She debuted as a member of the girl group Mamamoo in June 2014.
In February 2019, Hwasa made her debut as a solo artist with the digital single, Twit, which she participated in writing and composing. The song was a commercial success and peaked at number three on Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart for the week of March 2, 2019.
In March 2020, Hwasa teamed up with English singer Dua Lipa for a remix of Lipa`s Physical, which includes added Korean lyrics.
In June 2020, Hwasa released her debut EP, titled Maria, and the lead single of the same name. The EP debuted at number 7 on the Billboard World Albums and 81 on Billboard Top Current Albums Sales charts for the week of July 11, 2020. The EP ranked first in 20 countries on the iTunes Album Chart around the world, including United States. Consequently, Hwasa became the first Korean female solo artist to rank on top of the United States iTunes Albums Chart.
2014–present: Debut with Mamamoo and solo projects
Hwasa debuted as a member of the girl group Mamamoo on June 19, 2014, being one of the leading voices with the release of the lead single Mr. Ambiguous from their first extended play (EP) Hello. She wrote and composed her first solo song, My Heart/I Do Me, from Hello.
In March 2018, Hwasa released her second solo song, Be Calm, as part of Mamamoo`s sixth EP, Yellow Flower.
The music video for the song was uploaded on March 25 and has gained 6.3 million views as of January 2021.
Be Calm charted at number 35 on the Gaon Download Chart.
2018–2019: Solo debut with Twit and further solo projects
In April 2018, Hwasa joined the cast of KBS reality television show Hyena on the Keyboard; the appearance spawned a collaboration with rapper Loco titled Don`t. Hwasa took part in writing and composing the song and it successfully topped the South Korean`s Gaon Digital Chart.
Don`t was later certified Platinum for 100 million streams in January 2019 and again for 2.5 million downloads in August 2018.
In February 2019, Hwasa made her debut as a solo artist with the digital single, Twit, which she participated in writing and composing.
The song was a commercial success, peaking atop the Gaon Digital Chart and scored a Triple Crown, topping the Gaon Digital, Gaon Download and Gaon Streaming charts.
Twit also peaked at number three on Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart for the week of March 2, 2019.
Hwasa released the single In The Fall, a collaboration with South Korean hip-hop producer Woogie, in October 2019.
She participated in both writing and composing the song.
In December 2019, Twit was featured in Billboard`s The 25 Best K-pop Songs of 2019: Critics` Pick list at number 8. It was mentioned that she proved to be a diva provocateur as she pushed the boundaries of accepted norms for women in the industry, both in regard to her musical performances and her public appearances.
Twit was also ranked at number 13 of 29 songs on Refinery29`s The Best K-Pop Songs Of 2019, and Rolling Stone India featured the music video in their 10 Best K-pop Music Videos of 2019.
Hwasa in 2020
2020–present: María and continued solo success
In March 2020, Hwasa teamed up with English singer Dua Lipa for a remix of Lipa`s Physical, which includes added Korean lyrics.
In April, it was reported that Hwasa had joined the original soundtrack lineup of the Korean drama The King: Eternal Monarch and would be releasing her first solo soundtrack song (OST), titled Orbit.
The song debuted at number 16 on Billboard World Digital Song Sales Chart for the week of May 2, 2020.
On June 29, Hwasa released her debut EP, titled Maria, and the lead single of the same name.
The EP debuted at number seven on the Billboard World Albums and 81on Billboard Top Current Albums Sales charts for the week of July 11, 2020.
After release, the EP ranked first in 20 countries on the iTunes Album Chart around the world, including United States. Consequently, Hwasa became the first Korean female solo artist to rank on top of the United States iTunes Albums Chart.
Lead single Maria was composed by Hwasa and producer Park Woo-sang with the goal of showing her growth as a singer-songwriter. Hwasa also wrote the lyrics for LMM and composed Why.
For the week of September 26, 2020, Maria peaked at number two on Billboard K-pop Hot 100 and on the week of October 3, 2020, it peaked at number 79 on Billboard Japan Hot 100.
Maria also debuted at number six on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart.
