After a year’s wait, Gong Minzy has finally dropped her solo album “MINZY WORK 01 UNO“, which contained the title track “NINANO“.
To promote her album, she met fans at her solo debut showcase yesterday (Monday, 17th April) and opened up about various areas of her life. From being a solo artiste to her former days with 2NE1, the singer revealed her honest thoughts to fans.
Although the 23-year-old artiste admits to being nervous (so much as that she didn’t get any sleep the night before), she was nevertheless excited to have an album and track under her own name.
However, while working on her album, she noticed differences between her current label, The Music Works, and her former company. She described the latter as a more systematic place and had rules in place, but her current workplace has a “family-like feeling to it”.
“Whether you’re starting to work or already working, working hard feels fun. It’s like talking to family. I can now do things myself and put out my own ideas. I’m having a lot of fun,” continued the singer.
That’s not to say that she wasn’t grateful to YG Entertainment.
While talking about the agency, she said, “After leaving YG and 2NE1, both of which were like my hometown, I was very nervous. I felt pressured to meet all of the expectations. Preparing my album was a good catalyst, as it was a new challenge for me and a new opportunity for me to grow. YG is like my ancestral home. After all, that is where I learned to sing and dance. It was a great help for many reasons.”
She summed up her experience in YG with, “Because there was YG, there can be the artiste Gong Minzy.”
While on the topic, she also revealed her thoughts about Yang Hyun Suk, saying, “He is the one who saw me grow since I was in 5th grade. I think he’ll be proud of me releasing this album. I believe he’ll be supporting me and I will be ‘fighting’ on.”
Minzy also took this chance to dispel rumours of bad blood between her former company and her. “It happened smoothly because my contract came to an end. With my contract ending (with YG Entertainment), I had to make a decision to show a new, improved musical side of me,” affirmed the singer.
In addressing the differences in image between the one in 2NE1 and the one she holds now, she exclaimed, “In the past, I had a girl crush image but now I think it’s more of a friendly one. Because of our strong image, it was hard to approach me but now with a more feminine image, I think there’s a feeling that I’m more mature.”
Echoing Sandara Park’s previous interview, Minzy also explained that the former 2NE1 members are still in contact with each other. “We monitor each other and communicate with each other frequently. They also cheer me on a lot,” revealed the “NINANO” singer.
She also named their performance at MAMA (Mnet Asian Music Awards) as her most memorable moment with 2NE1, although she did not specifically stated which year.
Minzy also hopes that she’ll be able “to approach the public more naturally”, and wishes for the public to recognise her as an individual artiste.
The singer is also active on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, so you know where to go if you wanna keep yourself updated with Minzy’s whereabouts 😉
