Earlier this year, the K-pop community learned that Stephanie Hwang, better known by her stage name Tiffany, of popular idol girl group Girls’ Generation, will be releasing her first solo album sometime in May.
Her highly-anticipated soloist debut is a bit of a unique position because it seems SM Entertainment is having her go one-on-one with another K-pop idol making her soloist debut too, former Girls’ Generation member Jessica Jung . To be frank, having Tiffany counter Jessica is probably a smart move on the talent agency’s behalf given both are the most fluent in English and grew up in San Francisco, California.
Despite the competition, both K-pop idols are moving forward with their debut solo albums. Pertaining to Tiffany specifically, she recently released a teaser for the music video of her featured song “I Just Wanna Dance.” Also, Tiffany released a complete tracklist of her debut solo album too.
The teaser for “I Just Wanna Dance” music video (attached below) was uploaded on SM Entertainment’s official YouTube channel, known as SMTOWN , on Sunday, May 9. Upon initial viewing, AllKpop wrote the music video has a “ vintage and retro vibe .” Everything from her fashion (which includes her large aviator sunglasses), the filtering of the lens, the lighting and coloring of shots, and even the old-fashioned set pieces helps compliment the theme. What they did tease the most are the little snippets of her vocals in a solo sense. There was just enough for K-pop fans to get an idea of what Tiffany’s voice would be like but to also want to purchase the song.
Over the course of three days, the teaser for the “I Just Wanna Dance” music video has been viewed over 864,000 times and will most likely receive its most traffic just a day before her solo album officially releases. It may even be possible for the teaser video to reach over a million views by that time. As for those who liked the teaser, they amount to over 62,000, which is a commanding lead over the paltry just under 3,000 people who disliked it.
“I Just Wanna Dance” is the featured song off of Tiffany’s solo debut album, which will feature six songs. Along with “I Just Wanna Dance,” Tiffany’s other songs are “TALK,” “FOOL,” “What Do I Do,” “Yellow Light,” and “Once in a Lifetime.” A lot of the songs were produced with Cha Cha Malone for the music label AOMG, the same label rapper GRAY is signed to.
Tiffany is the second Girls’ Generation member to recently pursue a solo career outside of the respective K-pop idol group. The first was Taeyeon, who released her solo album late last year. Her title song “I” was a huge success for the leader of Girls’ Generation, and SM Entertainment is expecting Tiffany to be just as successful. As for why the Tiffany, Taeyeon, and others Girls’ Generation members (specifically Yuri) are pursuing a solo music career, it is most likely for individual members to have an established career when life after an idol girl group happens. Girls’ Generation is about to become a decade old this coming year. After a K-pop idol group becomes 3-years-old, the prospects of them staying together usually diminish. The only reason why Girls’ Generation lasted so long is their popularity and sales. Still, nothing lasts forever.
Tiffany’s solo debut album will release on May 11, 2016, KST. This means the album might be readily available right now. In the United States, iTunes will usually keep up with international albums and will most likely have Tiffany’s solo album available now. As for the actual album, they are usually available through specialty stores mostly online.
[Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images]