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Taeyeon
Q. What did you feel while working on Girls' Generations' 10th anniversary album?
Taeyeon: It was not easy for me to express myself within my short part. I think it is because I've been active as a solo singer. You know, I have to sing the entire song as a solo singer.
Q. It has been 10 years since you debuted, and you've done that kind of work many times.
Taeyeon: Well, I don't think I have a very distinct voice, and I always had a difficulty in making a strong impression within my short part. When I recorded our new songs, I tried to keep in tune with the other members.
Q. You've achieved great success as a solo singer. What did you learn from your solo activities?
Taeyeon: I learned that I should care about details. As a solo singer, I'm the only one who performs on the stage, and I have to do all the things on my own.
Q. Do you usually try to take the leadership in making your album?
Taeyeon: No, I usually try to respect other people's opinions. We have many members, and it's great for me to hear opinions of experts in various fields. When I worked on our 10th anniversary album, I asked the experts how they think about our 10th anniversary. And as a result, we decided to make an album which has celebratory atmosphere because we wanted to celebrate our 10th anniversary with our fans.
Q. You've said that you don't usually write song lyrics because it's hard for you to express your candid mind.
Taeyeon: Well, I think I became too defensive because there have been many misconceptions about myself. My lyrics could cause many misunderstandings, and frankly speaking, I'm afraid of it. But it doesn't mean I will not write song lyrics for ever.
Yoona
Q. Your new drama "The king loves" will begin to air soon. It's notable that you still hang out with the actors of the drama even though you've finished filming the drama.
Yoona: Yeah, we feel like we become college students. My character in the drama is similar to my real-life personality, so please look forward to the drama.
Q. You've been active as an actress. Did you have any difficulty acting in your dramas?
Yoona: I appeared in my first ever drama 2 months before I made a debut as a member of Girls' Generation. At that time, even though I couldn't do well, I received a favorable evaluation because I tried my best. However, after making a debut as a member of Girls' Generation, people began to evaluate my acting very strictly. I think it is because poeple have preconceptions against idols who act. Acting is still difficult, but I have an urge to become a better actress.
Q. What do you think is your strength as an actress?
Yoona: I'm not sure I can say it is my strength as an actress, but I'm an emotional person. I'm influenced by weather, and I think the atmosphere of the place in very important too. And I like my voice. People think I must have a very lively voice, but my voice is low. I love my voice, and I like actresses who have low voices.
Q. It has been 10 years since Girls' Generation debuted. How do you feel?
Yoona: I thought it has been only 7 years since we debuted. Time flies. I'm proud that we've been active in the k-pop world for such a long time.
Q. Do you think Girls' Generation members have changed a lot since you debuted?
Yoona: We grew in experience, and we became skillful. I think Seohyun has changed a lot because she was very introverted in the old days but she is now cheerful. She made efforts to become more sociable, and she was influenced by the other members too. And Tiffany's Korean skills have improved a lot.
Tiffany
Q. What does Girls' Generation mean to you?
Tiffany: Girls' Generation is my destiny and I could learn so many good things as a member of Girls' Generation. If I were to be born again, yeah, I would become a member of Girls' Generation. I've recently watched all the old videos of ourselves because we will mark the 10th anniversary soon. What's impressed me was the fact that all of us have been continuing to do something for the last 10 years.
Q. You seem to love Girls' Generation's members a lot.
Tiffany: There is a member who has been trained for 7 years, but I was trained only for 3 years. The members were my role model, and I'm sure they're the best. I came to Korea when I was a middle school student, and I loved them from the first. They're like my family now.
Q. So, how does it feel to mark the 10th anniversary?
Tiffany: Just like Britney Spears and "Clueless" represent the 90s, we want to become a girl group who can represent 2007. There are some people who say they're doubtful if we're still "girls", but we still exist, and we still have many things we can do.
Q. What does Girls' Generation mean to you?
Yuri: Actually, I think I'm loved excessively by so many people because I'm a member of Girls' Generation. I'm thankful for it, but I sometimes feel pressured too.
Q. How does it feel to mark the 10th anniversary?
Yuri: We'll release our 10th anniversary album soon, and it will be our first album in 2 years, but I don't get any special feeling. Actually, I don't want to put much meaning to the album because it will be our last.
Q. Do you think you've changed since you debuted?
Yuri: I didn't become a member of Girls' Generation to achieve huge success. I just wanted to sing and dance, and it was great meet good friends. Even though so many things have happened to me since I debuted, I'm still enjoying everything.
Q. What do you think is the secret of your team work?
Yuri: I'm still careful about how to treat the other members. As all the members are so valuable to me, I try to keep my distance from them. You know, in a communal setting, it's important to consider other people's needs, and we're sometime compared with each other even if we don't want to be.
Q. What did you feel when some of k-pop girl groups were disbanded?
Yuri: I can understand their choices, and I think we should respect their choices. The only thing constant in the world is that everything constantly changes. I was thankful to them for having done their best in the k-pop world.
Q. Which is your favorite among all the Girls' Generation's songs?
Yuri: I feel a sense of accomplishment when I finish a difficult work. That's why I like "Catch me if you can". The choreography of the song was very difficult, and it was a challenge for me. The song is very special to me. And I like "Kissing You" too because the song reminds me of our vibe and energy in the old days.
