LEE JISOO of HANA Revisits Songdo: Five Places That Shaped Her Path to Music
VOGUE JAPAN
LEE JISOO, a member of HANA who made her solo debut under her own name, takes VOGUE JAPAN's "My 5 Favorites" to her hometown of Songdo in Incheon, South Korea. She lived there from high school onward, and it was there that she made the decision that redirected her life. "Not sure why, but in my second year of high school, I suddenly wanted to start music," she says at the outset. "I didn't think I could be happy without music." The five places she chooses (a park, a market, a book café, her family, and a seaside park) trace how that decision played out, from long anxious walks to the moment she first heard Chanmina's music.
Central Park: Walking Through the Worries
The first stop is Songdo Central Park, a well-known spot where residents come to stroll. JISOO says she loves walking there after sunset and after dinner, and that whenever she had a lot on her mind, she would just walk around the park. She walked so much during that period, she recalls, that her ankles swelled with fluid and she had to go to the hospital. Still, she frames those years positively: "thanks to all those worries, I am who I am now. I'm grateful to who I was then."
Asked how long a full loop of the park takes, she admits she has never timed it, but guesses that if it takes an average person about an hour, she could do it in around 45 minutes. As evidence of her pace, she says that when a map app estimates 15 minutes to a destination, she usually gets there in about 10. During filming, she notes, she was deliberately walking slowly.
She extends her sense of home to Incheon as a whole. She was raised there and loves the city, especially because the sea is close. She describes it as the perfect, gentle environment for her, and says that "just like the sea, my hometown is important to me."
Moraenae Market: Comfort Food and Memories
Moraenae Market is where locals buy fruit and ingredients for dinner, and JISOO says she used to come almost every day, sometimes alone, sometimes with friends or family. She orders odeng (fish cake), which she says she ate every time she visited, and remarks that the taste takes her back.
At a tteokbokki stall she explains that there are two kinds of rice cake: mil-tteok, made from wheat flour, and sal-tteok, made from rice flour. She declares herself "definitely a mil-tteok kind of girl." The dish is very spicy, she says, but delicious. For her, Korean food represents "power," and the thing she misses most is kimchi. Her family gathers at least once a year in winter to make it together, which is why she has people bring kimchi to her. She also used to buy mandu dumplings to go from the market.
A vendor offers her oranda, a sesame-based sweet that JISOO calls one of her favorites, including a version made with five kinds of seeds. She says she always bought a bunch as souvenirs when returning to Japan, and that all the HANA members have tried them.
The last market stop is a kwabegi shop. She explains that kwabegi are twisted doughnuts, and that the twisting is where the name comes from. According to her, any Korean would have grown up eating them, and they can be found in any market. She likes both the plain kind and the cheese-filled version, while her father prefers ones filled with bean paste. The sugar coating gets everywhere, she jokes, so people can tell when you've eaten one. She tries a freshly fried cheese kwabegi, calls it amazing, and recommends visitors to the market try one hot.
CAFE COMMA: A Book Café That Became a Creative Base
CAFE COMMA in Songdo is a book café she visited often. She explains that the first floor has a large selection of curated new and specialized books, that staff will offer recommendations, and that some books include handwritten notes from the staff. She chose books by reading them in the café.
It was there, she says, that she got hooked on the novelist Jeong Yu-jeong, at one point reading a different novel by her every day. She points out what she believes was the first of the author's books she read.
Her favorite item is the ciabatta. The regular version had sold out during filming, so she picks a mugwort double-chocolate ciabatta, explaining that when there's only one left, she always makes sure to grab it. Her usual routine was to order a drink and a pastry, read while eating, then buy another pastry once the first was gone, sometimes staying for hours. She often came alone, because when she came with friends they would end up chatting and she would stop reading. She also did college homework there.
The café played a direct role in her career. During No No Girls, she came here to work out how to approach the finale and what performance to do, making PowerPoint presentations and thinking things through. She says reading itself feeds creativity, and that she wrote lyrics and settled on the content of the finale at the café. She calls it "a really creative place."
Family: Strict Parents Who Became Best Friends
The fourth favorite is her family. JISOO is an only child and says she has gotten along well with her parents since she was little, describing them as being like best friends. When she returns to Korea and is with them, she says, she does nothing at all.
