Twice’s Jihyo released her first solo OST for the Korean drama Twenty Five Twenty One
Jihyo is the lead singer of the girl band TWICE which was launched on October 20, 2015, by JYP entertainment. Jihyo is a well-known artist around the world. She started performing at an early age and was discovered by JYP entertainment when she was eight years old. She joined the company in 2005 and started her training there. Jihyo trained for 10 years before making her debut.
The band TWICE which consists of nine members voted for Jihyo to be the lead singer. Their first album ‘The story begins’ was successful with the single ‘Like Ooh-Ahh’ to become the first K-pop debut song to reach 100 million views on YouTube.
Now after seven years of her debut, she released her first solo soundtrack ‘Stardust love song’ on 6 March 2022. With the release of the song, Jihyo has joined the league of artists who have also contributed to the soundtrack of the TV series. Musicians like NCT’s Taeil, BIBI, SEVENTEEN’s DK and many more have lent their voices to an OST of a TV series.
Release Date of the Song
On 4th March 2022 Studio MaumC, the production company of the TV series Twenty-five twenty one announced the news that TWICE’s lead singer will sing an OST for their TV show.
The song was released on March 6th, a Saturday when the new episodes of the show are released. The theme of the song aligns with the theme of the show. Twenty Five Twenty One is a coming of age drama telling the story of five peoplenavigating relationships, adulthood and heartbreaks.
The official version was released on the 6th March, but the show already teased with a preview of the song on the episode aired on 27th February.
What is the song about?
Stardust love song is a soulful, soothing song that celebrates the romantic emotions felt at the beginning of a relationship. Though she sings it in Korean, the English translation of the lyrics is just as beautiful. It successfully conveys the meaning that the Korean lyrics intended to do.
Lyrics like ‘You make me dream again’, ‘ You already comfort me so much’, and ‘let's go make those good memories together’ is what we all feel when a new romance knocks on our door.
The song is written by Yoon Young Joon who is famous for his calm sweet melodies. An acoustic guitar accompanies the melodious voice of Jihyo making it a lovely love ballad.
Is it her first time singing for a TV series?
This is Jhiyo’s first time singing solo on a TV show. Althoughthis is not the first time she has lent her voice to a series. Previously, she sang for another TV series, the Netflix original ‘Hospital Playlist,’ along with her fellow band members.
What is the show about?
Twenty five twenty is a story set around the lives of five youngsters who grow up in the economical crash of 1998. At the time some of them has just entered adulthood. The two leads Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin meet when they are 18 and 22 respectively and fall in love years later when they turn 22 and 25. The show then focuses on how they navigate the relationship, responsibilities and their dreams.
The show aired on 12 Feb 2022 and is set to wrap up the first season on April 3, 2022. It stars actors like Kim Tae-ri, Nam Joo-hyuk, Bona, Choi Hyun-Wook and Lee Joo-Myung. It is aired on Korean channel tvN and also streams on Netflix.
Why is Jihyo the first member of TWICE to get a solo?
People have always wondered why JYP entertainment does not promote the group members of TWICE more individually. The direction which TWICE has taken is different from the rest of the K-pop group idols. It is noticeable that these members compared to other girl bands like VELVET and BLACKPINK have fewer solo projects.
Many members of VELVET has released single songs, have formed sub-unit and three members have started their acting careers. Similarly, members of BLACKPINK who debuted after TWICE has solo singing careers with one of them being an actor.
The question was raised to the group in an interviewon MBC’s Radio Star. In the interview Jihyo said that promoting solo singing careers can make the members lazy towards the group and the rest of the group members also echoed the same thought.
But in 2022 Jihyo has released her solo OST for the TV series and she is the first one to do so. No one knows for sure but it maybe because:
• Jihyo has trained the longest with JYP entertainment. Her voice is full of melody and she has the voice range which matches the theme of the TV series.
• Previously Jihyo has released singles but they were only the cover songs. The renditions of these songs are sweet and exquisite.
• Fans of TWICE has always noticed the potential in Jihyo as a solo artist and have made their opinion known.
• Jihyo being the leader of the group gets more exposure than the other members. So to promote their show the organisers of Twenty five Twenty one, chose a popular face and singer.
When fans heard the news of Jihyo singing for Twenty five Twenty one they were elated. Many took to Twitter and praised the singer for focusing on her solo career. Since the song has been released it has garnered positive reviews from both fans and critics.
This solo song is maybe the indication that Jihyo willrelease more new solo songs in the coming years. It also has opened the doors to other members to venture out and start their solo or sub-units career. It already has been 6 years since they signed the contract with JPY entertainment, and it may be soon up for negotiations. Maybe they will renegotiate the contract by including the promotion of their individual projects.
Although going by the words of Jihyo and the rest of the members there is no conclusive proof as to what they’ll decide.
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