History of K-Pop: Chungha
Potentially one of the most successful solo artists in the Korean music scene, Chungha is one of the former I.O.I members that managed to take her success in the group and continue to grow into her solo career. That’s not an easy feat for anyone, especially for someone not from one of the major entertainment companies in Korea. Still a prevalent artist on the scene after five years, Chungha continues to prove her versatility and strength as an artist.
Chungha began her career by enrolling in Produce 101. She finished in fourth place, which placed her in the final lineup for I.O.I. After the group disbanded in 2017, she made her solo debut with first mini-album Hands on Me. The EP peaked at No. 8 on the Gaon Album Chart, making it a commercial success. Around that same time, she featured on a track with Produce 101 Season 2 favorite Samuel Kim as well as artist Babylon.
Her second EP Offset was released in January 2018 to even better reception, peaking at No. 3 on the Gaon Album Chart and landing Chungha her first entry on the U.S. World Albums Chart at No. 13. Lead single “Roller Coaster” peaked at No. 6 on the Weekly K-Pop Hot 100 Chart and even won Chungha her first award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, bringing home the “Best Dance Performance - Solo” award. This is particularly remarkable given that it was her first comeback.
The third mini-album Blooming Blue followed in July, along with a myriad of collaborations across the Hallyu world. During that summer she collaborated in a special project group with Red Velvet’s Seulgi, (G)I-DLE’s Soyeon, and GFRIEND’s SinB for SM Station. In between her own releases, she also collaborated with VIXX’s Ravi and Super Junior’s Yesung while making numerous appearances on variety shows.
Her next solo release came in the form of the single album for “Gotta Go” in January 2019. “Gotta Go” brought the soloist her first ever music show win on Show Champion. The new title brought about a new image for the singer, giving her a more girl crush concept compared to her previous releases. The image shift seemed to be exactly what she needed to kickstart a new milestone in her career, as the single achieved critical acclaim which included a rank of No. 3 on Billboard’s “The 25 Best K-pop Songs of 2019.” “Gotta Go” achieved a total of seven music show wins across promotions, as well as peaked at No. 1 on the Weekly K-Pop Hot 100 Chart.
Fourth EP Flourishing and lead single “Snapping” came in June 2019 and while it didn’t quite go as viral as “Gotta Go,” the album and title still performed very well on the charts. “Snapping” took home six music show wins and peaked at No. 2 on the Gaon Weekly Chart, while Flourishing peaked at No. 6 on the Gaon Album Chart.
Her expansion into the U.S. market was first hinted in late 2019 when she collaborated on a track with Rich Brian, which would serve as the lead single for compilation album Head in the Clouds II. Much of 2020 was spent working on collaborations, including the likes of TVXQ’s Changmin, pH-1, and Changmo. She also penned OSTs for popular dramas Hotel Del Luna and Dr. Romantic 2. In April she released “Stay Tonight,” a pre-release single for her upcoming album Querencia.
At the end of 2020, Chungha signed with 88rising. While “Stay Tonight” was considered a pre-release for the next album, Querencia wouldn’t actually drop until February of 2021, initially delayed because she tested positive for COVID. Querencia, her first full-length album, received overwhelmingly positive critical reception. While the album and lead title “Bicycle” didn’t chart as high as previous releases, the album as a whole was considered one of her best and most comprehensive releases.
The next release came in the form of the single “Killing Me” in November 2021. We wouldn’t hear from her again until earlier this month with part one of her second full-length album Bare & Rare, which features eight songs all either co-written or co-produced by Chungha. The album was released under both MNH Entertainment and 88rising. Lead single “Sparkling” took home a music show win on July 19.
Chungha has proven in her years on the scene just how much of a powerhouse she is as an artist. With signing onto 88rising, it also makes her one of the few pioneers into the western market via an indie label, especially considering most super big K-Pop stars tend to sign onto huge labels in the west. She’s continued to mature and grow in her career while maintaining a level of quality in her productions that isn’t an easy feat.