By Jae-Ha Kim
Rolling Stone
June 28, 2018
Stephanie Hwang was 15 when she left her native California for Seoul, South Korea, where she hoped to become a music star. Within two years, the teenager — who went by the stage name of Tiffany Hwang or Tiffany – made her debut with Girls’ Generation, which would become one of the most successful K-Pop groups ever. “It wasn’t easy in the beginning, because I was in Korea without my family and I couldn’t speak the language,” says the 28-year-old singer. “I had to learn Korean really fast so that I knew what was going on.” Last year, she opted not to renew her contract with SM Entertainment and moved back to Los Angeles to study acting and launch her solo career. She is releasing “Over My Skin,” a sensual, bold, English-language song she co-wrote, as Tiffany Young.
Young spoke with RS about her new solo confidence, why she’d like to duet with Sam Smith, and more.
Was your decision to use the name Tiffany Young – which includes part of your Korean first name, Mi-young – a way of connecting the public to your Korean and American backgrounds?
Yes, I was thinking the same thing. I didn’t put too much thought into it, but sometimes your heart knows before your brain does. Mi-young is my Korean [first] name and Tiffany has been the identity of who I am as an artist and identities me with Girls’ Generation. I wanted to bring both the old and new to this new chapter of my journey.
How concerned were you that Girls’ Generation fans wouldn’t forgive you for leaving Korea?
It was never a secret that I wanted to pursue a career here in America. My girls knew and our fans knew. I started out in Girls’ Generation when I was 17, and now I’m 28. They knew that my home was in America and that I wanted to go home one day.
At any point, did you think, “This might be a good time to distance myself from K-Pop”?
You know what? I love K-Pop. I was thinking more about how can I bring what I am as a K-Pop artist, but also bring in the elements of pop that I love and grew up with – that Pharrell, Britney, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland era. That music is still amazing to this day. I just wanted to bring both worlds together. We’re at a great time where K-Pop is an amazing pop form and it’s turned into this thing where it’s about the feeling you get when you hear a song, even if it’s not a language that you know. I want the audience to connect that way.
“Over My Skin” is a very sexy song. What were you feeling when you sang the lyrics?
I was feeling super, super cool. [Laughs.] I was feeling very empowered, confident and comfortable. When I was writing it, it came from a place where I wanted to say that if I’m showing a little skin, it’s because I want to show it for me – because I feel good. It’s not for anybody else. I love that there are big vocal moments, but there’s also a cool, lower register in the chorus and it adds this bass to the rhythm.
There are many provocative girl groups in Korea. But there is also the expectation of projecting a certain level of innocence. Would you have felt comfortable writing something like “Over My Skin” when you were still living there?
I mean, I’m pretty sure I could. But I do believe that this song [is the result of] all the experiences and of questioning myself about whether I could talk about certain things. Coming back home made me feel comfortable about expressing my emotions freely.
I always had the impression that “What Do I Do”– which you and Sooyoung from Girls’ Generation wrote a couple years ago – gave listeners an idea of the direction you wanted to take.
“Over My Skin” was written pretty recently, and I remember Sooyoung – who was the most recent one here [in Los Angeles] – listening to this song and she was like, “Oh my gosh, this is so different and shocking, but this is so you at the same time.” I’m excited to see how people are going to react to it.
You’ve said that music helped you deal with your grief after your mother’s death in 2002. How so?
If I think about it, I had been finding myself being very apathetic towards the situation, even as a 12-year-old. I remember feeling so bad for my dad, because he just lost the love of his life, and my aunt just lost her sister. I should’ve also been thinking about me. I was just a child who had lost her mother. I finally found the strength to say, “OK, what am I going to do to go on? What’s going to make me feel better?” And that was music. Music was the only thing that made me feel understood and made me feel better. I rooted myself in that. It was a process to navigate what my life and feelings were, but I think music saved me in every way.
To the Asian American children who still don’t really see themselves represented in American media, what would you say to them?
Times are changing! I think about the challenges [previous generations faced], but it’s about pushing forward and letting our thoughts and dreams guide us. As you push through the struggles, that’s what always becomes one of the most satisfying things in life.
What are your plans for a new album?
I have been working on music since last September. I do have a lot of music done and I would love to continuously be able to release music until it leads to a full album. I don’t ever want to slow myself down when creating or challenging myself.
Do you have anyone in mind for a collaboration?
I have a few, but the first person is Sam Smith. I’m a huge fan, and I love what he does and who he is as a musician. His rendition of Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know” was so good. I would love to sing a piano ballad – or anything – with him.