Q. Students from Ewha Womans University sang "Into the new world" when they held a protest.
Yuri: Yeah, I've watched the video over and over again, and I even cried. I felt a glow of pride as a singer. I thought my dream was realized because I've been trying to send out messages through our music and performance. When we sang the song in 2007, I couldn't fully understand the meaning of the song and I just imitated. However, now I feel sympathy about the lyrics of the song.
Sunny
Q. How does it feel to mark the 10th anniversary?
Sunny: I easily get tired of anything I do. The only thing I've been doing for more than 10 years is to be active as a member of Girls' Generation, and I never could have done without the members, my family, staff members and our fans. I'm always encouraged by the fact that I've been active as a member of Girls' Generation for 10 years. And I think it's lucky that we still have new things to show even thought it has been 10 years since we debuted.
Q. Do you think Girls' Generation members have changed a lot since you debuted?
Sunny: The members did great even when they just debuted, but they were a little bit passive because they were young. However, we grew in experience, and we became more active. Each member knows what they do best, and they're still trying hard to develop their abilities. I have firm belief in the members.
Q. When was the hardest time in your career?
Sunny: Each member experienced a slump, and we had hard times as a team too. But, we could overcome difficulties because we cared about and supported each other.
Q. What do you want to say to young idols who are active in the k-pop world these days?
Sunny: I want to tell them to try everything they can. By doing so, they'll be able to know what they do best. Instead, they should feel responsible what they do, and they should know that it is never easy to live as idols.
Sooyoung
Q. How have you been getting along lately?
Sooyoung: I've finished filming web drama "People you may know", and I felt so many things while filming the drama. I finally realized that I feel really happy when I do what I really want to do even if I'm not paid much money and my drama doesn't become very popular. I liked working with good people.
Q. How does it feel to mark the 10th anniversary?
Sooyoung: The time just flies. It means I got older, but Girls' Generation is my life. I've recently watched our old videos, and I was embarrassed to watch the members acting so cute on the stage, haha.
Q. What did you pay attention to most when you worked on your 10th anniversary album?
Sooyoung: I know many people have much expectations for the album, but we tried not to conscious of people's expectations. When I listened to our title track for the first time, I felt a strong conviction that the song is Girls' Generation's song. You can look forward to the song.
Q. What did you learn as a member of Girls' Generation?
Sooyoung: I learned to be patient. In communal living, limitations are bound to follow. For example, I sometimes have to wait for the other members for a long time, and I sometimes arrive home very late because we use a same van but we don't live together. It doesn't mean I'm the only one who sacrifices for the other members, though. I sometimes sacrifice for them, and they sometimes sacrifice for me too. And we also try to be patient when we meet other people.
Q. What did you gain, and what did you lose while being active as a member of Girls' Generation?
Sooyoung: I've gained experience and precious memory. And I've lost my time. I've gained much more than I've lost, though.
Hyoyeon
Q. What kind of compliments please you most?
Hyoyeon: I like all the compliments because I'm hungry for compliments, haha. Frankly speaking, in the old days, I felt great when I heard I'm pretty. But, now I feel great when I hear I'm attractive because it means I have my own characteristics.
Q. What kind of efforts did you take to hear that you're pretty in the old days?
Hyoyeon: I reviewed our performance, and I tried to learn from the other members. When I was young, I didn't even know how I look on TV and how I have to express myself on TV.
Q. So, did you tell the members that you were trying to learn from them?
Hyoyeon: Yeah, when we released "Genie", Yuri looked so gorgeous. She looked great in her short pants, and her dark skin was very attractive. So I told her that "Genie" is a song for her. She looked shy whenever she was praised, by the way.
Seohyun
Q. You're currently appearing in your drama "Bad Thief, Good Thief", and you have to manage a series of tight schedules.
Seohyun: It's more interesting than I thought. I love to act in the drama because my real-life personality is similar to my character in the drama. I think I can break people's prejudice against myself through the drama. Of course, I have to manage a series of tight schedules, but I am used to doing such hard work because I've been working as an entertainer for many years.
Q. What kind of prejudice do people have against you?
Seohyun: People think I must be textbook-like and boring. But, people are surprised when I say hello to them in a cheerful and loud voice. And people are also surprised when I say I'm 27 years old.
Q. You are well known for being very strict in your self-discipline, though.
Seohyun: I became a trainee when I was very young, and I was too busy. I even couldn't remember what I did yesterday. So, I thought I have to observe the right habits of living because I didn't want to lose control of my life. I have my own rules. I have a curfew, and I never meet someone who I shouldn't meet.
<K-pop Secret Vol.1: 40 Korean Stars’ Real Personality>
K-pop Secret Vol.1 contains stories about the real personality of 40 Korean stars. The author, who has interviewed more than 100 Korean celebrities since 2010 tells the story of famous Korean stars including G-Dragon, EXO Baekhyun, Nichkhun, IU, Suzy, Kim Soohyun, Lee Kwangsoo, Song Joongki, Jun Jihyun, Park Shinhye and more.
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