March set to be star-studded month with K-pop female solo comebacks

All News 09:00 March 06, 2021

By Lee Minji

SEOUL, March 6 (Yonhap) -- Following female K-pop solo singers Sunmi and Chungha's successful music releases in late February, March is expected to be another impressive month with top-tier acts getting ready for comebacks.

Sunmi, the K-pop queen who has carved out a unique discography with her charismatic songs, and Chungha, one of the most promising female solo singers on the scene, released the new single "Tail" and debut studio album "Querencia," respectively, in late February.

This photo, provided by Abyss Company, shows the soloist Sunmi. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

This photo, provided by MNH Entertainment, shows the singer Chungha posing during an online press conference on Feb. 16, 2021. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

In March, girl group BLACKPINK's Rose, singer-songwriter IU and rapper-singer Jessi are poised to extend the hype with long-awaited album releases.

Rose is at the forefront in chronological order. YG Entertainment has confirmed the group's main singer will be releasing her debut solo album next Friday.

Simply titled "R," the label-agency said the title was chosen to mark Rose's "new beginning as a solo artist." The singer took part in designing her debut solo album, it added.

While not much has been unveiled about the upcoming album, a teaser video of "Gone," one of the tracks on the album, has already earned more than 45 million views on YouTube. The BLACKPINK member also performed the song for the first time in the band's online concert held late January.

With the debut, Rose will be the second BLACKPINK member to release solo material after Jennie. Jennie's solo debut song "Solo," released in 2018, was a hit, reaping more than 625 million views on YouTube so far.

This photo, provided by YG Entertainment on March 4, 2021, shows a promotional image for BLACKPINK member Rose's solo debut album "R." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Jessi, the Korean American rapper known for her bad girl vibes, is up next.

P Nation, the singer's agency founded and led by "Gangnam Style" star Psy, has announced that she will be releasing a digital single on March 17.

The comeback comes after the singer basked in nationwide popularity with her role in the project band "Refund Sisters" on the MBC reality show "Hangout with Yoo." The rapper took up the alter ego of "Eunbi" in the project act alongside K-pop divas Uhm Jung-hwa, Lee Hyori and Hwasa of girl group MAMAMOO.

P Nation has yet to release details on the upcoming single.

This photo, provided by P Nation, shows a promotional image for rapper-singer Jessi's upcoming comeback on March 17, 2021. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Singer-songwriter IU, meanwhile, will be releasing her much-awaited full album on March 25, some four years after the release of the critically acclaimed "Palette" in 2017.

It also marks her first new music in roughly 10 months since she worked on "Eight," a chart-sweeping song featuring rapper-singer Suga of BTS.

While not much has been released on the album "Lilac" -- except for some teaser images and audio snippets -- anticipation surrounding it runs high.

"Celebrity," an upbeat pop number that will be included in the upcoming album, has been leading multiple music streaming charts since its pre-release in January.

In a speech during the Golden Disk Awards ceremony earlier this year, the singer said she hopes to spread positive vibes through her new music.

"(The album) carries stories of encouragement more than ever. I'll try to give heartfelt music that could help energize people whose souls are exhausted," she said.