How would you describe your relationship with your fans?
I trust them to be wherever I am and that’s why I will be wherever they are, whenever I can.
© 2018 JAE-HA KIM
Thankyouthankyouthankyou for this amazing article on Tiffany. No matter what her last name is now, she will always be Tiffany. Thank you for taking her seriously and asking her really good questions. I would hate for her to be pigeon holed as a Kpop star because while that’s all and good for Girls’ Generation, it’s not what her new song is about. I love that she doesn’t want to throw away her Kpop roots but that she wants to grow as an artist. There is room for both. If there is ever a Girls’ Generation reunion I hope they will invite Tiffany and also Jessica who was treated pretty poorly by their fans and management. It’s not Girls’ Generation without all of them on stage at the same time. Thank you again and I look forward to reading more from you in Rolling Stone!
This interview was so great! Thank you! It’s my favorite so far because she seemed to really open up to you. I loved hearing about how much has helped her through her life because so much of Girls’ Generation’s music has helped me through my life too. I think we can all help each other with music and I am so happy that her faves helped her heal after her mother’s death. Fighting!
Another really great interview Jae! I had no idea Tiffany had moved back to the US. She’s looking as beautiful as ever!
I love it when she says “Times are changing”! Hopefully more Asian Americans don’t have to go to Asian countries to find jobs as singers. Times are changing but it’s not happening very fast. I hope to see things change in my generation. Thank you for asking the questions that I wanted to hear answered.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for treating Tiffany so well and asking questions that haven’t been asked. It was a good mixture and I loved hearing her talk about her love of KPOP!
Now I know what you meant about there being a baby boom 9 months from now. #OverMySkin is steamy! Yay Tiffany!
Any of you notice that the official Girls’ Generation social media accounts haven’t said boo about Tiffany? If she was still a member why wouldn’t they promote her? It’s good business for a member of a group to do well in solo projects because that draws more attention to the group. If they’re not promoting her the inference is pretty clear that they do not view her a a member anymore so former is correct regardless of who put that in. I put my trust in Rolling Stone to do their research over some fanatics who are offended by everything that is written about their faves.
A Kpoppie on Twitter said it was because S&M controls their social media but the girls are showing their support on their individual Instagram accounts.
S&M? 😂😂 I think you mean SM. I saw those too but the theory the GG fans are holding onto is that SM won’t promote Tiffany because she’s not signed to them anymore. I don’t buy it. Tiffany doing well is good for GG and therefore good for SM. I don’t understand why they wouldn’t promote her.
I MEANT SM!!! lmao
I see the Twitter Police are at it again. SONES listen up, the writer doesn’t take the photos or write the captions or the headlines. Complain to the magazine, not the writer. This is an interesting interview that covered things that people who don’t know about SNSD will want to know. Great Jae-Ha Kim!
They’re still in middle school and enjoy being loud. Don’t pay them any mind. All they’re doing is making it that legitimate publications won’t want to cover Kpop anymore because these fans are so obnoxious about every single thing.
Not signing with your agency is the same thing as leaving your band in Korea. She is not a part of Girls’ Generation anymore and even though the band itself hasn’t said it was breaking up I thik the girls are all ready to move on. Tiffany is probably open to doing a reunion just like the Spice Girls but why would she move to the U.S. to record a solo record if she was still a part of the group? She would do that in Korea just like she did in the past.
THIS!
Everyone in the industry knows this. It’s the fans who refuse to believe it.
To everyone demanding a correction and wanting Jae to make some sort of comment. What can she say? If she says it’s not her fault, you kpoppies on a witchhunt won’t believe her. She can blame it on the magazine that wrote the headline, but then that would make her look poorly to her boss. If it was her mistake, she would have fixed it. Corrections aren’t a big deal. The fact that it’s not being addressed leads me to believe that it’s either not a mistake or Tiffany’s management knows they screwed up with their wording so they aren’t going to push for it.
I’m in artist management. This is correct. If there was a egregious mistake, my job is to have the publication correct any factual mistakes. Should there have been a problem, this change would have been made by now. It doesn’t take long for a publication to correct an online error. Noisey changed an element of their article on Tiffany Young already, even though it was factual and the writer said her information had been confirmed from the artist’s representatives.
Anyone wanna fill me in on what was changed in the Noisey story?
Diyana Noory said in the Noisey article that Tiffany’s late mother had committed suicide and was talking about it. The word suicide was taken out later that day and replaced with death. I don’t know why that happened. Thta’s all I know. I hope that helps.
