Singer Park Ji-min. Courtesy of JYP Entertainment



By Dong Sun-hwa



At 20, Park Ji-min writes and sings the songs of her own life.



"My music is about me and my experiences," Park told The Korea Times.







Many musicians cite films or music made by the others as their source of inspiration, but not Park.



"Tapping into other people's experiences was difficult for me," Park said. "Hence, I decided to recount my own stories. I was anxious at first that people would find it hard to sympathize."



However, the positive reactions from listeners proved her wrong.



"I have come to know that people share universal feelings and thoughts ― so from then on, I began focusing more on my stories," Park said. "Still, I have many hurdles to climb and I am in the progress of discovering my style by exploring diverse genres."



Her being 20 is rather deceptive.



In 2012, when she was 14, she won the SBS audition program "K-pop Star." Her precocious vocal ability helped her outperform older contestants.



After the show she joined JYP Entertainment and debuted as a member of female duo 15& with the album "I Dream." Park released many albums including "Sugar" and "Somebody" by 2015, but had a break for about two years after that.



"I could not get satisfied with the quality of my work," Park said. "That is why it took years for me to return to fans with fresh tracks"



Finally, she released the five-track album "jamiexjimin" in September. The lead track, "April Fools (0401), is a pop dance song Park wrote.



"I want to stage foreign gigs and meet up with fans outside Korea, but I will wait until I am perfectly set," Park said.



A perfectionist she may be, but Park proved fun to be with and was open and humorous.



"Are you a better singer than a dancer?" was my question.



Her unpretentious answer was a pleasant surprise that made me smile. "I am no dancer," she said deadpan. In the next moment she said with a mischievous grin: "You may not notice it but I have devoted myself to singing."



She set aside her profession and turned into an ordinary 20-year-old, saying: "I 'follow' some of my fans' social network accounts and take a look at photos and video clips uploaded by them every day. Sometime I ask them to post more adorable and beautiful images of me."



Then she was serious again when I asked her what her ultimate goal is.



"I want to set up a music school for the needy who cannot afford musical education so that they can realize their dreams," Park said. "I am already supporting some children in South Africa now, but in the future, I would like to create a better environment for them."

