Gyuri is spending her 20s with fromis_9, and fromis_9 keeps making her change.

In your debut interview you said you feel awkward doing photoshoots. How are you doing with it today? 

Gyuri: I just finished the shoot. I don’t think the awkwardness has changed, though. I think I can express myself better than before when the camera’s flashing away, but it’s still awkward after the camera’s off. (laughs)

Is there a reason you feel awkward for photoshoots but not when you’re acting or singing?

Gyuri: I feel like I become a version of myself to fit whatever song I’m performing, and when I’m acting, I’m playing a role, not myself. But when I’m just doing a photoshoot, it feels like I have to be myself and give off this vibe, like, I’m pretty, right? I’m super cool, yeah? (laughs) That’s still kind of awkward for me.

Your fans would be surprised to hear that. They’d all say you’re super cool. (laughs)

Gyuri: My personality hasn’t changed since I was young. I don’t think I have much of a desire to look pretty, even now. I try hard to express what the lyrics are saying when I perform on stage—I don’t think about what facial expressions I should make to look pretty. But if someone sees that and tells me I’m pretty then that’s a bonus, and I’m grateful that they see me that way.

How do you prepare to express yourself through songs on stage?

Gyuri: A performance has a story and other details in the lyrics, just like how I portray a character when I’m acting. The lead single on our new album is called “DM,” and there’s lots of parts where I express my feelings directly, like in the line, “you smile and my heart flutters,” so I tried to express that fluttering feeling.

fromis_9’s style changes once again on this album, and you sing the first part of the first track, “Escape Room.” Since you’re introducing this new fromis_9, how did you sing to convey that feeling?

Gyuri: That first part was the most difficult part of the whole album. When I saw the lyrics with all the parts finalized I was taken aback, like, Huh? I’m singing this part? I feel dizzy just thinking about it again. (laughs) I don’t think I had to capture any emotion in particular. I think I just sang it however I felt at the time.

What was it like harmonizing your voices? Your vocals have a unique tone, so I thought you might’ve had to match each other’s tones.

Gyuri: From the time we debuted up till a year or two ago, we worked really hard to match the tone of our voices, but we threw this question to ourselves, “is that the best approach?” It’s good to match up the sound of our vocals but we also thought it would be good to bring out each member’s uniqueness more, so we ended up not matching them on purpose. We’re trying to maintain each of our styles.

Your voice is so unique that it’s easy to pick it out under any circumstances. Amazingly, your vocals in “DM” ring clear but also suggest a kind of forlorn sentiment.

Gyuri: I sometimes hear people saying my voice sounds sorrowful (laughs) when I sing. I sang it all excitedly, but they still said it sounded sad. When I first recorded “DM,” the reaction was, Gyuri, you’re going to make me cry. So I tried my best to bring out a brightness in my voice, and that’s what’s there now. (laughs)

Do you like Japanese city pop? When you sing rhythmic songs, the way you convey your emotions sometimes reminds me of city pop.

Gyuri: Wow, you’re right—I listen to a lot of city pop. I think the charm of city pop lies in how it sounds really cheery but if you listen closely there’s a hint of sadness, too. What I find charming is how it’s not happy or sad, but feels cheery sometimes and sad other times, depending on how you feel. I wanted my own vocals to be uplifting and sad at the same time like that.

It seems like you’re attracted to the idea of expressing complex emotions.

Gyuri: I think my tastes have changed over the past few years. I used to like when things were perfectly clear. I felt really frustrated when movies or songs or even people’s feelings weren’t clear, but I think I’m more attracted to that now.

What caused you to change?

Gyuri: I think it was after I discovered poetry. I’d say I’ve been into poetry for around two or three years now. The poems read really differently depending on how I feel when I read them. My mom recommended that I read books when I have the time. At first I was reading essay collections and comic books, then somehow I ended up reading poetry and they really spoke to me.

Which poems did you like? 

Gyuri: There’s a collection of poems by Na Tae Joo called I See You Like a Flower. That book lifted me up when I was feeling a bit down. Poetry doesn’t really provide you with any goals or directions for how to live your life or tell you what you might get if you live a certain way, but something about the complexity of poetry gives me something to think about. Meanwhile, if I read a self-help book, I end up feeling like, Why? I’m going to live my life my way. I’ll figure out my life on my own. (laughs) I think poetry’s changed how I see the world.

What’s changed?

Gyuri: I guess I used to be quite sensitive. I made every little thing out to be a way, way bigger deal than it was. To give you an idea of how oversensitive I was, sometimes I would trip a little during a performance because I was wearing high heels, and then I’d be thinking about it all day. When I was acting, too, if things didn’t go the way I had practiced them, I couldn’t let it go, and it was so serious that I wouldn’t be able to sleep. But, you know, things don’t always go as you plan them. It’s no big deal if I trip a little, so I decided to practice just letting things go. Telling myself, Okay, that’s not a big deal.

Is it because you have to be thorough in everything you do?

Gyuri: Not really. I’m really easygoing with some things, but when it comes to work I’m very sensitive, so I want to try harder when I can’t do something perfectly. I’m not like that for things I’m not driven to perfection about; I’m more easygoing. But I think I’ve always been driven to perfection when it comes to my ambitions.

Seeing how focused you are on your work, how do you approach your work as a singer or actor?

