It’s been about 2 years since we met. You were proud of the last photoshoot since you used it as your Instagram profile picture for a long time right?

I am proud of today’s shoot as much as last time (laughs).

You were with the Dior 2023 F/W collection devoted to iconic women such as Catherine Dior and Edith Piaf. As much as you attend the show, how do you feel about today’s shoot?

I really enjoyed the show. Usually, I prefer wearing modern styles that are black and white or darker colors, so I was imagining what kind of event would match these outfits while watching it. I also told Maria Grazia Chiuri that I loved the collection this time. It was really fluttering to see the outfit look in person for the shoot today. I would say there are lots of looks that could be worn daily. Even the new bags of course.

While on tour, you also finished your solo activities with your album . Even if you’re used to busy schedules, it wouldn’t be easy.

Actually, being on tour gave me more power. I wanted to show my solo performance on the concert stage quickly. I wanted to see BLINKs enjoy it, so even though it was a tight schedule, I pushed it forward. It wasn’t that hard honestly (laughs). I have pretty good stamina but besides that, I think 24 hours is really long. Although this may sound weird.

I know what you mean! Sometimes I watch 3 movies and think, only 6 hours have passed? There’s still more to the day.

That’s right. I feel like I lived a life that matched 24 hours? When we have breaks in between the tours, the days feel very long to me. Solo activities were also fun to me because it felt like I was spending the whole day at its fullest. It was a long time since I performed on Korean music shows as well. When we were promoting ‘Shut Down’ and ‘Pink Venom’ last year, the number of audiences were limited. There were more video call events than face-to-face signing events. So the other members envied my activities.

How did you feel to perform ‘FLOWER’ at Coachella.

I was very nervous at first. That I had to perform solo at such a big festival. But thinking about it, even the members who released their solos before me like Rose and Lisa, were also performing their solo songs for the first time at a festival too. Jennie would also be nervous to perform as a solo. The thought that I’m not the only one made me less nervous. Even though I was performing by myself, it felt like we were performing together. I received lots of support by them as well since it was a recently released song.

The British Summer Time Hyde Park 2023 which you performed as headliner introduced BLACKPINK as K-pop Trailblazer. Is there anything that you really think BLACKPINK has blazed a trail?

Wouldn’t it be half-half? We have also walked the path that other artists have made, but as the platform increased, we debuted when the accessibility to K-pop was more open, and during that, I feel that we developed our own ways as well. Just like how we walked on a path that was smoothened out, I hope we could help the artists that would come after us, walk on a smoother path. I hope we get connected as the later artists also develop their own things as well. Anyway, that’s something good to hear.

In between the tours, you diligently filmed vlogs and uploaded them to your YouTube channel. Paris, Cologne, Copenhagen, London, Amsterdam… the cities were diverse. I
thought “You are very curious about the world.”

I’m originally the type of person to stay at home. I didn’t travel around at all during our last tour, but since we had a longer stay in Europe, we had breaks in between. I thought, why not film vlogs to show fans what we’re doing on tour? While filming the vlogs, I also got to feel the atmosphere of the cities, and I got more memories to look back on, so I guess it served a double purpose! I wonder what I should upload now? Now I’m considering what to do about operating the channel steadily (laughs).

You said that all profit earned by ‘Happiness Index 103 %’ will be donated. How did you think of donating the profit?

It’s a very simple channel. Maybe it would be different if it was a more professional style or a channel that gives quality information, but I’m just showing everyone my everyday life, lying in my room all day, and I was unwilling to receive profit from just this. Fans would also be watching the videos in support of me, so in the end, if this results in a positive event, the people who watch, as well as myself, would all feel happy, which is why I decided to donate it. I’m still thinking of how to donate the profit. I will let you know later!

During your solo promotions, you appeared on a popular web variety show, showing your friendly personal side of yourself. Do you think you were able to deliver what you wanted to show well?

I actually didn’t expect the reaction that I seemed ‘easy-going.’ Fans know me for a long time but, since I was less exposed to public channels, I felt that many people now notice this side of me. Many seem to think that I’m a passive and quiet person. I got curious about the public’s first impression of me.

It’s kind of odd to think a person who’s debuted for over 8 years is wondering about this now (laughs)

Because I really don’t change. Once I start liking something, I continue liking it for a long time. It’s not that I don’t try out new things but, if I say I like strawberries, I only eat strawberries even if there are other fruits in front of me. Even if there are new ramen products, I only eat the products that I like. I hardly change that my parents always say, “You’re the same as when you were young,’ so that’s maybe why I was curious about having a different perceived image.

You probably haven’t changed your love for bathtubs and books either. What is your favorite space or time at home?

When I lie on my couch before going to sleep after completing my day. I really like the time when I finished everything I need to do and all I have to do is sleep. I lie down comfortably on the couch and turn on ‘songs that help sleep’ or ‘rain sounds’ and doze off, when I feel that I’m going to fall asleep, I go to my bed.

What does Jisoo in the present want to focus on the most?

The tour concerts that are remaining. The encore concerts are planned to have the same setlist as Coachella so the performances are going to be different from the tours from before. We will try to familiarize the parts we thought were lacking and make a more complete stage so I hope the people who come to watch our show receive a new kind of energy. Also health! One time I could not perform on stage because I had Covid-19, and I was really sad. I was very disappointed too. I couldn’t force anything so I worked on recovering my condition, but after experiencing that, I worked harder on taking care of my health. I will for sure stay healthy until the end of the tour.

There are emotions that get set free through performing the songs on stage, and some of the lyrics match what I’m feeling. But delivering emotions perfectly is impossible. Do you try to deliver what you feel?

I don’t think it is necessary to deliver or express tired, disappointed, or sad emotions. Even to this day, I can’t imagine myself talking to my members or my parents saying, “Actually, I feel this way these days. That doesn’t mean I leave those emotions and do nothing about them. I just think about them by myself and most of them just disappear when I go to sleep. I share positive emotions often. If I see funny videos, I have to share them with others and receive their agreement (laughs).

You step forward by taking care of yourself.

I’m good at shaking it off, and I’m good at accepting things quickly. Sometimes, I can’t change the situation. If I can see that the situations can change, I would work hard for it, but I don’t want to push myself to the edge on things that I don’t have control over. After all, I have the responsibility to protect myself.

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