These fans are wilding! 😂 Time will tell. If Girls’ Generation even releases a new album, it will be interesting to see if Tiffany is included on it. If she isn’t, all of you owe this reporter a big fat apology. I don’t get why she would leave Korea and change her name and record her song in America if she wasn’t trying to create a new image for herself but that’s just me. I’m not wilding lmao!
What happened with Jessica? I know she was fired or quit depending on who is telling the story.
You all need to understand that content is changed from the way a writer originally writes it. If you read this article carefully and the one that ran in Rolling Stone there are slight differences. No where does she say Tiffany is no longer in Girls’ Generation.
Since every one here is being so free with their criticism, I will add my criticism, not of the artist and writer, but of the fans who are demanding a different set of questions without offering any kind of constructive criticism or suggestions. What do you want asked? Which questions offend you and why?
If you just leave a blanket statement of hatred and ridicule, don’t be surprised if you get little constructive feedback back from anyone.
I am assuming that the criticism is aimed at the writer asking about whether she wanted to leave K-POP behind and pursue a different type of music. What is wrong with that question? In light of the fact that the artist left Korea by moving to the United States, why is the question out of line? It isn’t. If there is malice in the question, I would be surprised. It is a normal question that a writer would want to know. K-POP isn’t exactly respected by serious music critics or music fans. You hear boy bands talking all the time about how they want to branch out and be taken seriously. It is not unreasonable to think that this lady would want to do the same.
I almost long for the days when readers could only read interviews in magazines or newspapers. If they didn’t like the article, they would have to write a letter to the editor, using their name, address, and phone number. A member of the publication staff would then contact the reader to make sure they were indeed a real person. And their name and city would be published along with the letter. There was accountability for what you said. Of course some people were able to bs their way and get their letter published with different contact information. But not like today’s trolls who hide behind screen names and make unfounded accusations.
I’m still mad about how they treated Jessica. They kicked her out of the group. It wasn’t just the agency but the other girls in Girls Generation too. I hope it’s OK that I link to an All Kpop article about it.
Hello. This is Jessica.
I was given a notice of departure from Girls’ Generation by the agency on September 29, and I cannot hide my shocked and upset heart about this, so I’m here to reveal my position.
I have always put Girls’ Generation’s activities before my business or personal life as a member of Girls’ Generation. However, despite my efforts for the team, I have been asked to leave the team by the agency.
While I was planning my business that I’ve had a lot of interest in since before, I had sufficiently consulted SM as well as the members about my preparation many times and asked for their understanding.
Up until the beginning of August when I was launching ‘BLANC’, I had received agreement and permission from SM, and congratulations from the members as well.
However, in early September, after only a month since the launching, the members suddenly changed their position and held a meeting, and told me to either quit my business or leave Girls’ Generation without any justifiable reason.
I explained that I had already received permission from the agency, that I had never neglected Girls’ Generation’s activities, and that I could not suddenly halt my business due to my contract with my business partner after a month.
Ultimately, I pleaded that it was unjust for me to have to make a choice. Becoming a Girls’ Generation member was the best thing in my life, and I had never thought about quitting.
Shocked about this, I had met with the agency CEO on September 16 to convey my position, and once again confirmed their permission for carrying out my business.
However, on September 29, I was given a one-sided notice asking me to leave Girls’ Generation. Due to this, I was also unable to attend the fan meeting in China on September 30, and I have also been excluded from following Girls’ Generation activities.
I have received great pain and cannot hide my sadness that I was asked by the agency and fellow members, whom I’ve spent 15 years with putting in all my passion and effort, to leave Girls’ Generation just because of the reason that I’m starting a business.
I also want to apologize for causing concern to all the fans. Please understand that this situation is not at all what I had wanted, and that I’ve always treasured Girls’ Generation, and that I will continue to do so. Thank you for always supporting and loving me.
Sincerely,
Jessica
Some of you entitled children need to learn how to address adults. Go read a teen magazine if questions about real issues make you “uncomfortable.” What the actual fuck? I’m sure you would rather read an interview with the same questions that don’t challenge anyone. Tiffany’s mother committed suicide. The Noisey reporter said that info came straight from Tiffany’s management.
And let’s talk about Tiffany and her management. If they had a problem with any of this as being untruthful, they would have contacted Rolling Stone already and if Rolling Stone thought their issues were valid, they would have made a correction. That’s how it works in the real world. Instead Tiffany went on live last night and thanked the publications like Rolling Stone and the interviewers and talked about how much fun she had. She said she worried about sharing too much at first but then it felt so good that now she wants to share more. You don’t know what Tiffany shared with any of the reporters.
