(upbeat music)
- Hey everyone!
I am here in Seoul at P Nation,
with the beautiful, the talented, the amazing Jessi.
Thank you for joining me.
- Hi, nice to meet you.
- Yeah, very nice to meet you too.
- I am so glad to do this.
- 'Cause you are actually from the States, right?
- Yes.
- But also an international K-Pop star?
- Yes.
("Nunu Nana")
- Can you tell us more about the recent EP and the single?
- Yeah.
It's called 'Nuna'.
So, the reason that I called it 'Nuna' was
everyone called me 'ssenunni'.
What would you think it means?
Like a strong woman, right?
- Yeah.
- But for me, it meant a strong, independent woman.
Somebody who can overcome anything.
And that's who, that's what my definition of 'ssenunni' was.
And I felt like, okay after 'unni', it's 'nuna'.
I felt like a 'nuna', cause now I'm old.
I'm like 33.
But my soul is young.
But my knees are kinda old. You know what I'm saying?
- I feel you, I feel you. I'm 34.
I dropped a song called Nunu Nana,
a song called Star, Numb, Put it on Ya, Drip,
and Who That B.
- So you're an MC and an artist,
- Right.
- And another part of K-Pop is, of course, the dancing.
- I am not a dancer.
- Choreo. I saw your video, you were killing it.
- No, no, no. Listen.
- You were killing it.
- I was killing it, because my dancers were killing it.
- Look, you got, you have-
- That's why I was killing it.
- You have single tape choreo videos,
and you're holding center forward.
You're looking good, you're hitting the moves.
- You know, I'm not gonna lie,
the one thing that I have is feel.
I'm not good at like the one, two, three, four,
like you know what I'm saying, like, like, like.
- Well, didn't they tell you that you're teaching me
some of your Nuna dance today?
- No, I am going to teach you,
but I'm going to teach you the Tiktok one, because-
- Okay.
- that one is going to take forever
for you to learn because-
- [Staff] No, he's fast.
- Oh. Oh, you go, you go, you go.
You going to do this?
You. What the (beep). - [Staff] No.
- You going to do this, all of this?
You want to do all this?
- I mean.. - No, no, no.
- The challenge - [Staff] Eugene is um..
- If it's presented..
- Now, he wants to learn not the Tiktok dance.
He wants to learn the actual dance.
- Yes.
- Right before we play the music, it's
'do you hear?'
- Hmmm. - Oh. Oh yeah.
We got the rear. We got the rear.
- Oh.. - Okay. Okay.
Okay. It's 'do you hear'.
(Jessi and Eugene speaking a Korean word)
So it's like, you know like,
when you just talking like (beep), like just that.
Yes.
Yes, it's that kind of vibe.
Yes!
Now get your ass back over here.
- Okay okay. Sorry.
- [Jessi] You know Psy, he's like a genius
when it comes to dancing.
So you know, with this all kind of every song that he has,
he's always about choreo, 'cause, okay,
you have the music.
You have the beat, a banging beat.
If you have a banging (beep) dance
that hits you right there too,
it's going to make it perfect.
("Nunu Nana")
I literally had three days before Nunu Nana came out.
We recorded.
We changed our title, like, three times.
- Yeah.
I had to learn it two hours a day,
and then, we shot the video.
- [Eugene] But we'll replicate a little bit of
that challenge today.
You can teach me as much as you think I can handle.
And if it sucks, we'll just cut it out of the video.
- No, I can see that you have some moves, though.
Are you ready? - I am ready.
- Are you ready- - I'm ready.
- Open your legs.
- What? Excuse me? (laughs)
- Just open your legs. - Oh, for the dance.
Okay. - Yes.
Nunu.. Nana.
One.
- Okay.
- One, two, three, up.
- Uh.
- [Jessi] Long story short, I started,
I came out here when I was fifteen.
I debuted when I was,
in 2005.
And I was a child,
not knowing anything about the culture.
I could barely speak Korean.
I failed many, many times.
I went back to the States, I came back.
I went through a lot of other companies.
It was horrible, but, yeah, I'm here now.
And I'm like, I'm happy.
And I feel like all those obstacles,
all those bumps on the roads,
it made me who I am today.
- Grab it. No. So straight. Grab it.
(singing Nunu Nana)
Yes! Drop. - Drop.
- [Jessi] For me, at first, it was..
The most hardest thing was being accepted
as a Korean-American.
So, the fact that I was unable to know the culture,
and also, just the fact that I wasn't being able
to speak Korean.
(Jessi speaking Korean)
For me, it set me a really long time to adapt
because I didn't have any guidance.
Like, I didn't have a family out here.
Like, I had to learn it all on my own.
I thank my brothers for that, to be honest,
because I've told the brothers.
They've really made me a strong person.
I got it pretty bad for them, like tough love.
You know what I mean, right?
Like tough love.
