Five members talk about their futures, unfinished musical journey in the U.S.


Wonder Girls, one of the few K-pop groups that bravely entered the gigantic music market in the United States, are turning their eyes to the rest of Asia.

The five-member group released its EP “Wonder Party” in Korea this month and will make its debut in Japan in July.

The girls will also give their first solo concert in three years in Seoul on July 7 ― to “have some fun” with their long-waiting Asian fans, not retreat from the U.S., they said.

“We want to communicate more with fans rather than just thinking what to show off about ourselves. We will continue to bring songs and styles that many will like, and we also will pursue new musical genres,” said Sunye in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Tuesday.

“After the summer, we are going back to New York and will continue work on our first full-length album in the U.S.,” she added.

With lead song “Like This,” Wonder Girls departed from their signature retro charm and experimented with powerful hip hop-beats and electronica.

The new record also features songs that show more of each member’s characteristics and song-writing talent, a clear sign that they have started to escape from the shadow of Park Jin-young, the singer and producer who has managed the girls since 2007.

Yeeun, also known as Yenny Park “Har:tfelt,” proved her talent as a singer-songwriter by composing two songs, “R.E.A.L” and “Girlfriend,” while Yubin made her debut as a lyricist with “Hey Boy.”

“We wanted to show something newer than retro (style). We felt much pressure the last time we released an album in Korea but things were much easier this time,” Yeeun said.

“Producer Park also wanted us to freely participate in the album production. Like its concept ‘party,’ we enjoyed making this album,” said Sohee.

The group enjoyed success in Korea in 2007 with hit songs “Tell Me” and “So Hot” and entered the American market in 2009 with the English version of its hit single “Nobody.” The song made 78th place on Billboard Hot 100 Chart, making the group the first Korean artists to enter the chart.

Next month, Wonder Girls will make their Japanese debut with single album “Nobody for Everybody,” a remake of their hit song “Nobody.”

The five members are enjoying their star status in Korea and abroad, but also spoke about their future plans as individual artists and devoted Christians.

Asked on what their future may be like in 10 years, Yeeun said she wants to become a songwriter and a solo artist while Sohee and Hyerim would like to pursue acting.

Yoobin and Sunye gave somewhat unexpected answers. Yoobin, obviously an ambitious one, said she wants to become the CEO of an entertainment agency that produces artists in different musical genres, while Sunye said she will be doing Christian mission work and will have a family by then.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)