Her mother, who joins her on camera and is described as nervous, explains that the parents were once very strict. She wanted her daughter to grow up well-mannered and had her use polite language at home. That changed after JISOO became a trainee. Her mother says she saw her daughter having to smile constantly and project her voice in public, so she decided that home should at least be a place where she could relax and be herself. As they play the traditional board game yutnori, she says she is no longer so strict.
JISOO says her parents always told her that she had freedom of choice but had to take responsibility for it. They were very supportive, she says, but because they are closest to her, they also always worry. She credits their support for her not giving up. As a trainee, she lived far from the agency office, yet her parents would come to pick her up after rehearsals despite the distance.
Her mother describes the first time she saw JISOO on stage with HANA, at a pre-debut event she attended with JISOO's grandmother, aunt, and father. The others all cried, she says, but she didn't, because she was too nervous about whether her daughter would get through it without mistakes, and didn't relax until it was over. She says the performance was very good, from JISOO and all the other members, and that she felt deep gratitude because her daughter had worked so hard for so long without giving up. She becomes emotional while saying this. After the show she met the HANA members and, she recalls, felt like a regular fan, shouting "You're so cool!"
Her mother also addresses a question she says people often ask: how she felt when a daughter with good grades through the second year of high school suddenly wanted to pursue music. She says she and her husband weren't actually that worried, because JISOO isn't the type to make rash decisions and, once she sets her mind on something, she makes it happen. She recounts telling JISOO recently how impressed she was by the way her daughter turns words into reality. JISOO's reply, that meeting Chanmina and the people from her agency was a blessing, struck her mother as a sign of how mature she had become, and her mother says she feels the same. In her view, JISOO's greatest strength is that she keeps pushing herself without forgetting to be grateful.
The segment ends with a birthday plate bearing JISOO's name. Her mother says this year's birthday is especially meaningful because her daughter is celebrating not only as a member of HANA but also as an artist in her own right. JISOO thanks her and promises to do her best.
Waterside Park: Where She First Heard Chanmina
Reflecting on what music means to her, JISOO says it represents both light and dark, having brought her both happiness and hardship.
The final location is a park she and those around her have always called Subyeon Park (Waterside Park). She has been coming since it was built, often walking there after eating too much. She loves the sound of the waves and says it's never very crowded, which made it an ideal place to walk and think.
What makes it special is a specific memory. At a time when she was feeling very low, a friend recommended Chanmina's music, starting with "TOKYO 4AM." She was sitting on a swing in this park when she heard it, and both she and her friend loved it. After that she felt she had to listen to everything Chanmina had released, and did so constantly for a month. A month later she heard about No No Girls and ended up auditioning.
Looking Back and Looking Ahead
JISOO says she thinks her past self would be happy with how things turned out, because she has been able to keep making the music she loves. "I'm glad I didn't compromise," she says, adding that she feels she is finally doing what she wanted to do. She acknowledges that doing what you want is difficult from the start, and says she is very grateful to be able to do it. She attributes this to Chanmina, to the staff who support her, and to the HONEYs (HANA's fans) who have cheered her on, saying they made it possible for her to pursue her music and make her solo debut.
On the new solo song, she highlights that the lyrics are in Korean, her first language, which made it easier to convey what she truly felt. She says the lyrics capture everything she has felt up to now, and calls that a crucial point for LEE JISOO as a solo artist.
Looking further ahead, she says she is sure she will still be making music in 10 or 20 years, and hopes her music will stay in listeners' hearts. She wants to keep writing lyrics that resonate with people, and says that to do so she wants to experience many things. In a light closing exchange with her mother, she remarks that her father would have broken down if he had been there, to which her mother replies that JISOO had been crying from the start.
Not sure why, but in my second year of high school, I suddenly wanted to start music. I didn't think I could be happy without music.
This is my hometown, Songdo. Songdo is in Incheon. I lived here from high school onwards. And as I wanted to start music when I was in high school, I experienced many major turning points in my life when I lived here.
This is called Central Park. It's a pretty well-known park in Songdo where residents often come to take walks. After the sun goes down, after dinner, I just love taking a walk around here.
