TWICE’s Nayeon shows off her bolder side with solo album ‘NA’
After achieving success with her previous solo endeavor, TWICE’s Nayeon is back with a new album to reignite the fervor. Marking a return after a two-year hiatus, her new solo album, “NA,” promises to show off the bolder and more intense side of the idol, a facet her fans have never seen before.
Back in 2022, Nayeon released “IM NAYEON,” along with its famous title track, “POP!.” The lead single garnered great acclaim, clinching the seventh spot on the U.S. Billboard 200 and maintaining top positions on Korean music charts.
At a press event held Thursday at a hotel in Songpa District, Seoul, to celebrate the release of her second mini-album, Nayeon discussed how her previous album’s “unexpected success” influenced the preparation of this one.
“Since ‘POP!’ was so well-loved, to say there was no pressure in preparing this album would be a lie,” Nayeon said.
“But I tried to enjoy the process as much as possible. Since my focus is more on activities with TWICE, I cherished the time I had to work on my solo activities.”
The new album’s title, “NA,” echoes the singer’s name, while it also translates to the word “me” in Korean. Nayeon said this reflects her “ambition to showcase a more candid charm.”
True to her ambition, the title track, “ABCD,” presents a confident and audacious side of Nayeon, completely different from the bubbly and cute image of her previous album. The song combines elements of hip-hop with early 2000s pop diva vibes.
Regarding the drastically different concepts, Nayeon explained, “The last album was what people thought of as typical ‘Nayeon from TWICE,’ and it suited my image well. 안전 With this album, I wanted to show a cooler and more mature side of myself. This side is also a part of me. I wanted to capture my most powerful and bold image.”
“Since the song has an early 2000s style, producer Park Jin-young advised me to watch a lot of videos of pop artists from that era. I got inspiration from watching music videos and live performances of various artists from back then,” she added.