TWICE’s Jihyo Explains Why She “Suffered A Lot” After Debut

“I suffered a lot when I first started my career.”

TWICE‘s Jihyo recently made her long-awaited solo debut, releasing her solo EP ZONE on August 18.

To celebrate her solo debut, the talented TWICE leader appeared on Lee Mujin Service with soloist Lee Mujin, and opened up about her 18 years in the entertainment industry.

TWICE’s Jihyo joined JYP Entertainment as a trainee in 2005. At the time, Jihyo was only eight years old, and she spent the remainder of her childhood training for her debut, which would happen ten years later in 2015 with TWICE’s The Story Begins.

Jihyo admitted in an interview with Vulture magazine that, after dreaming of her debut for ten years as a trainee, she felt lost when it happened since she accomplished her initial goal.

Honestly, as a trainee, I just had the dream to debut and become a singer. And once I accomplished that initial goal, I remember feeling like I was a little lost. I didn’t really know what to look forward to.

— TWICE’s Jihyo

To Lee Mujin, she revealed that she also “suffered a lot” after her debut for additional reasons. TWICE is known for their upbeat and cheerful pop songs.

Jihyo shared that while training, the group mostly performed pop songs, but she preferred other styles.

Because of this, she revealed she was “scolded a lot” and was even told by “many people” that she “couldn’t sing well.”

Jihyo felt that her vocal tone as an idol and the vocal tone of the artist she wanted to be “collided a lot,” leading her to wonder, “What [was] right?” for a long time.

With Jihyo’s solo EP, she was able to perform the style she wanted freely and was credited as a co-composer on four of ZONE‘s songs.