This RS reporter phrased the question about as gently as possible. I wish they had gone into this further and talked about depression and suicide and how that impacted Tiffany as a little girl. Also your fandom has said some horrible things about Tiff for mistakes she didn’t even know about like the Rising Sun shirt where a big deal was made out of a mistake he didn’t know she had made. They were awful to Jessica when she left so don’t pretend that fans wouldn’t be awful to her for leaving Korea and breaking up the band (in their delusional mindset).
Anyone else wish that there were more “uncomfortable” questions asked? I would love to hear about the abuse Kpop artists and especially the girl groups go through, the sexism, being asked to “service” sponsors, and all that horrible stuff. Even if they don’t answer, the questions needs to be asked. Fans who are against this don’t really care about their oppars and unnis. They should want life to be better for their biases. One day there will be a kpop artist who will blow the lid off all this. I can’t wait to hear all about it so that there can be reform and the kids are treated respectfully and get their share of the money they deserve.
kpoppies are the worst. Girl I hope you’re 12 because if you think these questions are uncomfortable then you will not fare well in this world. Everyone has an opinion but yours isn’t well thought out. Also, stop talking to Rolling Stone like they’re your little brother’s friend. They’re not going to listen to such disrespectful “requests” lmao
🙄 Pull up your big girl panties. Tiffany loved the article and shared it on Twitter and thanked Rolling Stone for the interview. If you can’t follow her lead, you’re not a true fan and just causing trouble.
What do you find uncomfortable about these questions? I thought they were interesting.
Nobody cares that you feel uncomfortable. Stop reading magazines for grown ups if you can’t handle questions that aren’t out of a teen magazine.
Tiffany’s following her on Twitter so shut up you delusional stan.
Tiffany is a member of Girls’ Generation. She’s not a former member. I think you should’ve done enough research in advance. Her fans (SONE) have never thought that we couldn’t forgive her. Why do you make a reckless judgement for us? If you are a really really journalist, correct your writing.
Girls’ Generation is a 5 person group. Everyone who left SM isn’t a member of GG no matter how much you want it to be true. Wait to see if there is ever another studio release with ALL the members who have left SM.
SM would be promoting Tiffany just like they’re promoting Yuri IF Tiffany was still a Girls’ Generation member. Yeah I know stans will say they’re promoting Yuri because she stayed with SM and Tiff left to get different management. But if she was still a member, or if SM considered her a member, they would promote her because her solo success is good for the GG brand.
See? SM is promoting Amber’s solo work. They support their group members. They’re not supporting Tiffany because she is no longer a part of GG. Everyone needs to come clean and make the announcement becasue it’s just leading delusional fans on. Tiffany Young is a queen and I hope her solo career is immense!
Girls’ Generation hasn’t disbanded but will continue without Tiffany. Why is that so difficult to under stand? Some of you stans are weird in your devotion to manufactured truth. Paul McCartney is a former Beatle and will always have Beatles fans. But he not still with the Beatles. They disbanded. Three of the girls didn’t renew contracts with SM so how can you say they’re still part of SNSD? I wish they would have signed again but I want them to be happy and if leaving makes them happy I will support them 100percent!
Rude. She left SM. SM formed Girls Generation. No matter what she tells her fans, I don’t think SM is not going to let her back into the group and I can kind of understand that even though i think It’s silly. She is a great singer and will have a great solo career. Girls’ Generation won’t be the same with out Tiffany and Soo-young and Seohyun. They gave fans many happy memories!
She didn’t make a judgement she asked a question and Tiffany replied. Maybe you just didn’t understand, it’s okay. Nothing was negative with this article. Tiffany felt free to speak her mind. I hope Tiffany becomes very successful in America, I really like her song. Do you?
Her fans and most of Korea didn’t forgive her for the Rising Sun incident on Korea’s Independence Day so why would is it unreasonable to think that these diehard stans would be angry at her for moving away from Korea and “abandoning” them?
This is a really great interview, Ms. Jae. Thank you for asking Tiffany all the important questions and treating her as a true artist. She is a wonderful role model and I am so glad to count myself as a fan. As for fans talking about her role in Girls’ Generation I thinks he will always be a member at heart but she sees this as a time to branch out and do her own thing. She will always make music and always be my favorite.
You all need to calm down. Nothing in the article talks about Tiffany quitting Girls’ Generation.
It calls her former on the rolling stone article website!!
You know that she doesn’t control the Rolling Stone website right?
wth.!.is those questions about!?
🤔 🙄 Reading comprehension is your friend.
Hi I am Soo Yeon from South Korea.
