As a break time? – Yes, I make sure to have it. – What do you watch? – Recently, I’ve been watching a lot of dramas, and I watched all of a sudden, people around me recommended it, and I thought, “Oh? This looks interesting?” and started watching, and I finished it in just a few days. – I heard that everyone who watched the last episode cried. – But it wasn’t just the last episode, there were so many tear-jerking moments throughout the whole show. – Do you have any hobbies? – I don’t really have any hobbies, and my interests are also pretty much focused on music, so I think I just treat this work itself as a hobby. Because I like music or clothes, things like that, but since clothes are also pretty much a part of my job, besides music or fashion and things like that, I don’t really do much else. So I’ve decided to accept it now. “Ah, yes, my interests lie in this area, and instead of trying hard to create other hobbies, I’ll just embrace this work as a hobby with a loving heart.” -You’re a complete musician. Your hobby is music, and your work is also music. – ‘Music is my life.’ – That’s great. You’re such a cool musician, and among the recent news, the company that originally managed you, you finished your contract with the company called ARTIST RIDER, and there was talk of reorganizing your label, House of Dreams. – It’s a bit of an exaggeration to call it a reorganization, but now I’m really running it by myself, so the pressure is great, but at the same time, it feels like I’m moving things with my own hands, so I think I’m able to produce results that are more like me. – Are you taking on the role of management as well? – Yes, that’s right. So things like schedule coordination or budgets, I’ve tried doing them all myself for the first time. And it’s really difficult. But in return, I’ve learned a lot this time, and I feel like I’m becoming stronger, so I think I made the right choice. – Is there a reason why you decided to do even that yourself? If there’s a good opportunity, I’m always willing to work with a partner who is good at management. But this time, I had this thought. If not now, when will I be able to release an album that I’ve put together from 1 to 10? Maybe I won’t be able to? Originally, I’m a person who thinks a lot. So, should I do it or not? ‘What about this? What about that?’ ‘Then how do I do the marketing?’ ‘Then how do I do the management?’ My head was so complicated with all these thoughts, but then people around me said, “Just do it! Can’t you just do it?” “Why not?” There were so many people who said things like that, and I was so grateful for that. ‘You know what? I can just do it.’ ‘Let’s just start from the beginning.’ So I really just went for it and started this time. – What I feel when I look at House of Dreams is, my main job is also a designer. But from my perspective, should I call it a visual sense? It’s really amazing. – As much as I’m into music, I’m also really interested in visuals and design, and I think they’re connected. You need the visual aspect for the music to sound even better, and when you’re appreciating visuals, having music is also great. So I think of it as a single package and approach it with affection, doing each part one by one. As I mentioned earlier, I keep looking for those things as a hobby. – And you look at Pinterest like this. – Yes, I really use Pinterest or anything else I can see, I really look at everything. – In terms of running your business, your older sister, whom you usually call ‘Nini’. – Yes, that’s right. – Your sister gives you a lot of support. – Yes, that’s right. – This seems so amazing to me. What kind of things is she helping you with now? And I was curious if there’s a special reason for this. – We used to do YouTube together, but since my sister is an office worker, the YouTube videos were uploaded very sporadically. This time, my sister pushed herself a bit to film videos or things like that, and also design-related things. Since my sister is a designer, she helps with those things. My sister and I are both people who have a lot of love in us. But while I was a trainee, we were apart for a long time, so we became more fond of each other. – It’s July now. So I’d like to ask a little about your activities in the first half of the year. First of all, what was interesting was you appeared on again, it was your second appearance. – That’s right. – Was there a reason you challenged yourself again? – When I went on it 6 years ago, I was really moved. That was probably the first time I had ever sung a song on a show like that without my team. And they praised my singing so much. In terms of my tone, vocal skills, and things like that, they really complimented me a lot, and I was so moved at that time, that I cried in the waiting room. So it was a really good memory for me, and I was offered another great opportunity, so I thought, ‘I definitely want to do it,’ and that’s how it happened. – Did you cry this time too? – I cried a little this time too. Fortunately, they edited it a bit, and thankfully, Mr. Kim Gu-ra seems to like my vocal tone. He gave me very similar feedback to 6 years ago, a lot of good feedback, so I was reminded of that time, and I was so grateful that I teared up a bit. – We don’t really have the opportunity to go on shows like that, so we don’t know that feeling. must be really nerve-wracking, I think. – When I went on 6 years ago, I was so nervous that my mouth was completely dry, and I remember it being really hard to sing. This time my mouth wasn’t dry, thankfully, but still, it had been a while, so I think I sang with a pounding heart. – There are videos on YouTube, so those who are curious can look them up. And among the work you did in the first half of the year, what was also impressive to me was that you participated in one of the soundtracks for an exhibition by an illustrator named SAMBYPEN. You were featured on a song by hip-hop producer Logikal J, and except for you, Sujeong, as far as I remember, almost all the other featured artists were rappers. – That’s right. They were all rappers. – So I was curious how you ended up participating in this. – The artist was looking for a female vocalist who would be a bit ‘unexpected’ but still a good fit for these hip-hop tracks. So he listened to my songs and suggested it, saying I would be a perfect fit. And for me, music and exhibitions, I thought, ‘Having music at an exhibition sounds so fun?’ That was the first thought. And I’ve always liked hip-hop. So the fact that I could be on the same album as those rappers felt like a second advantage, so I had a lot of fun working on it. – Among your activities in the first half of the year, you appeared on a YouTube content called and talked a lot about fashion. And I could see that you were really enjoying yourself then. – That was the first time I had ever been on a program where I talked about clothes. So I was really excited. I think that showed in the video as well. – Then, if we talk about clothes for a moment today, could you introduce what kind of look you’re going for today? – First of all, I like white and denim. So today, I wore my favorite white and denim, and since it’s summer, I wore some cool light-wash jeans. Actually, it might look cool, but both of these clothes are a bit thick right now, so it’s very hot. – Oh, should I turn up the air conditioner for you? – But you know, to be stylish, you have to dress a little warm when it’s hot, and when it’s cold, dressing a little cold looks pretty too. – And Sujeong, in my opinion, you’re not only good at dressing well, but you also seem to look good in everything. You did a photoshoot for a magazine called Men Noblesse wearing Uniqlo, and Uniqlo isn’t really a brand for dressing up, it’s one of the representative brands for comfortable clothing. But I saw the photoshoot of you wearing it, and it was so cool. – Oh, really? – I thought, “Wow, Uniqlo can be this stylish,” while looking at it. – Oh, thank you. – I just thought, maybe you just look good in clothes… – There’s something a bit funny about me getting more thrilled by fashion compliments than music ones… – No. I’ll give you plenty of music compliments later. Before we talk about your new album, I’d like to talk a little about the music you’ve made so far. What’s really impressive to me is that for most of your songs, in fact, almost all of them, you participated in writing the lyrics or composing. Is there some kind of principle that you have to write them yourself? – There’s no real principle, I’m always like, “If it’s a good song, I’d love to receive it.” “I’m open,” I’ve said, but somehow I ended up writing lyrics and composing. So at first, I was working with the producers who make the tracks, so I naturally started writing lyrics and composing. And since I write the lyrics and compose myself, I can naturally convey the message I want to at that time, and things like that, so I think I end up doing it. Naturally. – From what I’ve seen, because you’re good at writing lyrics and melody lines, I think that’s why you’re able to do this. – After releasing my full-length album, I gained a lot of strength. Actually, when I was working on the full-length album, almost all the songs were newly written. But I really didn’t have much time then. So I had to write songs in about a month or two, I had to do it like that. ‘I’ve never written this many songs in such a short amount of time,’ ‘Am I someone who can write this?’ I worried a lot about things like that, but after releasing the album, the people around me gave me such good feedback. For example, a friend’s boyfriend said, “This is the best album of my life.” People around me like that would say, “Sujeong, this album is so good,” and “I liked these lyrics,” “I liked this part of this song,” because they told me these things directly, I think I gained a lot of confidence from that album. – Rappers too, after they go on a show like Show Me the Money, they say it’s so hard that they grow through it. So in that sense, you grew a bit while working on your full-length album. – Yes, that’s right. – And what’s also interesting about the lyrics is that should I say they’re very honest and a bit bold? And they’re very realistic. For example, when I heard the lyric ‘I’m the best at hating myself,'(Song “Love or Hate”) when I heard lyrics like that, I was really surprised. Because the Ryu Sujeong I think of is someone who seems like an artist who would never hate herself, so it was surprising that you would write lyrics like this. – I was very bold and tried to write honestly, I wrote it with that in mind, so I’m very proud that you said that. I had that kind of feeling. These emotions, people, can’t always be pretty and perfect. But when I was promoting with Lovelyz, the fans always told me things like that. “Sujeong, how are you always so pretty,” “so kind, so nice, and always so bright?” they said things like that a lot. But actually, I’m not like that, because I’m human. I also despair a lot, I have gloomy days, and I really worry a lot. And at times like that, if there are only people who (seemingly) are happy, it makes you feel even worse rather than comforted. So I wanted to give that kind of message to the fans too. Like you all, I also worry a lot and despair a lot, so don’t just look at my pretty side and think, ‘How can someone like that exist?’ and compare yourselves. I hope you don’t. I tried to put a lot of that into my lyrics, and I wanted to offer that kind of empathy and comfort. The lyric ‘I’m the best at hating myself’ is from a time when I was struggling, ‘Why does that person hate me so much?’ I tried writing about these really difficult emotions for the first time with this song. And strangely enough, once I let it out, I felt a lot better. So I hoped that the public would listen to the song ‘Love or Hate’ and get away from those emotions a little, and that it would be an opportunity for them to blow them away. – What was very surprising when the full-length album came out was the so-called bedroom pop style, should I say? A bit lo-fi, you did a lot of that style of sound. Is there a reason you chose this genre? – First of all, I really like bedroom pop in my daily life. And I think every genre has its own charm, so sticking to just one genre feels a bit like a waste? So I ended up trying new things like bedroom pop. Honestly, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t worried. So, ‘What if the fans are disappointed?’ ‘There must be music they want to hear from me,’ ‘What if this isn’t it?’ I worried a lot about that, but thankfully when it came out, they didn’t feel a sense of incongruity, and they listened to it very positively. Perhaps it’s because Lovelyz incorporated many genres into our B-side tracks, that might be why. – And just in time, I brought the album here. The first full-length album. If you haven’t listened to it, I think you’ll discover a lot of interesting points if you give it a listen. Last year, you also released a mini-album, and then a single album… sorry, “a single album” is the wrong term, you released several singles. But if you collect them, it becomes a mini-album. But you didn’t release it that way, was there a reason you decided to release singles several times? – If I don’t release a song when there’s a reason to release it right away, it keeps getting put away. So I was really sad about that. Now, songs like ‘Cloud’ and ‘Orange Juice’ I wanted to release them when there was a reason to do so. So in this new album too, there’s a song I wrote about 4 years ago. So it’s such a waste. So when I want to let you hear it now, I think the feeling that I should let you hear it was the biggest. – I really like the song ‘White Dress’. Especially in this song, I know that you worked with producers like Marldn, who once was in you.will.knovv, and JADE. I’m curious how you came to do this new collaboration. – First, I was introduced to those writers. Now, we’re working on a song together, and what’s really amazing is that if we click, everything just falls into place. As they say, you know ten things by seeing one, we clicked so well musically, and after that, our communication style, the images we envisioned, and things like that, the textures all matched so well, so I think we made the song very quickly and had a lot of fun. So actually, besides ‘White Dress’, we made about ten-something songs. So in this album too, there’s one song with Marldn and JADE. So now, for the rest of the songs, when and how we will release them is something we’re really looking forward to. – The reason I also like ‘White Dress’ is because the song is good, but it also has a music video. When I saw that music video, you were running in a really white, almost wedding-dress-like white dress, but you were wearing red sports sneakers like these, and your makeup was a little smudged, and you were wearing gloves and all, (the visuals) seemed to express the artist Ryu Sujeong that I think of very well. – But what’s really amazing is that what I put into the song ‘White Dress’ was to really try to put as much of myself into it as possible. So the fact that you felt that is so amazing and I’m so grateful. So I paid a lot of attention to the outfits and things like that, and at the end, the smudged makeup, the makeup that looks like I’ve been hit, ‘Even if the world beats me up, I’ll keep going.’ It was kind of like that, ‘I’ll wear the clothes I like and keep going,’ it had that kind of feeling, so I’m so glad you enjoyed those parts. – No, it’s not just me who enjoyed it, I believe everyone else enjoyed it too. Now the new album, it’s [NEW CAR]. I’d like to talk about [NEW CAR], so first of all, what kind of album is this new album? Please give us a brief introduction. – The new album [NEW CAR] is, first of all, an album with exciting and cool songs that are perfect for summer. The coolness that these five songs contain is all different. So it’s an album where I’d really like you to listen to all five songs. – As I was preparing for this interview, I listened to the songs first, and they’re so good. – Really? – I was really surprised. You’ve finally done it this time. – Thank you. – What are the biggest differences between this album and previous albums, or are there any new challenges you’re taking on? – First, if I were to point out a difference from the previous album, I think I tried to capture more of myself, the part that’s quirky, shy but likes to joke around, I think I tried to include those kinds of things. Fans or people who have seen me for a long time say, “You’re so funny.” And that funniness isn’t like “Ahaha” funny, but more like, “You’re really funny,” things like that, and the shy me, I wanted to put a lot of those new things into this album. – One of the things that I felt was new was, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard this kind of voice from Ryu Sujeong before?’ I personally had some moments where I felt that. From a vocal perspective, for this album, are there any points you paid attention to, thinking, ‘I should do it like this’? – First of all, the producer I worked with on the album, Dolly (Hwang Hyun-sung) oppa, has worked with me for a really long time. What he wanted from me, and what I wanted, was ‘not too pretty.’ When recording as Lovelyz, and also when expressing myself in my own music, I thought that what’s contained should be different. So I was always thinking about that, so besides taking vocal lessons, even the small details when recording, we discussed them a lot with each other. “How about we try it like this here? How about we try it like that?” “Can’t we finish this part not so prettily?” We talked a lot about these things with each other, and I think we coordinated it. – Especially for the first song, ‘Bad Bye,’ it runs like a guitar solo at the end. In a way, that seems to be a part of what you wanted to include, Sujeong’s quirky side. For the first song, could you explain a little more about what you intended or any interesting points? – ‘Bad Bye’ is, breakups are always painful. But a breakup that ended so insignificantly, it hurts, but with a bit of a ‘it’s this insignificant?’ kind of feeling, I wanted to express it half-jokingly, with wit. Actually, I’m crying on the inside, but with a “Hmph, you’ll really regret letting me go?” kind of feeling, I wanted to include that, so at the end, I release all those emotions with a big guitar solo. I tried working on a witty breakup song like that. – And now the second track is ‘NEW CAR’, it would be great if you could explain what kind of song it is. – Yes, the title track ‘NEW CAR’ is a synth-based rock song. It’s a song I made 4 or 5 years ago. People around me really liked this song. It’s an exciting song that fits summer, and the lyrics are about getting rid of your old, crappy car, and getting a new one. “We’re so cool right now, let’s drive.” It’s that kind of song. So when you listen to it, it’s an exciting song that makes you feel excited and confident. I actually don’t have a new car. I don’t even have a driving license. But with all of you, the feeling of a NEW CAR, let’s go anywhere with this new feeling. I included this kind of content. – I think if you’re someone who liked ‘PINK MOON’, you’ll probably really like this track. It’s kind of similar in style? Is there any choreography by any chance? – I made some by myself. In the chorus part, I’m willing to film a Reels video or something, but the thing about challenges is you have to bring people in and film it. And since I’m the type of person who has a hard time asking for those kinds of favors, in the past, I just ended up being like, ‘Eh, let’s not do it.’ This time, I’m going to try my best to show you the choreography I made by myself, even if it’s just me. – Maybe you could do it with your members – Yes, even with the members, somehow – When you express a theme in a song, it seems you often use objects to express it. This time too, you used a car as a subject for ‘NEW CAR’, and things like ‘Orange Juice’, ‘White Dress’, ‘T-Shirt’, all of these. Is there a special reason why you use these things so often? – It’s not that I intended it. I’m very interested in visuals, so I think that gets mixed in. I mix this object and the song, I think I do it a lot in this kind of way, and since I try to find a lot of inspiration in my daily life, I think it ended up being connected to objects a lot. – When you sing about happiness, for example, Sujeong, it’s not just ‘I’m happy now, I feel good now,’ it’s ‘I’m happy because I look at the sky three times a day.’ Or ‘I’m happy because I have a new car.’ Could we call it a concrete story? You’re good at creating things like that, and you seem to be used to it. – I’m really sensitive. That sensitive isn’t, “Ha…” it’s not that kind of sensitive, emotionally, I really break down my thoughts and think about everything. So there were many times when I tortured myself. But now, one of the reasons I’ve come to accept it as a strength is that when I’m writing lyrics or making music, it all melts into it. So I am this kind of person, and I also think a lot about wanting to put these things into my songs or lyrics, so as I do that more, I’m trying to sublimate it into a strength, and I think I’ve done that. – And now the third track is ‘Wind and Rain’. This song is really unique, so first, could you introduce what kind of ideas you worked with for this song? – First of all, the song ‘Wind and Rain’ has a mix of various genres, and I think that was very appealing. It has a mix of jazz, shoegazing, and this alternative feel, and that mixed feeling was like, ‘Oh? This is mine.’ Should I say it was that kind of feeling? And the intro is very charming. So from where the intro sounds like “wind and rain,” I took the theme of wind and rain. I think I really like to include lyrics like, “the day I go is the market day(Korean expression – Having a bad luck),” and this time, I even included the exact lyric, ‘the day I go is the market day.’ So I wanted to combine that kind of genre-related fun with lyrical fun. – But in my opinion, the genre is a style of music that Sujeong has rarely done until now. – Yes, that’s right. – Was it difficult to write the lyrics or compose? – This is all a Korean-language song. But these days, it’s actually really difficult to write lyrics only in Korean. Because if you mix in English, there are parts where you can make the pronunciation more interesting, and the methods of expression become wider, which is good. This time, since the title of ‘Wind and Rain’ is Korean, I just got this desire to write everything in Korean. So as I tried to write everything in Korean, the lyric writing was actually really difficult. – What was unique was that the verse is a rap. Is there a special reason you did it as a rap? – I like rap. As I mentioned earlier, I also like hip-hop, but there are small rap parts in Lovelyz’s songs. But since I’m a vocalist, I couldn’t do those parts much. But I always had a hunger for that. I… – Like a ‘I’m gonna be a rapper’ kind of vibe? – Not a rap like this but, there’s a definite charm that rap has which is different from melodies. So listening to this kind of rap is so fun, and I want to do it. So I think I always mixed it in a lot when I was writing songs. If there’s a song where a rap part would fit, I think I would have mixed it in a little. ‘Wind and Rain’ too, somehow I thought it would be so fun to put a rap in here, so I wrote it as a rap from the very beginning. It’s a bit embarrassing to call it a rap. Should I say it sounds more annoying? Even