Captain that gif is fantastic!!
I am still amazed at how the girls can go from super adorable cute to devastating beauty in the blink of an eye. They are always such a pleasure to watch. And I am loving the song.
On October 21, seven reporters sat drinking sips of fresh juice kindly ordered by T-ara’s agency, waiting for the girls to come in. The girls came in at 4 pm (GMT +9) with bright smiles and friendly waves and began handing us their signed CDs in person. They all looked lovely in their stylish outfits that didn’t seem to scream out ‘too much’ and smiled shyly as they sat down facing the reporters. The reporters sat directly across from the members, only a small coffee table between us, which made the interview much more intimate. During the interview the girls shed tears as they shared their personal stories.
Right to left: Hyomin, Soyeon, Qri, Boram, Jiyeon, Eunjung
Q: Why do you think T-ara has been getting so much criticism?
(Eunjung): Whatever someone says, there is a reason for that, and I think we get such criticism because, regardless of whether those rumors were true or not, there was a kernel of truth in them. I think we must strive to be even better.
(Hyomin): There was a lot of interest in everything about us, whether big or small, and the people who loved us got disappointed. We do think that was our fault and nothing we do can reverse that. I think it is right for us to acknowledge we were naive and reckless, and must strive to do better.
(Eunjung): We wanted to explain ourselves quickly, but we couldn’t and I think maybe that’s why this issue still remains. We were frustrated, too. We tried to think of a way, any way, to explain our side, and we thought we should not try to explain with words, but actions.
Soyeon
Q: You were well-loved but now it’s different. Isn’t that hard to cope with?
(Soyeon): I think the really difficult times are past and now we’re more grateful and happier with the small stuff. Before this issue came up, it wasn’t unnatural for us to be waiting for a first prize, but after that problem we were saddened by the reduced interest and support for us. Now we’re just thankful for being a contender for the top place. I think our recent win was more delightful than ever.
(Jiyeon): Same for me as well, I realized a lot and learned a lot. I learned to be thankful for even the small, trivial things.
Q: Apparently the rumors spread even faster because one of you had a bad reputation. What do you think of this?
(Eunjung): I think we might have been arrogant kids. We did as we felt and thought, and so, regardless of whether we really meant to be bad, people thought of us that way. Now, I think we’re wiser and more experienced, and can portray ourselves as better people than we were.
Q: Do you think it’s time to make a fresh, new start?
(Hyomin): It would be nice if there was a clear-cut way to make our image positive again, but we don’t know. I think all we can do is to do everything with sincerity. In the past, our boss was like a tiger teacher and a fearsome father, but that incident took away his confidence and instead of advising us, he just suggested we do our best together for this album.
Q: There were some changes to your lineup. Can you tell us about that?
Eunjung
(Eunjung): We don’t have any authority to choose our members, and that’s all up to our agency and the boss. Of course, we didn’t want to change members. We never even mentioned wanting a change. We were hurt by the changes, but we’re in the position of carrying out the tasks set before us, so we just did our best.
Q: Do your overseas fans treat you better than your Korean fans?
(Eunjung): They’re all very warm and sympathetic to us. I’m so grateful they came together, even after that issue, to protect us—I think we became even closer after that.
Q: How about your idol friends? How did they react to your comeback?
Boram
(Soyeon): We had good colleagues with us, but we were the ones being careful. We used to be such good friends, but after the unfortunate incident, we were introverted and guarded to avoid harming others because of our image. Even when they approached us, we couldn’t help but feel sorry. Thankfully, our friends told us there was no need to be like that, that they still liked us, and we were so grateful about that. We’re still sorry, though.
Q: Soyeon, you’re boyfriend used to have a good image. Any comments?
(Soyeon): I’m so sorry about that. But he’s such a sincere and good person, that instead of worrying about himself, he worries constantly about me.
Q: How do you think you’re doing so well, even after the incident?
(Soyeon): I think that although we don’t hit home runs all the time, we have been blessed with good people around us. I think a sign of this blessing are the good people who write songs and make choreography for us.
Q: What do you think about acting? (Eunjung): We all received acting training—we kept our skills current and wanted to put it to use, but I think we can only do it if we get the chance—and we’re in the position of having to be cast, so I think if we train a lot and wait, we will eventually get a chance to meet you at our best on-screen. I’m not anxious. I’m just waiting for the time.
Q: In the past, you had a very busy schedule, and that can be tiring and frustrating. It’s possible your bad image came from this unintended frustration. Do you think this vicious cycle will repeat again?
(Eunjung): Before that issue, we considered our schedule to be just that—a schedule. But now everything is an opportunity and we’re more responsible than before.
(Hyomin): It’s a busy schedule for everyone and it’s something all idols are doing, so although we used to grumble—I don’t think anyone is doing that now.
(Eunjung): If there’s a member who acts like that, we’re going to have a word with her, of course. (the girls laugh)
Q: Would you say your team is in harmony now?
(Eunjung): We’re very harmonious now. We all think the same and want the same, so now we can tell what the other is thinking with just a glance.
Q: Your new album was made in difficult circumstances. Were your mental attitudes any different this time around?
