Don't get it twisted: Tiffany Young is not the new girl. The Los Angeles-born 29-year-old artist has amassed a huge following (like 6.7 million Instagram followers and tens of millions of YouTube views huge) since she moved to South Korea for K-Pop stardom at fifteen years old, spending eleven years dedicating her life as part of "National Girl Group" Girls' Generation (GG) or So Nyu Shi Dae (SNSD). But, thanks to hallyu—the worldwide wave of the Korean cultural craze—her name's never really left the stateside zeitgeist. And now, she's made her way back home to dominate our playlists and our screens.

This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

You'd expect someone as talented and seasoned a star as Young to have an obnoxiously blinding shine, but think of her vibe as more of a warm, approachable glow. She shakes hands with everyone in the room, introducing herself each time because she doesn't assume that you know her. She asks for your name, and genuinely tries to remember it. And she's charmingly chatty—so much so that her makeup artist has to just finally interrupt her to do the second look for her Cosmopolitan shoot.

"If my 13 years in K-Pop was my runway ready-to-wear, I’m prepping everything like couture now."

When the photographer lifts his lens, she instinctively hits all her angles like she's been doing this forever. (She has.) What's on her mind when she's cheesing for those cute, smiley photos? Chadwick Boseman, AKA Black Panther—who she suggests should be everyone's phone background for maximum happiness. See, she is also wise.



Young moved from California to Korea to pursue her dreams, and was groomed by her former label SM Entertainment, which means she went through two years of intense training before she was officially launched with the rest of her GG bandmates in 2007. "I’ve been a fan of K-Pop ever since I was a little girl, and that definitely made me go to Korea," she says. "The work ethic, the production, the fans—it’s amazing where it is and where it keeps going."



This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

But despite moving away from Korea, as well as from her former label, Young, who is currently working on a new EP and releasing new bops along the way, is by no means distancing herself from K-Pop. "The first song, 'Over My Skin,' and even 'Teach You' and my music in general that I’m creating right now isn’t anything that separates or changes, or wants to pull me apart from it."

Ruben Chamorro

Her sound: catchy choruses, an irresistible dance-ready beat laid with synths that sound futuristic and vintage at the same time, every lyric oozing with feeling, and of course fun theatrics. But instead of singing demurely about general cutesy crushes and falling in love, Young's busting out her big girl chops for more personal yet relatable, story-driven tunes.



Now that she's got full creative control, she wants her work to be tailored to a T—for Tiffany. "If my 13 years in K-Pop was my runway ready-to-wear," she says, "I’m prepping everything like couture now."

Young wants to make sure her work embraces all that she is, and all that women are. She also wants to further representation by incorporating the styles of both her cultures into her artistry. "I mean, the reaction I’ve been getting from my fans is 'Oh, this is so different! But it’s so Tiffany!' And I think that's the best thing to hear. That it's a grown version."

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Below, Young talks about embarking on her new solo career, bringing her girls along for the ride, and why you shouldn't be surprised if you catch her on TV doing very bad things—





"Family's still here; my childhood, all the things I grew up with, friends. California is home. I moved to Korea when I was 15, and I started my career at 17. So I think even before I got really, really comfortable, or thought that I was a local, we started traveling a lot. I was lucky enough to travel the world, and live in Korea part-time, live in Japan part-time. But when it was time for rest, I came to California every chance I got, that’s why it stayed home for me in that sense."

On going solo:



"I really kind of asked myself, As a human being, what do you really want now?"

"I really kind of asked myself, As a human being, what do you really want now? versus 'What do you think you have to do?' Because I think so often, not just me, but all my girls we’d ask 'OK, what do we have to do?' versus 'What do we want?' And we put in the time and the work to finally live out our hearts’ desires."

On what's changed:

"The first ten years was about living out what my heart wanted, but now I’m taking it as a responsibility to talk about becoming a woman, embracing beauty at every age, and conversations that haven’t been talked about in Asia, and Asian-American representation.



Ruben Chamorro

It’s so important because stories, media, storytelling is the way see the world, how we see others, how we see ourselves, and how we want to see things. I’m taking it as an obligation to make sure that whatever I’m saying, or writing, or singing, or acting, or whatever it is that I chose to do, means something every time now versus 'I didn't know' or 'I'm trying new things out.'"



On working with her GG girls Sooyoung and Hyoyeon:

"It was so fun! 'Teach You,' the lyrics, were so fun to put together. I wanted it to be just as animated, and dramatic like how I wrote the song. One of the greatest things to make you feel better when you’re going through heartbreak is your girlfriends. So I wanted to be authentic, bringing my real girls on set. Who better to bring to set than your girlfriends, when your girlfriends are also experienced actors?!"

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

On playing a serial killer?

"Acting school is intense! It leaves you into a pile of mush every single day. When I first started acting I thought, Oh, I want to be in a rom-com, or romantic drama. I want to be a Disney princess. Those were the first thoughts that were flying through my brain. But as I’m getting deeper into it, really the craftsmanship of it, it isn't about anything but the truth of the story or the character that you’re playing. I realized that it doesn't matter, as long as I believe in that truth.

Someone once asked, 'Are you open to a serial killer role?' I'm like, 'Yeah, if the story makes sense.' I could have been hurt and become a serial killer. I’m open to it. But I’m not saying serial killing is OK—it's terrible!"

Photographer: Ruben Chamorro. Fashion Stylist: Tiffany Reid. Makeup: Seonah Bang. Hair: Korey Fitzpatrick using IGK. Creative Director: Abby Silverman. Senior Visuals Editor: Raydene Salinas Hansen.

On Tiffany (white look): top and dress by Cinq a Sept, necklace by Lady Grey, earrings by Ryan Storer, bracelets by Ming Yu Wang, Ellie Vail, and Arme De L’amour; rings by Ming Yu Wang, Chloe + Isabel, and CosmoStyle by Cosmopolitan. On Tiffany (black look): top by Juicy Couture, shorts by Aerie, bra by Nike, heels by Midnight 00, rings by Dinosaur Designs, The Last Line, and Sarah Chloe; earrings by Salvatore Ferragamo.



Jasmine Ting Jasmine is a journalist struggling to adult by day...

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io