Girls‘ Generation member and actress Choi Sooyoung is experiencing her ‘second heyday’. Following her acting career, she is also active as a solo singer, showing off ‘star power’ that surpasses her days as a member of Girls’ Generation, which is considered the peak of her career.

Choi Sooyoung recently released a solo album in Japan, announcing her successful start. In Korea, she has focused solely on acting since releasing her first solo album ‘Winter Breath’ in 2018.

She began her solo activities by holding a showcase for her debut single ‘Unstoppable’ at the Ebisu Garden Hall in Tokyo, Japan on the 26th of last month. The album, released on the 30th of the same month, contains four new songs, including the title track of the same name. She participated in writing the lyrics for some of the songs and even took on the production of the album, demonstrating her musical abilities.

Thanks to the passionate interest of local fans in Sooyoung, the showcase held twice sold out both times.

She also released her new album in three types: ‘Limited Edition CD’, ‘CD+Blu-ray’, ‘CD Only’ for fans who have waited a long time for her local debut. The limited edition CD included a style book and a ticket to have a video call with Sooyoung, while the CD+Blu-ray included a documentary on her Japanese debut.

Sooyoung said through her agency Saram Entertainment, “This isn‘t my first time standing on stage alone, so I was really nervous and anxious when I heard the title of ’solo debut.‘” She continued, “I’m happy that my dream has come true, and I had so much fun standing on stage after such a long time.”

With this momentum, Sooyoung plans to further solidify her position as an actress. She will be appearing in the new tvN drama ‘Extremely Senseful Alcoholic’, scheduled to air early next year.

The drama tells the story of a woman who was born and raised in a family of alcoholics and escapes her ‘alcohol addiction’. In the drama, Choi Soo-young plays Han Geum-joo, who becomes a ‘mechanic’ through a public recruitment at a large company because she loves cars. She is a character who ‘drinks better than men’, and as befitting the romantic comedy genre, expectations are high for how she comically ruins herself.



Reporter Lee Jeong-yeon annjoy@donga.com