#e:summermagic

We especially requested you to be interviewed out of Red Velvet. Why do you think we chose you? I don’t know. Maybe it was because I’m popular among women but it’s GQ...

Maybe it was because of your coolness. You don’t look fussy, anxious nor easily swept away by things.  I value doing my end of the work as well as I can a lot. I think there are people who notice that I think a lot about what my role is, what I’m good at and what I’m trying to express the most out of this job. 

If that were true, we’d simply say you were hard-working. People might have found some charms that I haven’t discovered about myself. But I personally look up to people who do their part of the job the best they can. And that’s the kind of person I think of when other people tell me that I’m cool.

Who’s the coolest person to you out of all the people in the world? Mom and dad. When I said that I wanted to be a singer when I was young, they supported me with everything they could. They even signed up for auditions in my place. On top of that, they even packed lunch boxes and fed them to me whenever I finished practicing and went back home. I spent my seven years as a trainee like that.

It looks like they took care of you like a sports star. Yeah, at first I thought my parents were being too extra, because I thought I was all grown up. I even worried that I might not be able to survive on my own if they kept doing things like that to me. But, even these days, when I tell them that I’m stressed over my singing, they talk to me like a vocal coach. Nowadays, they trust me and leave me alone. They just say that they hope I come back to them whenever I feel down.

What has changed the most about you while being a part of Red Velvet? I really think I’m changing constantly. I can feel that I change depending on what kind of mindset I have at that moment. A lot of things cross my mind because of that. These days, I don’t know what kind of person I am. But then again, I’m sure everybody’s like this. Sometimes, I’m confident to do something, but other times, even if the littlest thing goes wrong, I lose confidence and look timid. Then I figure out what’s wrong with me and get better. Stuff like these just all exist inside of me.

The fact that your job requires you to present every aspect of yourself to the public is what makes it harder, isn’t it? Yeah. But that’s also how I get energized.

During your trainee years, did you learn how to get interviewed? No. Before, I took a look at the questions ahead of time and wrote all of my answers below it, in fear that I might forget them. But these days, I think I’m able to speak without going through all of that because I think about these things casually. If, when I first debuted, I censored myself to say typical things in case it could cause controversy, nowadays, I find out what I’ve been thinking about these days while getting interviewed. I like interviews like these because they’re like short logs of my life. Before, I did hide myself a lot. I mean, I still have some sides of me that I haven’t revealed. I think that I’ll look pretty doing this, but then again, I realize, I don’t look pretty when I smile. Things like that. I know I have things that I’m still hiding right now, but I’m planning onto not put too much effort in covering them up. I’m learning how to show those things naturally.

You look comfortable being interviewed. Is there anything that people don’t know about you well despite your efforts to not cover yourself up?  Um... If I were to list one thing, I’m not as hard-working as people think I am. I’m the kind of person who gets things done, even if it means I have to rush through it. But, the thing is that it takes me a long time to summon the energy to motivate myself to get that done... Really, I’m not the kind of person who plans everything out in advance.

But I heard that you make sure to do everything the best you can, whether it’s a variety show or a special stage. I try to do whatever it takes to make that happen. Even if that means I have to stay up all night. But that doesn’t mean that I’m hard-working.

Maybe it’s because you’re known for being a trainee for a long time. Lots of people take pity on me by saying things like, “Oh, how did you go through all that,” “That must have been rough,” but I wish they wouldn’t. I, myself, don’t think it was that much of a hard time. Of course, there were some rough patches, but it’s like how someone who’s been a trainee for three years has their own three years of hardship and trouble. Let’s say someone who’s been a trainee for three years debuts with me. Then that means that that person has to get used to working with me, a person who has trained for seven years. That, in other words, means that that person had to condense what I had to go through seven years and get it done in three years. Everybody has their own pace and time. If I had really debuted after just three years of practice, I would have been more lost than I am now.

