Hwasa

South Korean singer, rapper and television star Ahn Hye-jin (July 23, 1995) known by her stage name Hwasa, performs on the high-achieving side of the K-pop spectrum, often focused on R&B and sparkly pop. Born in Jeonju, North Jeolla, she began her professional career in 2014 as a member of girl group Mamamoo, prominently featuring on their first single "Mr. Ambiguous" from their Hello EP. Five years later she took her first stab at solo stardom with "Twit" and struck chart gold, going to number one on the Gaon Digital Chart as well as number three on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart. The success of "Twit" paved the way for her career-boosting collaboration the following year. In March 2020, Hwasa was catapulted to the heights of international pop fame when she appeared on a remix of British disco-pop starlet Dua Lipa's hit tune "Physical," which features Korean lyrics. Later that year, she scored a K-pop smash with her debut EP, Maria – receiving critical acclaim from publications including Rolling Stone India and Billboard – and joined the cast of MBC reality-variety show How Do You Play?, going on to join the project supergroup, Refund Sisters, with whom she released South Korean chart-topper "Don't Touch Me." 2021 saw the release of her "Guilty Pleasure" single album, which reached number six in South Korea, as well as her collaboration with Kinda Blue, "I Can't Make You Love Me." She went to number 51 on the Gaon Music Chart the following year for her "Somebody!" collaboration with Loco. After severing ties with RBW and signing with P Nation, Hwasa cracked the Top 10 of the South Korean Singles Chart with her second digital single "I Love My Body," released in September 2023.