Since debuting for the third time in August 2021, this time as a solo artist, KWON EUN BI has dabbled in all different parts of the entertainment industry, from K-pop, to TV, to radio, to musicals. Her earlier single “Underwater” climbed up to the high 100s of Melon’s daily chart after she performed at Waterbomb, Korea’s biggest summer music festival, on June 23. In addition to her artistic achievements, she’s recently been the center of attention for bringing her unique charm to various YouTube content. With some amazing solo work to her name and a magnetic personality to match, KWON EUN BI spoke to us to tell us a little more about herself.

Waterbomb

KWON EUN BI: I never expected to get such a great reaction. Everybody was calling and texting me, the views on my close-up fancams went way up and “Underwater” slowly started to climb the charts. I put a lot of thought into how I could communicate with the audience and get them more excited since it was a festival for the general public. A lot of people also change out of their everyday clothes for Waterbomb. I thought I should match that energy so I decided to be bold and put on my swimwear. (laughs) When I watch the video of my performance now, I can tell I was having more fun than I thought. And I wanted to make it extra memorable, so I had fans with a photo from the album on them made for the performance of “Underwater” and then we distributed them during another song—so that people can use them when it’s hot and think back to Waterbomb. But nobody talked about the fans, only the fancams. I hope people talk about the fans too. (laughs)

KWON EUN BI’s summer album

KWON EUN BI: This is my first time releasing an album in the summertime. The last album was all about flashy visuals, but I guess you could say there’s something a little different about this one as far as the color scheme goes. You could say it’s more of a simple, muted feel, like black and white, as opposed to flashy bling-bling. Every time I’m putting out an album, I think a lot about what I should do to make it feel a little newer and keep it from being boring, but this time I tried to keep it simple and focus more on my innate charming points. I decided not to use too much pizazz and just show more of who I am. It’s a bit of a different performance, too, because the highlight of the choreography involves the use of strings. You only have three minutes to elucidate a whole song with the stage performance. I share and talk through a lot of ideas with my instructors so that anyone who watches can quickly catch onto the meaning and feel immersed in the experience, like when we used fans to capture the idea of coming up from the depths of the sea in a clam that opens up in “Underwater.” Then once I’m on stage, I honestly look right into the camera and commit to it like it’s someone’s eyes, like, Today I’m going to captivate you. I’ll make you fall for me. I’ll make you have eyes for me and only me.”

​A newly discovered kind of vocals

KWON EUN BI: Going solo made me feel for the first time that my voice sounds very young. I never had that sensation when I was part of a group because I was the oldest one and always had the mindset of a leader. But thanks to recording with my voice alone, I realized I could make myself sound younger than I thought. It would be perfect for singing children’s songs. (laughs) But my voice is always bubbly and high so I think people might get tired listening to it for too long. I’m going to try and find a tone of voice that’s easy for both me and other people to listen to. When people listen to music, they usually experience the emotions of the singer and empathize with them, but I feel that I haven’t fully reached that level yet, so I want to keep working so that I can express myself more profoundly.

Being a solo artist and being part of a group, compared

KWON EUN BI: When I’m out onstage solo, it’s up to me to express the whole narrative of a song by myself. I think that gives me a little more freedom to express myself. I can show off more things like hand gestures and facial expressions. And honestly I don’t think much has changed from when I was with a group other than the fact that everything takes less time because there isn’t a huge group. I’m actually less observant than people might think and not that sensitive, so the change didn’t have much impact on me. Maybe that’s why I can still be bright and positive now. (laughs)

KWON EUN BI’s Youngstreet

KWON EUN BI: I always used to go for special radio opportunities whenever I was asked so lots of people could hear my voice and I was really interested in becoming a radio host. Even doing the Genie Music morning radio [show TMI: Today’s Music Information] I’m doing now, I think it suits me. But KWON EUN BI’s Youngstreet is a little different from what I’m used to because I’m not just reading a script—I also have to empathize with listeners and tell them stories they’ll empathize with too. I listen to other radio hosts a lot so I can do a better job and give a lot of thought to how I can better empathize with and communicate with people. I’m the type of a person who gets energy by talking to people  so the whole process of communicating with listeners live is a lot of fun. I want to create a happy place for everyone who tunes into Youngstreet.

