[CELEB] Solar sets sights on solo stardom

K-pop

Published: 17 Mar. 2022, 13:43 Updated: 17 Mar. 2022, 17:12

[CELEB] Solar sets sights on solo stardom

Solar of girl group Mamamoo released "容 : Face" (Yong : Face), her first solo EP, on March 16. [RBW]

Solar of girl group Mamamoo released "容 : Face" (Yong : Face), her first solo EP and first solo effort of any kind in two years, on Wednesday.

The title is a reference to the "yong" in Kim Yong-sun — her real name — which means "face."

"It's one of my many faces," she said of the album during a press conference Tuesday. "I have a face as Solar, as Kim Yong-sun and many others. Each of them has its charms. This EP contains many different charms, and I think they're all, like the title, my face."

"I've loved the 'yong' part of my name Kim Yong-sun since I was young," Solar explained. "I was wondering what message I want to convey in this EP, and thought the hanja 'yong' for face in my name has a great meaning. Everyone has a different face, so I thought it was a fitting word to convey the message that everyone is valuable and precious in their own way. Perhaps I'm overflowing with self-love!"

The EP's title is a reference to the "yong" in Kim Yong-sun — her real name — which means "face." [RBW]

The title track "Honey" is a bold dance track with a powerful beat, complemented by Solar's relaxing voice.

"When it was time to choose a lead track, I thought of picking a ballad," she said. "But I think when many people think of me, they associate me with a bright and uplifting kind of charm. My personality's bright and positive too, so I wanted the lead track to be a song with that feeling. Our staff members had an anonymous vote because I really couldn't choose one, and 'Honey' won in a landslide. I got a bit carried away and ended up with a flamboyant, performance-heavy song.

"I prepared extra hard since this is my first EP, and it's been two years," she said. "In my first solo song 'Spit it out' [2020], I really put in everything that I had been wanting to do. I gave it my all for that song too, but this time, I added what I missed back then. For that song, I wanted to do exactly everything that was in my head, so I didn't really listen to people around me. But this time, I listened more to feedback from staff members and fans, along with what I wanted to do. I think we ended up with very high-quality music as a result."

Solar sports a 6-meter (19.6 feet) ponytail in her music video for the lead track "Honey." [RBW]

The colorful and bold video for "Honey" leaves a strong visual impression. One scene features Solar sporting a 6-meter (19.6 feet) ponytail on a giant sculpture of a face, which the singer said "quenched her thirst to always do something new."

Solar debuted in 2014 as the leader of Mamamoo — with members Moonbyul, Wheein and Hwasa — with the EP "Hello." The girl group of four rose to stardom for its powerful belting vocals and wide musical range, which earned them the catchphrase "trust and listen to Mamamoo" among fans. Mamamoo went on to release a steady stream of hits, including "Um Oh Ah Yeh" (2015), "You're the best" (2016), "Décalcomanie" (2016), "Yes I am" (2017), "Starry Night" (2018), "Egotistic" (2018), "Gogobebe" (2019), "Hip" (2019) and "Aya" (2020).

In 2019, the group starred on the first season of "Queendom" (2019), Mnet's survival show featuring six high-profile female K-pop acts competing against each other. Mamamoo finished first and was awarded with a solo comeback show on the cable channel.

Album cover image of "容 : Face" [RBW]

Solar informally started her solo career in 2015 with the Solar Emotion project, also known as Solar Gamsung or Solar Sensitivity, in which she remade vintage K-pop songs in a modern style. The project ended in 2018.

Solar finally got to show off her vocals and dance moves as a proper solo act in 2020, releasing "Spit it out" that April. The song received praise for Solar's performance and lyrics, in which she talks about not caring what others think, simply "spitting out" what one wants to say — in line with the self-confident image with which Mamamoo has inspired many.

Mamamoo [RBW]

The singer has been active as a YouTuber since 2019. Her Solarsido channel, which combines her name and Korean word for "try," gained popularity with consistent uploads of the singer challenging herself to try new things, from eccentric food to figure skating in celebration of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Solar seems to have a jam-packed year ahead of her as a girl group member, solo pop star and content creator.

"I'm planning to be very active and busy this year, not just as Mamamoo but also as Kim Yong-sun," she said, wrapping up the interview. "I'm curious too about what my next solo release will be like, but I'll always give my best to live up to fans who 'trust and listen' to Mamamoo and me."

Solar has been active as a YouTuber since 2019, challenging herself to try new things ranging from odd food to figure skating. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Solar (Kim Yong-sun)

Date of birth: Feb. 21, 1991
Zodiac sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Gangseo District, western Seoul
Debut: June 2014 as a member of girl group Mamamoo
Agency: RBW

Solar debuted in 2014 as the leader of Mamamoo, the girl group best known for "Um Oh Ah Yeh" (2015), "Décalcomanie" (2016), "Yes I am" (2017), "Starry Night" (2018) and "Hip" (2019). The group finished first among six high-profile female K-pop acts on Mnet's 2019 survival show "Queendom." Solar informally started her solo career in 2015 with the Solar Emotion project (2015-18), in which she remade vintage K-pop songs. Solar made her formal solo debut in 2020 via the single "Spit it out," then released "容: Face" (Yong : Face), her first EP, on March 16. She has also been active as a YouTuber since 2019 through her Solarsido channel.

This information was confirmed by RBW on March 17, 2022.

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]