Q. I heard you got your wisdom tooth removed yesterday. after putting it off for a long time too.
š: that's right. like an idiot, I didn't know that if you remove a lower wisdom tooth, it swells more. and it's right before our comeback…
Q. it's your second full-length album, it must be an important moment for both the group and for you personally in many ways.
š: That's right. while preparing for this album, Ningning and I happened to watch aespa's music videos from the very beginning all the way through. since I was just casually watching them at home, the person on the screen almost felt like someone else. It was so fun, it felt like I was watching another group's music videos rather than our own.
At that moment, I think I finally understood what so many people love about aespa. I was able to feel once again the unique power of aespa's world-building and storytelling. that's why, regardless of how successful this album ends up being, I prepared it with the hope that everyone who listens to it will gain strength from it, feel motivated, and create lots of fun moments and memories. so that someday in the future, when they happen to hear one of our songs, they can be reminded of the time they spent around this time in 2026.
Q. aespa's fanbase also seems to include many people from different communities who aren't bound by society's standards and who express themselves more openly. do you feel that your upbringing helps you understand fans like that?
š: absolutely. I think my friends and I were always talking about what it means to express ourselves in our own ways. that's just how I grew up. Whenever someone tried to divide things into "right" and "wrong" and tell us to fit into one side, we were the type to ask, "why?" in the end, I've always had the same mindset as lady gaga's āBorn This Wayā we're all going to disappear someday anyway. so why spend your life worrying about what other people think, hiding who you are, and making yourself miserable? I just hope everyone can live freely and show who they truly are without holding back.
Q. Living true to yourself is never as easy as it sounds. you said that the experience that has strengthened you the most recently was your battle with yourself?
š: Every time. I feel like I'm always fighting with myself. I don't think self-improvement is only about your career or your skills. It feels like there are different levels within me, too. and whenever I achieve a goal or feel like I've become a better person, I believe I can move up one level.
if there are levels from 1 to 10, I'd say I'm only around level 2 right now. I still have a long way to go. breaking through those barriers, accepting everything, and becoming a better person. that's what i meant by fighting with myself.
Mentally and physically, I'm always fighting. What I want, what suits me, what I should do, and what I want to do are all different. figuring out what I need to overcome, what I need to do, and whether I can get it done even when I don't feel like it… I think all of those small choices eventually connect into one bigger thing.
Q. If all those thoughts build up and become a personās energy, then what direction is Giselle heading in now?
š: when I was preparing to debut, and even in the early days after debuting, I tried hard to seem like someone who was āput togetherā in one way or another. but thatās not really the kind of person I am. I think I changed myself a lot and, to some extent, made myself into someone different. now, though, Iām in the process of returning to who I originally was. Itās like the version of me that changed for a while is being peeled away layer by layer, and Iām finding my way back to myself. I still canāt say, āthis is 100% the real me,ā but of course, living as someone who isnāt really you feels suffocating, doesnāt it?
Q. These days, when do you think your āGiselle-nessā comes out the most?
š: honestly, when I'm being truthful. when i speak and act honestly. isn't that what being "Giselle-like" is all about?
Q. Then would you say this interview is one of those moments where your āGiselle-nessā is showing?
š: it is. I hate lying. no matter what people say about me, if it stems from something that was actually my fault, then of course I should take responsibility for it. but if it doesn't, I try not to let it bother me.