It was May 9, on the stage of NHK Hall, during TAEYEON JAPAN TOUR 2019 ～Signal～. "I will perform a new song for you," Taeyeon said nervously to the audience. On this tour, she performed songs from her first Japanese mini-album VOICE.

She was asked about this moment the next day. "Because the songs were released yesterday," she replied with slight embarrassment, "I was consciously nervous about the reaction of the fans."

A surprising reply. Since her solo debut in 2015, she has released three mini albums in her home country, a full album, three singles (including digital), and is an incredibly popular artist all across Asia. She hadn't released music in Japan yet, though. Last year she had a successful showcase tour in Japan, and now finally comes her first mini album.

"During the showcase tour, I was able to look back on my solo career so far. I think it was a time to learn and grow," she said. It was after that tour that VOICE went into production. She was taking stock of her life, growing as a woman and a singer, and her "current state" was fully contained in these songs.

"Because it's a solo album, I wanted the lyrics to include my own self," Taeyeon said. "I wanted to convey the feelings and emotions that I'm feeling right now." This tour also contains those songs that reflect Taeyeon's self, as well as her desire to deliver her whole self directly and forcefully to her audience.

The six songs included on VOICE contain fine Japanese nuances and inspire delicate feelings in the listener. They also contain powerful expression. The title song "Voice" is full of uncontrollable emotions. It is a love song with lyrics like, "You pushed me in the back/Therefore I can walk," but it's an impressive feat that this lyric could also be read as a message for her fans too.

"I think there are various kinds of love," Taeyeon said. "There is friendship and love amongst men and women, there is love between parents and children, there are many different kinds. How one receives it, the interpretation varies from person to person, but I think that's what singing is about." Listeners can feel confidence in Taeyeon's "deepening" as a singer.

VOICE has music with modern sound and easily accessible melodies, and each song expresses various emotions. Taeyeon was particularly impressed with the songs. "I like 'Vanilla'," she said. "I like the meaning behind the lyrics of 'Horizon.' 'Horizon' was difficult to record. There's a real atmosphere in the melody, isn't there? It is my job to express the song in an attractive way, but my emotions were different on the recording day. With the feeling that 'Horizon' has, my emotional condition didn't fit. I was too serious (laughs)."

Taeyeon successfully faced herself and confronted the song earnestly. When the sensibility of a singer and the sensibility of a piece of music collide, that conflict is transmitted to the audience.

Regardless of genre, Taeyeon enjoys singing freely. When she was asked about what is important to her as a singer, she said, "Everything is about signaling, communication and contact. It's important to do as a singer but also as a human being. One form of communication is song, and I think I can use music to transmit a message to you."

What does Taeyeon think about her Japanese fans, who have loved her since Girls' Generation? "Everybody is very emotional, but they hide it at first. Then there is a moment when the emotions all come out at once. And that's when I always get very emotional too. Many of them are very emotional."

Taeyeon, who is very popular not only in Japan but all of Asia, wants to tour Japan and Asia more. "Now I want to make a full album for everyone in Japan, and I want to go everywhere in Asia," she said. "Outside of music, I love to wear cosmetics, so I want to be in a commercial! (laughs)"

She smiled brightly with shining eyes. Taeyeon's laughter makes her fans just as happy as her songs.