[Newsen Writing Reporter Go Kyungmin / Photo Reporter Lee Jaeha]
This year is clearly the year of the female solo singers. IU, JOO, Navi, Beige, After School’s leader Kahi and even former BABY V.O.X main vocal Kan Miyeon released their own mini albums and pronounced themselves as solo singers. Despite the many female artists, G.NA shines with her visuals and musicality.
G.NA recently released her title track for her new full-length album, Black & White.’ It has been receiving much love and heated up the Internet as it rose to number one on music charts. On the 17th, she won first place on Mnet’s ‘Mcountdown’ and displayed her potential as a female solo singer. She started her first nationwide fan signing on the 11th in Seoul Kangnam Central City, then Daejeon on the 12th, and Busan on the 13th. Even at her fan signings, her fans confirmed her hot popularity.
With the recent album promotions, G.NA’s amazing body caught many eyes. Before promoting her album, she lost 3.5kg and she lost a lot of body fat. She boasted a more firm and balanced body than the time she promoted ‘I’ll Back Off So You Can Live Better’ and ‘Supa Solo.’
G.NA said, “During my last promotions, I worked harder to hide myself because I didn’t want my body to be magnified. It felt overwhelming that all the eyes were turned on my body even before I was able to show off my musical side. However, my thoughts have changed. Saying I’m hiding it when it’s not even getting hidden haha. I’m thinking of everything in a positive way and to succeed at everything boldly.”
Although her body is worth being jealous of, with her nine-part proportioned mannequin body, small face and D-cup chest size, G.NA found all this as a complex.
“I am truly thankful that they gave me the nickname of mannequin body. That kind of compliment always makes me happy. However, it is better to say that I worked hard to get a body that fits that nickname rather than being born with it. My growing condition is only different because it was passed down from my family. My mother, younger sister and grandmother have similar body types. But my large chest causes a lot of frustrations for me.”
Like G.NA said, her amazing body came from her parents. G.NA’s mother, Yoon Taesun, used to be a national representative swimmer in Canada. G.NA’s mother is close to rocker Yoo Hyunsang’s wife, Choi Yoonhee, who is called Asia’s mermaid. They are so close that G.NA even calls Choi Yoonhee ‘auntie.’
Her father, Choi Sunsoo, came out of the Marines and was an active national representative taekwondo player. G.NA’s younger sister is currently an athlete in Canada and before G.NA debuted, G.NA played volleyball and did cheerleading.
Unlike her athletic family, G.NA was closer to music and unknowingly dreamed of being a singer. Especially when her father passed away and her mother sent G.NA to live with her grandparents, she had no choice but to hide her dreams from her grandparents, who thought differently.
But in 2005, she left for Korea without a plan as soon as she entered college. At the time, G.NA passed the ‘Battle Shinhwa’ auditions and found a chance. At the same time, 2PM’s Nichkhun and Park Jaebum were picked up by JYP. G.NA said, “The time we went to go see open auditions and received the same casting card. The time we arrived in Korea was similar as well. We were picked up by separate agencies at a similar time as well. When I think about this process, I think it was fate.”
In 2007, G.NA prepared to debut via MTV’s ‘Diary of the Five Girls’ but the plan was dispersed and she returned to Canada with much heartache. The other members who originated in Five Girls, Yubin, UEE and Jeon Hyosung all debuted before her in separate groups. G.NA had watched their appearances from behind. But G.NA didn’t give up.
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To those who don’t give up, there are second chances. President of Cube Entertainment, Hong Seungsong, acknowledged G.NA’s potential and brought her to his company. Even after entering Cube, the chance to debut didn’t come easily. However, as she chased her dreams, many events happened that allowed her to grow more mature.
“When you think about it, there’s nothing that happens on the first try. Nothing comes easy. Things that come easy disappear easily too. One has to endure something not just once, but three, four times to think of it easily than hard. Even though my other friends debuted before me, I feel that I am an adult and that I grew a lot more than they did.”
G.NA caused much fist clenching, even as a child. She was born in Canada and spent her school days there as well. G.NA had always participated a lot in school events and was popular among her friends. She was a student that enjoyed taking the lead and was always bursting with energy.
However, she felt darkness, loneliness and alienation for the first time when she arrived in Korea. When G.NA looks back, she said that that was her life’s turning point. She became a more frustrated person as she thinks ‘Why can’t I do this quickly’ and that fact makes her more confident and proud. She became a singer that way and after she debuted, it was because she had no choice but to work hard.
Like other singers with nice visuals, G.NA did not receive attacks on her singing ability. Her debut had been late but in turn, it took her blood, sweat and tears to raise her singing ability. She practiced every song in her album so that when anybody asked her to sing, she would take the stage immediately. And by practicing so much, she showed off a strong confidence in her live stages.
She hid her dance skills for a while and instead, she showed off cute choreography that would make her unique charm more appealing. She had worried a lot about rejection because she had gained many female fans with her familiar, cold and chic image. If you see G.NA in her actuality, you will remember her as a much more bubbly, pleasant and friendly person.
G.NA’s goal was never being first place. “I hope that a lot of people will know a person named G.NA. I just want to make clear that my goal is not first place but rather, it is to allow my name to be known. I want to become a singer who knows her own color, like Yoon Mirae and pop singer Christina Aguilera. I want my name, G.NA, to have a brand name value. I want to make music that you can listen to without hesitation. I will work hard.”
G.NA’s passion shines brighter than G.NA’s beautiful body.
Go Kyungmin goginim@newsen.com / Lee Jaeha rush@newsen.com
CREDITS: NATE NEWS (SOURCE); hyunnypoo@ROYALGNA (TRANS)
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