K-Pop darling Kim Taeyeon is a force to be reckoned with in South Korea, thanks to her beautiful vocals, writes Bibi Nurshuhada Ramli
SINCE debuting in the female South Korean group, Girls’ Generation, in 2007, Kim Taeyeon has since established herself as one of the most talented vocalists in the thriving K-Pop industry.
The group itself has gained massive popularity worldwide over the years, further cementing this status among music fans.
Last October, she was chosen as the No. 1 K-Pop vocalist in a survey completed by 40 Korean music industry experts.
In April, she was selected as the best female vocalist in their 20s by various music companies in South Korea.
Her popularity flourished even more when she became the first female Korean celebrity to reach seven million followers on Instagram in June.
To further promote her vocals, SM Entertainment formed the Girls’ Generation sub-unit TaeTiSeo in May 2012.
It comprises Taeyeon and fellow group member Tiffany and Seohyun, who are lauded as the best vocalists in Girls’ Generation.
Claiming to have a different musical direction from the Girls’ Generation, TaeTiSeo focused on singing than performing uniform choreography, like in the main group. TaeTiSeo released two mini albums, Holler and Twinkle, and a Christmas special album, Dear Santa.
In February 2014, Taeyeon then became part of the ballad group SM The Ballad, formed by SM Entertainment in 2010.
On the group’s second album, she sang a duet with Jonghyun, a member of male K-pop group SHINee, for the title track Breath. She also sang the solo track Set Me Free.
REFRESHING TUNE
With this much talent, it is only natural for Taeyeon’s agency to promote her even more, but as a solo artiste this time.
Last year, she released her first EP in October, titled I, featuring the South Korean rapper Verbal Jint.
Billboard named her as “the year’s best solo debut”, and her title track was ranked as the second best K-Pop song of 2015.
In February this year, Taeyeon released her single Rain digitally. Later in June, she came out with her second EP, Why, a blend of trendy pop style, R&B and EDM.
When it was first released on iTunes, it was No. 1 in 12 countries, namely Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Macau, Hong Kong, Brunei and Cambodia.
Taeyeon says her title track is a refreshing tropical-house kind of song, “a refreshing tune that will keep you refreshed throughout this hot season”.
On the difference between Why and I, Taeyeon says most of the songs in Why were made for her solo concert, Taeyeon, Butterfly Kiss, which took place at the Olympic Hall of Seoul Olympic Park last month and this month.
“There are more fast tempo songs. Some are refreshing tracks that would match well with this summer season.”
While her debut EP, I, focused more on showcasing her vocals, Why promoted her dancing skills, which can be seen in the music video for the title track.
Making Why even more special is her collaboration with South Korean alternative R&B singer-songwriter and record producer Dean on the song Starlight.
“When I first got the song, I thought it would be great if I could collaborate with him,” Taeyeon says.
“It wasn’t just me. The production team thought the same thing, saying that his voice would sit well with mine. That’s how it happened.
“Dean did a great job in the song’s music video too and the filming went smoothly thanks to him.”
AT HER BEST
Her fellow Girls’ Generation group member Hyoyeon is also featured in this album. She provided the rap in the song Up & Down.
“Hyoyeon’s voice came into my mind as soon as I heard the rapping part in the demo version of the song,” says Taeyeon.
“It’s really meaningful to be doing this together with a fellow group member. I think it would be a great gift for our fans too.”
She praises Hyoyeon’s effort on the track. “I think that’s why I could perform it with so much confidence during the concert with it being the opening song.”
For Taeyeon herself, she favours the song Fashion among the rest, simply because when she recorded it, she was at her best.
“We got the best result in a really short time so I’m very satisfied with it,” she says. “Have a refreshing summer time with Why!”