EXCLUSIVE [INTERVIEW] For MINIMANI's Yu Soohyun, "Learning is truly endless"; Shares her journey's memorable moments

Yu Soohyun is a solo artist who made her solo debut in March 2023 with the digital single “CHUK & CHAK.” But before that, the singer has made multiple debuts in girl groups Delight, FLASHE, May Queen, and Walwari. Now, while juggling solo activities, she is also the leader of the trot girl group MINIMANI (now a two-piece group after a member left earlier this year).

In May 2024, Soohyun graced the ‘SBTown Music Fiesta’ stage — an event to commemorate the 75-year friendship between South Korea and the Philippines — with her lively solo performances, showcasing both her singing and dancing skills.

“I’ve been working hard. I think I’m truly regaining the experience I’ve accumulated step by step over the past 11 years,” she said.

allkpop spoke with Soohyun before the event to tell us more about her career after debuting in several groups, her biggest takeaway in the journey, participating in a Korean trot program, and more. Check out our exclsuive interview with the trot singer below!

Shout-out video from Soohyun to allkpop readers!

allkpop: What are your biggest realizations after being in three different girl groups that you were able to apply when you debuted as a solo artist?

Soohyun: When you’re in a group, more than two people are performing on stage within three minutes, so the stage will definitely be fuller. You’ll feel more secure if you do it rather than just being alone on stage. If that were the case, the pressure would be less. When I performed solo, I thought that having to fill the stage all by myself might be a little more difficult than when working as a team. It was a bit of a burden.

On the other hand, when working as a solo artist, I can come up with a variety of concepts that I could do. I think being able to do it is an advantage. When working as a team, for example, because we both have different ideas, it may not be easy to come up with one mind and concept. However, I think that doing it alone has the advantage of being able to express various concepts in various ways.

allkpop: It’s been more than a year since you released your first solo single. When’s the next music coming? What should we look forward to from you in the coming years?

Soohyun: Last year, I released my first solo single “CHUK & CHAK.” It was a very meaningful song as it was released 10 years after my debut. This time, as I participated in a program called ‘Miss Trot 3,’ a Korean trot audition program, I got a little bit of recognition. I am always thankful for this every day. I think my next album will come out soon.

allkpop: This year, you’ve released two OSTs already. Could you tell us how you usually immerse yourself in the songs you’re singing in the studio? Do you have any singing warm-up or technique?

Soohyun: It was my dream to do a lot of OSTs, and I feel really good these days because I feel like I’m fulfilling that dream little by little. Before recording an OST, the first thing I do is take care of my throat, so I prepare by warming my throat and drinking a lot of warm water and tea to prevent my throat from becoming hoarse and cracked. And because each song has a different atmosphere, I practice on my own. I took singing and vocal lessons again. It also depends on the song. I always look at the lyrics and imagine the song from there. I practice like that by focusing on that aspect as well. Learning is truly endless!

allkpop: I’ve seen that you also have a YouTube channel doing vlog. Is there anything you’d like to vlog about in particular?

Soohyun: It’s already been a year since my YouTube channel was opened, but I couldn’t upload videos of the audition program I mentioned earlier. When I appear on a broadcast program, I sign a contract, so I haven’t been able to do it at all. But I’m uploading a vlog again this time — daily vlogs. I think my initial intention was to do it without talking because I wanted to go a little innocently. But I think it’s better when there’s a reaction while talking a little comfortably during filming.

allkpop: What has been the most memorable experience or favorite moment of your career thus far?

Soohyun: There are some memorable moments that I like. One was when I got to stand on stage at a festival held in the town where I live with my parents and family. I was struggling for around 10 years. Of course, I believe that other singers suffer a lot too. In that kind of situation where my emotions went out, my parents were always working, so they couldn’t see my performance. They don’t see me perform often because of that. At one moment, I was doing my favorite stage, and my parents came to see me. I remember the first time they came. And I remember crying so hard as soon as I came down from the stage. That’s the most memorable thing and I think it brings tears to my eyes. I will always think about that moment and hold onto it until now. This is why, when I talk about my parents, I wish I could speak English really well. I want to express something more, but I can’t. I use the app Papago but I didn’t bring my cellphone with me.

allkpop: If you would want to develop or learn one skill, be it in or out of music, which particular skill would you choose?

Soohyun: I’d like to learn a lot more trotting techniques because that’s what I’m doing right now. I usually do a lot of dance trotting as well so I want to do it again, but this time, I’d like to do more of it with a ballad feel that has a bit of such atmosphere.

allkpop: Being in the industry for years now, what do you think is the biggest takeaway or thing you’ve learned from your experience that you’re able to keep with yourself until now as you move forward?

Soohyun: I’m now in my 11th year. My friends told me that I should stop at this point, but I always had that feeling that I hadn’t been able to fulfill my dreams properly. So, I couldn’t just give up that fast. I have endured a lot now and have been holding onto it until now. To be honest, my family, friends, including those who are now married… sometimes, I wonder whether it’s too late [for me] already. But I’ve been working hard. I think I’m truly regaining the experience I’ve accumulated step by step over the past 11 years. Based on that, I think there is a lot more to learn in the future. I hope to continue to climb higher and higher until the end with an even more humble heart than now. That’s the heart and mind I set. I’m working hard and have gone to many overseas concerts to let people know that I, Soohyun, am a singer.

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