Chuu is unusual in k-pop, being probably as well known for her solo work and exuberantly bubbly personality as she is for being a member of her group, LOONA, which debuted in 2016. And now, of course, she’s known for being an unlikely heroine for better treatment for idols in the industry, after she was kicked out of the group for speaking out against her company, and her fellow members followed suit by suing for their freedom (and winning!). She became a soloist under new label ATRP in 2023, at age 24, and re-debuted the same year.

Here are my credentials: Chuu has been one of my favorite idols for years now, even before I became a fan of LOONA, and I watched the entire saga of their many court cases play out in real time. We actually have the same birthday, which is how I discovered her in the first place, and she wormed her way into my heart. I could wax poetry about all the reasons I love her but we don’t have time, so I’ll just say that I’m very excited for this deep dive to catch up with her solo work now that she’s making the kind of music she’s always wanted to.

Single #1: Heart Attack

I couldn’t have asked for a better intro to LOONA or to Chuu than Heart Attack. It’s bubbly and bright and such an excellent match for her that it doesn’t across as cloying or fake; it always makes me think of vintage Christmas illustrations, and it’s one of the few “holiday” sounding songs I don’t dislike. . It’s so cozy and so delightful, and it always makes me feel warm inside. It’s probably my favorite solo of the group’s, purely because of the sheer amount of endorphins it gives me, and of course, the incredibly lesbian just…everything, really, about the music video.

And speaking of the MV, there’s so many little Easter eggs, from the apple going from green to red when Chuu’s love for Yves’ character is requited to the amount of peach in the MV since it was her official color, to the outfits mimicking Clueless. It’s also the thing that made me adore Chuu and Yves’ friendship so much, and the fact that they’re still friends to this day despite pursuing successful solo careers just makes me so happy. It’s never failed to make me smile, and I don’t see it failing anytime soon.

(If any of you are wondering, don’t worry, I watched the boycott MV, no way am I giving BBC a goddamn dime.)

Single #2: One And A Half

One And A Half is a cover of Two Two’s 1994 song. Chuu’s actually done a lot of covers and since I didn’t have time to cover (hah!) them all, I thought it’d just choose my favorite. In my opinion, it takes a really good artist to make a really good cover, and Chuu infuses such warmth and bubbliness into a song that I think could feel a bit flat without her. The little chicken-wing dance moves she does shouldn’t be so charming but they really are. The small rap feature—I’m assuming it’s someone from Two Two but I’m actually not sure—is very sweet too; this coffeeshop sound isn’t usually one I gravitate towards, but she won me over.

Single #3: Underwater

With Underwater we finally reach Chuu’s official songs as a solo artist in her own right under ATRP. It’s soothing and slice-of-life, and MV is simple but has so much happiness infusing it, full of natural light without doing the insane over-whitewashing that BBC’s often been guilty of. The underwater shots are, no surprise, gorgeous, a bright mirror of the video’s blue and yellow palette. Seeing her just eat ramen and walk around barefoot in a tiny apartment in Portugal made me happier than it probably should’ve, but I often wish that for all of my favorite idols: the ability to live their lives just as they want.

It’s a simple acoustic-guitar driven song, sure, but it’s also so much more; it’s hard-won, well-cherished happiness. And when Chuu opens her arms to the sky in pure joy, I can’t help feeling it with her.

EP #1: Howl

Howl is such an emotional journey of a song, from its opening that reminds me of Halsey’s confessional Ashley to the synthy beat underpinning the rest of it. It’s light on instrumentation in general, letting Chuu’s voice take center stage as the track blossoms into something special. The MV is breezy and open, taking us from a busy street in Portugal to an empty beach in a very organic way. The lyrics too are lovely; “Even when the world abandons you I’m here” and “Why don’t we save each other…even though we can’t save the world” remain my favorites. Perhaps I’m reading too much into it, but it feels like a message of support and love to her members, and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

From the EP, it was difficult to choose a hidden gem between the bubbly, somewhat trippy Hitchhiker, and the synthy Aliens with its embrace of the unknown, but as of right now, Aliens is my favorite.

Single #4: Chocolate

Chocolate has both an English and Korean version, but we’re going to go with the Korean one here for consistency. Both bop along with delight and a vintage, synthy sound that’s surprisingly addictive and a great fit for the low budget MV of Chuu making actual chocolate in her kitchen that accompanies it. In terms of surprises, her rapping also caught me off guard, but I thought it was a good fit for a song that might tend towards the overly sugary (pun intended) without it. Overall, it’s just really cute, and earned more than a few smiles from me.

EP #2: Strawberry Rush

Make no mistake, Howl may have been pop, but Strawberry Rush is bubblegum to the highest degree, joyful and effervescent, and a perfect fit for Chuu, who’s completely in her element with the ultra-saturated color palette and the mix of cartoons and live action. And speaking of animation, the return of the furry alien yeti from the Howl MV is a nice callback and helps tie them together. Overall, the song is a lot like Heart Attack with its joyful squealing and wide-eyed optimism, but the more mature vocals and grounded feeling underneath all of the brightness are much more similar to Aliens. No wonder I love it so much.

From the EP, I enjoyed the sugary, dreamy Honeybee and the laid-back, pitch-perfect funk of Lucid Dream.

EP #3: Only Cry In The Rain

From the name of Only Cry In The Rain, you’d expect the most ballad to ever…ballad? (Is that a word?). Either way, you’d be wrong. Instead, the song is synthy and light, a detached kind of city pop that builds comfortably on itself, and is a better fit for Chuu’s voice than I was expecting. The nostalgia is strong in this one, with a hazy, warm music video that follows Chuu during and after losing her relationship with a girl who was once her best friend (or lover? It’s unclear whether her feelings were reciprocated). The song’s a bit too subdued in my opinion—I wish the chorus went further and that the outro’s chanty hook was present in the rest of the song—but I still really liked it. I feel like it’s the kind of song that grows on you.

From the EP, I enjoyed the laid-back groove of Back In Town and the quietly anthemic No More (my hidden gem). But I would be completely remiss if I didn’t mention the ridiculously overt, delightfully catchy Kiss A Kitty, which is perhaps the most wlw song I have ever had the pleasure of hearing a k-pop idol sing. I mean, just look up the lyrics to the chorus yourself. Incredible work, Chuu. I’d expect nothing less.

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this! I already loved Chuu, but getting the time to browse her channel and watch what she’s been up to, including giving thousands to charity, raising awareness of climate change, and being an outspoken LGBTQ+ rights advocate. I especially enjoyed her thrift store shopping and dinner date with Yves (And Yoojung from OnlyOneOf? Why am I not surprised that they’re friends?), her KODE appearance with her old friend Yeri of Red Velvet, and her hilarious attempt at acrobatics with Heejin. I think through this I’ve realized that, no matter what she goes on to do, I’m always going to be her fan. I am so, so proud of her.

My Top 5 songs were Howl, Aliens, Strawberry Rush, Kiss a Kitty, and Heart Attack, with Lucid Dream as an honorable mention. Chuu gets an 8.5 out of 10 from me. I know a lot of this review may have seemed more emotional and less analysis-driven than my usual, but something I’ve learned doing these deep dives is that sometimes you just enjoy music and sometimes that’s enough. Because Chuu’s music just brings me an immeasurable amount of joy, and I hope it does the same for other people.

Next time, we’re onto a 2nd gen boy group. Tschüss!