Kwon Jin-ah Releases Rock Album 'SAVE ME' and Holds Showcase

Singer Kwon Jin-ah is celebrating her 10th debut anniversary by releasing her third EP, 'SAVE ME', and attempting a genre transformation from ballad singer to rockstar. At a showcase held on the 15th at the NOL Theater Hapjung Dongyang Life Hall in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Kwon Jin-ah shared the meaning of the album, saying, 'I hope those with similar worries find comfort.'

This album is Kwon Jin-ah's first full rock-based production project, capturing painful themes of wounds and self-loathing within the rough waves of rock sound. She introduced the album by stating, 'I used to use rock sounds for one or two deep stories in my albums, but this time I wanted to fill it entirely with band soundtracks to tell a deep inner story.' Regarding her decision to put rock sounds in the forefront, she added, 'I had ambition to show something new. Thinking about performances, there is no genre that can heat up the atmosphere as much as rock. It didn't feel like a challenge to me; it was a process of bringing out what was inside me.'

The new album features five tracks, including the title track 'MONSTER', 'After Can Change', 'Rain on Me', '87 Days', and 'Don't Save Me'. In the title track 'Monster', Kwon Jin-ah calls herself a monster but ultimately resolves to 'have to survive.' This song best captures her new musical direction. Discussing 'Monster', she said, 'The advice to love yourself didn't really resonate with me. I thought it was too easy. I wanted to say that even if it's hard to love yourself, let's move forward to tomorrow, and I felt that was more relatable. I brought out a deeper story from my long history of self-loathing.' She also noted, 'While I used to focus on refined and delicate vocals, this time I tried shouting and making sharp sounds, which felt new.'

Kwon Jin-ah explained why she chose 'self-loathing' as the album's theme. She revealed, 'When I first debuted, I had self-loathing and obsession regarding my appearance and body shape. That's why I started dieting, and I suffered from anorexia and bulimia. I couldn't leave that part out of the self-loathing narrative, so I included it in the music video.' She continued, 'Of course, a healthy body is good, but society tends to praise thin and pretty figures more. I wanted to talk about that part because I still couldn't be free from it.' She honestly added, 'The story of self-loathing is like a friend to me. I want to overcome it, but it keeps following me, and I think it will continue.'

Kwon Jin-ah also shared her feelings on her 10th debut anniversary. She said, 'I feel like I have a lot more to do than what I've done so far, so I'm looking forward to it. Although this is a rock album with deep stories, as someone who loves R&B very much, I want to release an R&B album. I also thought it would be nice to release a calm and gentle pop album around next spring. I want to release a remake album too.'