You once said that you were having a hard time keeping up with the busy schedules. How do you manage to keep calm and get things done when you have tons of things to do? I just say to myself that this is my job. Actually, that’s something that I always have in mind. I push through by thinking that I can’t let go of this for the people around me, like my fans and the staff. And it feels really good when people notice what I’ve worked on. I became a singer for people to notice my hard work and also because I enjoy getting my hard work being noticed. 

Is there a habit you have kept without fail ever since you’ve debuted? Hmm... Ah! I tried to make the people who know me like me! My personality is like that. Even when I was young, I had a good relationship with my classmates too. People who don’t know me could not like me. But I’ve always told myself to try to leave a good impression of myself in the people who do know me. I don’t like being on bad terms with people. I’m more of a people person. If there’s someone who’s talking bad about me, I want to listen to what that person has to say too, and ask, “Why don’t you like me?” (Giggles)

Do you have anything that you’ve learned to let go after debuting? My looks? Of course, I think that everybody has their own characteristics and charms. But you know the generic kind of beauty that people have, right? I’m trying to not think too much about that. I’m trying not to focus too much on pretty things.

Wait, what? I’m getting more and more surprised because the more I look at you, the more you resemble the actress Lee Young-Ae. My looks are constantly exposed to the public because of my job, so if I didn’t have that kind of mindset, I’m sure I would have been really stressed. But, it’s the era of individuality now. If there’s one thing that I’m confident in my looks, it’s the locations of my ears, eyes, mouth, and nose! When I debuted, I got lots of hate comments and got called out for my looks, which made my self-esteem plummet. But I’ve let go of all of that. In the “Laws of the Jungle,” I was just like, ‘Here goes nothing,’ and revealed my no-makeup face in front of the camera. I find people who are honest about themselves cool and pretty. And they look much more charming when they’re like that. It’s way cooler to see people not blindly follow other people. 

If there’s one ability that you really need right now, what would it be? Being able to say what I want right away. 

You can’t? No. I wish I could just say what’s in my head well. From a long time ago, I thought I was a bit boring. I like chatting quietly like this, but I think that makes me look shabby compared to the other bright people in the music industry. I also feel like I ruin everything because I’m not good at telling stories well. It got to the point where I was convinced that I had a talent for making everything awkward. So, I want to say what I want right away, without hesitation. I’m wondering about whether drinking will help me get over this problem, because when I’m drinking with other people, that bright and relaxed atmosphere helps me be more honest.

If you could steal someone’s abilities, whose would you steal? Beyonce’s. Wow, I wonder what she feels like being able to dance and sing like that. She must feel really happy being the best at everything...

In a past interview, you said that you wanted to learn how to play the guitar. Have you made any progress on that? This proves why I’m not hard-working. (Giggles) You see, if I make a plan, it becomes a long-term plan no matter what, because there isn’t a date that I have to accomplish it by. 

It might be risky for you to make any plans without setting an urgent deadline.  Yeah, I think so. Then again, even when I was young, I always crammed for my exams, but I have a reason for that. I only had one week to study for my exams while being a trainee. Instead of going to the company for that week, I’d get tutored and study till dawn. I’ve gotten too used to that now, so, if I have something that I need to do, I set a deadline and make sure it gets done by then.

Then what are some of the extra long-term goals you have as being a part of Red Velvet? Red Velvet is a group that tries out a variety of concepts, right? I mean, it’s gotten to the point where I can’t figure out what to wear when I have to perform ‘Peek-A-Boo’ and ‘Power Up’ in one performance. But concentrating on every moment of that is really fun. When else would I be able to dance intimidatingly and make those kinds of facial expressions if it wasn’t for ‘Bad Boy?’ I think Red Velvet is a group where unique people have come together to sing unique songs and express uniqueness. I don’t like cliche things, so I like the direction that the company is leading Red Velvet to. Although now I’m only able to pitch in a few opinions while performing at concerts, I hope that in the future I’ll be able to participate more in building the direction that Red Velvet will take, since we’ve been in the industry for quite some time and we’re starting to understand what our color is like.

The lone star is bound to shine even brighter.

