Red Velvet’s Joy opens up about her hiatus: “I have my moments of darkness”

nme.com:

Red Velvet singer Joy has opened up about her months-long hiatus from the group in 2023 and why she needed to do it.Red Velvet’s Joy recently made a guest appearance on the South Korean YouTube talk show Zzanbro, hosted by comedian Shin Dong-yeob, alongside bandmates Seulgi and Yeri.During the programme, Joy looked back on the girl group’s 10-year career and recalled their early years when she “used to smile so brightly”.

However, the singer added that “as time passed” she noted that she was “gradually losing that smile and looking more fatigued”, per SBS Star.Later on the show, she touched on her months-long hiatus in 2023, opened up about how “during that time, I thought, ‘I don’t even know who I am anymore'”.

She added: “The reason I thought that was because before I could understand myself, the public had already formed their opinions about me.”Joy then spoke about how despite her public persona as “a cheerful and energetic person”, she has her moments of “darkness and introspection” as well. “However, I’ve always strived to meet the expectations people have of me, even though it hasn’t always been easy,” she added.During the trio’s appearance on the show, Yeri also revealed that she had initially refused to join Red Velvet when asked to do so by her agency, SM Entertainment. “My loyalty to the friends I trained with was bigger than my desire to make a debut,” she recalled.Last month, Red Velvet released their latest mini-album ‘Cosmic’, which also commemorates the girl group’s tenth anniversary.

The girl group also announced their upcoming 2024 ‘Happiness: My Dear, ReVe1uv’ Asia tour, featuring shows in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and more..