miss A's Comeback Interview, From A to Z

A. It’s A. The girl group, miss A, has made a comeback with their fourth project mini-album.

B.  It’s not about beauty. Until now, miss A was all about intensity. Perhaps it is due to their performances…or maybe their strong lyrics. miss A stressed a cool and chic vibe.

C.  They wanted to be cute. Just like other girl groups, isn’t it about time that miss A show that they, too, have a feminine side?

D.  It’s time to be different. Since they are nearing a full three years since their debut, they feel it’s about time to prepare for a change.

Min says, “If someone said miss A, it was always linked with a strong image. Same with our fans. Many expected us to come out with an even stronger image the next time around. This year is our third year since our debut. We feel it’s time to break that perception. We wanted to show that we can also change. So we made a decision. To show our feminine charm.”

E. Here’s the thing about the entertainment industry. Once you have a set image, it’s not easy to change it.  Sudden changes can result in a negative response. In one word, change is risky.

F.  They have faith. More than fear of failing, miss A has faith that they will be able to pull this change off well. They believe they have even greater charms to show, more than they have already shown so far.

Fei adds, “There will definitely be a concept that fits us. But, there’s more to us than what our abilities have shown so far. That’s why we weren’t afraid to challenge ourselves with a new image. We feel confident that we can now show an even better stage performance. I’m curious and looking forward to seeing how people will react to our new look.”

G. They have taken extra steps to complete their girl transformations. It’s not just about the choreography, outfits, and the hair. They spent great efforts to make their hand gestures more feminine. They  specially want to achieve the soft feminine look.

H. They expressed a hurt girl’s feelings through their lyrics. The title track, “Touch,” is about a girl who faces the pain of a break-up and the hurt she carries around. Even though a new love comes her way, she is still stuck on her pain. It’s a song about a girl’s natural instinct to protect herself from further pain.

I.  Instinct. In order to portray this new soft feminine lady image, the filming of their music video was also vastly different from their usual ones. For the first time, miss A filmed directly with a male actor. Of course, it wasn’t easy. It was difficult to capture the right emotions. Ultimately, they were able to capture that instinctive human emotion of loneliness and create a music video that they are satisfied with.

Suzy explains, “We filmed the music video for two days. This time, there were many new experiences for us.  There’s a scene where we had to lipsync while acting and being hugged by the male actor. We had to lean on him and act, so I think it was the best way to get the lyrics across. Each member also did their best to give off sorrowful expressions. Thanks to everyone’s hard work, I think we were able to finish creating an awesome music video.”

J.  We are preparing for a stage performance so awesome it will make others jealous. miss A will show unique dance moves that will put them at a different class altogether.

K.  The moves are not necessarily kind to everyone. More than a performance which anyone can copy, they focused on creating a performance that only they can show. Their dance stresses on their fingertips with a charming transformation that only miss A can show.

Jia and Suzy state, “Park Jin Young PD first thought of a choreography that consisted of modern dance.  There is no movement that expressed topsy-turvy suffering. Instead, there are movements resembling shooting a gun and the likes that stress the movements of the fingertips. It’s a different style of imagery including strong gazes at our fingertips. If you pay attention to these aspects of our choreography, we’re sure you’ll feel our dance is definitely something else.”

L. They worked hard for listeners as well. In order to portray the voice of a girl hurt by a love gone wrong, they took out a lot of the power in their voice during recording. Instead, they emphasized a lot on emotion-filled vocals.

M.  The music is catchy. Right from the intro, the title track “Touch” has a synthesizer beat repeating throughout the song. If you listen to the sophisticated beat for just an instant, you can feel a slight groove happening in your shoulders. Just listening to the song once is enough to have the beat from the intro running in your head all day.

Min and Fei add, “We liked the title track from the moment we first heard it. From the start, the synthesized part that is repeated instantly becomes the part you can’t forget. Also, the intro beat has a uniquely Korean feel to it. That’s why we think this song isn’t just for teenagers but will also be appreciated by older people as well.”

N.  Noise is happening already. Aside from the outfits, there are other sensational remarks. But, they are not a noisy girl group.

O. Omnibus. If you open the lid, you can know them. From their songs, choreography, dance, expressions, and even their outfits, they will definitely continue to show a vibrant stage performance.

P. Play. It will be a stage performance everyone can enjoy.  And…

Q. They will show a quiet, feminine demeanor.

R. They will also show a romantic side to them.

S. They are sexy as well, albeit a different flavor of sexy.

T. Teacher. This is something that Park Jin Young wanted to see from them, as well.

U. They are unique and sexy.

Fei and Suzy say, “We’ve thought a lot about the term ‘sexy’ since our trainee days. But, we never liked the outright sexy look. We felt that real sexy came from confident expressions and great choreography, just like Beyonce and Rihanna. We searched for a style that was our own ‘sexy.’ There’s a story behind our version of ‘sexy’. The bandage dress represents covering up wounds, while the lacy rose-print one gives off the feminine vibe. Wearing pearls beneath the eyes represents tears. Rather than an outright sexy image, we think people will be able to construct a story out of the images we provide them.”

V.  They are pure and intense like a virgin. They are feminine, but stimulating. That is miss A’s ‘sexy’.

W.  They have no worries. All they have left is to show what they’ve got on stage.

X.  Their album was made with lots of XOXO [hugs and kisses, by English standards, but the Korean interview uses this to mean “filled with love”]. miss A is definitely looking forward to hearing positive responses from their fans, as this album was made with love.

Y.  Why? Confidence. That’s what miss A is made of.

Z. They plan on giving a stage performance full of zeal and confidence. miss A will show an even more perfect form on stage.

miss A concludes, “We are looking forward to making a long-awaited comeback. miss A’s new album theme for 2012 is the rose. Just as a flower blossoms, miss A would like to blossom as well. We worked hard to prepare for this comeback, paying attention to outfits, make-up, and expressions. We are a bit nervous but we will definitely do our best on stage.  We hope you will enjoy our passionate performance. While listening to our comeback, please have fun and enjoy a new flavor of miss A.”

miss A’s MV “Touch”