On season six of JTBC`s entertainment show Hidden Singer, Hwasa was one of the contestants for the episode airing on September 11, 2020. In the final round, Hwasa won by an overwhelming 79 votes, which ended the four consecutive losing streaks from previous contestants and earned the singer her second win as an original singer of the season.
Hwasa joined the cast of MBC reality-variety show How Do You Play? in August 2020 as a member of four-member supergroup Refund Sisters (환불 원정대). The group consists of Hwasa along with Korean singers Lee Hyo-ri, Uhm Jung-hwa, and Jessi; they made their debut on October 10, releasing their debut single, Don`t Touch Me.
Don`t Touch Me peaked atop the Gaon Digital Chart for two consecutive weeks.
At the end of 2020, Maria was featured in Billboard`s article A Look Back at Billboard`s K-Pop 100 Chart in 2020 and All Its Big Players. Maria charted with a record 19 consecutive weeks in the top-ten, making it the song with the second most weeks in the chart`s top-ten.
Streaming service Spotify also announced their 2020 Most Played Female Korean K-pop Artists, and Hwasa was ranked 4th.
One of Hwasa`s side tracks, LMM was featured in MTV News` The Best K-POP B-sides of 2020 at number eight.
Maria also landed at second place in Rolling Stone India`s 20 Best K-pop Music Videos of 2020.
Maria was then featured in Paper Magazine at number 27 of their 40 Best K-pop Songs of 2020. The article mentioned that Hwasa is known to many as a fearless person but her single `Maria` deconstructs that image, casting an image of a young woman who is at once vulnerable and confident, playful and seductive — idol and human.
Time magazine released an article titled, The Songs and Albums That Defined K-Pop`s Monumental Year in 2020, and stated that of the solo releases this year, Hwasa`s Maria leaves the most searing impression. The track is sleek and sultry, oozing with her distinct charisma as she sings in her low-toned, rounded voice over syncopated drum beats.
With her continuous success, Hwasa managed to rank ninth on the Top 100 Kpop Idols YouTube Worldwide Search Rankings for 2020.
Impact and influence
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Hwasa has mentioned numerous times that her role model is Beyonce. At one of her concerts, Hwasa told an inspiring story of an audition she once attended. Though she wowed the casting agencies with her vocals and performance, they ultimately turned her down with a cold comment You`re really unique and are really good at singing but you`re not pretty. Those words became a major turning point for her. Knowing her dream was always to be a singer, she promised herself one thing and said, If I don`t fit into this generation`s standard of beauty, then I will have to become a different standard. After the audition, she watched Beyonce`s performances. She said Just watching Beyonce`s performances consoled me. If I`m having a hard time, watching her concert videos and documentary give me strength. It`s like my exhausted energy being filled up again. I`m inspired from just watching her.
2018 – 2019
Hwasa is known for her brand recognition and marketing power, having placed first on the Korean Business Research Institute`s monthly Individual Girl Group Members Brand Power Ranking numerous times.
Hwasa`s first appearance on I Live Alone in June 2018 has earned her the titles Gopchang Goddess and Hwasa Effect. She has caused a national Gopchang Craze, causing the delicacy to sell out across the country. She has received an appreciation trophy for increasing the ingredients` sales by South Korean by-product meat association.
After the Gopchang Craze, she then partnered with Lotte Home Shopping for Hwazakaya gopchang set, and they reportedly sold 5,000 units within just 60 minutes, estimated to be about KRW 300 million.
In July 2018, after another appearance of Hwasa eating seaweed crackers on I Live Alone aired, it was reported that the sales of seaweed crackers have increased and factories have then received huge amount of orders and cannot be produced on time to meet consumers` needs.
She received an appreciation plaque for the increased sales.
In another variety show, Let`s Eat Dinner Together, Hwasa was seen talking about tonguefish (bakdae) while eating it. After the show aired, it was reported that sales have increased and Gunsan Park University Local Project Team awarded an appreciation plaque to Hwasa.
