When the dancing gorilla aka JYP was out of site, Min had no problem speaking her mind, but her responses seemed either too rehearsed or unfocused, making me wonder if this is how teenagers talk these days. Other than that, Min was easy going and very friendly.
As JYP mentioned, Min will be the first one to debut from the JYP troop and the girl even stopped going to school to concentrate on her album so check out what she had to say about her her life in the states and her upcoming album.
Tell us about your typical day. Do you have a routine you stick to?
My day is always real busy especially because I’m finishing up my album right now and getting ready for the concert. My typical day is training in vocals and dance, studying, going to the gym, recording, and maybe free time to talk to my friends and go online.
Was it hard to get adjusted to living in the states?
No it wasn’t that hard because I came to the US when I was pretty young. I love Korea but I like living in America too. Korea and America both feel like home to me.
Tell us more about your album. What’s the concept? Is it almost complete? When is your tentative debut date if you have one?
I have a few more songs to record and work on in the album. I can’t tell you the date and the entire concept yet, but it’ll be out this year and it’s gonna be a fun album with a lot that you can dance to.
It’s really hard for Asian artists to make it in the US, what are you expectations and how do you think you can overcome the challenges?
I know it’s hard for Asian artists in the US, but I’m very lucky to have JY and Lil Jon behind me producing my album. I think with JY involved in my music I’ll have music that goes with me and my style really well.
What is your biggest weakness? Strengths?
My biggest strength is my dance and my energy. I feel my high energy lets me train and work as hard as possible. I think my weakness is discipline. Sometimes my energy is too much and I can lose focus, so that’s something I have to work on.
How is it working with JYP?
JY is tough but he’s fair and he’s taught me so much. I’m really thankful for him believing in me and giving me a chance in the US.
Questions from POPSEOUL! Readers
Do you think you have what it takes to make it in the US industry, the hardest industry to be successful in, when singers like Hikaru Utada, a Japanese-American, have failed? (J)
I really want to succeed in the US but even if I fail I will always be grateful that I had this chance to work with amazing producers and it will be one of the most precious memories of my life.
How was it like training with SNSD’s Hyoyeon & what is your impression of her? (eggtaart ~)
She is so talented. I’m happy for all her success and I think she is a great singer and dancer.
Since we know that you are already a great dancer, what are other aspects do you think you still need to work on? (lalala)
I definitely have to work on my vocals, and I still have to work on my dancing a lot.
as you are on the verge of debuting, are you apprehensive of the pressure to be a ‘role model’ for other girls your age, or do you embrace it? also, do you plan on collaborating with other young female singers/rappers? (amirah)
Right now I’m just focusing on recording and releasing my debut album. I don’t think I’ll be good enough to be a role model, but I’ll do my best to be the best artist I can be. After my debut album, I would love to work with different artists, but I haven’t really thought about it and just want to focus on my debut.
We would like to thank Min for agreeing to do this interview and our POPSEOUL! readers for participating.
Pop in:
POPSEOUL! Exclusive Interview with G-Soul
POPSEOUL! Exclusive Q&A with JYP
POPSEOUL! meets the JYP Troop
JYP hoggs the mike at the press conference
you asked for it.
warning. let me first state that i can watch the 3 stoogies over and over again and still laugh at the same jokes.
min’s exclusive interveiw
————————————
do you like america, and do you miss korea?
min: “i like party”
do you feel your young age hurts you with the american fans?
min: “i like party”
do you think america will like your type of dancing?
min: “i like party”
are you friends with any of the korean singers? are you close with any of the wonder girls?
min: “i like party”
do you have any thing to say to your family and friends at home in korea?
min: “i like party”
min,thank you for your time and comments. there you have it popseoul fans. we had to end the interveiw quickly because
“SHE LIKE PARTY” to go to!
What I really do not understand is why JYP pressing these kids (Min, G Soul, etc) to debut in the US first rather than in South Korea. Artists from different countries who have successfully crossed over to the US have made names for themselves first locally. This formula has been tried, tested and seemed to work for the artists and producers alike.
Why then JYP and his “talents” would differ from this? Is he trying to prove something in the expense of these poor kids? I hate to sound pessimistic but the inverted pyramid idea is unconventional to music producing and artist promotion standards. Unless to JYP’s eyes these kids are collateral damages in his intention to get back at Rain-to boost his ego that without him, Bi is nothing-then that is a different story. Yes it seemed unfair to Min and G-Soul, but it surely explains a lot.
I don’t claim to be an expert in the hustle and bustle of the music industry or the entertainment world in general but the way I see this, correct me if I’m wrong, is that JYP felt betrayed after building Rain’s career from the ground up. He invested a lot at Rain including the conquering the US market idea, then suddenly he left him behind. And now, he is using these kids to do his bidding in his disappointment, frustrations, an anger against Bi.
My concern is more about Min and G-Soul. They are being played like pawns on a chessboard. Without any assurance that they will be successful in the US music market, they are risking almost everything including Min’s education on this album. Unlike, other foreign artists who already have established fan base in their countries, Min and G-Soul have nothing to go back to.
If history is to judge, great battles have been won because of careful planning down to the small details-if plan “A” doesn’t work then we go to plan “B” and so on and so forth strategy-not lets all hope plan “A” works and if not, you’re on your own attitude.
I hope that JYP, Min, and G-Soul realize and think about the need for plan “B” in the event they are not well received in the US i.e established career in South Korea. Reality check, US influence is prevalent around the world, a bad review and poor album sale news will reverberate on four corners of the globe leaving people uninterested. A series of chain reaction will occur with uninterested people-they will not purchase, purchase translates money, money means marketability, and marketability equates more albums, success, and popularity. With popularity comes established fan base that can act as buffers in a chain reaction which, sad to say, Min and G-Soul are lacking right now…big time.
It is not unprecedented to think about fall back. Moreover, it is unwise not to cover all your bases. I hate to see one day, after all of these things are said and done, Min and G-Soul flipping burgers somewhere in the outskirts of Seoul.
wow, pootcha
thanks, that was deep and thoughtful
i have 1 thing to say
“will you marry me?”
I like this interview but there’s nothing really interesting about it.
Min and G-soul need to better there english skills so we can see their personalities. My friend went to JYP’s tiny debut thing earlier this winter and she said that Min was a lousy singer and everyone left when g-soul came on. Sad but hey, JYP need to put the marketing behind all the big talk he’s doing.
SIDE NOTE:
Dumpling…relax. It’s not that serious. Your intense rants and speculating are extremely unnecessary.
I’m still deferring judgment and sticking with the “let’s wait and see” approach.
She’s going to be the Asian Hannah Montanna! LOL XD
i still don’t understand why jyp feels it necessary to “break into” the us market, she’s a native korean girl y make her go to a foreign country where she doesn’t speak the language and force her to begin her career their. i can’t think of anyone who has started out that way.
i really don’t see what min and g-soul are gonna do for the american market…
there*
actually(i may be wrong in this), but since someone talked about rain having a business because he doesnt go to school anymore, i think he STILL attends school or has already graduated.. he is still in kyunghee and there have no news of him dropping out of the university kicking him out
to Illdielaughing, but that’s the reason why i read Dumpling’s comments
to jyp.. is homeschooling not an option?
hummm MIN MIN MIN….she seem alittle TOO MUCH for me, like yes sooo OUT THERE. i wouldn’t know the right word to place her at.
i don’t know about her album i mean DAMN SHE IS ALREADY going to prepare to release it. WOW. her & sohee should vocal train together, no she is alittle better then sohee..hummm
i don’t know whatever..i guess. i liked G-SOUL interview better
did she answer in english?
pootcha
Well he has to start somewhere and America is that place, I don’t think Korea is ready for a Min or a G-soul with all of the artists that are there now. So let’s wish JYP and his crew all of the success they deserve, if Americans can come to South Korea and make it why can’t South Korean artists do the same in America?
“i still don’t understand why jyp feels it necessary to “break into” the us market, she’s a native korean girl y make her go to a foreign country where she doesn’t speak the language and force her to begin her career their. i can’t think of anyone who has started out that way.”
