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Lee Ji-eun: "I Feel Both Amazed and Fear 'Lee Ji-eun Syndrome'"

Lee Ji-eun's new song entitled "Good Day" ranked atop the various music charts.

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When high school student singer Lee Ji-eun (real name Lee Ji Eun, 17), who has emerged as the "nation's little sister", sings the song "Good Day" on the stage, male fans cheer for her with deep masculine voices, chanting, "A great success of Lee Ji-eun's 'Good Day'."

When she singsthe chorus with the lyrics "I really like you", they cheers become a roar. Many new buzzwords such as "Lee Ji-eun Syndrome" and "Lee Ji-eun Watch" have been coined on the internet, and the title song "Good Day", which is included in her new mini album entitled "REAL", bears another nickname of "three octave song" because of her excellent singing ability in high-pitched tones. Her song has ranked atop the various music charts, reflecting her huge popularity. She debuted in 2008 as a middle school student singer. Her duet song with Lim Seulong in 2AM entitled "Nagging" and another duet song with Sung Si Kyung entitled "It's You" achieved great success this year, and she is now at the height of her popularity with the song "Good Day". During the recent interview, Lee Ji-eun seemed to be dazed at this huge popularity only within two years after her debut. She said, "There was a news article analyzing me, and my mention about my ideal type suddenly became a news topic. So I am really bewildered. I feel very good that people have come to like me, but I am also very worried because this situation could change whenever. These days, I just try to focus on singing without caring about the situation around me. I will also stop screening articles about me on the internet". There are many girl group members with beautiful appearances, but people from elementary school students to grown-up males are crazy about this relatively common girl singer Lee Ji-eun. What makes them crazy about Lee Ji-eun? She answered, "Maybe it is because the song 'Good Day' is a very good song with unusual melody. I am only 161 centimeters tall and I do not have a pretty appearance. I think that this plain appearance and ordinary manner might have given friendly images to people". Some people say that she suddenly became a star, but it is not true. A recently released video footage of her audition at JYP Entertainment, in which she actually failed, proves that she is not a sudden star. Lee Ji-eun said, "From the time when I was in the first grade of middle school, I attended many auditions, and I failed more than ten times. I needed more qualifications at that time. I was not that pretty and my voice was a little bit different from now. If I apply for the same audition now, I might most likely fail again". But her singing ability with her now mature voice, which is totally different from her young appearance, has already been recognized by senior singers such as Lee Moon Se, Yoon Sang, and Yoon Jong Shin. Lee Ji-eun considered Lee Moon Se as her role model. She said", There are many singers whom I really respect, but I like singer Lee Moon Se's way of singing. I am not interested in any technical skill for singing, and Lee Moon Se sings with his nice voice without adding any technical skill. Frankly speaking, when people called the new song the 'three octave song' after the first performance on the stage, I felt pressured. I have not made any mistakes until now, but whenever I come up onto the stage, I feel nervous about making mistakes".

As she is in the spotlight, any trivial thing about her and her comments and behavior always become headlines. She gave rice cakes to students at her school, Dongdeok Women's High School, and this also became a headline again with the title "Love Towards Her School". About the question of whether she personally celebrated her top ranking, she waved her hand. She said, "I gave rice cakes to my classmates because I felt sorry for them. The average mark for my class has fallen and the school has always been noisy because of me. I had to leave school early due to busy schedule, so I am not good at studying now. I will enter the third grade next year, but I think that I have to agonize more about entering university because I have become busier than before, so I might not be able to find time for studying". In addition, she mentioned several people including Tae Yang, Yoo Seung Ho, and Yoo Ah In as her ideal types, and it also created noise on the internet. She said, "In fact, I am young and I do not have any particular standard for an ideal type yet. I am still excited whenever I see entertainers in person. But definitely I have to be more careful about making any comment". She has her own outspoken way of speaking and she revealed her peculiar charming with her speaking way when she appeared on the SBS TV's entertainment program "Good Sunday – Heroes". Lee Ji-eun will also appear in the KBS 2TV drama "Dream High", which will begin airing from next month, by playing an impressive character named Kim Phil Sook. She said, "I am not familiar with acting, but the character that I will play named Kim Phil Sook is similar to me because she has a complex about her appearance, so I think that I might be able to play her very well". In addition, she revealed her ambitions, saying, "I want to continue releasing albums and appearing on entertainment program. Most of all, music is the most important. I am taking guitar lessons and studying music when I have time. I want to become a leading solo female singer soon".

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