Gyuri: First, I analyze. And I create various scenarios and then practice repeatedly as needed. It’s the same whether I’m acting or singing. But when we first debuted, I wasn’t nervous, because I thought, Oh well, whatever. What do I know? But I wanted to do more and more as time went on, and then I was so nervous that I wouldn’t be able to do anything the way I practiced it because my standards had gone up since we debuted.

So what’s changed?

Gyuri: Because “DM” is a song that directly expresses feelings, I started to have doubts. The song’s about confessing your love in a straightforward way so this person could not look away. Is it best to set the emotion for everything? For “Feel Good (SECRET CODE),” “WE GO” and “Talk & Talk,” I had everything figured out in advance. But then I thought, for example, Would flover watch my different fancams? If I look the same in every performance, what’s the point? So this time I thought I would bet on myself a little and I tried expressing what I was feeling when I went up on stage. I’m curious how it’ll turn out.

So what are you thinking these days when you’re on stage and the lights come on?

Gyuri: I don’t think about it much. If I do think anything, it’s, I just hope I do as well as I did in practice. Just like we practiced.

And when you’re acting?

Gyuri: I think I have clear feelings set out for my characters when I’m acting. There’s many times where I think I gave a 100% performance, and then I review the footage and it wasn't even a 50. I think I’m still not skilled enough to express complex emotions, so I think I should be convincing with the emotions I do know how to express.

What sort of emotions were you going for with your character in the tvN drama It’s Okay to Not Be Okay?

Gyuri: Since I portrayed a nurse in a psychiatric ward, I thought it would be good if I played her like the bubbly friend who’s like a full dose of vitamins. I talked about the character a lot with the director, saying I wanted her to be the kind of person who’s not really good at reading the room but really on the ball when it comes to doing her job and also sweet. At first, the director told me I was setting up my character to be somewhat spiteful, so they told me it would work better if I tone that down and bring out my bright, sweet side and work that all in together. And that’s where I landed with my character.

You were very vocal about your gratitude toward the people you worked with on the show after filming wrapped. I guess the show meant a lot to you.

Gyuri: I thought people were extremely kind to me compared to what I brought to the table. The other members and the crew at the label are the same way, and there’s a lot of people who see me in a good light and keep me in their memory even after I’ve only met them once on a variety show, like Lee Kyung Kyu, for instance. I’m very grateful that people like me even though I don’t think I have much to offer, and I’d like to be able to pay them all back in the future.

How do you like appearing on variety shows like KBS’ Stars’ Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant, which you went on Lee Kyung Kyu with? As with photoshoots, they reveal the real you.

Gyuri: I feel extremely nervous when I go on a variety show alone, but if I’m going alone, it’s as fromis_9’s Gyuri, so I just go for it. I represent fromis_9 so I can’t get nervous and choke when I can’t do anything. So I just trust in the people I’m there with and try to get by. (laughs)

The members of fromis_9 all ad-lib together really well on the Channel_9 series on YouTube. You seem to be very comfortable when you’re with them.

Gyuri: I feel at ease when I’m with the other members because I don’t feel like I need to do anything special. It feels like I’m just hanging out with them and the camera just happens to be there. I feel far less pressure.

That makes me think of when the other members celebrated your birthday on V LIVE without you. (laughs) And then they showed you the video, right?

Gyuri: Nothing they do surprises me anymore. (laughs) I just laughed when I saw the video—nothing about it was unexpected to me.

How do you think you’ve managed to become so close?

Gyuri: Well, we spent a lot of time together, and I think we get even closer when we have time to spend together after we finish a promotion cycle. We talk a ton during those times. I think we grow closer when we talk about how we can put on even better performances. The nine of us are all really different from each other, but I think our group has a special synergy when the nine of us come together with our differences. Plus, since we’re all so different, maybe flover and our fans-to-be get to choose their bias? (laughs)

You showed a ring that you made on V LIVE. When did you start making rings?

Gyuri: There were some rings at a flea market I happened to go to and the bead rings were so pretty and looked easy to make that I thought maybe I should try to. It clears my mind when I make them and I was quite proud I could make them to give as gifts. It’s a small thing, but it always makes me happy.

You talked about happiness on an episode of FM_1.24 Special on the group’s YouTube channel right after your first first-place win on a music program. Other than when you got first place, when else do you feel happy?

Gyuri: First, when I’m working. I also love to travel. I went on a trip during our post-debut hiatus, and every single thing about it made me so happy. Looking out at the sky when I’m traveling, and sleeping in unfamiliar places, too. I thought about this when I came back, but what was an experience for me was just everyday life for the people living there, isn’t it? But for me, it was something really special. And then suddenly it hit me: Shouldn’t I be able to feel happy in my everyday life, too? Since then I’ve started to find happiness in the small things.

And did you find it?

Gyuri: When the other members would say the sky’s beautiful and take a bunch of photos, I would just say, “meh.” (laughs) But these days, even if I don’t go as far as to capture it in a photo, now I feel happy when I see the photos. Not that long ago I posted pictures of moments from 2021 on Instagram, which were the little happy moments of my 2021. It’s all really small things, but I could feel the happiness I felt then.

 

I guess being a part of fromis_9 has given you a lot.

Gyuri: I’m not done being young yet, but if someone asks me about my younger days once I’m older, I’ll probably tell them it was all fromis_9. I’m devoting my whole youth to it.