And I am a big fan of Tiffany Young.
Actually, I read your interview with Tiffany and I was impressed!
Thank you so musch for interviewing her.
However, actually, I felt uncomfortable with some of them.
First, you said that she is’ the former Girls’ Generation’. I don’t understand what you siad. She “is” Girls’ Generation! She IS one of the members of Girls’ Generation! Also she firmly said “You can’t tell me I’m not Girls’ Generation. No one’s going to tell me that I’m not Girls’ Generation” in Billboard interview! I think that the word “former” which you mentioned in your article is not appropriate and respectful. So can you delete or correct that word? Can you respect her? Please.
I hope to deliver my message to you. Because I am not good at speaking in English, please don’t mind some rude wordings(if there exist) which are not recognized by myself. Please consider correction 🙏🏻
Thank you
What are you complaining about? Her tweet literally says “The @GirlsGeneration singer also explained how moving back to the U.S. was always her plan.”
Tiffany didn’t say she’s IN Girls’ Generation anymore. She said she’s Girls’ Generation. You said you live in Korea so you should know how it works there. Wait til the next album comes out. If Tiffany is a part of it I will admit I’m wrong. She won’t be though.
You kids need to learn how publications operate. She does not have control over what Rolling Stone’s editing and layouts. She can’t edit anything on Rolling Stone’s site. She can’t make changes just because you don’t like it.
If you felt uncomfrable with some of the questions you either didn’t understand them or it is the sign of a good interviewer. Her job isn’t to write a press release. It’s to talk about things that matter to Tiffany and she did that.
You’re a whiny rude bitch.
I would’ve listened to some of your complaints but knowing that you are an advocate of publicists and agencies controlling what the press does and doesn’t say, I’ll ask you to kindly bugger off. Disliking a person’s writing is one thing. You agreeing with some increasingly dangerous rhetoric that is undermining the freedom of countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. Freedom of the press is an important part of freedom.
LOL this bish is a company stan! She worships at the feet of SM and probably the other 2. After reading her comments maybe there is a fucking reason everyone hates kpop fans because it’s ones like her that are everywhere 🙄 completely inappropriate tweet on her part.
You dug out a tweet from a year ago to prove you point? By the way, thanks for that because while it didn’t prove your point, it was an interesting tweet and also proved that there is a contingent of delusional K-Pop stans who need to grow up and be educated.
1. It is NEVER ok for a talent agency to dictate what questions will be asked.
2. It is NEVER ok for a journalist to sign a contract agreeing to let themselves be sued if the aforementioned agency doesn’t like what was asked.
3. If agencies are so worried about interviews and have so much to hide that they are willing to sue journalists for asking questions, then just stop doing interviews and do public relations releases instead, because that’s what you want when you demand journalists to sign these things.
4. Reading responses in that thread from legitimate journalists and PR industry folks, this issue of KPOP agencies trying to control the international press is a real problem. Instead of finding fault in actual press members who refuse to play the game, you should be commending them. It results in more honest interviews, which make for more interesting profiles.
5. Tiffany Young may be a big star to Kpop fans but the average American has no idea who she is. She is not Beyonce or Taylor Swift (in terms of popularity, or talent in my opinion). Rolling Stone is an American publication. This interview with her wasn’t intended for Girls’ Generation fans. It’s an introduction to an artist to Rolling Stone readers. She’s lucky she got this coverage.
6. Things are uncovered in interviews that are interesting. Sometimes they will show the artist in a negative light. Guess what? That’s news. If a reporter gets the information in a thorough interview, it is fair game to use.
7. In the tweet that Ms. Kim sent out this morning, where she provided at link to the interview with Young, she clearly refers to her as a member of Girls’ Generation. A smart reader would see that she is still referring to Young as a member of the group and that Rolling Stone chose to refer to Young as a “former” member (which most likely is true). If Ms. Kim had referred to Young in her tweet as “former member,” then you have a leg to stand on.
8. What was said in the interview and why was there no “correction” from Rolling Stone? A few plausible options: Young said she had left the group in the interview but asked for it to be off the record. Rolling Stone has information that she has left the group. The reporter and Rolling Stone have press releases from Young’s management company/publicists saying that she is a former member of the group.
Go take a nap. You and your ilk are insane.
The Rolling Stone article remains as is. That means that no one except you had a problem with the interview.
Tiffany is almost 30 and sees the writing on the wall. How many 30 year old girl groups are still making money? They can’t last forever. It was smart of her to break away from them before they became a joke. The fans are probably too invested to think that she actually left the group but doesn’t it make sense? She left Korea for a reason. I don’t love this new song but I want to hear what else she will release.