​KWON EUN BI on variety shows

KWON EUN BI: I’m less of the charismatic KWON EUN BI from the stage and more of my real self when I’m on variety shows, and I feel like that part of me is a perfect fit for the format. I guess I’m comfortable doing those shows because I already enjoy living life so much. (laughs) It’s like I just joked around the exact same way I do in everyday life and realized it works on TV shows too. But I wasn’t actually comfortable doing variety shows at first. Even when I had my solo debut, I really wondered whether I could do it and what I should even do, but after enough experience with it I slowly learned what I should do on those shows. Variety shows aren’t something you do alone—there’s all the crew and the people on camera with you—and they propped me up, saying, “You got this—you can do this.” That really helped me along. That helped me feel more and more confident.

​Sometimes it’s okay to push the limits

KWON EUN BI: I get stuck every time I’m torn between ‘Can I do this?’ or ‘Should I not do that?’ on variety shows. But when I decide to let go and do whatever I want, it always seems to hit the spot. Even now I think carefully before I get close to the line. I haven’t quite figured out yet how far I can go to make someone else laugh without making them feel bad. I’ve failed at that many times, actually. (laughs) Sometimes before we film a show, they’ll tell me they saw me in another video and say, “We want you to push the boundary here. Say something that crosses the line.” But it’s hard when they say that. If you suddenly say something that’s too much in an unnatural situation you could hurt someone’s feelings. But the others took it really well, and told me it’s just TV, so I should just feel free to say whatever I want, which I think helped me feel a little more comfortable.

Social tips from the chemistry master

KWON EUN BI: I meet other artists of all different ages, younger and older, when I’m working. When I first meet someone, I try and figure out what they’re like. First I try to get close to them by making all the small talk that keeps things from feeling awkward. I ask them minor questions about their life, like, “What did you eat today? What did you do yesterday?” I’m sure there’s people who find it hard to talk to me first. On top of that, I try to be polite, and soon everyone’s nice to me and shows me love. I guess that’s all I’ve really tried: being the first one to make a move. I don’t really think I can get everyone to like me 100%, and I know not everyone can like me, but I think I can still get people to open up if I talk to them first. Consequently, I feel taking the bold step to approach people first without reservations isn’t just a good tip for variety shows but for making chemistry in everyday life.

There’s nothing more important than other people

KWON EUN BI: I think everybody lives thanks to the help they get from other people. For example, it’s thanks to all the help from a huge number of people at my label that I’m able to put out my albums. And I’m aware of that, so I’m trying my best to give more to the people around me. When you experience failure, you start to realize how hard they’re all working together with you. As you already know, things didn’t go very well the first time I debuted. After all those experiences and getting through that tough time, I really came to understand that, even if you do a fantastic job by yourself, it doesn’t guarantee success. I’ve been lucky to meet each and every person I have during this promotion—so lucky. Even the people you meet once are an invaluable connection, and you never know when or where you might meet again. We live through our interactions with others.

​Her inner drive and the moment she knew what she wanted

KWON EUN BI: I think I’m still running off the drive from when I went against my parents’ wishes and tried to become a singer, and how they eventually came to support me. I wonder if I ever would have been this passionate if it hadn’t been for the opposition. I was really hurt when I was young but looking back now I’m incredibly grateful they were against it. The passion that arose out of going against their opposition became my drive. Now they love it anytime I appear anywhere, give me feedback and cheer me on. 

Hopes for her solo career

KWON EUN BI: I think I’m starting to discover and develop all sides of myself as a solo artist with all the radio hosting, variety shows and everything else I’m doing. But there’s still so much about me I have left to show off. So I want to let people know about who KWON EUN BI really is—not quickly, but showing them slowly, over a long time, bit by bit. That way, I always feel excited. I hope everyone’s looking forward to my upcoming album and I hope they can show the real me a lot of love.