THE YONSEI Annals has an extraordinary secret to reveal. Did you know that Choi Sujin (’98, Dept. of French Language & Lit. and Dept. of Psych.), better known as Horan,” is a Yonsei alumna? Here, Horan was kind enough to interview with us even after a long, tiring day. After the interview, I was most impressed with her sincere humbleness, keen determination, and comfortable persona. Read along to see why.

Becoming a singer
   Ever since I was in high school, I was passionate about becoming a singer. When I told my parents about my dream, they told me to get into college first, and then they would consider taking my singer career seriously. As soon as the suneung was over, I called on my fellow senior who was in the music business, and I started to train with him. I strived hard to do my best and entered Yonsei Univ. During the second semester of my freshman year, I started receiving contracts from several entertainment companies. That’s when my parents started taking my music interest seriously. Immediately, I thought that I could count on their support because of the promise they have made years ago. However, it was a tough journey trying to gain recognition and support from my family.  Singing was what I truly wanted to do and I still don’t have any regrets about my decisions.

Foundation of the Clazziquai Project and Electronica
   In 2001, the present members of Clazziquai Project were all living in Canada except me. Mr. Clazziquai uploaded his songs to a popular online music community where anyone can download songs for free and allot points to the songs they liked. As his songs gained a lot of points and popularity, everyone started talking about them. Soon after, entertainment companies requested he make an album with them and that is when I came to be part of their group.
   I take no credit for bringing the genre electronica to Korea’s attention; it is Mr. Clazziquai who studied and brought it here. I’m more like an instrument in Clazziquai Project, trying to properly express electronica.

Call me Horan
   Ever since my debut, I started using the name “Horan.” Actually, now, there are more people calling me that, than Sujin; of course I did ask them to call me that. I changed my name to symbolize an identity change in my new life and the turning point in music career. Oh, and it’s funny how sometimes there are people on my homepage who still call me Sujin, as a sign of closeness. Right now, it is only my family and relatives that call me Sujin. I heard even Marilyn Manson’s father calls his son Marilyn; I don’t know if it’ll be the same for me, but sounds good to me.

Current activities
   My next Clazziquai Project album will probably be coming out at the end of the year. Right now, I’m preparing an album with two other members as a new group, Ibadi, with a totally different genre of music this time. I’m also working on a book called Horan’s Da Capo, where ”Da Capo” is a special musical term that means, “going back to the beginning.” It’s a collection of several articles that I have been writing in the magazine Men’s health’s column, “Walk Between the Lines.” These articles consist of essays and anecdotes regarding the music industry. Experiencing various things related to the music field makes my life happier and more fulfilling. As for my fellow band member Alex, he will probably be working on a solo album, too.

Advice to Yonseians
   In Korean society, there is a universal guideline or mold, in which everyone must fit. You gradually get stuck inside this mold, and it forces you to follow a narrow path that has been created within it. The narrow path pressures you to get into a prestigious college and department, regardless of what you want to do. For example, let’s say you get into a medical college. Then society expects and labels you to become only one thing, a doctor. Personally, I don’t like how society is making a big deal right now about becoming a government official, gongmuwon. The boundaries of societal molds limit your potentialities to a point and force you to become whatever the current society trend is.
   In addition, it’s not bad to digress from a cookie cutter life. In your 20s, no one can stop you from doing anything or everything, and I mean no one. You cannot blame society, or your parents, or any other obstacles for preventing you from doing it. No one’s  to blame but yourself for not trying to achieve what you want.
   Since this is your life, you should study what you want to study, and become what you want to be. Society has no right to pressure or even prevent you from doing it. Just be determined and diligent about striving for your dream. Keep in mind what kinds of obstacles you may have to face, but as long as you are determined to do something, overcoming those obstacles is “nothing.” The moment you see something as an obstacle in your path, you have reached the point where you can overcome or achieve nothing at all.

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Horan was nothing like a lofty celebrity but rather the girl next door. Just like every one of us, she reacted sensitively to a question where she felt daunted about her age: “Excuse me, how am I supposed to know what UIC is?! It’s been established way after I graduated!” Also, she revealed similar insecurities like wanting appear prettier in the picture, “Take the picture from my left, it’s my better