ayeon is the focal point of the universe, and we are in general rotating around her. With her sophomore smaller than usual collection, ‘Na’, Nayeon ensures we don’t focus on any other person: all things considered, “na” signifies “I” in Korean. However, more than getting a touch of consideration, the Two times still up in the air to make everybody “fall further” enamored with her, as she sings on the venture’s habit-forming title track ‘ABCD’, which powers through with considerably more zing than her viral TikTok hit, ‘Pop!’.
That solitary, and its going with smaller than normal collection ‘Im Nayeon’, was a demonstration of Nayeon’s singular gifts past Two times, and laid the basis for a promising future as a craftsman by her own doing. With ‘Na’, Nayeon returns for a considerably more true festival of herself. “I know it’s anything but an unquestionable requirement to attempt new things and challenge myself,” she tells NME over a Zoom call from Seoul only weeks in front of the delivery. “Yet, I believe showing various sides of me is really fascinating”.
Nayeon gives us an early soundtrack for the late spring with the seven-track assortment, which explores through a blend of Y2K pop (‘ABCD’), charming R&B (‘Paradise’, ‘Wizardry’), UK carport beats (‘Something’) and that’s just the beginning. “During the time spent choosing tunes, ‘ABCD’ truly stood apart to me,” the K-pop star says. “I cherished it, and I thought it was appropriate for the title track also. I chose [each song] in various periods, yet I picked ‘Butterflies’ and ‘ABCD’ as my top picks every step of the way.”
‘Na’ likewise includes coordinated efforts with Sam Kim, AKMU’s Lee Chan-hyuk and KISS OF LIFE’s Julie – all craftsmen that Nayeon reveres. “I have consistently adored [Sam Kim’s] music, however it was my name that proposed the cooperation,” she shares. “For Julie, we wanted a rapper for ‘Wizardry’, and she was the first that came into my psyche, so I let my mark know that I needed to work with her. What’s more, for Chanhyuk, I’ve generally appreciated his music too, so I requested that he work with me on this collection.”
Prominently, however, Nayeon’s new delivery likewise includes three melodies that are completely sung in English – to be specific ‘Butterflies’, ‘Paradise’, and ‘Enchantment’ – yet it was a journey that the K-pop star readily acknowledged to contact more extensive crowds. “Having a variety of encounters is the ground for development”, she says. “I believe it’s an extraordinary open door that K-pop is getting such a lot of affection universally, and it’s likewise an opportunity for us to meet fans all over the planet”.
While Nayeon has taken a shot at songwriting previously, adding to Two times collection cuts, for example, ‘Make Me Go’ and ‘F.I.L.A’, the vocalist uncovers that she “chose not to” this time around on the grounds that she “went for the gold to be past great”. Furthermore, to arrive at that degree of flawlessness, she enlisted a top notch group of makers and journalists, from BTS partners Pdogg and Adora, to JYP Diversion fellow benefactor J.Y. Park, to R&B vocalist musician SOLE. “However much it is fun and remunerating to chip away at my own tunes, I’m not 100% happy with [the ones] I dealt with already.”
