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Son Dam-bi: 'Taking Criticism of My Singing Is My Assignment'

As they say that good times come with the bad, star singer Son Dam-bi (27), who recently released a mini album entitled "The Queen", is now facing unfavorable reviews for the first time.

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The music video for the title song "Queen" has been talked about with allegations of plagiarizing an American drama, and the video of her appearance on TV was posted on an Internet website with the MR (Music Recorded) removed, so she has been pointed out for her lack of singing ability. She eventually confirmed the plagiarism from the music video production company and the problematic scene has been deleted from the music video, and now she is singing the chorus live, although she had originally planned not to sing it live to focus on dancing.

When she sang the song "Crazy" in 2008 and the song "Saturday Night" in 2009, she had not faced any negative press, so the recent unfavorable situation could have been hard for her. But for this interview, Son Dam-bi looked as if she had accepted this situation and people's criticisms in a humble way.

She said, "At first, I was confused, wondering why these bad things happened to me, but I am regarding myself as a person who has chosen to be a singer for my lifetime job rather than regarding myself as a star singer, so I thought that it might be better and wise for me to try to improve this situation rather than just sitting there disappointed with hurt feelings". She also explained that she could look back upon her experiences and gain responsibility by going through these difficulties.

She added, "As many people are showing interest in me, many other things can happen to me in the future, but those are all my assignment to undertake. I am only thinking that I have to do everything better".

She has made some changes in her music style in the recent album. She had presented a retro style melody with a sad mood for her hit songs "Crazy" and "Saturday Night", which the Brave Brothers composed for her, but this time, the music composer Kim Tae Hyun had worked with her to present the cheerful and pleasant song "Queen", which is suitable for the summer season.

She continued, "I did not want to make a comeback with a sad retro song again; I wanted to sing a cheerful song. To do that, I had to change my low and husky voice into a thin and bright voice tone. The song 'Queen' has to be sung as if talking to someone like a rap, so I tried to make it a habit to speak with a more cheerful voice in my daily conversation".

The R&B song entitled "Can't U See", which is also included in the new album, is reportedly a difficult song to sing even though it is easy to listen to, and the song "dB Rider", which could only be heard in the movie "Charlie's Angels" up to now, was composed by the music writer Kim Tae Hyun, and he reportedly had imagined Son Dam-bi wearing a leather jacket and defeating villains when he composed the song. Those songs are also a new music genre for her. Her new album is entirely following the recent trend of electronic music.

She said, "A song with electronic sound makes both the singer and the listener become excited, but when the singer sings the song live, it is difficult to sing the song identically to the recorded song on the CD".

During the interview, she also complained about the preconception that people have regarding her image stemming from her appearance.

She complained, "Other male singers do not talk to me. Whenever I meet them, I can sense their uncomfortable feelings". On the stage, she presents an arrogant and sexy image. She added, "On the stage, I cast a spell on myself that I am a sexy woman on the stage, but actually I am a dull and dense person, and I am a rather easygoing person without being charming. I am not glib, so when I appear in an entertainment program, my stories are not interesting at all. Some people even misunderstand me as a snob thanks to the title of the song, which is 'Queen', but the title does not mean that I am a queen -- it means that everyone can become a queen when they cast a spell on themselves, following the lyrics of the song".

When she recently appeared on the entertainment program "Radio Star", MC Shin Jung-hwan asked about the rumor regarding her trouble with Yoo Yi, who is a member of the group After School and belongs to the same agency as Son. After listening to his questions, Son Dam-bi had a facial expression showing her hurt feelings. She explained, "I could hate her if she has a bad personality, but actually she is a very sweet girl. I am also rooting for Orange Caramel, which consists of the youngest members of After School. I am also the best friend of Gahee, who is also a member of After School. She will soon perform as a solo singer, like she has always wanted to, and I am really anticipating her performance as a solo singer".

But Son Dam-bi also said that she feels a positive tension when seeing After School, because she has not achieved her goal yet. She emphasized, "Many people are aware of me, and I had bought a small apartment for my parents, but I did not yet hold a solo performance concert and I did not advance overseas. Also, the drama "Dream", in which I appeared in last year, recorded only one digit viewer ratings. To become a real icon of the music industry like the singers such as Uhm Jung-hwa and Lee Hyori, I still have a long way to go".

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