- I got two sisters, same situation.
- Right. - But they kick my ass.
- Yeah, that's usually how it is.
- Yeah. Diversify your group. - Older or younger?
Older or younger?
- I'm right in the middle.
- Oh. - Yeah.
- Damn. - Yeah.
I'm like the PB and J.
- Hmm.
- Yes!
♪ Put 'em up in the air ♪
Yes. So this-
- This is like, everyone knows this part.
- This part, yeah.
But this is the hardest part for me.
I don't know why.
'Cause something about it does is that move.
- Yeah.
Put 'em up in the air, boom.
- Whoa!
Like this. Yes!
I've had a blur. All right!
- So, tell me about what your music perspective is,
especially in the K-Pop scene.
- You know it's crazy because I've been doing this
for fifteen years now,
and I finally got accepted, like my music.
I've always been known as, like, okay, Unpretty Rapstar.
That girl who's very loud,
and very, um, outspoken.
And you know, unapologetic.
Like, that was who I was.
'Till this day, I'm still like that
because I never wanted,
you know how there was like the whole idol,
like how everyone needs to be a certain way,
and it's not like they want to be.
It's just how the culture is.
And it was really hard for me to be like that
because I felt like I was lying to myself.
As time went by,
people started to be more open.
I can't please everybody, I realized that.
I'm different, and, um,
I think it's okay to be different.
And I think, I succeeded because of that,
even though it took me like fifteen years.
I feel like, finally I'm being accepted,
for not just like my personality, but also my music.
(Nunu Nana playing)
- One, two, three, up.
Hey.
Put em up in the air. Hey!
- [Jessi] I just love working.
I am a workaholic, and-
- [Eugene] That's definitely part of Korean in you.
- You know how Koreans are.
They are, like, overboard.
Like you know how in America, a lot of my friends are like,
it's 4:50, they're ready to get the (beep) out.
- I'm gonna be clocking out now.
It's like three minutes 'til six,
and otherwise, I'm gonna go to HR.
This will be a problem. - Yes.
- In Korea, they're like, it is 10:00 p.m.
(exciting music)
- [Eugene] Now, it goes from work to soju, sleep,
back to work.
Koreans have always been known very hardworkers.
- Oh. Facts. - Work their asses off.
- This is a fact.
- I think you hit on a lot of important points,
which is, especially as a Korean-American as well.
You see so much of the culture, sort of, coming down,
especially on women,
on people who are trying to express themselves.
And being like, honest about it.
So it's really good, especially for young Koreans,
and Asians out there who are watching,
that they see role models who are just like,
not giving a (beep).
You know, that's always been my mantra, just like,
put myself out there.
Be myself.
And that's kind of most of you do.
And hopefully like your family, your peers, the country,
they catch up to you.
But I see what you're doing.
I feel like you are just being authentic.
- I just want to be happy, you know.
This is the first time, me as a teacher.
He's doing a really nice job, though.
I'm not going to lie.
- Great teacher. Great teacher.
- It took me a really long time, let me just say.
All right.
- If anything, you're being
you're being the best 'nuna'.
- Uh, thank you. - [Staff] Oh. That's cute.
- See what I did there?
("Nunu Nana")
- Yes. Sway.
Put 'em up in the air.
Up. Down.
X.
Just dance with me.
I'm glad that I could be an inspiration to a lot of women.
'Cause me, I'm all about self-love, you know.
And like, a lot of women ask me all the time,
"How do you have so much confidence?"
And I was telling them,
confidence is not something you're born with.
You have to learn.
You know how there's like beauty standards out there.
- Yeah.
- I say, (beep) that (beep) at this point.
They're not into the tan skin, like you know.
And like, a lot of make-up.
And like hoop earrings, and you know, big boobs.
What is, it's opening up a lot more now.
So I'm really glad that's happening.
("Nunu Nana")
- [Jessi] Yes!
Holy (beep)
Put 'em up in the air.
Yeah!
Like this! X!
Just dance with me.
Yo!
(Eugene laughs)
What the (beep)
That was so good.
He's sweating so much, I feel so bad.
- No. It's okay. I'm sweating because-
- Because you had fun, though?
- Yes, yes. I had a lot of fun.
Thank you so much, Jessi. - Thank you.
- This was so amazing. - Thank you.
- Everyone, please check her out.
Her music is incredible. - Thank you.
- And she's obviously incredible, herself.
("Nunu Nana")
(Eugene laughs)
- Yes. That's what you call over-reacting.
- Well, if you see someone fall from getting pushed
in the next Jessi show,
now that he had choreographed right here in this moment.
- Yes - By your truly.
- Yes.
Stupid.
(Try Guys outro)
- People have gotten really like, kinda of really like,
why are you pushing her so hard?
No. They are just..
They're going like this.
But there are times I do it a little bit strong
because I'm like, oh (beep),
I got to go. I got to go.