While I’m not the biggest fan of the song, I really admire the rounds of press she’s been doing. She’s not afraid to be proud of her roots in Kpop and GG and her personality is showing nicely through the video interviews I’ve seen. Hopefully it gets the attention of others who might like the song too ^^
Yeah, the interviewer sounded like they were trying to get her to diss K-Pop at every opportunity.
If she hates Kpop then why does she write so much about it and tweet about it allthe time and promote idols? I’m waiting.
You really reaching, girl. Here’s the tea, your girl Tiff moved across the world to get away from the group and the girl. There was no reason to leave Seoul to do solo songs. Any person with a brain would wonder if she was going for a different sound than what she is known for. Taylor Swift did a 180 and went from country to pop. It’s not unheard of.
Apparently the interviewer has a history of fighting with kpop fans lol.
Where your receipts, jananansi? I’ve never seen her fight with kpop fans. I’ve seen immature kpop fans go after her for perceived slights, and she either didn’t respond or made a funny comment. Time to get your diaper changed, bish.
Who she fighting?
Interviewer is a YG Stan confirmed
Saying something doesn’t make it true. Like I can say you’re unstable but that doesn’t make it true (although it probably is).
It’s only you crazy kpoppies that stan companies. That’s OK. I know your brain can’t handle the fact that most people don’t stan companies or your precious oppars and unniers.
Whitedishes, interesting…
As of 5:13 p.m. ET today, this is what is on her Twitter feed:
1) a photo of a BTS song playing on EXORADIO
BTS is on Big Hit; EXO is SM
2) B1A4
They’re with WMEntertainment
3) An article about police being called on a 12yo black boy
4) An article in the L.A. Times about Terry Crews
5) A RT of Henry Lau
Henry was on SM but I don’t know who he is with since he left them but I know it’s not YG
6) A video of Terry Crews talking in congress about sexual harassment
7) A photo and quote from Monsta X
Monsta X is with Starship Entertainment
8) Another RT of Terry Crews
9) An anti-gun commentary by Gabrielle Giffords
10) A quote by Shaun King talking about that racist Milo Yanmnnnnnnnnnoisdfiouagoridjopgkjmdfa’gkjodpkfv[pokas (I’m not going to look up his name because he’s not worth it)
11) A link to Tiffany Young
She is with Paradigm Entertainment
12) A comment about racists making fun of Asians at the World Cup
I could go on but I don’t want to. I looked through the past few weeks and there are no indications that she’s “stanning” anything.
Did I miss something? Are any of those things I’ve mentioned associated with YG? Don’t bother with your answer. We all know you’ll lie again.
Heather Dwyer: 1
Whitedishes: 0
Thanks, Mark! If she stans anyone it appears to be Terry Crews. I approve wholeheartedly!
Apparently you are spreading unfounded rumors. Pathetic.
Apparently you need to take your head out of your ass.
This is the most stupid string of comments I’ve read in a long time. Don’t you all have homework to do? I know it’s summer but you all should continue your education in summer sessions because you need it.
Yeah you can tell she really hates kpop. For instance read this article she wrote today on Monsta X for the LA Times. Aren’t they a KPOP group? 🙄 /s
http://www.latimes.com/travel/cruises/sns-201807030023–tms–celebtrvctnct-a20180703-20180703-story.html
Asking nuanced questions is a good trait, but you just don’t comprehend it.
I’m so happy that she is getting the attention that she deserves. She deserves all this success!
Rolling Stone has fact checkers. If it was a mistake, they would’ve fixed it by now. Maybe your idol and SM are telling you what you want to hear because you all scare the hell out of them. Not once did Tiffany say she was still IN Girls’ Generation. She said she will always be Girls’ Generation. That’s like someone who graduated from Yale saying they will always be a Yalie. They’re not IN Yale anymore, but will always be a Yalie at heart.
Jae this was a really good interview with lots of different questions that I didn’t read in other interviews. I have nothing against RuPaul but I have no need to read about it in interviews about Tiffany. I’m impressed that Rolling Stone covered her and I’m glad that you were the one who did the interview. I hope there will be more coverage on Tiffany from you. Thank you thank you thank you!
I am disappointed in Noisey. What you reported was factual. With the epidemic of depression worldwide and suicide specifically amongst Asian Americans, this could have been a really great forum to discuss a serious issue in a serious way.
Also why are you apologizing to kpoppies who don’t want to see anything that can be construed as negative about their unnies? There is nothing shameful in having a family member who committed suicide. It makes me feel more empathy for Tiffany and the little girl who lived through all this.
