Hyorin, the lead vocalist of girl group sensation SISTAR, has lots to smile about these days. Shortly after Hyorin and fellow SISTAR member Bora recorded “Ma boy”, it quickly became a hot-seller and their videos racked up views across the globe.
Hyorin is also currently a part of ‘Immortal Song 2’, a survival game for all the talented young singers in Korea, in which she has stuck out above the competition and came out on top for two episodes in a row.
The success she and Bora received for “Ma Boy” is quite an accomplishment, but being voted the best amongst her extremely brilliant peers is definitely noteworthy. When asked what she credited her success on ‘Immortal Song 2‘ to, she gave a big smile and stated that she just… got lucky.
The following is a Q&A session held with JoongAng.
-How did your fellow SISTAR members react when you won first place on ‘Immortal Song 2′?
“I checked my phone when I got home after a long and busy day of shooting the show. It was only then that I realized my fellow members had called a bunch of times. They had each heard the news from our agency and each member thought I had kept it a secret from them, while telling everyone else. It was rough trying to explain myself to them (Laughs). But for the most part, they’re extremely supportive. They watch the show and always offer their own advice and help.”
-Can you describe to us how nervous you felt on the Show?
“I couldn’t even catch my breath. I was there with the best of the best in all of Kpop. The battle of the prides was quite fierce. I went in representing all of SISTAR which made my burden load a little heavier. I would have been less nervous had I been a solo singer, but I felt responsible to maintain the reputation of our girl group.”
-Why do you continue making appearances, despite all that burden?
“I discovered a different side of me that’s different from the Hyorin that performs with SISTAR, and I really like expressing that side of myself. Also, I personally would much rather take on something challenging than something that’s fun or easy-going—that’s just how I’ve always been. I think the other singers that are there with me also show a different side of themselves when they’re on that stage and it’s amazing for this outlet to view them in a new light.”
-Who is your greatest competitor on the show?
“My first shoot, I thought that the six of us would be really cautious of one another. But once the show begins, no one can really think straight because we all have the jitters. And so almost naturally, we start depending on one another. All of our rooms are wall-to-wall, and so you can hear everything going on in the rooms on either side of you. When they’re selecting the order of our performances, or when they announce the results, I get a sense of the atmosphere outside my room depending on what I hear next to me. It’s interesting to hear people get emotional… some are crying in one room, while I hear cheering in the other. It’s fun.”
-Don’t you wish you could avoid performing first?
“It’s true that it’s a disadvantage to be one of the first to perform. Even if you give an awesome performance in the beginning, as the people behind you sing their songs, your own seems to become forgotten. But it’s also a disadvantage to go last, as well. Waiting anxiously for them to select the order of performance really sucks the life out of you.”
-How do you practice for your performances?
“When they finish editing the song I recorded with my own voice, I listen to it over and over until the melody sticks with me. I think about how I want to express this song to the audience and I picture how I want to adorn the stage for my performance. The editing team I work with now is a team of two to three people. I’m so thankful that I am working with this team, because they know my singing style so well and they strive to bring it out in each of the songs I sing on the show.”
-Would you accept if you were given the opportunity to sing on ‘I Am a Singer’?
“No way… I gratefully accepted the chance to be on ‘Immortal Song 2’ because it’s a competition between a collection of us relatively new singers. But ‘I Am a Singer‘ is on a completely different level. Singing legends who have the skills and the years of experience get to stand on that stage. I can’t imagine standing amongst them. All I can think to say is… How dare I!”
-Hyun Joo Gong mimicked your ‘Ma Boy’ dance on Strong Heart. Any thoughts?
“It was too cute! She copied it to the T. Because she herself is gorgeous, she made the dance look good too. She helped to further publicize our song! (laughs).”
-Before your debut, which singer did you try to emulate?
“I tried to emulate Lena Park’s singing method, especially in her song “In a Dream”. I practiced it all the time. Other than that, if there was a song I felt was challenging for me, I wanted to ace it. If you keep practicing and you get it, you can apply it to your singing style as your own.”
-You have a very outgoing personality that must attract those around you.
“I have a strong personality and like to take the lead. I even conducted our Chorus in Junior High and dragged my friends who were intimidated by the Chorus and got them to join and enjoy it. Because I’m pretty loud and laugh a lot, I guess you could say I have a knack for maintaining a fun atmosphere! (laughs).”
-When you were on ‘Vitamin’, they diagnosed a knot in your vocal chords…
“I knew about this before I was on the show. I’m always trying to stay healthy. I want to sing for a long time, so I drink herbal teas that soothe my throat. My fans are also so thoughtful. They send me different things that are also good for me, and then there are parents who obviously try to take care of me and send me things as well. I’m pretty good at receiving things I’m being given (laughs), but for the most part, I make sure to drink a lot of water.”
Source: JoongAng via Nate
