By Dong Sun-hwa Believe it or not, but Miro , K-pop star Yoon Ji-sung’s upcoming EP and collection of feel-good spring songs, was born out of the singer’s sorrow. Yoon, a former member of now-defunct project boy band Wanna One , was stuck in an anxiety loop while working on the mini-album. At one point, frustrated and feeling like nobody recognised his hard work, he sat down and cried while walking his dog. “All the tracks in Miro have beautiful sounds, but I did not look beautiful at all when I was gearing up for this EP,” Yoon says, choosing his words carefully during an interview at the headquarters of his record label DG Entertainment in Seoul, South Korea. “I was busy preparing for my mini-album and a musical, and I also appeared in a television series. But it seemed that most people did not know about this. “It was heartbreaking to read some comments on the internet that read: ‘So what is Yoon Ji-sung doing these days?’ I felt like people were seeing me as a dawdler.” Such comments made him doubt himself, Yoon says, adding that Miro would not have come out without his fans. “I promised my fans that I would put out a new release this spring, and I could not break this promise despite [how I felt],” he said. “I cannot say that I am completely through everything now, but I am on my way. “These days, I tell myself that people will recognise me one day if I pour more effort into everything I do. K-pop’s Kwon Eun Bi on her solo debut after IZ*ONE’s disbanding He adds: “Honestly, there are many things that I should work on to become a better a K-pop star and I feel I have not yet achieved a lot of things. I still have a thirst for new challenges.” Miro is a five-track mini-album fronted by the lead single Bloom . Yoon took part in composing two songs – Bloom and ToDogToDog ― and penned the lines for these and two others, Summer Drive and Sleep . “I actively took part in the creative process of my mini-album,” he said. “The title Miro was one of the candidates for the name of my fandom, but it also means the ‘road of roses’ in Korean. “By using this name, I want to tell my followers that the road that lies ahead of me will always be as beautiful as a flower garden as long as they stand by me.” Wanna One was made up of the 11 finalists from the second season of South Korean singing competition programme Produce 101 (2017), and had a string of hits, including Energetic and Boomerang before the group disbanded in December 2018. In the wake of its dissolution, Yoon made his solo debut with the EP Aside , before joining the South Korean army in 2019 to complete his mandatory military service. “I wanted to join forces with people who know me the best, and Lee was one of them,” Yoon said with a smile. “When I got hold of him for collaboration, he immediately sent me four songs. So I picked the one that fit me the most and asked JR of K-pop act Nu’est – another star who appeared on Produce 101 – to lend his voice.” K-pop’s Daniel Kang to go solo after split from Wanna One Although Yoon is content with the quality of his new mini-album, he does not expect it to top the music charts. “Securing the top spots on the music charts is getting harder and harder every day, so I just hope my mini-album can live in people’s hearts for a long time,” he said. “Since it mostly consists of easy-listening songs that I love, I hope many people get to enjoy them anywhere, anytime. I am nervous to showcase this EP, as I actively took part in its creative process, but I still want a lot of people to listen to the tracks and give me sober feedback but using kind words.” Read the full story at The Korea Times