more so? – In my opinion, when this song comes out, it will probably get a lot of attention? Or I hope it does. – I really hope it does. – Even if I have to promote it, this one was a very fresh song for me, Imagine you are at a festival, and when it was raining, at that slightly annoying moment, if you listen to it right then, it’s the kind of song that would be great to listen to while getting rained on. – I really want to perform at a festival so badly. Everyone, please contact me. – The entire album, if you listen to it at a festival, it has a feeling that it would be really good, so I hope you’ll be very interested. Among Sunwoo Junga’s songs, there’s a song called ‘It’s Raining’, and Sunwoo Junga actually has a legendary video of her singing it at a festival while getting rained on. – Wow, that’s so nice. – Just like that, of course it would be hard to sing while getting rained on, – I’m fine with it. – You can do that at least once in your life, right? – I actually shot the teaser for ‘Wind and Rain’ when it was really raining. Yes, I have that kind of desire, so I really want to perform on stage. – So it would be nice to have a stage like that at least once. – That would be great. – Okay, then let’s talk about the fourth track. The title is a bit interesting. ‘Venus & a bowl soup’ What kind of song is this, and what ideas did you work with? Please introduce it. – I have a favorite drama. It’s an American drama, a drama called . Fans know about it because I’ve talked about it so much. – You’re famous for watching it every year. – In it, the daughter tells her mom, “I’m having a hard time with my boyfriend,” “Mom, I think men and women are just so different.” “It’s not even two planets, it’s Venus and a Bowl of soup.” Oh, she said, “It’s Mars and a Bowl of soup,” like that, and then the mom says, “No, because women are Venus,” “it’s Venus and a bowl of soup.” There’s a scene where she says that. And that line was so funny to me, so I thought, ‘Ah, I have to write a song about this later,’ and I think I wrote it right then and there. – This is a bit of a side question, but is there a reason you like so much? Have you seen it recently? – Recently, I haven’t watched it every day, I just turn it on when I want to watch it. The reason why I like it is first of all, the aesthetics are so good. So now, retro is so trendy, but I’ve really loved retro since I was young. So I loved camcorders so much that I got ripped off buying one, I love it that much. And since it’s set in the 2000s, the cameras are old, so that texture and the American houses and fashion of that time, and just everything, the makeup and stuff is so my style. And I also have a deep affection for my mom, for my family, and it also deals with the affections of a mother and daughter. It’s a very family-oriented drama, with a lot of family stories, so I think I became especially fond of it. – This song is also an English song. Is there a special reason you wrote it in English? – First of all, the most important thing is that I couldn’t write the lyrics as ‘Venus and a soup bowl’ (in Korean). – Ah, so there’s a practical reason. – Yes, it’s a ballad, but the words ‘Venus and a soup bowl’ I couldn’t bring myself to choose them, and I wanted to write some more direct lyrics. But as I did that, there were also parts that came across as more charming in English. Depending on the mood of the song or the message, I tend to choose the language, and ‘Venus & a bowl soup’ is a song that definitely suits English lyrics, so I ended up working on it in English. This is a complete aside, ‘Venus & a bowl soup’ was one of the trilogy songs I wanted. So I told the composer oppa that I wanted to make it a trilogy, and that’s how the song was made. I never imagined I would release it separately like this, I couldn’t have imagined it either, but I had a strong conviction that I had to release it this time, and since it was a song I cherished so much, I also wanted to let you all hear it quickly. This song’s bridge is really charming, so it’s a song where you have to listen all the way to the bridge. – And now for the last song, ‘Beautiful’. Could you please introduce this song as well? – ‘Beautiful’ is a song that talks a little bit about youth. And as you’ll know when you listen, both the instrumental and the melody, and the lyrics are very simple. So in that simplicity, we can accept our difficult times in a very simple way like this, it’s a song that cheers us on like that. And most importantly, it’s a song that would be so fun to sing at a concert. – In my opinion, this album has five tracks. The flow itself is optimized for a festival. – Just perform in this order. – Usually, after one or two exciting songs, you have a bit of a break in the middle, and at the end, something a bit more upbeat and leaves a lasting impression, that’s how it usually ends. And, the album is exactly in that flow. – That’s right. I considered that. – Oh, did you intend that? – It wasn’t to go to a festival, but I wanted to include a single story. A current of emotions? Ups and downs? – And sound-wise, what I found a bit interesting was that you seemed to have pursued a slightly rough feeling. – That’s right. – In an underground small theater performance hall, a sound with a slightly moist feel that resonates, it seemed like you intentionally created that. – This time, I paid a lot of attention to the mixing and instrument recording. So with the people I worked with, while discussing a lot, this song has to have this, for example, in the case of ‘Bad Bye’, the guitar solo should be messier, the drums stronger, like this, I thought a lot about each and every one, and among them, tracks 1 and 5 were made even rougher, and the process of crumpling them up like that was so much fun. – Usually, there are a lot of very clean, refreshing sounds in pop music, but Ryu Sujeong, you took a turn there