These journalists are so afraid of offending fandoms that they’re not doing their jobs. Stop apologizing for writing the truth. It’s embarrassing.
!!! Did this release also say she is a former member of Girls’ Generation? If so, that’s where the Rolling Stone headline came from. I wonder if Tiffany got cold feet at the last moment?
My partner has received at least two releases about Tiffany Hwang and it said she was a previous member of Girls’ Generation. Like someone else said in the comments, that information comes directly from the artist’s management company. The public relations staff is not given authority to send out any kind of release without their approval. This is true of all artists.
Tiffany Young.
That’s what you got from my comment? OK, you are correct, Tiffany Young. I hope that acknowledgment makes you happy.
I can also assume that the criticism is aimed at the writer asking about how music helped the singer when her mother died. It is a good question and the answer was good as well. My quibble is that since we know that her mother died by suicide, why wasn’t the question asked to reflect that. Would you really think poorly of the singer because a family member died by suicide? As said by several other people suicide was mentioned in this article, but then scrubbed of the word later. Ridiculous to do so.
KPOP coverage would be taken more seriously if writers would stop capitulating to the young fandom. 99 out of 100 apologies I see aren’t for errors because the fans didn’t like something. Stop apologizing for everything that upsets these immature children. Billboard is scared to do reviews on KPOP bands because they are afraid of offending the fans. I read some of the reviews and then listen to the crap they are passing off as great music. No, when it’s bad just call it bad. Then maybe I will actually believe a review when you say it’s worth listening to.
🤔 Uh, OK. If you really used to work in PR, then you’d know that no publicist can release a statement without approval first from the artist and their manager/agent. If you didn’t do this when you “used to work in PR,” then you weren’t doing your job and were probably fired, which is why you “no longer work in PR.” If there is a string of “slip ups,” then it is more likely that Tiffany’s manager/agent got cold feet after the interviews were published. You will notice that her Noisey interview first included that her mother didn’t just die, but she tragically committed suicide. It was later changed to this: “Three years after her mother’s death, Tiffany moved to Korea from California at the age of 15 to pursue a singing career.” Publications don’t just change articles because it’s fun to do. Can we assume that the wording was changed because Tiffany’s agent or publicist asked for the change? If I were the editor, I would not have swapped the wording out because it is insight. With the Rolling Stone article, no change was made on the headline. Why did Tiffany’s representation not ask for it to be changed if it was as big of an issue as some of your are making it out to be? Why did Tiffany namecheck Noisey and Rolling Stone and the interviewers in her Facebook chat tonight? If she hadn’t liked the interviews, she could have just made a generic shout out to the press. Instead, she specifically included all the publications you are whining about as “problematic.”
The control that publicists try to wield over the press is what is problematic. Yes, it is your job…sorry, was your job…to get favorable coverage for your clients. Trying to control journalists into saying what you want is a bad reflection on you and your peers, not on them.
😂 Looking for clout, are we, Stella? Pathetic that your 12yo followers believe this garbage.
Shes’s bragging about having been a publicist. Nothing to brag about honey! We all know publicists are wannabe reporters who couldn’t make the grade.
Sweets, Tiffany liked and retweeted the Rolling Stone article and shared it with her fans. Why would she do that if she thought it wasn’t a fair representation of her? She’s a huge star and can get changes made if she so desired. As a former public relations person you should know this.
It’s not Tiffany’s fault or the reporter’s fault. It’s SM’s fault. Tiffany’s contract with them probably forbids her to say anything negative about them or about not being part of the group anymore. Let us wait and see if the ENTIRE group is on the next album. Honestly I don’t think there will be a next album. It’s going to be difficult for the girls to compete against all the new ggs like Red Velvet and especially Black Pink. I give all my respect to SNSD for being one of the first and best, but their time is coming to an end and Tiffany was smart enough to see that and branch out. She is almost 30 and that is a good age to try new things. I wish her all the luck in the world.
I don’t really like Over My Skin but I will always love Tiffany and can’t wait for her next song.
Tiffany forever!
All the haters can just stfu. Tiffany Young literally LIKED Jae’s article on Twitter. Why would she have done that if she didn’t truly like the interview?
She not only liked it but she retweeted it. Why would she like and retweet an article she had a problem with? She wouldn’t. Our Tiffany knows what’s up!
fwiw Tiff’s management tweeted the interview out which indicates they have no problem with this so you all should calm the hell down.
I wish SM had released something like this for Girls’ Generation so delusional fans won’t be waiting for Tiffany, Seohyun, and Sooyoung to come back.
