How K-pop diva Chungha is Flourishing as a solo act – but misses I.O.I
- Chungha rekindles hopes of a reunion for her former band I.O.I, saying she hopes it will happen
Many people anticipated that K-pop diva Chungha would return with a refreshing tropical song, just like she did last summer. But she defied expectations, choosing to leave her comfort zone with her fourth mini-album “Flourishing”, released on Monday.
“I want to display a different colour of music and show my growth with the fresh EP,” Chungha said during a media event at Sogang University’s Mary Hall, Seoul. “I hope I can mark a turning point in my career.”
She said she felt nervous as if she were making her debut.
“I am representing all my staff and those who contributed to the album,” she said. “So I am quite nervous as well.”
The EP, fronted by groovy lead track Snapping, ranges from trap soul to electronic. Also included are four B-side songs: Chica, We have Fun, Call it Love and Flourishing.
Chungha said the composer Park Woo-sang wrote the lead track to highlight her unexploited “hipness”.
“Park said he was inspired by my ‘hip’ sports commercial and he tried to reveal a different side of me,” she said. “Snapping is exciting from the intro and can make everybody flow with the rhythm. Since music has no language barrier, I believe my foreign fans will enjoy its flow too.”
Chungha also discussed I.O.I, the defunct K-pop girl band she once belonged to. The group comprised Lim Na-young, Kim Se-jeong, Jung Chae-yeon, Zhou Jieqiong, Kim So-hye, Yoo Yeon-jung, Choi Yoo-jung, Kang Mi-na, Kim Do-yeon, Jeon So-mi and Chungha from Mnet’s survival reality show Produce 101 that aired in 2016. The group disbanded in 2017.
“I.O.I members are indispensable for me,” Chungha said. “They gave me positive feedback whenever a teaser was unveiled. Do-yeon said she would like to cover my number when it is out.”