“Breaking into” the US market is appealing for the same reason breaking into the japanese market is… money. And maybe an ego boost on the side lol. The US music industry is the largest in the world…it brings in about 13 billion. Japan is second at about 2 billion.
If you look at the stats, the Korean music industry isn’t exactly a cash cow and all the korean wave hype in the world can’t change that.
JYP’s idea of starting them out in the US might not be too bright, but taking risks like that is probably one of the things that got him where he is today.
Good luck is all I can say.
pootcha, i will never understand why ppl like you write a whole damn book on something like this. Why waste your time? Ppl aren’t going to read all that sh*t anyway. Jesus!!!
I wish her the the best of luck (though I have a feeling she isn’t going to get anywhere in the U.S. XD).
To DWilliams,
I do understand where you’re coming from and although you have raised a valid point, I would have to disagree with you based on the following premises:
First, American artists coming to South Korea have nothing to lose but everything to gain. They already have established fan base in the biggest market in the world and coming to a foreign country is just increasing it. Unfortunately, this cannot be said to South Korean artists or to any Asian artist in general when they come to the States.
Second, Hollywood’s influence to the entertainment industry throughout the world is prevalent and widespread. That, unfortunately, cannot be said to their Asian counterparts.
Third, the characterization of Asians in mainstream show business is still limited thus Asian artists must work twice as hard to get noticed and given roles atypical of Asian characters.
Finally, I know that they need to start somewhere. Believe me when I say that I couldn’t be more happy to see an Asian break the glass ceiling. But, my concern was what if.
The question of uncertainty and of what tomorrow will be bring is baffling to anyone even to the most intelligent person. My concern for Min and G-Soul was to address this uncertainty and at the same time questioning JYP’s intentions why not introduce his artists in South Korea first before debuting them here in the US. So when all things fail, Min and G-Soul still have something to call a career.
To Raye,
Frankly, I couldn’t care less if people don’t read my comments. The most important thing to me is not to past judgment without even considering opposing arguments.
Like many people, I do hope that I could have more time in hands so that I can accomplished more things. I don’t find posting comments here as a waste of that precious time since I can multitask. And please don’t worry, I can joggle two or three things at the same time without losing focus.
It occurs to me that you are not reading comments because lim33853 and dwilliams read the comment that I posted and even replied to it. And if you will look at my comments on different topics in this site, people do the same.
Lastly, thank you for posting your comment regarding my long narration about this article, you might have just created a spark for other people to read it.
http://www.myspace.com/samkang > any jyp artist.
lim33853’s “exclusive” interview was better..XDD
i don’t think she’ll make it…America is not all on dancing, singing is the key to make it, and she sure doesn’t have it[yet]…I hope her vocals become better and louder…I’m a bigger fan of G-Soul though i wish that wasn’t his name
pootcha, you make really insightful comments. Kudos to you.
lim33853’s parody was lame.
lol what´s wrong with some people in here?
anyways, i don´t really think it´s bad that she dropped out of school. she can try her luck now, maybe maybe make some good money. she can go to school later and live from the money she´s made before ^^
“I like min, but i do think she can be a bit fake sometimes.”
What do you expect from a child who has not been to school full-time for most of the past 4 years and has not had the chance to develop social skills, confidence, and the ability to express herself on an individual level? She has been led around by the nose for the past 2-3 years by that g-damn gorilla and she is already showing signs of stunted maturity due to her lack of development.
Sadness.
@ Illdielaughing
Piss off.
There. How’s that for an unnecessary and extreme rant? You can be assured I won’t be stopping anything unless the owner of this blog asked me to. Not because of you or anyone else.
She’s cute..
but i was kinda bothered with her lips. is she trying to pout…
relax those lips babe..
“pootcha, i will never understand why ppl like you write a whole damn book on something like this. Why waste your time? Ppl aren’t going to read all that sh*t anyway”
@ Rave
Shut up. I read pootcha’s comment, and so did a lot of other people.
Raye, Rave, whatever your name is.
ahmmnn.. she’s cute.. that’s all.
“I think my weakness is discipline. Sometimes my energy is too much and I can lose focus, so that’s something I have to work on.”
SHE SAID IT HERSELF!
i find it too disturbing!!