Red Velvet Seulgi has been chosen to be the first female ambassador for Converse Korea. Her first work can be seen in the Converse ‘RATED ONE STAR’ campaign, which was released last week. In the photoshoot, she embodied the ideals of the ‘RATED ONE STAR’ campaign, which emphasizes the free and creative value that one star has within its own standards. The lone star is bound to shine even brighter than countless stars. Below is an introduction about 25-year-old Kang Seulgi.

Introduce Kang Seulgi, not Red Velvet Seulgi. Everybody who has met me will know this, but I’m Kang Seulgi who’s spending her 25th year like any other friends. If there’s a difference, that would be that because of my job, some people can’t relate to my worries. But that’s the only difference. The way I worry about my future, and wonder about what I like and what kind of person I am is like any other my age.

What kind of age do you think 25 is? A time where you try out things you like one by one? If, when I debuted I hid out of cautiousness, now I’m meeting lots of friends, eating delicious things and watching movies a lot. I’m just normal. No different from any other person.

I noticed you were pretty easygoing during the photoshoot. What’s your normal personality like? I like to enjoy how I grow. One of the key points of my job is that a lot of people watch me. I feel much better when the fans notice my hard work or how much I’ve grown. Growth is a keyword in my life.

As you grow, you’re bound to feel growing pains. This isn’t something new to idols, for they are faced with endless competition from their trainee years to debut. Even after debuting, they have to compete to get more love than others. What growing pains have you gone through? I worried a lot about whether I’ll be able to debut. I trained for seven years in total. For the first two years or so, it was fun how I got to practice all day. But after five years passed, I started to worry about whether I’ll be able to debut or not, receive lots of love if I ever get to debut, if my skills right now are worthy of being loved after debut, and what else I could do if I wasn’t doing this right now. Eventually, I realized there was nothing else that I could do except this, since I did it from elementary school. No matter how much I thought, the arts were something that I liked and was good at. I continued because I thought I would feel the happiest when I show others what I’m the best at and what I enjoy doing the most. My company supported me a lot, so based on that, I started to trust myself. Thanks to that, I think I overcame my growing pains.

After a long wait, you debuted and have been receiving attention. What does this feel like? When I debuted, I had more negative comments than positive ones, because before I debuted, I was coincidentally mentioned at Radio Star. Back then, trainees had little to no contact with the media, but starting with me, the company started to create a pre-debut training team. After that, a lot of people looked forward to my debut, but I think they were disappointed when I did. That was a rough time for me. I felt that I should do even better more. That was the only thing in my head as I continued. It feels good to see how this gets more fun the more you do it, and how the fans notice how I’ve grown and compliment me on it.

People call you ‘God Seulgi.’ You’re especially perfect on stage. Is there anything about yourself that the press doesn’t know about? I feel confident on a scheduled performance. But, when there’s a lot of people or press, I have a hard time letting myself go. I struggle with showing the person I am, the way it is. When I’m with the members, I relax a little, but I can’t help but to freeze when I’m alone. I can’t even keep track of what I’m saying.

I couldn’t notice that at all when you were on stage and during the photoshoot. That’s only because I’m doing something that I like. I’m trying to learn how to not freeze. I’m proud of myself because I’ve improved. I’m trying to open myself up more because my job requires me to show an even cooler side of myself.

How do you manage to not freeze? Is there anything you do especially for that? I look up a lot of videos. While watching other foreign and domestic artists, I think about what I can express better. When I was filming “Secret Unnie” with Sunmi a few days ago, we talked about a lot of things. She said that I should ‘stan’ myself. I think knowing a lot about myself and expressing it well is important.

Don’t you want to do better in terms of music too? I really do. Recently, I’ve been talking about music with some people that I’ve grown close to, and it’s really fun. I get even more motivated when some people say they think I can make a song one day. (Laughs) I’ve grown fonder of music. If I try to listen to more of it, I think I’ll be able to grow again.

Is there any music in particular you enjoy listening to? I listen to a variety of music. I go into music sites and listen to the playlists automatically generated according to the occasion, like ‘songs to listen to when it’s raining,’ ‘songs to listen to when you’re taking a walk.’ Before, I only listened to the things I like, but now I just like to go with the flow.