Eunjung and Soyeon
(Soyeon): I think that, naturally, we and our boss were different from before. Previously, what we wanted was are songs to be a hit, to rank number ones. Basically, we wanted success after success. When preparing our albums there was always a small greedy wish in it, but I think that changed for this album. This time all we wanted was to be loved. Thankfully, we had an unexpectedly positive response. Even our boss wasn’t confident that this album would be a hit—we became more mature and made a more sincere effort. Our boss was always more confident than we, but this time he was the more anxious one. He had a hand in everything, including the albums and costumes.
(Eunjung): This time, our boss treated us like a newbie agency talking to newbie singers. He told us to go wherever anyone called for us. (smiling)
Q: Did you feel anxious when other girl groups came out with new performances and new concept?
(Eunjung): All we thought about was whether people would like our style of music. We wanted the people to listen to the song and think ‘T-ara.’ Rather than feeling anxious because of other girl groups, we focused on keeping our type of music and to have people love our music.
(Soyeon): Honestly, I did envy other girls. While other girl groups tried out unconventional and new concepts, we were very cautious of everything. We thought that it wasn’t the right time to try something new. We hoped that anyone, even one person could be waiting for T-ara’s music, which is what we focused on as we prepared for the comeback.
(Hyomin): Rather than wanting new attention, we chose to comeback with a similar type of music for the fans who kept their support all these times.
Q: Did you have a say in choosing the double title tracks for this album?
(Eunjung): No, the double titles were chosen by our boss. It was chosen 3 days before our comeback! (laugh) I thought it was going to be “Number Nine” only.
Qri, Hyomin, Boram, Jiyeon
Q: I heard this cafe is run by one of the member’s family?
(Eunjung): Yes, that’s me. My mom owns this cafe. This is a 24 hour cafe so please feel free to stay here as long as you want! (everyone laughs)
Q: Where have you been in Europe? Do you know that you have fans in Europe?
(Soyeon): We’ve been to France, Swiss, and Italy. The first time we landed at the airport, we were amazed that some of the people recognized us! To be greeted by fans from across the continents was amazing. It’s been 2 years since the last visit and we would love to visit there again!
Q: Is there anything you hope for?
(Eunjung): Honestly, we can’t ask for more. Our music is ranking quite high on music charts, to our surprise! Also, we were nominated for 1st place yesterday as well. That’s more than enough for us. We are trying our best step by step.
(Soyeon): I think keeping our place and being loved steadily, are the hardest thing. We don’t want to disappoint our remaining fans but we do want to feel people’s genuine love and encouraging applause once again if and ever we win something.
(Hyomin): Coming back after a year felt such a long time for us. Before we were always doing something, releasing several new songs or mini albums in a year. But after coming back after a long break, it feels like we’ve all become much more stable in mind and body. This is a side note but, if possible, I would like to do camping with the fans!
Q: What would you like to say to your members?
(Jiyeon): I just want to say that I’m always thankful to them. (with tears)
(Hyomin): We’ve been together for 5 years as T-ara, and lived together even before the debut so 7 years in total. We are like family. After experiencing all kinds of things together, we’ve come to depend on each other. I’m always thankful to the members for sharing their hearts and purposes as one group even after going through the tough times. Especially, the older members takes care of the younger ones so well. I want us to be T-ara for a long time.
http://kpoppla.net/interview/special-interview-t-ara-believes-the-difficult-times-have-passed/
That was a really sad story from the mother whose daughter wasn't growing hair and the kids at school were being mean to her because she was different. She looked so sad but she smiled at the end.
Certainly T-ARA has a unique presence that fills up the stage but we can't judge F-ve Dolls too harshly for not being T-ARA.
One of the things I've always liked about CCM are their collaborations between groups. SPEED, Davichi, F-ve Dolls and even Skull have worked with T-ARA and they make great songs as a result. I'm not sure how many other companies do that. It's not like we see SNSD and f(x) do any work together nor have we seen any Rainbow/KARA work (DSP) team ups.
So rather than T-ARA upstaging F-ve Dolls I see it as more of a complement which in my opinion, K-pop needs more of these days.
Eunjung: Hello viewers of Net Ease, I'm T-ara's Eunjung. Very happy to meet with fans from China. Thank you !!
Jiyeon: Hello viewers of Net Ease, I'm T-ara's Jiyeon ... Thank you ... See you again.
Soyeon: Hello viewers of Net Ease, I'm Soyeon. I will work hard. Please support me. Thank you everyone. See you again.
Boram: Hello viewers of Net Ease, I'm T-ara's eldest, Boram. I love you. Thank you.
Qri: Hello viewers of Net Ease, I'm T-ara's Qri. Thank you.
Hyomin: Hello viewers of Net Ease, I'm T-ara's Hyomin ... "me me da" (Chinese internet slang use to express love) ... We love you all ... Bye Bye
T-ara's performances today on Arirang Simply K-Pop were great! They performed I Don't Want You and Sugar Free. The 140914 SBS Inkigayo performance of Sugar Free is still my favorite, but this would be one of the next three best along with the 140921 SBS Inkigayo one and the 140923 SBS MTV The Show one. I have seen all of their Sugar Free performances.
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