Taeyeon Reveals Her Sunbae BoA Made It Stressful For Her To Perform Her Solo Track “Why”
In a previous episode of SHINee Key‘s 2018 Cheongdam KEYtchen, he had Taeyeon on set as his special guest for the day. While chatting and dining, Taeyeon revealed how stressed and pressured she felt while promoting her solo track “Why” in 2016 — and it’s making her fans fill up with even more respect and support for the artist.
During the discussion, Taeyeon admitted she had some discomfort performing “Why” because she couldn’t manage the expectation she had for herself.
I think back then when I was promoting “Why”, I felt pressured every time I have to perform the song because I had to do a choreography with it.
— Taeyeon
She explained that her ideal “role model” for a female solo artist who sings and dances at the same time was BoA…
Look, if I wanted to be a solo artist who sings and dances, then I would have to excel at both. In my head, the solo female artist who does both and does them well was BoA-unnie.
— Taeyeon
… and the idea that she would have to “do as well as BoA does” brought a tremendous amount of anxiety or her.
Then that got me thinking, ‘Am I going to be able to do my thing as well as BoA does her thing?’ No… I didn’t think so. That’s why I told everyone that I didn’t think I could do it.
— Taeyeon
Eventually, Taeyeon overcame her fears and conquered that anxiety. The song turned into a huge hit — and fans now remember “Why” as one of her most successful solo tracks to have graced the industry!
This episode, featuring Taeyeon’s little confession, touched the fan hearts deeply though. Upon realizing the level of stress and pressure Taeyeon must have dealt with at the time, fans could only gather more respect and support for her!
Well… BoA is a really high standard. Of course Taeyeon must have felt pressured, if her goal was BoA. But she really rocked that era in her own way. She is her own queen. Taeyeon’s ‘Why’ is my go-to summer song now.
— Netizen
Here’s Taeyeon dominating in the dance version MV of “Why”:
