Jihyo may be one of the hardest-working artists in the industry.
As the leader for TWICE, the South Korean artist takes care of eight other girls for every performance, recording, comeback, and World Tour. She herself is a solid performer, giving over 100% at each show and always striving for more. She seems to be constantly on the go, including these past three months, as tracks from her music collaborations began to be released.
In May, American singer Jenevieve featured Jihyo on her smooth R&B track, “Hvnly.” The music video plays like a ’90s MTV video, as Jenevieve and Jihyo rock it out in parking lots at night, with muted colors and transitions between color and black-and-white. The next month, during the World Cup, a collaboration between Jihyo, French Montana, LUDMILLA, RedOne, and Adriana C was released. The song “Follow Me” was one of the official anthems for the World Cup.
Now, she unveils “Distant Lover,” a new song and music video with the Grammy-nominated Jamaican artist Shenseea. The song, which blends K-pop, dancehall, and Afrobeats, captures the concept of “situationships” and whether it’s even worth it. Jihyo heard the song from her team as they were going through songs for her next solo album. When she heard “Distant Lover,” she wanted the song immediately.
“I loved it so much that I almost wanted to include it in my solo album,” Jihyo says over Zoom from the JYP Entertainment offices in Seoul. “That’s how much I loved it.”
FANDOM, the music project created by Musicow and ROC Nation, presented the song to producers who worked with JYP Entertainment on previous projects. JYP Entertainment thought it would be great for Jihyo and the collaboration happened. Jihyo heard Shenseea on the demo for the song and was excited to contribute her voice alongside hers. Rather than using her robust vocals, Jihyo wanted to complement Shenseea’s, opting for a softer, more soulful tone.
“I immediately felt her powerful vocals,” Jihyo explains. “I didn’t want to use my powerful vocal style in this song, but [accompany] her powerful vocals. So I wanted to be a little smoother. I wanted to give different vocal components to this song, because that’s what makes the song interesting and not boring to listen to.”
Though they recorded from different locations, they met while shooting the music video, which features both artists and has oceanic themes, and it felt empowering to have two global stars working together on this summer anthem. Jihyo and Shenseea hit it off immediately.
“She was so kind,” Jihyo recalls. “She made the whole atmosphere and encounter very comfortable, so I felt really at ease.”
In the video, both women exude confidence, with Jihyo showing a sexier side, especially in R&B. In retrospect, she feels she could have done a few things better, but thinks the outcome was successful.
“I was able to show different sides than Sheensea, and we came together harmoniously,” says Jihyo. “We made the entire song very complete. This is the only song that I listen to these days.”
With the cross-collaboration, which is FANDOM’s third since “Something Special” with Ahn Hyo Seop and Khalid, global artists can work together to create something completely new and original, blending styles and visuals for both fanbases.
Being part of the K-pop world, Jihyo has always felt like she had to be on her toes and hurry things up. She likes to do things quickly, and with TWICE – since there are nine of them in total, they each have to find time to film all nine parts equally, which takes time and efficiency. But with this collaboration, she got to take things a bit more slowly and enjoy the process.
“[With nine of us], I have to think about how I can stand out or make myself unique in the group, but when I saw these artists – Jenevieve and Sheensea – working, I could see how relaxed they are,” Jihyo confesses. “They could really show their own aura. They were giving off their own relaxed and chill vibe. So I learned that maybe I don’t have to hurry things. Maybe I don’t have to do things so fast. So that kind of attitude is something I learned from them.”
Throughout the collaborative process, Jihyo felt so at ease. She didn’t have to be the leader and lead people to show the best in themselves, which she doesn’t mind and happily takes on. She just felt more relaxed, less pressure, and more freedom as an individual.
“As TWICE’s leader, I try to create the best synergy that nine of us can possibly give,” she explains. “We talk a lot amongst ourselves to show a better version of ourselves. We try to strive for perfection. As a solo artist, there’s nobody to talk to. I have to make my own decisions.”
With K-pop becoming more global, which has made TWICE global sensations, Jihyo is surprised by how many collaborations K-pop artists have had with Western artists. She never expected this when she first debuted over a decade ago. She recalls only PSY’s Gangnam Style being internationally recognized. Even in Korea, K-pop back then wasn’t what it is now. Jihyo credits social media like Instagram and TikTok, as well as groups like her seniors and BTS, for “paving the way” for South Korean artists to become better known. She shares, “We’re just following in their footsteps, and I’m grateful for what they’ve done for us.”
She adds, “We didn’t have Instagram or TikTok challenges back in the day. When I debuted, we had content channels, which became globalized and grew in number. I think that really helped K-pop artists to make their presence strong on the global stage.”
Jihyo herself could never have imagined working with international artists, believing them to be so “far away,” both mentally and physically. She feels excited to work with more people to create more music.
“I really find that incredible,” she smirks. “I really think that I should make the most of it, and I’m trying to have the most fun possible.”
TWICE has even begun releasing more English tracks alongside Japanese ones to reach a broader audience. TWICE even appeared on Netflix’s award-winning animated feature, KPop Demon Hunters, twice, with their song “Strategy” and the soundtrack version of “Takedown,” performed by Jihyo, Jeongyeon, and Chaeyoung.
“I would love to sing in other languages, such as Spanish,” Jihyo states. “I think that’ll help us reach more fans globally as we speak more languages in our songs.”
As for future collaborations, Jihyo would love to work with so many international artists, including Rihanna, Kehlani, Bad Bunny, and Shakira. She chuckles when she hears an audible “Oh my God! A Jihyo X Shakira collaboration would be amazing” on the other end of the Zoom.
She admits that her taste differs from the type of music she sings and performs, and hopes to participate in some jazz or R&B songs in the future. She reveals, “In the future, if the chance happens upon me, I would love to release a jazzy R&B album. That’s my little dream I have.”
She smiles, hearing more audible gasps of excitement on the other end. She says everything she’s working on is confidential and wishes she could say more, but right now, she’s focused on their final TWICE THIS IS FOR concert in Seoul this weekend. Then the group will take a nice – and well-deserved – break for a little bit after their nearly year-long tour and releasing music in between. She understands the fans may feel disappointed not to see or hear music from them, but it’s only for a short period.
“For the past 11 years, as TWICE and as a solo artist, we barely had any breaks, so I want to spend the rest of this year relaxing and taking a bit of a break,” Jihyo shares. “This break is really something we need in order to work better in the future, so I hope our fans understand.”
When asked if Jihyo would be taking a break from collaborations in the meantime as well, she laughs and says, “When it comes to collaborative work like this, they already have the song ready for me. They have the song’s concept, so it’s not really hard to participate and collaborate with other artists. So, if anything comes up, give me a call.”
Jihyo and Sheensea’s “Distant Lover” is out now on all streaming platforms. Physical copies are available at select retailers.
Correction: 7/10 previously, it was reported that FANDOM producers brought the song to Jihyo, but it was a producer who previously worked with JYP Entertainment and Jihyo who brought it.
