Gyubin visited Hong Kong in past October and attend to a series of promotional events, including YouTube Music Night and Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival. On the night of the festival, Gyubin gave a thoughtfully prepared, beautiful performance! The song arrangement was well planned, and included not only performance of her singles “Really Like You”, “Satellite” and “Start to Shine”, but also the cover version of two Cantonese hits “You Gotta Screw Up At Least Once” by H.K. singer Kiri T and “Getaway” by moon tang. In addition, she also practiced Mandarin for the song performance “A Little Happiness” by Taiwanese singer Hebe Tien. One of the most unpredictable surprises she brought to the stage was a 7-minute “Taylor Swift Medley” performance!

Please don’t underestimate her vocal power as she hit all the high notes and make it look perfectly effortless! In addition to song composition, playing the guitar and keyboard are also her specialties. During the performance, she showed her humble manner while interacting with fans. It was hard not to become a fan of hers!

Editor: Meiling Heung｜Photo & Art: Emma Chan｜Video: Mickey To

Having Taylor Swift & IU as her role model

Ever since Gyubin was young, she was determined to be a solo artist. When asked if she had ever thought about joining girl group, she said, “I never thought about becoming a member of girl group. I enjoy making music alone. Also, I don’t think my personality matches well with the competitiveness of the idol group scene. That’s why I decided to pursue my dream of being a song writer and solo artist since I was young.” 

During the Wine & Dine Festival, Gyubin gave a 7-minute “Taylor Swift Medley” performance on the stage. Many readers may be curious how long she had prepared for the Medley Section. Gyubin answered, “Well, it wasn’t easy because it was a long medley. It took maybe a week to two weeks to prepare for the medley. But since I love Taylor Swift so much, I really enjoyed the preparation process!”

Gyubin was given the name “Little IU” by the mass media since there is a remarkable resemblance between these two. Not only because they both have that sweet appearance, but also their vocal strength! IU has been Gyubin’s idol since she was a child. If Gyubin could spend a day with IU, how would she plan the day? “Well… If I could spend a day with her, I just want to sing along with her for all day long. Also having conversations too! There are so many things I want to ask her. She’s my role model and my hero since I was young. Oh my god… so happy right now just by imagining this!” she said with sparkling eyes.

Gyubin praised the cuisine of H.K.

Gyubin explained that she visited Hong Kong when she was about 6 years old. She went to Disneyland and Ocean Park with her family, which became sweet childhood memories. However, it’s her first time to visit Hong Kong after officially becoming a singer. Therefore, this time was the most memorable and touching experience for her as she was able to perform in front of fans and locals.

Her eyes sparkled again during the interview while talking about the local food. “Before I came to Hong Kong, I really wanted to try Dim Sum, especially Xiaolongbao! The first time I tasted it… Oh My God, it was the exact taste I expected! I also love the desserts, such as egg tart and milk tea. That was amazing! And the food I had yesterday was hot pot. It wasn’t too spicy though. The beef and shrimp… Best of the best!” She gave the thumbs up.

Gyubin announced the plans to release her first EP next year

On 28 November 2024, Gyubin will turn 18. At such a young age, her followers on Instagram have already grown to nearly 450,000! Her YouTube subscribers also exceed 100,000. In August this year, she received the YouTube Creator Award (Silver Level). What’s her next milestone? “I wish I could get the Golden Box. Maybe in 3-5 years? That would be my next goal.” Gyubin responded.

Becoming famous at such a young age may have brought a lot of pressure on her shoulders. “I think I am so lucky because I am just a teenager, there are still a lot of things for me to try in the future. So yes, I am very overwhelmed and thankful that many people like my music, so I want to respond to this amazing support from my fans with my music!”  

In the past two years, Gyubin released the singles “Satellite”, “Special”, “Really Like You”, “Start To Shine (feat. Gaeko)” and “Scribble”. The song “Really Like You” went viral on the internet! During this interview, Gyubin excitingly announced that her first EP is coming up next year! “I am actually preparing my album for the first time in my life. It’s going to be an EP Album. There will be around 8 songs. It will be released maybe very early next year.”

Fans from Hong Kong might be a little disappointed while reading the following: “I don’t have exact plans to hold a concert in Hong Kong at this moment. However, I am thinking maybe after releasing my EP, I will have a fan concert in Hong Kong if I have the chance.” Well, fans know what to do when she releases her EP, if you all wish to attend her concert sooner!

Gyubin x A Circle Magazine Interview: