South Korean pop star Yves gave Brooklyn a sweet taste of her music during her Apple Cinnamon Crunch Tour Jan. 21.
Ha Sooyoung, famously known by her stage name Yves, sat down with amNewYork Metro ahead of her performance at the Brooklyn Paramount to discuss her inspirations and her first world tour as a soloist. Here, Yves reflected on the obstacles she has overcome and shared that she is ready to show the world who she truly is as an artist and release songs that represent her emotions and resilience. This is why her tour is aptly named Cinnamon Crunch—to showcase the sweet and tough side of herself.
Formerly a member of the embattled group LOONA—released from their contracts after a lengthy lawsuit involving alleged mistreatment in 2022—Yves has spent the past few years freeing herself from the strict construct surrounding idol life and finding her voice as an artist. She tells amNewYork Metro that she took a one-year hiatus to discover who she is and how she wants to pursue music. It was through fans’ continued support, stating that they would be there no matter what, that she felt the strength to overcome her obstacles.
“Unfortunately, I had to take a one-year break between LOONA and my solo artist career, and then I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do or what I wanted to pursue in terms of music. And I think fans kind of noticed my actions, and they were telling me, ‘We will always support you, no matter who, no matter what you do, no matter who you are.’ So, I was really grateful, and then it gave me motivation to continue my music career,” Yves said with the help of a translator.
In her newly released deluxe album ‘I Did: Bloom,’ Yves explores the deepest parts of her life. Her song, BIRD, beautifully expresses this with lyrics that see her soaring into this new path: “I’ll break out and fly. Stay alive, stay alive…No scars, no shame, no chains, here I am.”
“This new EP contains rock songs and elements that I couldn’t show before. I wanted to show a freer and a more powerful voice that I couldn’t show before,” Yves told amNewYork Metro. “I think my deluxe album is an extension of my emotions. I wanted to show a more free, relaxed version of myself. Kind of unrefined.”
Yves produced and wrote the songs on the album ‘I Did,’ and she credits the production team for enabling her to have creative control and be unapologetically herself. She shared that the ideas conveyed in her lyrics come directly from her journals, where she writes about daily life, stories about friends, and how she feels about her own personal journey.
“I was able to gift other members of LOONA with songs that I wrote, but I never had an opportunity to perform a song I wrote. So, I really want to perform a song that I wrote for my fans because it will mean a lot to my fans and also to me,” Yves said. “While I’m exploring to show more of me in my music, my fans always support me. I feel very grateful for that and knowing [that fans are saying] my music gives them strength and confidence makes me feel grateful. Also, I gained a lot of great moments with them, and I’m grateful for all of these interactions.”
While Yves’ fans motivated her to keep pushing forward, her initial inspiration to become a singer came from watching her mother play the guitar.
“Ever since I was young, my mother would play the guitar and put me in an environment where I could feel music all around me. So, growing up, whenever I was asked to write down my dream job, I would write down [that I want to be a] singer. I was always dancing in public, signing in front of my relatives, and all those experiences naturally made me become a singer,” Yves said.
With the sound of a guitar always playing in the back of her mind, Yves naturally gravitated to rock music. Artists like Avril Lavigne and Caroline Polachek became musical inspirations in which Yves drew her individual sound and look, cultivating a pop-rock princess appeal but with tough grit and ethereal beauty.
Yves hopes her tour, Apple Cinnamon Crunch, shows fans this sweet but crunchy side of herself as it reaches Los Angeles Jan. 30, San Francisco Feb. 1, and ends in Tacoma on Feb.4.
“A message to my fans: Thank you for always supporting me, and I want to give back from what I got from my fans. So, I really want to keep pursuing my music career and try hard to interact more with them,” Yves said, smiling brightly.