When I had a lot of things on my mind, I'd just walk around Central Park. In fact, I walked so much that my ankles swelled with water, and I had to go to the hospital. But thanks to all those worries, I am who I am now. I'm grateful to who I was then.
I was just asked how long it takes to walk around the whole park. I've never really timed it myself, so I'm not quite sure. But if it takes an average person around an hour, I'd say I could do it in around 45 minutes. On a map app, if it says it'll take 15 minutes to a certain location, it'll take me around 10 minutes.
At the moment, I'm doing my best to walk slow, but normally, I walk this fast. But now, I'm walking really slowly.
I could say that Incheon as a whole is my home. I was raised here in Incheon and I love this city. I just love the sea. And the sea is close. It's the perfect environment for me. It's very gentle. Just like the sea, my hometown is important to me.
Moraenae Market is where local people come to buy fruit, and ingredients for dinner. And I used to come here every day. It's a place I'd come to on my own, with my friends and with my family. I have so many memories here.
One odeng, please. Can I choose myself? Whenever I came to this market, I'd eat this all the time.
The taste really takes me back. I haven't done this in a while, so I'll make this photo look good. The color is great.
They actually have two types of tteokbokki. Some tteok are made from wheat flour, and others are made from rice flour. I prefer the wheat flour ones. Mil-tteok and ssal-tteok. I am definitely a mil-tteok kind of girl.
It's so spicy. But it's so delicious.
To me, Korean food represents "power." What I miss the most is definitely kimchi. At home, everyone gets together in the winter at least once a year to make kimchi. That's why I get people to bring me kimchi.
Nothing's changed that much. I also used to eat a ton of mandu dumplings here. I'd get them to go.
Please try some oranda. I'll have one. Just one. Just one? Have two. Thank you. These are good too. These too. I was already given these. Those are? These are also oranda. But there are five kinds of seed. Thank you.
This is one of my favorite sweets, oranda. They're made with sesame. Thank you. I love them. I always bought a bunch as souvenirs when I go back to Japan. All the members have tried them. They're called oranda.
This is a kkwabaegi shop. They're donuts, but this shape… they're made by twisting the dough. That's why they're called kkwabaegi. If you're Korean, you'd have been eating them forever. They're a common comfort snack. You'll find them at any market. I love regular kkwabaegi, and those filled with cheese too. My dad loves kkwabaegi filled with bean paste.
When you eat them, you get covered in sugar. So people know when you've eaten one. I'm going to eat a cheese kkwabaegi. It'll stretch.
It's freshly fried. It's amazing. If you're ever in Moraenae Market, please try a freshly fried kkwabaegi. As they've got all over my mouth, I'm hiding it with my hand. Please experience it for yourself.
This is CAFE COMMA. It's a Songdo book café that I often used to visit. They have tons of curated books and stuff on the first floor. New books and specialized books. And as they're carefully curated, they'll give you some recommendations. Some of the books even include handwritten notes from the staff. I'd select books by reading them.
Since I started coming here, I got super hooked on this author called Jeong Yu-jeong. Back then, I was reading a different novel by her every single day. Here we are. I think this was the first book of hers that I read.
My favorite thing from here is the ciabatta. There's no regular ciabatta. They're so popular, they've sold out. This mugwort double-choc ciabatta sounds kind of interesting. And when there's just one left... I always make sure to get it. I'm going to try this one.
I'd get a drink and a pastry, and then sit here eating and drinking while reading a book. I love novels. And once I'd eaten one pastry, I'd go buy a different pastry to eat. I'd spend hours here.
I'd come on my own a lot. Of course I'd come with my friends. But I'd end up chatting with them if I came with friends. That means I'd quit reading books. Sometimes, I'd order a drink and a pastry, and do college homework.
When I was on No No Girls, I'd wonder how to approach the finale and what performance to do. So I'd come here to make PowerPoint presentations. I'd do a lot of thinking. Reading books in itself feeds into creativity, and I'd think up lyrics here, and decide on the contents of the finale. So this is a really creative place, I think.
Mama. Long time no see. True. You're nervous, right? She's very nervous.
