Wonder Girls discuss their U.S. venture and their new album

In 2008, the Wonder Girls knocked on the door of the U.S. market and embarked on a long journey of self-discovery and growth. Though they were top stars in Korea, the girls were forced to start from the very bottom again with street performances.
Fast forward three years later, and we see the Wonder Girls return to Korea with some solid achievements under their belts. They’ve placed 76th on the Billboard Chart and became the first Korean artists to rank on the world-famous music barometer. They also completed a successful U.S. Tour, and filmed a movie with TV network, Teen Nick.
Prior to the official release of their 2nd album, the Wonder Girls sat down for an interview with MBN News to talk about their U.S. venture and their latest work.

The girls were first asked to elaborate on their thoughts about their U.S. venture. Leader Sunye stated, “To be honest, going to the U.S. was a rushed decision… There are many people who say that we’ve failed. However, we think of the past two years and a half as a period of preparation for our [actual] U.S. venture.”
Ye Eun added, “There was never a day where something wasn’t new [to us]… We were able to continuously grow and learn through exchanges with world-famous musicians. The experience in the U.S. has led to a dramatic transformation of Wonder Girls.”
The members revealed that the title track of the new album, “Be My Baby”, is one that everyone can enjoy. The melody is easy on the ears (like with “Tell Me”, “So Hot”, and “Nobody”), while the tempo is upbeat and the lyrics are easy to sing along to.
When the album is listened to as a whole, it’s apparent that their experiences in the U.S. seeped into their new sound. The song that Ye Eun composed for their album, “G.N.O.”, is a song that’s reminiscent of music heard in clubs. “Super B”, a track sung by Yubin and Sohee, also allows us to get a feel for the new type of sound that the girls have brought.
Ye Eun commented, “When I went to a club, I heard songs from Rihanna and LMFAO… We thought it would be nice if we could make club music, done right, in Korean.”
When asked to talk about their growth, Sohee commented, “In the U.S., all the members lived together in one building… Due to the situation, we had more chances to converse with one another, and we became even closer.”
For the first time, the girls will be up against SNSD for their comeback. Although both groups debuted in 2007, their promotion periods somehow never overlapped.
Sunye revealed, “We don’t really think of ourselves as rivals with SNSD. There are things they can do, and we have things we can do… I hope each can become a group that can be a source of strength and consolation for many people.”
The Wonder Girls will be promoting more actively in the U.S. next year. Their first U.S. album will be released in sync with their feature movie, ‘Wonder Girls at the Apollo’, which will be aired through Teen Nick.