Ji Young is the youngest member of the K-pop girl group "KARA" and has been active in Japan since 2014 as an actress and solo artist "JY". Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, she was forced to suspend her activities in Japan and has been focusing on Korea, but announced the resumption of her activities in Japan in November last year. She has already appeared on several variety shows. We asked Ji Young about her thoughts on starting her activities in Japan again and her future plans.
◇ I had no worries about restarting the event. "I was excited to do something fun."
Ji Young came into the interview location with a smile on her face. The first thing we asked her was how she felt about resuming her activities in Japan.
"Everyone says 'Welcome back' to me. And they also say things like 'We're glad you're back' and 'We hope you'll appear in another drama or movie'. I'm so grateful that my fans are happy. It's nice to have a place to return to," she says with a smile.
When asked if she had any worries about resuming operations, she smiled and said, "Honestly, I wasn't worried. I was just excited about wanting to do something fun."
You were inactive for about three years and eight months, but did you notice any changes in Japan?
"The location hasn't changed at all, so much so that I was actually surprised. It seemed like the staff hadn't changed much either. What surprised me was that new buildings had been erected and the streetscape had changed a bit."
◇I got hooked after watching Akina Nakamori's "The Best Ten" video
She was recommended to listen to "Showa Kayo," which is also popular in Japan, by a staff member of her Japanese agency, and immediately became addicted. She especially likes Momoe Yamaguchi and Akina Nakamori, and listens to them quite a bit.
"I like all of their songs. If I had to choose, I like Momoe's 'Cosmos'. As for Akina, all of her songs are so cool it's hard to choose, but I especially like her dance songs. I saw a video of her appearance on 'The Best Ten' (TBS) and was blown away by her incredible performance. I got hooked, and then Momoe recommended her to me, so I watched her songs too, and they were even more amazing. I became more and more addicted."
He said that he sometimes sings songs by both of them at karaoke, but when asked which songs he sings, he said, "There are so many songs I want to sing, I can't even choose. Sorry." When I pressed him, saying, "Your voice quality seems like it would suit Momoe's songs," he embarrassedly replied, "No, really, that's not possible... (laughs). Momoe is unique, so please don't compare me to her."
◇ "If I get the chance, I'd love to do it" as a solo singer
She served as a judge on the special program "Singing Queen Japan-Korea Showdown JAPAN ROUND" (Fuji TV), which will be broadcast from 8:00 pm on January 16th. The program features members from Japan and Korea who are known for their singing ability competing against each other.
Through the program, he said, "I realized that a song can be understood in both Korean and Japanese," and added that the judges "really agonized over it together (with the other judges). We talked about what to do and we said we couldn't decide (which one to give the victory)."
"The team I chose and my score were displayed on the monitor, so everyone could see who I had chosen, which was a bit pressuresome. The judging has to be fair, so it was difficult to choose, and I felt a bit bad knowing that it would be displayed for everyone to see. I thought it was so cruel," she revealed.
When asked if Jiyoung, who is also a singer, wanted to take part in the competition rather than just be a judge, she laughed and said, "I'm the kind of person who can't stand that kind of excitement anymore, so it wouldn't be possible for me."
"I can't sing under that kind of pressure, have it judged, and then have the score come out immediately and decide whether I won or lost. But everyone was really nervous and sang their hardest, and I really respected how amazing it was."
Although he is not good at competition, he says he would like to continue his activities as a singer in parallel with his acting career, and he spoke enthusiastically about performing solo in Japan, saying, "If the opportunity arises, I would definitely like to do it. Many of my fans have also expressed a desire for me to sing, so I would love to do it."
