(Featuring Seohyun, Yves, Soojin, Goo Hara, and Youha)

This time, I thought I would try something different on the blog. Instead of doing a deep dive into one group, I’m doing shallow dives into a bunch of soloists and their first mini albums, then comparing and contrasting. This time is female soloists, from (G)I-DLE to Girls Generation. So, let’s get into it!

(See all solo rankings here)

#1: Seohyun of SNSD 

Seohyun is best known as a member of the incredibly famous Girls Generation (or Sonoshidae / SNSD), which she debuted in in 2008 at age 17. Though I’d consider myself a fan of SNSD, I don’t know much about Seohyun as a person or as a solo artist.

While many of the soloists seen here have distanced themselves from the type of music their groups make, Don’t Say No is definitely a song I could see Girls Generation recording. It’s led by synths, covered in vintage inspiration, and has that sprinkle of off-kilter humor that’s very SM Entertainment. In fact, now that I think of it, it’s leaning into funk and its mix of romantic and creepy visuals is also very Red Velvet, in songs like Dumb Dumb or Peek A Boo. But, I will say, Seohyun does a great job with the track; it’s a style that’s an excellent fit for her and she manages to balance dedication to a good performance with a sense of fun. So, overall, I really liked it!

From the EP, also called Don’t Say No, I enjoyed Eric Nam’s feature in the smooth duet Hello, the funky, jazzy instrumental in Bad Love, and the excellent, emotive vocals in Lonely Love (my hidden gem). I really grew to appreciate Seohyun’s voice through this; she has a real, chameleon-like ability to mold it to fit many different styles. I’ll give this EP an 8.75 out of 10; I hope she comes back sometime in the future!

#2: Soojin of (G)I-DLE

Soojin debuted as a member of (G)I-DLE in 2018, with fellow members Soyeon, Miyeon, Shuhua, Yuqi, and Minnie, before being forcibly removed from the group in 2021 due to (now debunked) bullying allegations. As of now, she’s still not been reinstated. I’m a (G)I-DLE fan, like I said in my review, but I don’t know as much about Soojin as I do about the other members, since I became a Neverland after she was already gone. But I’m looking forward to learning more about her.

Agassy comes over a year after Soojin was kicked out of (G)I-DLE, and establishes her both as a commanding solo presence and a fluid, confident dancer. I see threads of her work with (G)I-DLE too: the traditional instruments of Hwaa, the self-assured seduction of Señorita, or the cynical tone of Hann. Combining these traditional influences—the background screens, flutes, and strings—with a modern, distinctly kpop structure and a floaty beat was a good choice, and it means that when the song reaches its climax / final chorus, its progression feels earned. I think, however, that the one place it falls down is the chorus. After a great build-up, it’s just an instrumental hook, very reminiscent of Jisoo’s Flower, that Soojin vocalizes over, and I can’t help thinking that this would be a far stronger song with a chorus that took what makes the rest of it work so well.

From the EP, Agassy, I enjoyed the lighthearted string-plucking in Flowering, the jazzy influences in Sunflower, and the fast-paced chorus of TyTy. This is a good EP, but it’s fairly light on what’s actually there, and mostly succeeds on the strength of Soojin’s performance. I’ll give it a 7.75 out of 10.

#3: Goo Hara of KARA

(TW: mention of suicide, sexual abuse, assault for these three paragraphs)

Goo Hara was a member of 2nd-generation group KARA, and unlike with the first two soloists, I actually knew of her before I knew of her group. Hara took her life in 2019 after facing horrific levels of online harassment when she sued her former partner for assault and revenge porn, and in 2024, it was revealed by journalists that she was also a key informant in the Burning Sun Scandal (read more about that here), potentially saving the lives of many other women. I was barely into kpop when she died, and I didn’t know her. But I would absolutely consider myself her fan now, and so I wanted to cover her music here.

Choco Chip Cookies feels like a time capsule, and not just because it’s Hara doing the singing. It has a distinctly mid-2010’s style, from the specific mashed out yet vibrant lighting of the MV to the distinctive pop of the piano. Hara’s voice is smooth as ever, tiptoeing along I have to say, though, that I really disliked the combination of the fun and childish visuals with such blatant over sexualization. I don’t have a problem with either of those things in isolation, but together they just make me queasy. Besides that (and a rap from Giriboy that completely interrupts the flow), though, I thought that this was a pretty good song, if not something I’d return to much.

From the EP, Aloha, I enjoyed the off-kilter hip-hop of How About Me, the bubbly La La La, which features BM of KARD, and the effervescent poppy Haragu with its surf-rock elements (which was my hidden gem). I’ll give this EP an 8, mostly because of how much I love Hara, I admit.

#4: Yves of LOONA

Yves was (or is, depending on who you ask) one of twelve members of Blackberry Creative’s LOONA, and after their highly publicized split from the company, she debuted as a soloist. Yves was, admittedly, one of my favorites in the group back when I called myself a fan, and so I’m excited to see where she is now!

I have another admission: I was very biased upon seeing that Yves’ single was named Viola, the reason being that my lovely father (read about him here) in fact plays it and gets incredibly annoyed whenever someone asks if it’s a violin. So, this one’s for you, Dad! Anyway, talking about the song itself, it’s pretty similar to the kind of minimalistic synth pop that was LOONA’s bread and butter, and it’s a style that’s a good fit for her. “Minimalistic” is the operative word for this song in general; the main hook is “I just need some space”, and the relative emptiness of the chorus reflects this. It’s not a song I’ll seek out, but it’s something I’m likely to put on a studying playlist or have in the background.

From the EP, I Did, I enjoyed the slight Bhangra influences and quick strings in Hashtag’s instrumental, the jazzy acoustic guitar in Gone Girl, and the bassy percussion of Tik Tok. This release is pretty reflective of the single’s light-footed approach, but I do appreciate how it plays around with genre while still being cohesive. I’ll give it an 8.25.

#5: Youha

Youha, unlike the other soloists on this list, is not and never has been part of a group. After being a YG trainee for nearly a decade, she left the company in 2019 and debuted with Universal Music the next year. I know a couple songs of hers, but honestly, nothing from her first EP, so let’s get into it.

Last Dance takes a different route than the light, summery sound of Island, practically running the other way and diving headfirst into angst. The first minute or so is practically empty of instrumental, besides a simple pulsing beat, but then the chorus takes over and the instrumental expands, Youha’s voice backed by a choir. It’s a song that feels like it’s constantly walking a tightrope of insanity, one slip away from falling, and as the visuals get darker and deadlier, the vocals too grow more desperate. It’s unnervingly calm too, only adding to the sense of unease that crawls up your spine. This is a great example of a song that, while it’s not something I’d search out, aces what it aims to do.

From the EP, Love You More, I enjoyed the creeping vocals of Satellite and the light pulsing synths of Numb (my hidden gem). This is a pretty understated release, all in all, besides Numb, and not necessarily for me, but it’s also very “good”. I’ll give it an 8.25 out of 10.

Verdict: TL;DR

My top EP was Don’t Say No by Seohyun at 8.75, with I Did by Yves at 8.25 as a runner-up. Both are artists I didn’t know very well as soloists before this deep dive, despite being a fan of both SNSD and LOONA, so I’m glad I did this! Hope you’ll join us for the next installment in the solo ranking series.

Next time, we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming. Tschüss!