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| ▲ This file photo shows ballad singer Lee Soo-young at the media showcase held on May 17th, 2022, for her 10th full album "SORY." (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This file photo shows ballad singer Lee Soo-young tearing up at the media showcase held on May 17th, 2022, for her 10th full album "SORY." (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This file photo shows the host Park Kyung-lim (left) and ballad singer Lee Soo-young (right) at the media showcase held on May 17th, 2022, for her 10th full album "SORY." (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, May 17 (Yonhap) -- “Singing? It is happiness for me. When I warmed up my voice in the recording studio for the first time, I felt my blood flowing from head to toe.”
Memories come up to mind when looking back at the singer Lee Soo-young (birth name: Lee Ji-yeon). Many people who lived in the late 1990s or early 2000s were comforted by her voice.
Lee, who made a series of hits for each song she released, such as "Whistle to me," "La La La," "I Believe," and "Goodbye As I pass you by," was the "Queen of Ballads" at that time.
Lee will stand in front of the audience once again with heartbreaking songs. It is the first full album she will release after 13 years.
“Thank you for your interest. It feels like I’m making my debut again,” said Lee in a media showcase held on Tuesday at Gurumare Theater, Mapo-gu, Seoul, to celebrate her 10th full album “SORY.”
“I made a total of 9 full albums for 10 years since my debut. I worked so hard but time passed after I released my 9th album and got married. I had no idea I would take a break for 13 years,” explained Lee.
The new album holds the stories Lee wanted to share.
During the 13-year hiatus after her ninth full album "Dazzle," Lee expressed her "sorry" through her voice in the new album “SORY.” It took three years for all the songs to be completed.
“I think I used to concentrate on singing better in my previous albums. However, this time, it was a journey to find out what my voice was like. I thought I should capture our voices as well as mine.”
“Don’t you think I’ve thought about quitting being a singer? But I’ve never always had opportunities. I’ve always tried my best to make an album but the results weren’t always that good.”
"I met my company five years ago, and from that day on, I took off some of the money I made and put it in my savings account. We've been preparing for installment savings steadily for the past five years, and we've started preparing the album three years ago,” said Lee.
The singer laughed and said, “I’ve broken three installment savings while doing this album.”
The title song “Uranus” suits Lee perfectly.
The song compares the sadness of wanting to be loved by a special being like the sun, to a Uranus that is far away waiting for that moment to come. The track shows the atmosphere of “Oriental ballad,” a genre for Lee Soo-young.
Recalling her work with Ahn Ye-eun, who wrote the song, Lee said, "I had a great time," adding, "Based on my voice that I’m confident in, I trusted my fellow singers and juniors and followed them well. As I enjoyed it, my 10th album was completed.”
In addition, the album also includes "Sore," which compares a sore tongue to the duality of the mind that one wants to forget the past but does not want to let go and "Close the Door," which talks about essential love to those who claim to be alone.
Junior artists such as Lee Jin-ah and Melomance’s Jeong Dong-hwan also supported the return of their ballad senior.
Kim Ea-na, who wrote the lyrics of two songs said, “Who hasn't had a sad breakup at least once in their 20s? Lee Soo-young was all of our voices," adding, "Now, please play songs about life as well as breakups."
Lee said this album was possible thanks to her fans and friends who trusted her.
(This article is translated from Korean to English by An Hayeon.)
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