MRCH: The K-Indie Artist Behind Girl Group Hits

If you have not heard of singer-songwriter MRCH, you have likely heard at least one of the songs she worked on. Debuting as a solo artist in 2019, MRCH (pronounced like “March”) has helped write and/or compose songs by TWICE, ITZY, NMIXX, and WOOAH. From once auditioning to become a trainee, MRCH found herself years later getting to compose and write songs for girl groups. 

MRCH’s Journey Towards the K-Pop Industry 

Music runs in MRCH’s blood: in an interview with the ReacttotheK YouTube channel, she said her aunt was a classical composer, and her mother wanted MRCH to pursue the profession. While enrolled in a piano academy at a young age, she discovered she had “really good relative pitch,” a benefit for musicians. However, it was Disney’s High School Musical that ignited MRCH’s dream to sing on stage.

 She eventually auditioned for JYP Entertainment in high school after getting scouted, but she did not pass her audition. MRCH instead pursued classical music at Yonsei University, where she learned to compose. Though she learned music theory during her time there, studying felt “painful” as she desperately wanted to perform. After graduation, she made a choice to switch from classic music to pop music.  

Solo Work 

MRCH made her solo debut with her single album Let’s march! on August 14, 2019. MRCH’s music consists of laid-back acoustic songs and feel-good rock songs. Let’s march! contained the three tracks “Like a Movie,” “Wonderland,” and “Ringo.” She made her first comeback in 2021 with the single “Still romantic.” 2022 saw MRCH ramping up activities as a singer-songwriter, releasing three singles and an EP. 

Though MRCH never trained under JYP Entertainment, her path led her into contact with JYP Entertainment producer and songwriter collapsedone. She sang the backing vocals on “Poppin’ Shakin,’” a song collapsedone co-wrote for JYP Entertainment’s Japanese girl group NiziU. They collaborated again when she featured on collapsedone’s “She,” a track on his first EP in 2021. Starting with MRCH’s single “Color it” in 2022, collapsedone would help produce her subsequent releases. Her The Earth EP uses its dual title tracks, “Human mechanism” and “Nostalgia,” to comment on human nature. 

Songwriting for Other Artists 

MRCH started off 2022 as the sole lyricist for WOOAH’s “Catch the Stars,” co-composed by collapsedone. In the summer, MRCH got to work with TWICE, a group she loved for years. She co-composed their Japanese track “Celebrate” and co-composed “Talk that Talk,” the title track for their eleventh EP, BETWEEN 1&2. 

In 2024, she contributed to more JYP Entertainment girl groups, having co-wrote “Yet but,” the solo track for ITZY’s Yuna on the group’s BORN TO BE album. She also co-wrote NMIXX’s rock ballad “Moving On.” In an interview with NMIXX’s Lily, MRCH revealed that the amount she makes from her own music in one year comes out less than royalties received one month after releasing “Moving On.” 

It’s unknown which artists MRCH will create songs for this year, but she has been seen on recent collaborations. She partnered with Australian artist will hyde and Thai band YENTED for “dream. (좋은 분위기),” released on February 7. This soft trilingual song showcases the universal language of a love that feels out of this world. MRCH’s next confirmed appearance happens in March at South Korean music festival THE GLOW 2025.

Edited by Clark Royandoyan