[Interview] 15.10.27. Nicole, “I’ve lived while strangling myself" (Star1 Interview Translations)

After releasing a solo album last year, Nicole (25) came back after a year of vacuum. However for some reasons she feels unfamiliar. It feels like there’s a complete transformation, both from the atmosphere that exudes from her looks as well as her personality. Also her Korean Language is more fluent. What exactly happened to her for the past year?.

Q How was the photo shoot today?
▲ It was really fun. To be honest, even up until it started, I was worried a lot because of my fat… It was Chuseok not too long ago. I live alone right now, during holiday the delivery restaurants are closed so I invited close staff and I made Braised Spicy Chicken and we ate together. With Soju too. From that time my appetite that had been held back exploded and I ate a lot. I can’t control myself since I live alone. I ate a box of macaroon while watching TV. In the end I got enteritis. I only drank iron drinks for couple of days and didn’t work out at all. I needed to prepare my body for the photo shoot yet I wasn’t able to and it made me worry a lot.

Q You are the style that usually works out hard.
▲ I don’t do it as much as I used to. Before I went to work out around 6 times a week but these days I only work out around 3 times. I’m the style where my muscle will develop a lot even though I only work out for a little bit. So these days I’m doing exercise that will make me lose my muscle.

Q I heard that this is your first time doing an underwear photo shoot. There were lots of exposure, did it burden you?
▲ Aigoo, I worried a lot. Because at an underwear photo shoot you can see the line that you can’t cover. It was a great burden. However I think the clothes were able to conceal it a little bit and the photo shoot went well.



Q Today I was amazed when I saw Nicole’s body. I didn’t expect you to have this glamorous body.
▲ Haha. Thank you. My mother is really glamorous so I think I got that gene from her. Actually rather than the front side, my back-line muscle is really pretty, however it’s a part that I can’t show normally so it was kind of a pity. (laugh)

Q Do you have any body part that you’re not confident in?
▲ Of course. (touching her stomach) My stomach. During the promotion period, there are lots of occasions when I needed to expose my stomach so I paid a lot of attention to my stomach when I worked out. That’s why at the time I was the most confident with my stomach. But after resting, especially after drinking alcohol, I started getting fat on my stomach. That makes the part that I used to be the most confident with fall into the part that I’m not confident at the most. Keke.

Q After the album ‘First Romance’ last year, this is the first time we have seen you. What did you do for the past year?
▲ I study and rested. Hmm, I thought a lot about how should I spend my time. Ah, I also went to Japan by myself. I think it’s because I took plane a lot during KARA, it turned out I have lots of mileage. I’m not the style to go for vacation often but I went to Tokyo using the mileage. I went alone without a manager. I walked around various places that I could visit within an hour, found and ate at good restaurants and met my friends. I think that was my first time doing something alone like that.

Q Wasn’t it uncomfortable ?
▲ Rather than uncomfortable, I was nervous. In US, I can use English so it was alright but in Japan, I’m not that good with Japanese so I was kind of scared. However I can go around well thanks to the Map Navigation apps. My friends called me, maybe because they are worried too. They kept on on checking on me, whether I got on the right bus or did I get off at the right place. (laugh)

Q Is there anything that you feel while traveling alone?
▲ “I should have traveled a little bit more when I was a child?" (laugh) While I was traveling for around the 10 days, I thought about this: “Ah all these time, I’ve lived a confined life”. Japan is a place that I went often to perform but not where I went around alone, it feels very different. After I went for vacation, somehow the way I look at the world definitely changed. Should I say it’s like my view has became wider? I never knew how fun it is to meet new people at new places. I want to plan for a new vacation soon. However the biggest obstacle is finding a friend that can matches his/her time with me, that’s the hardest. (laugh)

Q Have you decided where you want to go next?
▲ Of course. I’ve been wanting to go to Europe since couple of years ago, I want to go while I’m still in my 20's. I want to go sightseeing with a close friend and sleep in a place like hostel instead of a high class hotel.

Q During your inactive time, there were lots of new groups that debuted and promoted. What do you think when you look at them?
▲ They are really young. And it means I’ve gotten older. Puhahahaha. There’s even those who were born in 2001. It was shocking. It also makes me wonder what are they thinking about me.

Q You didn’t date?
▲ I can’t. I can’t go on date because of my dogs. I’m raising 3 dogs right now, I spend my time just by feeding them, taking them for a walk. And since all of them have big build, I can’t bring them all together by myself. That’s why my friends often help me. I think I’m stuck with my dogs all the time I was inactive.

Q Even then, it’s nice to see that you keep on communicating with the fans through SNS.
▲ I upload that because I’m worried that the fans will be curious how I’m doing since I’m not as active as before. I also want to upload those photos. I want to show of how my dogs are growing.

Q On a previous variety show, Nicole’s clumsy and 4D personality like was very charming, but what about your real personality?
▲ At first I take care of my image, but once I get closer, I’ll show everything. I’m also honest, you can see clearly whether I like or dislike something. However I don’t think I’m clumsy. Am I? (laugh)

Q I feel it just now, your Korean really improved.
▲ As time passes by, it has improved. I keep on chatting with friends using Korean and I watch lots of TV, that makes me able to converse well. These days, people around me are amazed by my Korean skill. They wonder how can I use some high-level words.

Q What are programs that you enjoy watching?
▲ I often watch drama or variety programs. I often watch hot programs. When people are talking about it then I’ll watch it. However my personality isn’t that patient, as example: when I watch a drama I can bear up until around Episode 6 but after that since I need to wait for another week, that makes me giving it up completely. That’s why i can’t watch drama until the end. (laugh) I think the drama that I watched until the end was SBS ?