What's most precious to me is my family. I'm an only child, but I've gotten along well with my mom and dad since I was little. They're like my best friends. Actually when I return to Korea and I'm with my family, I really don't do a thing. Although in the past, my parents were very strict.
I wanted my daughter to grow up well-mannered, so I had her speak polite language. But after becoming a trainee, externally, she has to be on her best behavior. I saw her having to smile all the time and project her voice, so I figured I should at least let her relax and be herself at home. I'm not so strict anymore.
That's no good. From the beginning? This is a traditional Korean game called Yutnori. The playing pieces weren't always this big.
Since I was a kid, my parents told me that although I had freedom of choice, I must take responsibility. That's what they've always taught me. And although they were very supportive, as they're closest to me, they're always worried.
The first time I saw her stand on stage as part of HANA... it was at a pre-debut event. I went to see JISOO with her grandmother and aunt, and with my husband. They all cried. I didn't. I was very nervous. Could she get through it without making a mistake? I didn't really relax until it was all over.
They were so good. Both JISOO and the other members. Everyone. I felt such a sense of gratitude. She's worked so hard for so long without giving up.
She's crying. Tissue, please. I'm fine.
Afterwards, I met the members of HANA. I felt like a regular fan. I remember shouting, "You're so cool!" I remember.
I got this far and didn't give up because of my family being so supportive. Plus, when I was a trainee, my home was pretty far from the agency office. When I finished rehearsals, in spite of the distance, they'd pick me up.
Ever since she was little she's tried not to worry us. People often ask, "Until year two of high school, your daughter had good grades. How did you feel when she wanted to get into music?" But my husband and I actually weren't that worried. JISOO isn't the type of girl to make rash decisions. That's what I admire about her. If she sets her mind to something, she'll make sure her aims come true.
Recently, I told my daughter, "I'm so impressed how you turn words into reality." Her reply struck me how mature and upstanding she's become. "Meeting Chanmina, and the people from my agency is a blessing." And I realized that I feel the same way too. She's always pushing herself, and never forgets to be grateful. I think that's JISOO's greatest strength. She should be proud of herself. Thank you.
Thank you so much. It says JISOO on the plate. Thank you so much. Happy birthday! Thanks for having me. Well done.
I think that this year's birthday... is very special. My daughter celebrates her birthday not just as a member of HANA, but as a new artist in her own right. Thank you. I'll do my best. I'm so happy.
Music, to me... represents both light and dark. Music's been the cause of both happiness and hardship.
We've always just called this place Subyeon Park (Waterside Park). I've been coming here since it was built. Whenever I ate until I was stuffed, I'd often come here for a walk. I love the sound of the waves, and it's never that crowded. It was the perfect spot to take a walk and think about things.
It really is a special place. Because when I was feeling really down, a friend recommended the music of Chanmina to me. It was the song "TOKYO 4AM," and I really loved it. I was sitting right around here, on a swing. My friend and I just loved it.
After that, I had to listen to everything Chanmina had released. And for a whole month, I listened to her all the time. Then a month later, I heard about No No Girls. And after that I ended up auditioning. So this place is special.
If my past self could see me now, I think she'd be happy for how things turn out. After all, I've been able to carry on with the music that I love. I'm glad I didn't compromise. I feel like I'm finally doing what I wanted to.
Doing what you want to do is difficult from the get-go. I'm incredibly grateful to be able to do this. And I understand that. And it's really thanks to Chanmina. It's all down to the staff that support me and the HONEYs that have cheered me on that I've been able to pursue the music I love, and that I could make my solo debut. I'm just so full of gratitude. Thank you so much.
For this latest song in particular, as the lyrics are in Korean, it's my first language, my mother tongue. So it was easier for me to convey what I really felt. I feel like these lyrics capture everything I've felt up to this point. That's a crucial point when it comes to LEE JISOO as a solo artist.
I'm sure I'll still be making music in 10 or 20 years' time. And I hope my music will remain in the hearts of the audience. I want to continue to write lyrics that resonate with people. And to do that, I'd like to experience many things.
These are my 5 FAVOURITES.
If Dad were here, he would've broken down. Can't film him. You were crying from the start.
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