Hwasa announces September release with Psy's P Nation

Korean singer-songwriter Hwasa / Courtesy of P Nation

By Hong Hye-min

Mamamoo member Hwasa is gearing up for her first solo release since signing with Psy's agency P Nation.

On Monday midnight, P Nation unveiled several teaser images on its official social media account announcing Hwasa's new release scheduled for Sept. 6.

The images showed Hwasa surrounded by pink balloons, looking glamorous and seductive. The balloons were shaped in seemingly random letters of the alphabet, fueling fan speculation about their meaning in connection to her upcoming release.

This marks Hwasa's first new release as a solo artist since her 2021 single “Guilty Pleasure.” More notably, it marks her debut with P Nation ― run by singer Psy ― since joining the agency back in June.

Hwasa broke onto the scene in 2014 as a member of the girl group Mamamoo, rolling out one hit after another including “Mr. Ambiguous,” “Um Oh Ah Yeh,” “You're the Best,” “Decalcomanie,” “Yes I Am” and “Starry Night.”

She also found similar if not greater success in her solo career, starting with the single “Twit” which caused a sensation in 2019, followed by the chart-topping title track “Maria” in 2020 from her first solo mini-album of the same name. “Maria” was one of the biggest hits of the year, achieving over 100 million streams, being certified Platinum by Gaon Chart, named the Best Digital Music at the 35th Golden Disc Awards and winning in the Best Solo Performance category at the 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

Fans are eagerly awaiting to see the next evolution of Hwasa's career with her new agency P Nation, further building on her successful, decade-long run as both a solo artist and a member of Mamamoo.

Hong Hye-min (hhm@hankookilbo.com) is a reporter at The Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times. This article, previously published in The Hankook Ilbo, has been translated as part of a news-sharing program.