and pursued a very rough feeling, which was a very impressive point for me. – First of all, with vocal mixing, these days, they don’t use a lot of high frequencies. They cut the high frequencies a lot to make it very matte and like that, but when I just look at my voice, no matter how trendy it is to cut the high frequencies, if you cut the high frequencies, my voice loses some of its charm. So we had a lot of meetings because of this. In the end, there’s a lot of high frequencies. So when you all listen, I hope you’ll see it as a characteristic of the vocals, I have that kind of wish. – I hope the people watching this video know that you worked on this with a lot of ideas, even down to the sound. You also said you’re working on a music video, please introduce how you filmed the ‘NEW CAR’ music video. – First of all, it’s a retro concept. Now, in the sound, I created this rough feeling, and this music video is really rough. We filmed it on a white horizon and green screen, and we filmed it by compositing the background. We intentionally made it difficult to key out the background by wearing some white clothes, so if you look in the middle, you can see some parts distorted. So there’s that kind of rough charm. And the parts that perfectly match the lyrics of this song, for example, when it says “Do you want to go here? Do you want to go there?” those backgrounds appear, and things like that make it a very fun music video. – Sujeong’s music videos are all fun to watch. – Oh, thank you. – And along with the album, there’s also concert news. It’s already sold out, but for those who are going, what are you preparing? Please introduce any special points about this concert. – The special thing about this concert is that you can hear the new songs live, that seems to be the most special thing. – All five songs. – Yes. When you hear these new songs with a band set, they are really good songs, so I think you can look forward to it. – And I heard that the concert actually sold out quickly. So I think a lot of people were disappointed, so do you have any other performances in preparation after this? Is a spoiler or a teaser possible? – This concert too, it was more of a ‘New song release!’ kind of feeling, a surprise concert, so don’t be too disappointed. I’m preparing a different kind of concert (later). A format I haven’t tried before? It would be great if you came to see it, but actually, there aren’t many seats there either, so next time, so that more people can enjoy the concert, I’ll try to prepare it at a bigger venue. – Ryu Sujeong’s concerts are also famous for being fun, so you’ll have to get tickets quickly for the next concert too. I’d also like to talk about your Lovelyz activities for a moment. You also had the Lovelyz 10th anniversary tour until the beginning of this year. I’m curious about how you felt after the concert. – Actually, with all 8 of us in different companies, ‘Can we even have a concert?’ I was in a state where I had worried a lot about that, so first of all, I was just so grateful. We were able to do it despite the situation, and because so many people came despite the situation, that’s why we were able to have the concert, so I think I was really, really grateful. – I actually went to this concert. – Really? – Yes. I went, and ticketing for this concert was also so hard. I wanted to see it from the front if possible, but only the back seats were left. – Thank you so much for coming. – Not at all. I really wanted to go, but since so many fans came, I was happy, but at the same time, I was a little sad because I saw it from so far back. The members are also active in different companies, and you didn’t have many opportunities to perform together. While preparing for a concert after a long time, you must have been very worried. – I was really worried. But strangely enough, the moment we started practicing, it felt like we had done it yesterday. That was really amazing. People say that when you meet your high school friends, you go back to that time. Just like your way of speaking is the same, you play the same way, we were preparing for a concert after a really long time, but it was so much the same that it was almost strange. I really liked that feeling. – At that concert too, when the eight of you came out, I was like ‘Once an idol, always an idol.’ It was so much like the Lovelyz that I had imagined standing there. It could be a bit of an aside talk, but anyway, as time passes, some of them might quit music, but the fact that the original eight members of Lovelyz were standing there as they were was a very touching point for me. – That’s right. We’ve just been active, so about the fact that all 8 of us can do this together, we were a little unaware of it, but the fact that all 8 of us can stand on stage without anyone getting hurt or quitting music is a really big deal. – It’s not an easy thing to do. – It’s not an easy thing, so I think I felt very proud. – But you said earlier that it felt familiar, like you did it yesterday, but wasn’t it hard to memorize the lyrics or the choreography? – That was really hard. – Your heart felt like yesterday, but your memory evaporates. – We pretty much all cried while doing it. The choreography, the title tracks are okay, but the B-side tracks that we only performed at concerts, wow, it was like seeing the choreography for the first time, like we’d never met before. So we all held up our phones, we all did this, “I’m here, right?” “No, you’re over there,” we said, and I think we really struggled a lot. – Actually, when I think of the artist Lovelyz, I think Lovelyz’s work was very unique. It doesn’t seem easy to imitate, and it seems like that charm is still continuing. So even now, there are many truly beautiful songs. As an actual member, Sujeong, how do you feel when you think about Lovelyz’s music? – On the contrary, maybe because of that unique color, our