“I know people are disappointed in her because of the whole party thing, but nowadays, especially in America, teens are introduced to those types of things much earlier than it used to be.”
Yeah because little girls see that the world accepts the stars for it, so they do it too, Its disgusting, especially at such a young age. Period. The world jumps off a bridge, will you?
And I give a big “Hear Hear!” at Dumpling and Pootcha, couldnt agree more.
Her song sounds like Nivea’s “Okay” song, which was also produced by Lil’ Jon. And it’s so repetitive. Are there even verses? All I hear is a chorus on repeat.
“but i was kinda bothered with her lips. is she trying to pout… ”
It’s her hiphop “gangsta” look. ‘Cause you know, she’s a big hiphop star now and hangin’ with all the homies, G!
(rolls @@ eyes)
“but i was kinda bothered with her lips. is she trying to pout… ”
It’s her hiphop “gangsta” look. ‘Cause you know, she’s a big hiphop star now and hangin’ with all the homies, G!
(rolls @@ eyes)
lim33853
Yes i am a sicko 8D and proud.
Adultfinder is the shizz even though i dunno what the hell it is
BUT,seeing as you,lim33853 likes it it must be PRETTY DAMN COOL then
FIGHITNG!HWATEEEEING! GO GO GO!
lololol,yeah i agree though, sometimes people just need to chill ^-^
kthanxbai
“gangsta look”? that looks lame..
and it doesnt work with her anyway.. (on that pic)
and if your that beautiful.. she just need to smile.. and it will work just then…
PS
I forgot to roll my eye! Wahahaha!!!
PS
i forgot to roll my eyes! wahahaha!!!
I forgot to roll my eyes! wahahaha!!!
the girl seems cute and very nice (:
but i don’t know if she should quit school just for her singing career.
she really has a good producer (i mean look at JYP hes a freaking bajillionaire) and everything, but education should come first.
but good luck min!!~ 화이팅!!
um..how do i know you’re not making this whole “interview” up?
haha. I don’t!
aww i want her to ” make it”. but i dont think it’s gonna happen bc she has to build a big enough fan base to really make it here in the states. girl can dance and girl can somewhat sing, but for her to make it she’s gotta smash it in all areas, and i think she’s just a cute girl who can dance.
If it wasn’t official before, it is now… she’s nothing but a project.
There is no excuse that she shouldn’t be getting home schooled/tutored. She’s not the first teenager in the music industry who’s busy. I’m sure Miley Cyrus still gets an education. Cut the crap. She’s not that busy. They should have let her be a child and enrolled her into American schools/or allowed her to take English lesson and be tutored. It’s doesn’t take more then a year to understand conversational language. Enough to get by. She doesn’t need to train from dusk to dawn to be a success. And from the sound of things all that training didn’t do much. She can dance her little butt off, that’s a given though.
This is my problem with Asia hosted record companies/producers [be it Japan, Taiwan, Korea, etc]. They have the mindset of Lou Pearlman. Train these kids like robots, control every aspect of their lives and not care anything about their social/mental development outside of when these developments pertain to income. And we wonder why child stars are so fu*ked up. Especially boy band members. The reason why the Boy Band/Teen Pop Princess trend died around for the most part was because people started to ask questions and take notice of the busy lives of this teenage artist and they didn’t like the shady controlling sh*t they learned.
I cherish the day when if Min gets famous and she starts telling the story of how she train vigirously as a teen. And then they start investigate how much money JYP is actually taken in from her. SCANDALOUS.
JYP just reeks of Lou Pearlman shadiness and that’s why he just makes my skin crawl. These kids always look like their in the presence of a dictator when he’s in the room. It just seems so obvious to me how he works.
But hey, who the hell am I? Nobody but a smart a** know-it-all.
“(i mean look at JYP hes a freaking bajillionaire)”
LOL WUT? The only way JYP will EVER be a billionaire is if he strikes oil in his back yard. I’ll give him some slack and says he’s a single digit millionaire at best.
can someone tell me where in new york she is at… like
what boruoght in new york (if its manhaatten then can you tell what sudio
Oh… now I remember her… Lee Min Young?
It’s disturbing to see her dancing like a harlot back when she was only 11…