Jini on ‘An Iron Hand in a Velvet Glove’: ‘It was a difficult process”
Jini dons the mantle of a musical enigma with her debut mini-album, titled ‘An Iron Hand in a Velvet Glove’. Like a riddle waiting to be unravelled, its metaphoric title hints at a deeper narrative within her music as a fledgling solo artist, toeing the fine line between the unbending, resolute strength of iron and the buttery soft embrace of velvet. That juxtaposition is intentional; with her foray back in K-pop as a solo artist, the 19-year-old singer is on a mission to unveil an undiscovered side to herself and her music.
‘An Iron Hand in a Velvet Glove’ comprises five tracks, all of which come together to evoke the duality Jini sought out to achieve, blending moody bass-driven compositions and spirited, bubbly pop numbers. But the project is more than just a handful of songs and the renowned producers, featured artists and songwriters behind them: it is the culmination of Jini’s six years of dogged training as a K-pop trainee – and, later, less than as year as a member of a girl group – and a testament to her bravery in toughing it out alone in an unexpected turn of events. ‘An Iron Hand in a Velvet Glove’ is a crucial turning point for Jini in more ways than one.
So, when NME’s call with the up-and-coming musician connects, Jini is visibly nervous – and understandably so. She has her hands clasped together on the conference table as she twiddles her thumbs, eyes darting around the room and constantly back to her manager, who is seated just behind the camera. Despite the jitters, she gradually relaxes the more she speaks about her new album and the work that went into it. “I’m extremely nervous,” she admits in the first few minutes of our chat with a sheepish chuckle. “But at the same time, I’m excited to start my solo career.”
The excitement is so palpable it radiates off the screen, as Jini explains that the album’s title is “an expression [to say] that I’m very strong and determined beneath my softer appearance”. It’s clear she deeply resonates with the phrase ‘An Iron Hand in a Velvet Glove’, to the point where it essentially steered the direction of the mini-album. “The concept and genre of the songs actually started off with the album title, [which] became a guide for us to choose the songs and visuals to express the ‘Iron’ side and the ‘Velvet’ side,” she explains. The polarising yet symbiotic energies on the record are clear-cut: songs like ‘C’mon’ and ‘Dancing With The Devil’ shed light on her surefootedness and self-assured poise, while ‘Here We Go Again’ and ‘Bad Reputation’ lighten things up with her jovial side.
At first glance, Jini’s commanding stage presence when performing the song from her new album may lead people to believe its creation was a smooth-sailing process. However, the singer says she felt like a fish out of water as she adjusted to the learning curve of working on music alone, rather than part of a collective. “It was a difficult process to try so many new things [at first] because I’ve never done them before,” she points out. “I haven’t had to carry a full song on my own before so that was really challenging, but at the same time, I also feel a greater sense of responsibility for the work I put out now.”
“It’s wishful thinking but if I have the opportunity sometime in the future, I’d want to possibly meet her and collaborate with Olivia Rodrigo”
The singer is particularly proud of her own on ‘C’mon’, the album’s lead single which features American rapper Aminé. “It’s a very fun and addictive song to listen to, both in message and melody. It’s a metaphor for the feeling when you start falling for someone – it’s the same way you get addicted to music,” Jini shares, before going on to sing praises of Aminé’s contribution to the track: “I was a huge fan of Aminé before I even got the opportunity to work with him, so I felt really lucky and honoured to have him be part of my album.”
As to how Jini managed to snag such a huge feature for her debut single? It’s simple: she just asked. “It just kind of naturally happened. When I finished the recording, I made a pitch to him [for a feature]. He just genuinely fell in love with ‘C’mon’ and wanted to be a part of it.” The rest is history – Aminé responded with a brief, self-written verse that gave the song the cherry on top. “I recently met him a couple of days ago and spent some time with him. He actually listened to the whole album, gave me some good [feedback] on the album and it was just a very chill, fun process of having him be part of the album.”
To complement Aminé’s bridge, Jini also performed the song completely in English. The singer said that recording music in a language that isn’t her native tongue “wasn’t anything too new” because she had to sing lots of English songs during vocal training lessons as a K-pop trainee. But with a laser-sharp focus on the listening experience, Jini says she “spent hours in the recording studio” in order to perfect her “pronunciation and nuance of the lyrics so it doesn’t become an interference to the listener”.
Setting out on a solo career can be terrifying, but it also presents Jini with countless possibilities, granting her the creative licence to forge her own path. The creative freedom and pressure to release back-to-back hits can be a daunting task, but for Jini, it’s something she’s looking forward to taking on. “I just want to be open about [music genres and styles] and try new things,” she tells NME. “I hope that I continue to grow into a more mature artist in 2024, perform more on stage and hopefully meet fans from around the world.”
Jini also has a pipe dream (or so she says) about a future collaboration with her current favourite singer, Olivia Rodrigo. “It’s wishful thinking but if I have the opportunity sometime in the future, I’d want to possibly meet her and collaborate with her,” Jini tells us in a bashful confession. But at this current moment, Jini is wholly engrossed in doing what she loves most: creating music that genuinely resonates with her and taking control of her own destiny. ‘An Iron Hand in a Velvet Glove’ may very well be the star of a prosperous journey, but the singer is just enjoying her time basking in her well-earned spotlight.
Jini’s debut solo mini-album ‘An Iron Hand in a Velvet Glove’ is out now.
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Carmen Chin
NME