rankings, our numerical rankings weren’t very good. So for girl groups, for idols, those numbers are what’s seen first, so when we were promoting, we were actually upset. Everyone worked so hard, but since it didn’t come out numerically, we thought, “It’s such a shame,” so I don’t think we were able to feel proud of those songs. So on the contrary, I think they are albums and songs that receive more love as time goes by. They seem to be the kind of music that you don’t get tired of even as time passes, and more than us, the public and people around us and more than us, the public and people around us seem to have loved our songs a lot. So now we also really love our songs, and I think we’re able to. As time passed, so on the contrary, I’m just grateful. For being able to release this kind of music, looking at it from a step back, they are really, really precious songs. So these days, I’m giving them lots and lots of love. – The expression “giving them lots and lots of love” is really nice. Actually, since this is art… I mean, you can’t help but feel a little sad about the numbers, but there’s definitely something that can’t be converted into just that. – Yes, there’s so much. I didn’t know that when I was promoting. – Since you’re here today, could you recommend a Lovelyz song that you like or cherish? If you could recommend one? – It’s a song I always pick, but there’s a song called ‘Sweet Luv’. I really loved this song. First of all, I liked it because it’s an R&B song. There aren’t many R&B songs among our Lovelyz songs. I love R&B so much, so all my practice songs were R&B and stuff. So I think I always pick ‘Sweet Luv’. – This is an aside, but my first impression of Sujeong was (early in her debut) a prank camera event on her birthday, and getting an Ariana Grande CD, and crying while praying, “Please let Lovelyz do well,” that was so… And Ariana Grande, in a way, also does some R&B style, so… – That’s right. My love for R&B started back then. – ‘Sweet Luv’ is good, and this song is also not a standard R&B, but it has some interesting points, and a lot of rap, right? It has cute points too. – Should I say it’s a Lovelyz-style R&B? – If I were to recommend another one of my favorite songs, I really love ‘Mi-myo Mi-myo’. – Wow, ‘Mi-myo Mi-myo’ too, the members really liked it. A catchy and bright song? So we also think that our original image is very close to ‘Mi-myo Mi-myo’ and things like that, we always thought that. – When you listen to the sound, it’s very rich, but it also has an experimental side, and if it weren’t for Lovelyz, I don’t think there would be an artist who could pull off this song so charmingly. It’s another one of those tracks, so I think it would be good to listen to all of them. And since it hasn’t been that long since the Lovelyz concert ended, this might be a bit of an early question, but I want to continue to see Lovelyz’s activities in the future. Will we be able to see them? What do you think? – First of all, there’s the big barrier of all 8 of us being in different companies. And since we’re all living our own lives so diligently, I can’t give a definite answer, but we always talk a lot amongst ourselves. (Our hearts) are open, and let’s do it if we have the chance. As long as we have the chance, we have the desire to do it, so I really want to do it with a good opportunity. – And among the members, there’s a lot of interaction and things you do together, like Yein featuring on your song, Sujeong, or appearing on with Kei, and when you see things like that, there’s also the fun of seeing that. And for the fans, it’s also very meaningful. – That’s right. So when we talk among the members, when Kei unnie and I were preparing for , we’d say things like, “It would be fun if we did this,” and when we meet the members, we’d say, “Let’s do this,” and since we all have good chemistry when we’re grouped together, I think we talk about that every time we meet. – Anyway, you’re in your 11th year since debut now. 11th year… why are you so shy? – It’s already been this long. – No worries, You’re still in your 20s. So as an 11th-year K-pop artist, now for the rookies or those who are preparing to debut, is there anything you’d like to say to them, or any advice? – I really want to give some good advice, but all I’ve done is just focus on the music and endured with grit, it feels like I’ve endured by just looking at music without any tricks, so I can’t give you any super cool advice, but just to truly love music or the stage, to not let that heart change, and to keep going, I think I can say that much. – That’s so cool though? The words, “I’ve been running for 11 years looking only at music.” – Looking only at music I endured! But actually, I don’t think there’s anything else. It’s the same for people in all other professions, if you really just love that work, you can endure it, and if you love it, the work is so much fun, so I think that’s the best thing. – When I see you, Sujeong, in various interviews or media, the affection for making music, or it seems you have a very strong desire to do music for a long time. Is there a special reason for that? – First of all, the most special reason is I made a promise with the fans. “Let’s do a dinner show sometime in the future.” “You have to do it, Sujeong.” Because I made the promise, “Okay,” that’s the first reason. And when I was young and struggling, I was always comforted by music. So for me, music has a very big, something I can’t even express as a charm, it seems to have a very big meaning. – The fans will be so happy to hear this story. ‘I’m going to keep my promise to the fans,’ that kind of feeling. – That’s right. That’s how it is. – Then, what kind of artist do you think Ryu Sujeong is when you look at yourself? – I felt this when I was writing ‘Love or Hate’, I think I’m a person with a lot of love. So there were many moments when I hated that. When I give affection by myself and get hurt, or moments when I struggle like this, or moments when I become emotional, so I cry a lot, and in many ways, I really like this person and that person, and I’m sincere, but when I realize that (the other person) is not sincere, because of things like this, I also thought, ‘Ah, I hate getting hurt so much,’ but what I felt while writing songs like that was I’m this kind of person, and I should just accept myself as I am, and while thinking, “I want to give this affection to many people,” I’m making music, so to the public, at least, I hope to be a singer who makes lovely music that can hug you, yes I’m thinking like that. – When you feel like you have limitations or shortcomings, you don’t try to get rid of them somehow, ‘I’m going to embrace this even more’ ‘and make expressing it more my strength.’ That kind of mindset is so cool. – Thank you. I should live like this from now on. Diligently. – You like music so much, are there any artists you like the most or listen to a lot these days? – The artist I’ve been looking up and listening to a lot lately is Laufey, who is kind of jazz-based, she also does a lot of different things based on jazz. – Right. She’s kind of on the border between jazz and pop? – Yes. There’s also bedroom pop, and it suits any weather, and that’s a plus, but especially lately, it’s so nice to listen to in the summer. It’s good to listen to when it’s raining, and it’s so fitting to listen to when it’s sunny, so in enjoying the weather these days, I think I listen to that artist’s songs a lot. – Is there a particular song you would recommend? – They’re all so good, but I like ‘Silver Lining’ the most. Even on ‘Bubble’ app where I talk with fans, I was just walking down the street and listening to it, and it was so good that I captured it and sent it. – Spreading the charm like this – I think it was one of those songs. – As a final question, since you write most of your own songs, the artist Ryu Sujeong, what message or story do you want to convey to the world in the future? I’m curious if you have anything like that. – There are so many, and they’re always changing, but if there’s a common thread, it’s that, like the reason I wanted to become a singer, I want to make music that can embrace you and be a source of strength. So when things are tough, it can comfort you, and when you’re happy, it can make you happier, to share those emotions together, something warm like that, I think that’s closer to me. Of course, being cool and stylish and all that is great, but something warm, like it’s right next to you, I feel like that kind of music is closer to me. – Looking at your future plans or long-term, are there any goals you’re aiming for? – First, I’ll wrap up this album and concert well, and as I mentioned earlier, I’m preparing a different kind of concert (later). After these projects are over, I think my goal is to release a new album quickly. And have a new concert, endlessly. – If you say quickly, does that mean another album might come out within this year? – I really want to do it within this year. – The song you did with Marldn & JADE earlier, if you release the remaining nine songs, that would be it. – Oh, right. – Oh, but you’ve been talking about “a different kind of concert”, can’t you give us a little hint about how it’s different? – Ah, it’s not that it’s super different, it’s a difference in the concert format. It combines some different elements, and it’s a bit warmer. The concert in August is more like, ‘Let’s all have a loud, fun Friday night at Rolling Hall,’ the next concert will be a bit warmer, and a concert where I can show a little bit of my label, House of Dreams. I think it will be that kind of concert. – Okay, then we’ll wrap up today’s interview. How did you feel about the interview today? – First of all, you asked me so many fun questions, so I had a really, really great time. And this was the first time I had a chance to introduce my new album like this. So I think I talked a little too excitedly, but it was a really, really fun time. Thank you. – Even from my perspective, I can really see that you love music and you’re someone who wants to do it well. I think that’s so great. I hope you, Sujeong, will really do music for a long, long time, and if you have a dinner show, I’ll get tickets again, so I hope you’ll do it until then. Lastly, if you have a message for your fans, please say a few words. – First of all, the fans, it’s been about 9 months since I released a solo album, so this is my first solo album in a while, and they’ve really waited a long time. I always said, “Please wait a little longer,” and I felt so sorry every time, so I want to say thank you for waiting first. So now that this album is out, I hope you’ll love it a lot. Thank you, always. – Ryu Sujeong’s new album [NEW CAR] is full of really great songs, so please give it a listen, and I would appreciate it if you could leave a lot of comments about what you thought. Then, thank you for watching. – Thank you.

러블리즈 10주년 콘서트 투어 이후, 오랜만에 새 미니 앨범 [NEW CAR]로 돌아온 류수정. 이 흥미로운 싱어송라이터에게 궁금했던 모든 것을 물어 보았습니다.

0:00 인트로
0:43 류수정 님 근황
2:50 소속 레이블 House of Dreams 개편
5:46 복면가왕 두번째 출연
7:13 힙합 앨범 피처링
8:10 류수정의 패션 이야기
9:38 싱어송라이터 류수정
16:58 미니 3집 NEW CAR 소개
19:08 Track 01. Bad Bye
19:51 타이틀 곡 NEW CAR
22:33 Track 03. 비바람
25:55 Track 04. Venus & a bowl soup
28:53 Track 05. Beautiful
31:23 뮤비와 콘서트
33:17 러블리즈와 10주년
40:31 류수정의 음악 사랑
46:29 마무리

[참고 링크]
류수정 Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/iloveryu._/
House of Dreams Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/house_of_dreams._/
류수정 YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@iloveryu._
류수정 X : https://x.com/iloveryu_jpg
House of Dreams X : https://x.com/houseofdreams_
류수정 Tiktok : https://www.tiktok.com/@iloveryu._mp4

[채널 소개: 디뮤어 Demure.]
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