The One has been the vocal trainer and mentor for countless top name artists, but he revealed the name of his most unique student during an interview with Seoul NTN. The One believes that SNSD’sTaeyeon was his most exceptional student, and praised her highly throughout the interview.
He began, “I taught her before her debut with SNSD – from her second year in junior high until her first year in high school, which is about three years. What was little Taeyeon like? First of all, her outstanding vocal talent needs no mention, but she was just so different from others, the mere thought of it sometimes scares me.”
The One explained that other students her age came to him with dreams of ‘becoming a celebrity’, but for Taeyeon, she had a clearer goal than that: Taeyeon wanted to ‘be a singer and reach the top with her own talents.’ He explained, “Her thought process was entirely different. She was intelligent and clear. Taeyeon set up her own standards while learning how to sing and showed concise beliefs.”
She made such an impression on him that he gave her an opportunity to participate in his second album – the very first musical effort from the idol star. Together with The One, Taeyeon recorded a duet called “You Bring Me Joy“.
“I knew that she would make it big… I knew she would someday.. I had that belief inside of me, which is why I gave her the opportunity. I could have sung the duet with another more famous female vocal, but I wanted to acknowledge Taeyeon’s potential,” said The One.
The two met again seven years later for another duet off of his fourth album, “Like A Star.“ The song dominated the charts and was hailed as a beautiful work between a mentor and student.
“Winning #1 wasn’t important to me. She made me feel my worth as a teacher. In both the past or present, Taeyeon’s passion for music hasn’t changed one bit. I remember her as a child, her eyes sleepy with fatigue, going through a three-hour long recording and still telling me, ‘Teacher, I can do better! I’ll try better once again.’ She’s amazing.”
Despite the fact that she’s now the leader of one of the greatest girl groups, The One revealed that he wasn’t able to recognize her at first glance.
He laughed, “One day, I wondered what ‘SNSD’ was and randomly came across a child named Taeyeon while watching TV. I was so surprised, I gave her a call and found out that she made a formal debut as the lead singer of SNSD. I was so proud, I knew she could do it.”
Taeyeon also repaid his support through gratitude. She’d often invite him for a meal with her parents, and the two would discuss her new 
When asked whether his student had changed now that she’s become a top star, The One shook his head. “If anything has changed, it’s that her tastes have become more clear. She was very clear with what she liked and disliked even when she was little. She’s a singer with a clear passion for music, not an idol that is swayed by this or that.”
The One also divulged his thoughts on his protege being an idol star. “She’s only an idol because she’s young. I fully believe she’s capable of more. She matches ballads that show off her vocals more, as opposed to dance songs. Watching her create a name for herself with solo tracks and working as a DJ makes me believe that her name will become even stronger in the future.”
He expressed the feeling of standing on stage with his student as a ‘happiness given by the heavens.‘
“To teach singing is a lot like running a marathon. Because I ran a bit further ahead, I learned ‘how to sing,’ which is what I passed down. I am not passing knowledge, but methods. Not teaching them on how to be a fish, but rather, how to fish.”
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