Q I heard that you worked out hard before the photo shoot. Do you have any secret on how to build your body within a short period of time?
▲ Everyone will know this. First, you shouldn’t drink alcohol. Reduce dinner and avoid snacks. Also, you need to make a habit to eat slowly. I force myself to eat slowly. When you eat slowly, you’ll get full faster. The carbohydrate will make you full when you eat slowly.

Q Anyone will know about this but it’s hard to maintain and put that into action.
▲ That’s right. However I really hate hearing the words “gaining fat” so my will for diet is really strong. Since an entertainer is a job where your looks is important, I get stressed when I think I’m not pretty when I look at myself. If I think I’m not pretty then others won’t see me as pretty either.

Q When I look at you earlier, you were sleek without any fat, how can you not have any fat? Especially your abs!
▲ I’m doing Pilates. It’s a workout that uses lots of your stomach strength so I’m doing it regularly. Like I said earlier, I’m the style who gets muscle fast even only after a short workout. Actually before I didn’t even know how to do diet. I only did diets that were set by the company. So it made me feel like I didn't lose weight and my health drops. So I cooked by myself and studied diet methods from books that suit myself. Since that time, I can lose weight well. Before starting a diet, you really need an analysis of yourself.

Q It’s really nice to see you keep on meeting and getting along with KARA members.
▲ It’s good. We’re getting along well even now, we contact each other and ask how each other have been doing. Previously when I went to Japan, I contacted (Kang) Jiyoung and sent pictures too. I watched all of KARA stages and monitored them.

Q Is it lonely promoting alone?
▲ Previously, before I went on a stage there are people which I can share my fear with so I can get by it well. However now I need to shoulder everything by myself so it’s kind of lonely and pressuring. But the dancers and stylists onnie take care of me so it’s nice.

Q Compared to when you were promoting as a group, when you promoting alone, I think you’ll have more time to think.
▲ Yes, I think a lot more now. Especially about my future. I’m already 25 y.o, how should I live in the future? I have those kind of concerns.

Q What is your recent concern?
▲ I think a lot about my next album. I’m also considering getting a new hobby. I think people always need to learn to do new things. I learned how to cook from Internet while I was inactive.

Q What’s the reason for wanting to learn new things?
▲ Since I was a child, I only knew about dancing and singing. Even traveling alone was the first time. It feels like I always pressured myself. I always held myself back by thinking “Since I’m a singer, my priorities are singing and dance. I can do other things later." Now, I think that I need to live by meeting new people and doing new things.

Q I heard that you have lots of close celebrity friends. What style are you when you’re with friends?
▲ I was very active before but these days I became quieter and my energy got weaker. SISTAR's Soyu and SHINee's Key are always full of energy. I was like that too. But I became quieter lately.

Q What kind of response do you want when people hear the name “Nicole”?
▲ I want to hear things like “Nicole is really humane”, “She’s a good person”. I think that someone’s first impression represents all about that person. So I hope when people look at me, they will think that I’m a good person right away. I need to work hard to be like that.

Q What kind of person is Nicole as a woman?
▲ Hmm.. When I’m dating, I don’t have aegyo and I don’t express myself too much. Usually a couple is sweet when they just start dating. But I don’t have much response even when my boyfriend says that he misses me. I like him too, but I don’t know how to express it. I need time to be able to do aegyo or express myself. People always wonder about that

Q Then you have dated before, right?
▲ Hahahahaha. Of course. Even then I did date before. They were sad at first but after awhile I can express myself well and can do aegyo.

Q You experienced public life early after debuting in KARA at 17 y.o. What do you think when you look back at those times? Do you think you lived well?
▲ I only was able to think about my work. However I think I did lived diligently. To be honest, there are some things that I should be able to do better as well as things that I regret. Even then, I didn't think I was lacking. Sometimes there’s some lack that I realize now. Besides those regrets, I think I lived diligently and well.

Q What are those lacking part or mistakes that you feel?
▲ Like I said before, I’m the style to live while holding myself back. I fill my schedule tightly, without any flexibility. I wonder why did I live like that. However I became more laid back now. It's becoming better after I became a solo singer.

Q What was the moment that made you the most satisfied during your time in entertainment industry?
▲ During a concert? No matter which concert it is, I feel satisfied every time I went onto the stage.

Q Do you have any regrets on becoming an entertainer?
▲ I always feel I’m lacking. I feel that my singing, dancing, looks all are lacking. I regret that I think about myself like that. Once I tried to find all of my elementary school friends from the US on social media. Those friends still keep in touch with each other and gone to university. I’m the only one that is separated so it made me sad and lonely. When we were children, we had lots of things in common so we could maintain our relationships but since I've became a singer in Korea, slowly we are becoming further apart. We don’t have anything in common and we can’t communicate well anymore so it’s kind of regrettable.

Q You don’t have any interest in branded products or shopping?
▲ Haha. Right. My life only consists of dogs, dance practice, and working out so I don’t even need pretty clothes. I only need a comfortable training clothes. I bought these pants that I'm wearing right now 3 years ago and I just found this pants not too long ago. I live happily with what I have. This year, I only have gone shopping around 5 times? haha.

Q What is your ultimate dream in your life?
▲ I want to build a house on a beach and live happily with my dogs. Of course after getting married. (laugh)

Q This year is approaching the end, do you have anything that you want to do?
▲ I want to meet my fans with a nice album.

Q When can we expect news about your next album?
▲ I think within this year.

Q Can you let us know what is your concept for this album?
▲ I think it will be a gamble.. The performance and the song will be more powerful than the previous album.

Q Last question. Please say something to your fans who always be there by your side.
▲ It must be hard for you to be waiting for me all this time. Thank you for always cheering me on even though my vacuum time was long. I will back with a good album so let’s make a lot of good memories during the promotion period!

Original article | Star1

Big huge thanks to Yuda for the translations :) !