This is the statement from WM Entertainment, which is B1A4’s agency: “We will respect Jinyoung’s and Baro’s choices to walk their own paths in order to pursue their dreams. Regarding their decisions to start anew on their own, we also sincerely support their new beginnings. We will focus our energy on restructuring B1A4. We will thoroughly discuss the direction of future activities with the members and make a decision. We will wholeheartedly give all of our support and do our best for CNU’s, Sandeul’s, and Gongchan’s advancement. We will do even better for all the fans who love and support B1A4 unconditionally as well. We want to sincerely apologize to the fans for worrying you all. We ask that you continue to warmly love them as always and give your blessings to these B1A4 members who are standing in front of a new starting line.”
It’s concise and tells fans, Jinyoung and Baro aren’t coming back. They’re going off to do their own thing.
Girls Generation aren’t even mentioning Tiffany on their social media which should tell you something.
I could be wrong but I doubt it. After some time has passed, Tiffany of SM will announce that she has left the group.
This press release says Tiffany has left GG!
This one says the exact same thing
http://rocknloadmag.com/news/tiffany-young-steps-into-the-solo-spotlight-rolling-stone/
This makes me sad. 🙁
Who said this? A magazine or her agency? It says she’s previously with girls’ generation? That means she is a former member or still with them? I dont know for sure. Sorry for poor English. Someone help and reply please.
Your English is fine dear. Previously means in the past so that means she’s no longer with Girls’ Generation. I am sure she would join them for reunion concerts if possible though.
The tea! ☕️
I read the interview and I read through much of the criticism online and it seems to be twofold: some fans are angry that the headline on the Rolling Stone site called her a former members of Girls’ Generation. The other criticism was that the questions you asked made them uncomfortable. All I can say is brava! I for one am not a fan of interviews that reveal nothing. The irony is that many of these same fans regularly ship imaginary homosexual relationships between band mates and don’t see anything wrong with that. To be clear I am not saying there is anything wrong with homosexuals, but I do believe it is wrong for fans to put idols into fantasy relationships that have nothing to do with reality. They do this with girl groups and with boy groups. That makes me uncomfortable, not reading questions about how music helped her get through some tough times.
I’m wheezing! A lot of these chillen tagged the Rolling Stones instead of the magazine and I’m sure the band has no idea what’s going on! Hey keefs, listen to Tiff. You may like it!
In my opinion Rolling Stone didn’t change their headline because I can imagine that no one is getting a straight answer from Tiffany or her management company or it would have been changed. It’s not that difficult to do if they thought it was necessary. I would like to ask the people who wanted different questions asked or thought that the writer was being offensive why they thought that was necessary. It sounds like the people who wanted different questions would be happier with questions asking things that are more sucking up to Tiffany. That just seems wrong to me. Just my opinion.
Straight from her label, this press release is on South Florida Insider and other websites:
KOREAN-AMERICAN POP SINGER-SONGWRITER
TIFFANY YOUNG RETURNS TO THE
PUBLIC EYE WITH HER COMEBACK SONG
“OVER MY SKIN”
Pop Sensation Previously Of Girls’ Generation
That answers a comment I made earlier. Than kyou for sharing!
These fans are so stupid. They think that every thing people say in interviews is the absolute truth. These celebs say what you want to hear, especially kpop groups or any boy band or girl group with fanatical 10 year old fans. They hide who they’re dating because you all will drop them like a hot potato if you know you have no change of dating them. And fwiw, get it through your little tiny brains. None of you have a chance of dating any of them.
Why is it so unreasonable to ask if she wants to try a new musical genre than the one she has been associated with? Her song sounds more like Ariana Grande or Christina than Girls’ Generation or an idol band. How is Over My Skin a kpop song?
As someone who works for a publication, I can honestly say that we won’t cover KPOP anymore (unless it’s a truly famous band like BTS or a legacy act like Bi or Super Junior), precisely because the fans overall are annoying. It doesn’t matter who the group is — the fans are universally annoying. They pick apart every minute thing, whether factual or not, and demand text be changed to please their particular fandom. If they don’t do it, it’s because the publication is using them for “clout” or the publication wants “clicks.” These fandoms don’t realize that their clicks do little for us, because advertisers know that these fans aren’t going to be buying their products. They’re not our target market.
As a 黃 (albeit a Chinese Huang, not a Korean one), I disapprove of the name change.
Young Ones, fyi Tiffany said she loved this article. Our queen knows and likes the writer and is following her on Twitter, so why don’t you haters give it a rest and stop nitpicking. #teachyou