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EXCLUSIVE: Whee In opens up on the story of Make Me Happy, symbolism with butterflies & ‘Hospital Playlist’
The MAMAMOO member and superstar soloist dished about her songwriting and choosing process for ‘WHEE’, the significance of colours in her life, and her involvement in the album’s creative process.
Mesmerising. That was the first thought that popped into our mind when Whee In joined us on the call. Her veracity oozing through the screen, the soloist who had challenged her next release, this time with a new label, sat beaming effortlessly.
Whee In’s second EP, comprising 6 delicately written tracks released on January 16 amidst constant anticipation from fans and her want for dealing another spectacular release, a desire that she expresses during our talk, met with multiple achievements. Her first solo music show win, one that holds a special place in artists’ hearts, moved her to tears soon after.
During our conversation, Whee In laid it all bare. Her thoughts as an ever-rising solo artist and as one-quarter of the uber-famous girl group MAMAMOO came in with a resolution etched with an intricate understanding of her own art. She giggled, pondered, and cheered in the same breath of wonder and humility that further cemented her astounding growth coming through with her latest release, ‘WHEE’.
She kindly voiced a verse from ‘Letter Filled With Light’ between talking about her longest shoot for ‘Make Me Happy’, her indelible connection with colours, art, and her symbol- butterfly. Throughout our chat, she fondly mentioned her mother and one can see how precious the people around her are. Just like her new CEO, VIXX member Ravi who she has long known and has now signed under. Delving deep into the behind-the-scenes of her project, Whee In took it the candid way with Pinkvilla.
Congratulations on releasing your second EP. What was the thought behind naming it 'WHEE'? What was the concept?
Whee In: The album title ‘WHEE’ is from my name Whee In. The letter can directly be translated as ‘light’ or ‘enlightenment’. So I really tried to portray myself, Whee In, in this album.
Your look for this album is very exquisite. How involved were you in the process of how the album looks like and what were some of your references while doing so?
Whee In: I will say, I participated in the making of this album about 98 percent. That’s how much I constantly communicated with my staff. Especially since this is my first album with the new agency, I wanted to put out my best and most sincere work into this album.
What does your process of choosing a song for the album look like for you? Did you have a few songs that you had to skip from 'WHEE'?
Whee In: Yes there are quite a few songs that I had to leave out from this album. But since I really wanted to make it easy to listen to, I wanted to pick out songs that would really capture my vocal charm which is something that can appeal to both the public but is also something everyone can enjoy and is very relaxing. So that’s the focus I wanted to put on while picking out the songs.
What is the one line from this entire album that you impressed yourself with while recording it?
Whee In: This is a line from the 2nd verse from the third track ‘Letter Filled With Light’. It means- “Believe my words even though there are sharp words hurting you”. That’s my favourite line of this album.
The music video for ‘Make Me Happy’ is one of the most aesthetically pleasing things I've seen in a long time and it already has over 7 million views within 3 days of its release. It shows the journey of a white butterfly going through various changes and at the end flutters its wings. How is it symbolic to the new Whee In that we're seeing with this album?
Whee In: As I said earlier, this album is really about myself. I wanted to portray my true self as much as possible. The butterfly is my symbol which actually is from my mom. When I was a kid, she used to call me, “You’re a kid, just like a butterfly”. She used a lot of that comparison with me when I was younger. That really stuck with me, so I really wanted to bring that as my signature item into this music video and this album which represents me, Whee In.
Your releases often have a relation to colours be it 'Water Color', ‘Redd’, the first line of ‘OHOO' where you mention orange, 'Pink Cloud' or 'Pastel' as well as this music video for ‘Make Me Happy’. What meaning do colours hold in your life?
Whee In: For me colours are different every day. Each time they depend on my mood, how I feel that day. I definitely feel a lot of colours around my daily life and that’s something I really want to share with everyone through my music and express the colours behind it.
Your discography includes OSTs for multiple amazing dramas like 'Hospital Playlist', 'Record of Youth', 'One Ordinary Day' and recently for the very famous drama 'The Red Sleeve'. Do you have a favourite and why?
Whee In: I can’t really pick a favourite one as I like them all. But one song that really has a special meaning for me is from ‘Hospital Playlist’. That song was the one I prepared to sing in the competition program but I didn’t get to sing or perform it. Thankfully, things turned out the way that I got to sing the song for that drama which felt very surreal and which my fans loved to hear about. That really has a deep meaning to me.
Do you plan on coming to India?
Whee In: We are absolutely ready to fly to India as soon as the pandemic comes to a close and things get a little bit better. We’re really counting on that day as well. We’re ready to go.
Please share a message for all the Indian MooMoos & all over the world.
Whee In: To all the MooMoos in the world, I really miss you guys so let’s stay safe and be careful. Let’s hope that this COVID-19 situation comes to an end as soon as possible so I can meet you guys. Thank you always. I really miss you.
Check out the full interview where Whee In answers some fan questions below.
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