TAEYEON ViVi Magazine Special Interview (2020.11)

Asian vocalist Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation expresses her thoughts on her latest album, “#GirlsSpkOut”. #TAEYEON #ViVi

I encourage all the women out there! Asian vocalist Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation expresses her thoughts on her latest album, “#GirlsSpkOut”.

The famous asian vocalist, Taeyeon will release the long-awaited, Japan 2nd mini album “#GirlsSpkOut” on November 18th. Taeyeon explained her creative process for her album. “Saying what you think and expressing yourself as who you are have a positive impact on your life”. Taeyeon’s powerful message has encouraged many women. We approached her thoughts on her album and the source of her powerful girl minded message.

Sending encouraging messages to women of today

―You chose “# GirlsSpkOut” as an album title. Can you explain the concept of this album?
I wanted to encourage women of 2020. “Do your thing” is the message I wanted to send to all the women and that is why I chose this title for this album. I hope this album impacts many women so I decided to release this album. Currently many women get varying attention in many ways that is why I want to encourage these women with my songs.

―From your lyrics I understand your powerful encouraging message.
Throughout the album I wanted to empathize, regardless of past, present or future, people need to take charge and shape their own lives. I believe that if you listen to any of my song’s lyrics, the phrase “You can do it” comes up in your mind and you feel that energy.

―Indeed, there are few love songs on this album, instead there are many songs supporting and motivating many women.
Nowadays there are drastic changes in the social and cultural atmosphere. Many women have been influenced by these changes and I believe they are getting more attention than ever before. That is why my motif in creating this album was to send a message, “Even in tough situations, don’t give up and keep on trying”. I have performed in a female singing group since my teens, and thus I was able to express such a positive color.


What do you consider when releasing a new song in Japan?
I always convey my thoughts as much as possible through my lyrics. So, I think it’s wonderful if I could share my thoughts with everyone who is listening to my music. It’s the same when releasing Japanese songs. Therefore, in my upcoming album I unravel my feelings from my experiences and reflect them in the lyrics. I hope everyone in Japan can relate to my compassion towards this album.


“GirlsSpkOut ft. Chanmina” is a collaboration with Chanmina. She is also a solo vocalist who sends powerful messages to girls; was there synergy effect from the collaboration?
From our individual solo experiences we wanted to combine our passion towards girl power to create “GirlsSpkOut ft. Chanmina”. Chanmina has a unique and powerful characteristics. I believe she delivered more energy than before. In the music video there is a scene where Chanmina and I are driving a car. This car however is not real, we’re just faking it. (lol) The shoot of this scene was my first time meeting Chanmina. But the moment I met her I felt like I had known her for a long time. We were able to break the ice immediately and convey our thoughts for this creation through our performance. I believe this was the best moment while working on this music video.


Was there a memorable moment while creating the album?
“Sorrow” on the album is a song that expresses my calm vibes. Personally, I like that song after “#GirlsSpkOut ft. Chanmina”. The lyrical melody in the songs brings many emotions.


What song do you recommend to ViVi viewers?
I recommend “Worry Free Love”. This song has a truly exciting, and upbeat rhythm. I hope people be uplifted by listening to it! The lyrics are funny too; it’s about the confusion in a relationship, and the thought to shake it off to move forward… It depicts the emotions that anyone has experienced, so I’m sure people can relate to the song ♡


✱CREDIT: 雑誌『ViVi』 インタビュー第一弾 2020.11.26.

Learn from Taeyeon (Girls’ Generation)! The secret to becoming a woman with a beautiful mind and body

Famous Asian vocalist Taeyeon makes her appearance on NetVivi! As Taeyeon matures she becomes more and more beautiful. We asked “What is your secret behind becoming a beautiful woman?”. She revealed the secret behind her beautiful skin, how to find the fashion that suits you, how to be positive, and many more. Each and every tip was something to take into consideration! Love yourself and make your future self even more attractive with these helpful tips from Taeyeon.


What is your ideal beautiful woman?
I believe that after all, an honest person, regardless of gender, is overall a wonderful quality. It is not easy to accept or respect something that is not really for you. My ideal is that nevertheless, I would accept my honest feeling of not accepting something and still accept it. It’s not just for myself but for others as well.


