T-ara’s Eunjung just made her debut as a solo singer. However, she did not use her actual name, but a stage name ‘Elsie’ to release a solo album with the title song being ‘I’m Good’ to start off her schedules. Although she is the third member in T-ara following Jiyeon and Hyomin to have their solo debuts, Eunjung is the first member to use a new stage name to release an album. After debuting for 7 years as an idol, Eunjung is using ‘Elsie’ to come back as a new singer.

Eunjung sat down at a cafe in Jongno-gu Sogyeokdong with reporters for an interview on the 13th of May. She talked about her feelings about the solo album release and some back stories etc.

Among listeners of female idol groups’ music, many would definitely know who T-ara Eunjung is. But they wouldn’t be familiar with Elsie. There were even rumors that Elsie is a parody name to imitate the movie Frozen. So why did Eunjung use “Elsie” as a stage name for her solo activities?

“It’s a name thought of by our CEO. The name wraps around the meaning of having all sorts of beauty. It includes honesty, straightforwardness, joyfulness, etc. Actually, I feel that if I use my own name Eunjung rather than Elsie, it would have been better. But for the sake of bringing out a better feel of the song, we decided to use Elsie instead of Eunjung. I hope the song would stand out more in that way.”

Although it is a blind concept, mysterious, but in actuality, many people knew that Elsie was T-ara Eunjung even before the official announcement. Even though Eunjung’s face did not appear in the teaser, netizens pointed out that “T-ara Eunjung is Elsie.” Therefore, the marketing of Elsie ended just like that.

“Haha, actually I figured that everyone would know that it’s me. But it’s like a mysterious-yet-obvious kind of emphasis I think? Actually, the fact that many people could recognize Elsie is Eunjung had me relieved. Frankly speaking, B2ST’s Jang Hyun Seung and Secret’s Jeon Hyosung are releasing solo albums right now too, right? Because it’s my first solo album, and with Jang Hyun Seung and Jeong Hyosung, everyone was worried about what I would do.”

Having debuted in 2009, this is Eunjung’s first time going solo after 7 years of being a singer (including trainee years), and she has a different feelings as compared to when she is with T-ara. Although she is given the chance to display an image that is perfectly unique to herself on stage, she feels the burden of having to fulfil what is required of her on stage all by herself.

“Previously, we went on stage as 6 girls, but now, it’s just me and the male dancer. I feel shy and curious at the same time. Furthermore, our CEO wants me to constantly perform better than my previous performance. (laughs) During my solo schedules, it feels like my promotion song: although I’m trying to feel fine being by myself, but in fact, being alone is not easy at all. I prefer having activities with the other members. But in order to present a new and fresh image, I have carry the thought of being ok by myself.”

Eunjung had talked about past events regarding the conflict with ex-member Hwayoung on MNet’s 4 Things Show while tearing non-stop and received the public’s attention. She revealed the truth behind the past events through an interview.

“Because it seemed like we said a lot of things that was misunderstood, so we were very upset. Because I felt that my tears gave the impression that I was wronged, but that should not have been the right thing to do, so I blamed myself. I felt like I should have been more careful, it should not have been like that. Actually, when the filming was over, there were more relaxed moments. It wasn’t because of certain happenings that I cried, but more of because the filming was very meaningful and I felt so blessed that I cried. Because it was a reality and variety show that was filmed over a span of a few days so it became very comfortable. Thank you all (the crew) for making the filming so comfortable and relaxing, a program that wouldn’t get me scolded, I said these words. There was a female producer and director on set that cried after listening to my story; upon seeing them cry, I cried too.”

A T-ara that relies on their cute and joyous music, to receive huge popularity and support every time they release songs, went through a tough time after the ex-member Hwayoung bullying controversy. After some time, the controversy and debates slowly subsided, but it left a painful emotional scar on T-ara’s members. Eunjung who was thankful for not getting scolded during film shoots was asked how she managed to cope with the emotional pain.

“Firstly, I thought of the fans, they are the reason why I was determined to hold on. And I am the kind of person that would admit to something very quickly, so I thought, “so it’s like that” and I slowly accepted it. I also had to think about future activities. The public might not think that I have admitted it because it was not clearly expressed. But I have already admitted and accepted the fact.”

Although it has been 3 years since T-ara’s bully controversy, there are still some malicious labelling remarks (labelling T-ara as bullies). Eunjung hopes that giving it more time will be the solution to this. Instead of forcefully doing things (to explain and receive forgiveness), I would rather let time solve everything, put things back in order.

“I hope we can be like before. But it seems like it’s not easy to go back to how things were. Giving our best and displaying a good image, everyone’s perspective of us would slowly improve, this is what I think. Instead of making statements, I think it is more important to show our effort and do our best in our activities.”

Using the stage name Elsie to stand on the solo stage, Eunjung uses her sexy charms to replace her usual adorable and at times, boyish charisma. In order to display a perfect image on stage, her goal is to use this period of time to show new charms to captivate the public.

“To make everyone think, ’T-ara’s Eunjung is capable of this image?’ I wanted to display a contrasting look. Besides, after displaying a feminine and sexy concept, I hope to show yet another different image the next time.”

Eunjung was asked about her thoughts of what T-ara would be like during their 10th year. Eunjung imagined an image of the members being in their 30s and exclaimed. At the same time, she mentioned that she wants to use the name T-ara to be with the other members, showing her love for the group.

“T-ara’s 10th anniversary? How old would I be then? I would be in my 30s. I hope to be able to produce music that would appeal to the audience of that generation. I also hope that we can use the charms of all 6 of us to continue having activities. However, it is not up to us whether we can continue having T-ara activities regardless of time. We must release albums and have fans around. When all of us discussed this, we expressed our hopes of being able to have activities of our own while also continuing as T-ara. This is our burning wish.”

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Source: Star News