Singer Jeon Somi believes her latest and second EP, “Chaotic & Confused,” will mark a milestone in her musical career — a timely leap born from what she calls a truly chaos-ridden phase of her life.

“The first chaos I encountered is that now I’m in my tenth year into this career, but I’m still only 24,” said Jeon during a roundtable interview in central Seoul on Thursday, ahead of the album’s release set for Monday.

“I’ve shown so many aspects of myself to the audience for the past 10 years — and there has been this constant question of how to come up with something new and refreshing.”

Jeon started her career in the industry in full swing after she won first place in Mnet’s hit audition program “Produce 101” (2016) and debuted in the girl group I.O.I. But she had already been a familiar face before that as she appeared in the audition program “Sixteen” (2015) that debuted girl group Twice, although she didn’t make it into the list of finalists.

Jeon left JYP Entertainment in 2018 and signed with producer Teddy Park’s The Black Label, before launching her solo venture in 2019.

After nearly a decade of highs and lows, Jeon says she’s more eager than ever to speak through her music. And she’s beginning to make peace with the fact that uncertainty is perhaps inevitable at 24.

Such confusion has led to an artistic evolution that is “Chaotic & Confused,” a stark departure from Jeon’s previous hits like “Fast Forward” (2023) and “Dumb Dumb” (2021), which leaned into more teenager-ish, youthful charms.

“The title of the album is so fitting for my situation, where I had so many things that I freshly learned, and so many things I want to express through music,” she said.

“Chaotic & Confused” features five tracks: the lead track “Closer” and the prereleased “Extra” alongside B-sides “Escapade,” “Chaotic & Confused” and “Delu.”

The album’s lead track sampled Sean Kingston’s 2007 hit “Beautiful Girls,” turning it into stutter house music, characterized by its stuttering and glitchy sound.

“For a while, I had so many things going on in my head in my personal life, that I refrained from listening to songs with lyrics,” Jeon shared, saying that her listening habit ultimately led to an affection for the house genre.

True to her words, “Closer” and its silver-and-white-coded video lean into disorienting, experimental styles.

Jean wants her fans to “feel a bit of a wall” from her after watching the music video, she said with a laugh.

“I wanted people to understand and respect what I am trying to do at this point in my life,” she said.

“I have this feeling that this album and this music video [for ‘Closer’] will serve as an opportunity for me to expand my musical career,” Jeon continued. “So I put in even more effort in developing this album and hope people will understand my genuine intention with music.”

The Black Label has been on a roll with the global success of Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack and the successful launch of Allday Project.

Jeon sometimes seeks advice and reassurance from The Black Label founder Teddy, she shared.

“Recently, he told me ‘There’s nothing to worry about when it comes to you, which made me realize I might be more ready than I think.”

As The Black Label launched girl group Meovv and the mixed-gender act Allday Project, Jeon is taking up a mentor role, showing affection to the younger singers who sometimes come up to her for advice.

Jeon took on another challenge last year with the launch of her cosmetics brand, GLYF, which will roll out a new lip product line with the release of “Chaos & Confused.”

“It was a bold challenge for me,” Jeon said. “As I juggle both my career as a performer and a business owner, I think I’m getting into this right rhythm now.”

Jeon is still on a journey to find answers to all the chaos and questions swirling in her mind. She’s not sure where she will be 10 years from now — when she will be 34 years old, with two decades in the industry.

“I might be traveling in Egypt, or even space — I have no idea where I’d be by then,” Jeon said with a smile.

But she’s certain about one thing: She has no regrets.

“I never had any particular motivation that kept me going,” Jeon said. “But I knew that if I stopped, my story would just end there.”

Now, she hopes to move forward more deliberately.

“I want to enjoy the weather, experience the season changing and take in what’s happening around me as it is,” she said. “That’s what I’ve been thinking the most as of late — I want to move forward naturally just like that.”

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]