In February 2019, Hwasa was seen mixing chapagetti and truffle oil in an episode of I Live Alone. This new recipe instantly became a hot topic. The sales growth rate reached 20.5% in just one week and has been popular among consumers. The retail sales of chapagetti in the first half of the year recorded KRW 91 billion, an 8.5% increase from the previous year.
In March 2019, Hwasa became one of the endorsers for Davich`s `Trevues` lenses. According to reports, by the end of the month, Hwasa`s `Trevues Palette` lenses were already sold out due to high demand.
In August 2019, in another clip from I Live Alone, Hwasa was seen using a Tangle Angel hairbrush. After the broadcast, the product was sold out temporarily and Tangle Angel issued a statement to confirm that there was an overwhelming influx of orders.
At the end of 2019, Hwasa was featured on Forbes Korea Power Celebrity and was ranked at number 26.
For the year of 2019, she ranked ninth, receiving 4.8 percent of the votes in the Most Favorite Idols survey conducted annually by Gallup Korea that involved 1,502 Korean male and female respondents aged 13 to 29.
2020 – present
In March 2020, Hwasa appeared on I Live Alone making fried tofu rice balls. After the episode aired, it was reported that ingredients for tofu rice balls were sold out for two days at a large online marketplace.
On the same episode, Hwasa was seen playing the music recorder and unexpectedly made recorder music sheets to sell out as well on respective websites. This has led to the music sheet websites to become overwhelmed with orders and had to announce a delay in deliveries.
In May 2020, Hwasa was chosen as a model for a hangover drink by Lotte Chilsung Beverage. They had re-entered the hangover relieving beverage market after 14 years and despite the reduced number of drinking spots due to COVID-19, they still managed to sell 3 million cans in just half a year after its launch.
In September 2020, Hwasa became one of the endorsers for a clothing brand called, Andar. Their `Air Touch Fit T-shirt` worn by Hwasa has received great attention as `Hwasa`s T-shirt`. This particular T-shirt sold out on the day of release causing an early sell out.
In December 2020, advertisement critics mentioned that Hwasa`s strong image blended well with the product and advertisement. Critics highly appreciated the fact that the company understood Hwasa`s image well. Her character, which broke the traditional idol prejudice of beauty standards in Korea and became her own beauty standard, was actively used in the advertisement.
Hwasa also became a muse for Tommy Jeans in 2020. The brand mentioned that, after they had Hwasa as their muse for Tommy Jeans for their Fall/Winter products, they`ve achieved a 75% product exhaustion rate.
In 2020, Hwasa ranked seventh, receiving 5.1 percent of the votes in the Korea`s Top Singers survey conducted annually by Gallup Korea that involved 5,100 Korean male and female respondents aged 19 to 29. In the same category, she ranked ninth, receiving 4.3 percent of the votes that involved 5,100 Korean male and female respondents in their 30s. In the Korea`s Top Song category, `Maria` was ranked third (5.8%) among the respondents in their 30s.
In January 2021, Hwasa was featured in TimeOut Hong Kong`s article as one of the Sexiest Asian Stars to Follow on Instagram Right Now. It was also mentioned that Hwasa is one of the latest and most popular trendsetters in the industry. Different from the conventionally cute style of female idols, Hwasa stands out with her boldness and is recognized for her stunning vocal and dancing abilities.
In February 2021, Hwasa was ranked 3rd best fashion face in Asia by I-Magazine Fashion Face Awards 2020. 30 countries and 350 professional photographers, creative directors, makeup artists, stylists and editors have voted for the top faces from over 17,000 photos and videos published in 2019 and 2020. The overall criteria includes distinctive characters, unique facial expressions, the ability of story telling, potential and versatility of carrying different styles and the facial analysis.
In April 2021, Hwasa was featured on Forbes` 30 under 30 Asia 2021 list. Selected from over 2,500 nominations and vetted by their team of reporters and a panel of A-list judges, these trailblazers are unparalleled examples of determination, hard work and innovation. Forbes reported that the factors in finalising the names included demonstration of leadership, impact, the potential of success and the embodiment of the entrepreneurial spirit synonymous with Forbes.
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