Do you have a role model?
My mother is my role model. I always talk with my mother. She constantly teaches me about life. My mother has much more experience in life and I believe I am influenced by her a lot.

―What advice did she pass on to you?
“Always be true to yourself”. I try to follow that word and even now, through conversations with my mother, I continue to learn more from her.


Are you a positive or negative person?
I am always thinking of the worst situation at first. I am always mentally prepared beforehand so that if the worst situation occurs, I don’t have to get hurt. In that sense, I may be a positive person.

―What if you are still hurt emotionally?
I would cry and let it all out (lol). I would think of various ways to overcome it, depending on the situation. But after crying, I usually say to myself “keep moving forward!”, and handle any tough situations. I’m a surprisingly mentally strong person.

―Can you describe how you overcome mentally?
I love writing so whenever I feel sad or worried I usually write to feel positive. I reflect on myself and think about how the problem should be solved. And I write down the solutions like 1, 2, 3……. This helps me by finding various ways to move forward and solve problems.


Ways you make yourself happy
I think you should reward yourself. I treat myself with ice cream. (lol) I sometimes buy myself a large size and gorge it really fast. For instance, ice candy I eat 2 to 3 at once. This is a happy time for me.


What’s the secret of aging gracefully?
My job draws attention so I try to take good care of my body. Eating healthy, skincare routines, exercising and especially from the many kind words I receive from my fans are the sources of my energy. I’m always thinking of how to return the love. By doing so, I grow as a person gradually and am able to make rational decisions even in difficult situations. If I am actually aging gracefully, that’s because of the love and support from my fans.


What is your source of energy to try new things?
The support from my staff member has really impacted me. When I have an idea of what I want to do the staff would support me and make it come to life. I truly appreciate the effort they put into it and without them I would not be here today. Working with a good team may also be a source of my energy.


What is something effective you did in your twenties?
Stretches. When you hear the word “stretching”, you may think, “Well that’s easy”, but as I get older I now understand the importance of stretching. Since I was a kid, I have been dancing and moving a lot, so I naturally had a habit of stretching and loosening. I think that helped prevent injuries, and I think that is why I’m in a good shape now. Recently, I’ve been doing pilates and stretching.


Anything you’re conscious about to eat healthy?
I try to avoid eating greasy foods as much as possible and try to eat light and protein-based. I also eat a lot of vegetables. This diet I feel is very effective for me.


Any skin care routine?
I use a facial mask pack whenever I have the time. Especially when I’m watching TV. So you can say I’m quite busy at home. (lol) I was thinking about learning aromatherapy. I hear there are many types of aroma oils depending on your condition. For example, when you are tired, you need this, or when you lack vitamin, you need that. If I learn more about aromatherapy then it would be nice to take care of my skin according to my physical condition.


What do you value when you choose an outfit
The important thing I value in an outfit is that it is comfy. Next I will see if an outfit is not “too eccentric” or “too conspicuous” and make a final decision to buy it. My favorite fashion taste is vintage items and naturally-looking ones. I often wear black. Recently, I am into socks. I really buy many pairs of socks now. I feel that socks are really comfortable to wear.


How do you find an item that suits you?
This is my way of finding an item that suits me but I check my outfit by receiving many photos taken by my fans. But they take photos with affection so they all look good to me. (lol)　Looking at all those photos of myself at once is a great opportunity to decide whether my outfit suits me or not. So, I appreciate my fans for sending me those photos. If it doesn’t suit me then I would give up and find new items. (lol)


Last message you want to send to ViVi viewers?
From my mother’s saying “Love yourself”. My mother said you can’t love others if you can’t love yourself. I keep that in mind and work hard to love myself. Even in this difficult time, understand your body and mind, and take care of yourself. Please love, respect and cherish yourself and I will do the same!


Text：Naoko Yamamoto
Hair：Kim Ggotbi
Make-up：Seo Ok
Stylist：Um a-reum

✱CREDIT: 雑誌『ViVi』 インタビュー第二弾 2020.11.28.