Love For Fans, Support From IZ*ONE Members, & More, Yena Talks About ‘ˣ‿ˣ (SMiLEY)’!
As of writing this article, today on the 17th of January, former IZ*ONE member Choi Yena had an online media showcase for her solo debut in K-pop with her mini album entitled "ˣ‿ˣ (SMiLEY)."
Regarding the album concept of her solo debut, Yena said that she focused on "smiley hero." For the K-pop soloist, her duty is to bring a happy smile to people's faces all over the world with the optimism and bright energy that she happens to have.
"Because of COVID-19, we are constantly stuck in these difficult circumstances. I want to transmit my positive, smiley energy to people in 2022 so they can experience happiness and laughter in days to come," Yena noted regarding the concept she chose for her K-pop solo debut.
As mentioned above, Yena initially debuted as a member of the K-pop girl group IZ*ONE. She is the third member of the K-pop group to make a solo debut after Eunbi and Yuri in August and September 2021, respectively.
"To be honest, I thought I wouldn't be that nervous, but I'm really nervous now. It's a dream that I've wanted for a while, but it's also something that the fans have been waiting for, so I want to show everyone as soon as possible," Yena shared regarding her solo debut in K-pop.
Furthermore, Choi Yena revealed that the other IZ*ONE members showed their support towards her by sending a lot of sweet messages about her solo debut to their group chat. It made the K-pop soloist feel happy and loved by her former fellow IZ*ONE members.
Regarding her solo debut album "ˣ‿ˣ (SMiLEY)," Yena expressed that she thinks that her honesty was in the lyrics and there are also some unexpected lyrics in her b-side tracks as well. Notably, "SMILEY" shared that the song is an expression of herself.
Yena also talked about the song dedicated to her fans entitled "Before Anyone Else." The K-pop soloist noted that when she felt emotional, shec decided to read the letters she got from fans. This is where she got inspired in writing the lyrics as a way to reply to the letters she received.