When it comes to the ladies in K-Pop, I tend to be a fan of the solo artists more. It’s still taking me a while to really get into the girl groups. I am a fan of a few, like (G) Idle, Twice, and Everglow, for example. But this post will mainly be for some of my favorite solo ladies who have dropped new music recently.
Hyolyn is Back with New ICE-EP
Hyolyn is one of those OG solo artists, girl group members (SISTAR). I, of course, came to know her through Monsta X, since she was signed to Starship Ent. But, when it comes to her as an artist and dancer, this 30+ year old is still one of the best. Finding a favorite is definitely going to be hard on this one.
This album keeps with the Pop/ Dance/ R&B/ and Hip-Hop vibe that she has always excelled at. I love all of the songs but my favorites, as of right now (lol) are “Ah Yeah”, “Layin Low”, and “Waka Boom”. “Layin Low” is a slower, sultrier track, showing off Hyolyn’s vocals and Jooyoung brings in the manly element. “Waka Boom” is such a high energy track, and it features my girl Young Ji Lee, who absolutely kills every track she is on.
Chung Ha Returns with Bare&Rare, Pt.1
Chung Ha has always been a favorite of mine. But it has been a while since she has released anything. And it’s always so easy to lose track of some of these artists. I am so happy that she is back with new album, though. Right off the bat, I love the sexy, heavy hitter that is “XXXX”.
Then she switches to a Bubblier, Pop track with “Sparkling”. A song that has become a quick favorite for me, though, is “Crazy Like You” featuring BIBI. And on “Good Night My Princess”, Chung Ha shows off a softer side and her beautiful voice. It’s hard not to love the powerful Pop/Dance track “Love Me Out Loud”.
Heize Returns with New Undo Album!
Heize was one of my first introductions to solo K R&B women and is still one of my favorites. I was so excited to see that she was coming back with a new album. The first song that really grabbed me is “Sad Ending”; it has such a soft, but funky vibe to it. I also really love “Traveler” as well, a little more upbeat but so smooth, like the rest of her music, honestly.
She really does have some amazing collaborations on this album. Of course, one of my favorite collabs is for “Distance” with I.M. from Monsta X, who helped write/ produce this one on top of featuring on it. Another favorite is “I Don’t Lie” with GIRIBOY, who I have been a fan of for a while as well. Both of those songs have similar sounds and are a little bit more “R&B”, fitting their singing/ rap styles perfectly.
Itzy’s 5th Mini Album CHECKMATE
I’ve written about them before and have been following them for a little while, so I thought I would check out this new album. Most of the songs are still kind of growing on me, but I do have a few favorites. The first one is “Racer”, and I really love the drawn-out words in the chorus, super catchy. “Free Fall” is very cute but throws in the girls’ rapping skills as well.
“Domino” brings a slower tempo, softer sound from the girls, and I really like this one. The overall theme for this comeback is pretty cool, and different as compared to some girl groups. Their lead single “Sneakers” is still growing on me, but there is a Korean and English version on the album. The English version is making me like it a little more, the more I listen to it.
Getting into Loona’s Summer Special [Flip That] EP
I’m really just now getting into them, since I had been seeing and hearing a lot about them recently. But after listening to this recent album, I have no regrets lol. They definitely have more of a Pop/ R&B than some of the other girl groups. But that makes them more like the ones I am already a fan of, so it’s perfect!
The first song that grabbed my attention is “Flip That”, a catchy Pop/ Dance track. Next, we have “Need U”, as well as “Playback”, which both had a lot more of a slower R&B vibe than I expected, and they are both becoming favorites for me. Then there’s “Pose” which is such a sassy song, full of attitude, and more of a Hip Hop sound to it. Lastly, “Pale Blue Dot” is a cute, quirky track, making this album so well-rounded.
