(G)I-DLE‘s Soyeon is breaking down barriers! Recently, she sat down with Cosmopolitan Korean to delve deeper into her the meanings behind her music.
She discussed the different societal expectations on male and female artists when it comes to singing about sexuality. Particularly, she mentioned the song “Wife” which gained attention for various interpretations including sexual innuendos.
She discussed how its uncommon for women to directly sing about sex in Korea.
The freedom of expression as an artist is an important issue. I wanted to talk about the issue with the song ‘Wife.’ Male artists, especially male hip-hop musicians, have many songs that talk about sex. But in Korea, female musicians tend to express themselves more prudently when they sing about sex. But a woman who desires sex isn’t a bad or wrong woman, right? I believe every woman has her own desires and personality, and I wanted to portray an active female ‘character’ with such desires just once.
— Soyeon
She continues to discuss how diverse female characters who express their sexuality appear in novels, movies, and more — so why not in music?
She also goes on to say that the topic of sex shouldn’t be shied away from for being “dirty.” Rather, it’s a natural part of being a human.
In Korea, female musicians have never written or sung such songs. In novels and movies, there are many genres and diverse characters, so such themes can appear in music too. There was a lot of reaction saying the lyrics of ‘Wife’ are dirty, but I don’t think sexual behavior is dirty. It’s just a part of human instincts.
— Soyeon
Soyeon is never afraid to challenge cultural norms!
