Countless of idol group members and audition programs contestants say they want to become the next Yoon Mirae. However, the next Yoon Mirae has yet to be found. To be honest, it’s not something possible just because you say you have great singing and rap skills. It is impossible to have this outstanding way of expressing oneself, this soul and feel that only Yoon Mirae has. We heard her voice we hadn’t heard in a very long time. Meanwhile, Yoon Mirae and Tiger Jk had been surrounded and dealing with many issues, but their music didn’t lose its light. Instead, there’s a feeling that their music is complete with stories staying true to their lives of ups and downs as if they were riding a tough wave. And now, here comes the good news that MFBTY, the hip-hop unit created by Yoon Mirae, Tiger JK and rapper Bizzy, will release a full album soon. “We’re in the final stage to finish MFBTY full album. For us, it seems like our debut album. It’s an album filled with every emotion. Other people worry for us and ask why we release a full album when times are hard like this. We also get comments on why we release a group album with a name people are not familiar with, so this is also an album with no answer to fear or enthusiasm. Please show it some love.”
She said she wouldn’t be able to stop doing music even if she had to, but her activities are rare if compared to the time her fans waited. There aren’t just one or two people who are thirsty to hear Yoon Mirae’s rap and singing. That’s why this album is even more welcomed. “Musis ic everything in my life, to the poin I wouldn’t be able to live without music. However, I’ve always had serious anxiety [to be on stage by myself], so it’s hard for me to do activities. I started boxing last year and I enjoy it. Running/Jumping, sweating without thinking. Being into the music and punching the punching bag all by myself is something I can enjoy. The time a child spends with his mother is important, so I didn’t have time to do music activities meanwhile and so many things that I can’t talk about happened too. Today, I’m trying my best to go against it because I got courage. I want to meet the fans through good music and good shows.”
However, can the hip-hop empress be so shy? The Yoon Mirae we met at the studio is very different from the powerful image she shows on stage. Doing a photo shoot by herself without Tiger JK who is always with her, receiving compliments, listening one more time to the songs she sang in the past, cooly evaluating a contestant in an audition program, she “can’t really do it because she’s shy”. Still, we can feel the “groove” of the hip-hop empress even in the way she moves along the songs she’s humming during the photo shoot. Humility is the best keyword to explain Yoon Mirae’s personality. “The vocalist who is the best at making black music”, “MTV’s top 12 best female rappers in the world”, “Korean hip-hop’s diamond”, these are a couple of titles attached to her name and even with her colleagues confessing they lose confidence when they listen to her rapping, Yoon Mirae is unreasonably humble. Although she’s receiving many love calls from foreign musicians, she’s still not very greedy about advancing overseas. Isn’t it because of her personality? It even ended up being a troublesome worry. She said she liked making music as much as it always made her happy and being able to do the music she liked was enough for her. Saying this won’t decrease the voices of the fans who want her to release a solo album, though. “When my solo album will be out, it will be at the best time? I think it can be within this year. First, I hope MFBTY’s album that will finally get release will allow me to meet the fans who have been waiting all this time. I’m thinking about small-scale fan meetings and concert in small venues.”
Yoon Mirae, T, Tasha. To her who goes by different names, she can also be called “Tiger JK’s wife” and “Jordan’s mom”. “Jordan’s music taste is distinct. (laugh) I think he likes dub step more than hip-hop.” The sight of this family always brings envy and delight. Meanwhile, we’re also curious about the way these two artists coexist as they both have distinct worlds while being soulmates who can share their talent with each other. “I think it’s more about us liking each other’s music than coexisting through music. Because there are the two of us, no, because there are three of us, the good thing is that we can support each other because we’re fan of each other.” And it’s been a year since Tiger JK and Yoong Mirae, Bizzy founded their new label Feel Ghood Music. In their studio located in Uijeongbu, they decide everything about the producing aspect in a way similar to a family business, the marketing, the PR aspects. It’s their choice to work with their friends as it guarantees their musical freedom. “Being able to work with a happy heart is nice. Anyway, our director (Tiger JK) is also an artist, so he’s understanding about many things. (laugh)”
To Yoon Mirae whose childhood was full of the pain inflected by others because her father was African-American, there is “Black Tears” [t/n: I’m a bit confused. I’m pretty sure the track they’re referring to here is “Black Happiness”?], there are “Day by Day” and “As Time Goes By” which are about sad love and breakups. The album “The Cure” was dedicated to Tiger JK’s father who was battling cancer. The two of them use report about their lives through music with songs like “Beautiful Life” which is about realizing the beauty of life after meeting the partner of your life. After founding Feel Ghood Music, the track “Angel” was released last December. It’s their anthem about running into difficult situations when you just want to live and if you do manage to deal with one issue, another will rise, but you’ll be able to laugh about it because there is someone by your side.
“The gifts I receive, the people, the situations, anything can be an inspiration for a song. This can be different for each person, but I think my best work is more when I’m sad or not feeling good than when I’m happy.”
However, Yoon Mirae who secured a beautiful family and musical freedom seems happy right now. We ask her if she isn’t anxious about making good songs as she’s becoming happier. And here is what she answered.
“As a singer, or as a person, I’m not happy to the point I’d feel this discomfort. My hope is to feel it one day because it’d mean I’m happy enough. It might be a selfish answer, but I want to keep making music because I want to become happier.”
Marie Claire
Translation: @onesunnylady – thesunnytown.wordpress.com
The Sunny Town 