Twice’s Tzuyu reveals new, mature side in solo debut

Tzuyu poses at a press conference for her solo debut album in Seoul on Thursday, Sept. 5, a day before its release. | Image: JYP Entertainment via The Korea Herald

Twice’s youngest member, Tzuyu, made her solo debut on Friday, Sept. 6, fulfilling her promise to fans to showcase a more mature and sexy side of her that they hadn’t seen before.

The Taiwanese singer becomes the third member of the South Korean girl group to go solo, following Nayeon in June 2022 and Jihyo in August 2023, with the release of her first mini-album, “abouTZU.”

“While performing with Twice members and seeing various stages, I started wondering what it would be like to have my own stage, inspired by other female solo artists,” Tzuyu said at a press conference in Seoul on Thursday.

Hoping to shift from her typically bright and cute image, Tzuyu aims to showcase a more mature side.

“When the public thinks of me, they probably picture the bright and cute image of the youngest member. With this album, I wanted to show a different side of myself, one that’s more mature and sexy. Other tracks (in the album) also include playful and emotional ballads, capturing a range of four different emotions. I wanted to boldly express feelings I’ve had since I was young,” she said.

The album title, “abouTZU,” is a combination of the English word “about” and the first three letters of her name Tzuyu, symbolizing that the album reflects all aspects of her.

The six tracks featured on the album include title song “Run Away,” “Heartbreak in Heaven,” “Lazy Baby,” “Losing Sleep,” “One Love” and “Fly.”

The title track reinterprets the synth-pop and dance genres with its powerful synth bass sound. JYP Entertainment’s chief producer, Park Jin-young, penned the lyrics, delivering an empowering message: “After a long wait, when you begin to open your heart, you pour out all your love in a way no one has ever seen.”

“As soon as I heard the melody, I was drawn to it, especially the bass sound. I strongly appealed to the company, and I was grateful when Park Jin-young personally wrote the lyrics with careful attention,” Tzuyu said.

“The lyrics are about love, but they felt similar to my situation, preparing for my solo debut. Though I felt fear, I decided to take on the challenge wholeheartedly, as this has always been my dream,” she added.

In the track “Fly,” Tzuyu tried her hand at writing lyrics for the first time, offering a hopeful message: “If you take steady steps, you can find the missing pieces of the puzzle.”

“Writing a song for my own album felt meaningful. Though expressing my thoughts in Korean was challenging, I looked things up and completed the lyrics step by step,” Tzuyu said.