| Solar of K-pop girl group MAMAMOO dropped her first solo EP, “容: FACE,” Wednesday. Courtesy of RBW |
Leading K-pop act member releases solo EP
By Dong Sun-hwa
Wearing almost no makeup, Solar of K-pop girl group MAMAMOO greeted reporters with a beaming smile during a video interview on Tuesday, one day before the release of her first solo EP, “容: FACE.” Donning glasses and a black casual outfit, she quickly created a friendly atmosphere and began talking about her fresh release in an excited tone, first explaining why she titled her mini-album, “FACE.”
“My real name is Kim Yong-sun, and 'Yong' is the Chinese character meaning face,” she said. “By naming my mini-album, 'FACE,' I wanted to let people know that I have a variety of faces and magnetisms. On top of that, everyone has their own face that makes them distinguishable from others and they all shine in different ways. I wanted to emphasize these points in my new offering.”
The 31-year-old singer also believes that people's faces show the vestiges of their lives.
“I have been positive and carefree throughout my life, so I think I have my face bears this characteristic,” she said. “I do have worries sometimes, but I always try my best to look on the bright side of things. I actually did not know what kind of person I am until I turned 30, but now I know that I can be both an easygoing and outspoken person who loves tackling new challenges. I always have a thirst for new things.”
| The teaser for Solar's new EP, “容: FACE,” which features Solar wearing a dress made up of newspapers / Courtesy of RBW |
Undoubtedly, “FACE” is a testament to her spirit of challenge. For the first time since her debut as a MAMAMOO member in 2014, Solar included her self-written track, “Big Booty,” in her EP.
“'Big Booty' is my first self-written song that I composed about two to three years ago,” the singer said. “Since I have a small booty, I have always wanted to have a bigger one, and this track is an embodiment of that long-standing desire. A few years ago, I was diagnosed with a herniated disc in my back and my doctor told me it was caused by weakness in my hip muscles. This inspired me to write a song about having a big and muscular bottom, but I wanted to give it a twist by making it sound more jazzy and adorable. Unlike what most people expected, neither rap nor twerking is a huge part of 'Big Booty.'”
Another gem of “FACE” is the lead single, “Honey,” a house-based dance tune with a dreamy vibe and a catchy hook. In the song, Solar sings about people who make temptations for her as if they are bees that bring honey to a queen bee.
“I thought about releasing some ballads at first, but later changed my mind to put out more feel-good tracks, as I thought that was what most people were expecting from me,” Solar, who has a good reputation as a vocalist, said. “'Honey' is an uplifting spring song that features the story of Winnie-the-Pooh in its lyrics. When I was penning the lines, this cute character, who always carries a honey jar, suddenly popped up in my head, so I decided to use his story.”
But recording “Honey” was not a walk in the park, she added.
“I personally prefer singing powerfully using a big voice, but for 'Honey,' I had to use falsetto on the high notes and try to be coquettish,” Solar explained.
“That was hard, but overall, I am 100-percent satisfied with the quality of my new EP, which came out almost two years after I made my solo debut with 'Spit it Out.' I tried to incorporate as much feedback as possible this time, while attempting to showcase what I like. Everyone, including Kim Do-hoon, the co-CEO of my management company, RBW, poured a lot of time and effort into producing this mini-album.”
| MAMAMOO's Solar / Courtesy of RBW |
Solar added that other MAMAMOO members ― Wheein, Moonbyul and Hwasa ― sent messages of encouragement to her when she was gearing up for her mini-album.
“They supported me a lot, telling me to stay healthy and happy,” she said. “All of them, particularly rapper Moonhyul, were quite surprised when they first heard 'Honey,' because I did a rap.”
Closing the session, Solar revealed what she wants to achieve in the days to come.
“First of all, I hope I can bring solace to many people through my solo release,” she said. “It seems a lot of great songs are not getting noticed these days due to tough competition, making it more demanding for singers to grab the top spots on the music charts. But I still want to give it a shot. On top of that, as the leader of MAMAMOO, I hope my group can take a further leap in its career.”