Han Seo-in, formerly of group The SeeYa-Five Dolls, has released her first solo album in 13 years since her debut.

In an interview with Donga.com to commemorate the release of her first single, ‘Through Time’, Han Seo-in said, “I felt a thirst for not being able to release an album for about 10 years after my debut.”Although I currently teach vocals to students at three universities, I like being on stage more than in front of a classroom. I wanted to do it before I get older. Music has been a part of my life since I was young, and if I get the chance, I will do music for the rest of my life,“ she said about her feelings about having a solo song under her name.

‘Through Time’ is a City Pop genre song rich in warm and lyrical acoustic instrument sounds, and Han Seo-in participated in writing the lyrics, composing, and producing the song herself. The lyrics express the feelings of the child ‘me’ and the adult ‘me’ about the past, present, and the unpredictable future of tomorrow.

According to Han Seo-in, the song was conceived in August of last year and is a song with the four seasons in mind. He said, “Since it was my first solo song, I really wanted to do well,” and shared a behind-the-scenes story of the work, saying, “I wrote the melody in 5 minutes, but the lyrics took a long time. I was greedy, so I wanted to put in poetic expressions. It was even harder because it was my first song I wrote and composed.”

He continued to explain the song’s introduction, “May a lively spring begin again in each of your lives,” saying, “I wanted it to be a song that makes you feel good whenever you listen to it. That’s why I made it with the intention of making it warm and giving off a feeling like someone is embracing you, even though it has high notes.”

“I’ve been working on one song a week for over a year, even if it’s unfinished. Close to 100 songs. This is the first time I‘ve written a song like this in one go, ‘Time Passes’. The lyrics themselves were written with people in their 30s and 40s in mind, but they’re relatable to all generations. I hope this song will provide happiness, empathy, and hope, as well as comfort and support, to listeners who are tired of life and going through difficult times.”

She then introduced her husband, who is one year older than her, as her mentor, saying, “We‘ve been married for four years and things are getting better and better. My husband is a non-celebrity who works at a large corporation, but he’s more talented and has better instincts than me. When we film acting audition videos, he acts as my partner, and the CEO of my agency says, ‘He acts better than me...’ (laughs) My husband is also more popular on Reels. I married him because he‘s a fun person who has a positive attitude.”

“My husband fully supports my music activities. I appeared in the music video for ’As Time Goes By‘ and he complimented my acting. He said the content was well-organized. My husband really likes this song. That’s why I became more confident about ‘Time Passes By’.”
‘Time Passes By’ is also a song of comfort for Han Seo-in, who started her social life in her teens. She became a trainee when she was 16 and debuted at 19 under her real name, Oh Yeon-kyung. She said, ”In my early 20s, it was actually difficult for me to get along with my school friends. At the time, I only tried to look good, but my friends were just bright and cheerful. My personality changed a lot in my 20s and I went through a stormy period. Now, I‘m grateful to those friends. Even so, they hung out with me (laughs),“ recalling her shy past, she said, ”Now that I’m in my 30s, I act cute a lot. I think I‘m too comfortable and want to show that I’m comfortable.“

“I was promoting under my real name, but my contract with the company at the time ended, and I needed a turning point. I started promoting under the stage name Han Seo-in, which sounds good, and strangely enough, I got the opportunity to appear on KBS2‘s ‘The Unit’ right after I changed my name. I was able to work steadily after that. I gained various experiences through variety shows (‘Korean Chicken War’) and dramas (‘It’s Okay Because I‘m Dad’), and I also met my current agency.”
Lastly, Han Seo-in said, “I gained strength and courage while working in the entertainment industry for 13 years. This is something you can’t do if you‘re scared. I had to become stronger inside, and my personality changed to be courageous and try new challenges.”Among those, I get dopamine when I do music. In the future, I hope to continue doing things that I like that release dopamine, even if it’s not necessarily music,” and promised her next activity.

Han Seo-in‘s first solo single ‘Time Passes’ will be available on various music sites starting at noon on the 28th.

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com reporter jhj@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.