Do you have any favorite genres? City pop. I would like to try it out someday if I can.

What brings you happiness these days? I feel happiness from the little things, like eating something yummy after my schedules are done, and chatting with my friends. I didn’t know this before, but these days, I feel like these things are what brings you joy. Of course, I’m happy when I work, but I feel even happier when I get to have time to relax, no matter how little that may be. Even if it was for a couple of hours, if I got to relax, a lot of my stress disappears.

What kind of person do you think you’ll be in the far future? I hope I’ll be someone who knows herself better, and knows how to enjoy relaxing.

Just about when I was about to faint because of the daily record high heat, I felt a bit cool after hearing about Red Velvet’s comeback. You can’t talk about summer without Red Velvet!!! Out of curiosity about what kind of refreshing song Red Velvet would cool us with after ‘Red Flavor,’ VIBE rushed to meet them.

Q. Please explain a little about <Summer Magic>, please.

Irene: Since it’s a summer mini album, we filled it up with bright and upbeat songs. There are seven tracks in the album, including the title song, ‘Power Up.’ We put the English version of ‘Bad Boy’ㅡwhich was released last Januaryㅡas a special track.

Q. Each song’s charming points according to Red Velvet themselves.

01 Power Up Wendy: A song that goes along perfectly with this stifling heat! A song that ‘powers you up!!’ Joy: It’s an energetic and cute summer song that makes you groove along to the beat automatically.

02 With You Yeri: Please listen closely to the lyrics because they’re charming! Irene: Like the Christmas1 in the title, it’s a sweet and cool summer carol song!! 

03 Mr. E Seulgi: It’s a fun song that reminds you of cute jungle animals! Joy: The intro is unforgettable, and it’s full of mysterious vibes!

04 Mosquito Yeri: This song will remind you of the mosquitoes who pop out every summer hehehe Joy: We’ve never tried this genre before. It’s an interesting song that has a funny concept from the start!

05 Hit that Drum Irene: It’s a good song to blast your stress away! It’s an upbeat song that makes you dance. Oh yeah~~~!!! Wendy: I want to say this is a song that blasts you away. It’s a happy song where the fun drum sounds feel like they’re hitting on your chest! 

06 Blue Lemonade Seulgi: It’s a refreshing and cool song that pops like a cool soft drink! Yeri: Its sweet and fluttering feeling is so awesome! You’ll get what I’m saying once you take a listen to it~

07 (Special Track) Bad Boy (English Ver.) Wendy: It has a different feeling compared to the original song. It’s filled with softer and groovier vibes! Seulgi: You’ll be able to feel a different kind of bad girl through this song!

Q. Do you have any memorable moments?

Joy, Wendy: While recording ‘Power Up,’ we all went into the recording booth, and had fun screaming our lungs out when recording the high notes. It was fun, but also hard, but while recording as a team, I think I subtly realized the importance of teamwork. The excitement we felt after listening to that part was....!!! I think our voices mixed with each other well and made the song even more upbeat, so I feel good whenever I listen to it.

Seulgi: This is from when we recorded ‘Blue Lemonade.’ When we were monitoring what we recorded, everybody was so surprised at how cute the vocals of the chorus was, so we all asked who did this. We found out it was Wendy who did it, the first member who recorded! I think this episode is memorable to me because Wendy’s part was so cute that even the members couldn’t recognize it. (Laughs)

Q. When to listen to each song, according to Red Velvet!

Irene: When you want to just hit the road! When you’re on a road trip, or you need a pick-me-up song! I recommend listening to ‘Hit That Drum~’

Joy: A song that’s good to listen to on a hot summer night! When you need a rush of endorphins, you’ll feel better when you listen to ‘With You~’

Wendy: When you want to go on a picnic or want to feel summer to its fullest at the cool beach, ‘Blue Lemonade’ will give you sparkling refreshment~

Seulgi: When you need some fun in your boring day! When the mosquito in your room is bothering you! ‘Mosquito!’

Yeri: When you want to feel free, and when you want to go to the zoo! ‘Mr.E.’