A decade into rap career, Moonbyul rediscovers herself

Moonbyul, the main rapper of K-pop girl group Mamamoo, sees her solo venture as a journey to discover her authentic identity as a musician.

While fans acknowledge her versatility in rap, dance and vocals, her vocal prowess has taken a backseat due to the remarkable vocal abilities of her bandmates — Solar, Wheein and Hwasa.

“I’ve put in a lot of effort to discover my true identity while working as a solo artist, pondering what I do best and what music can truly represent me,” she shared during a group media interview last week. The interview was held at an art gallery in central Seoul to mark the release of her first solo studio album.

“This album now unmistakably showcases my identity as a musician who can sing, rap and dance,” she added, referring to her first full-length album, “Starlit of Muse,” due out Tuesday.

She debuted as a member of the K-pop quartet in 2014 and began her solo career four years later with her first single, “Selfish.”

After a decade with the group, the 31-year-old found herself confined by her strong image as Mamamoo’s main rapper, recognized for her distinctively deep voice and boyish charm.

“My image as the Mamamoo rapper and the girl crush persona was so dominant that I couldn’t escape them no matter how well I sang vocally,” she explained.

She also felt restricted by the genre limitations imposed by her role as a rapper.

However, a pivotal moment in her career came in November 2022, when she emerged as the winner of “Second World,” JTBC’s audition program for main rappers of female idol groups who also possess vocal abilities.

“I received overwhelming support from my bandmates when I was extremely anxious before the competition,” she recalled, noting that the victory helped her regain confidence as a musician.

In preparation for her studio album, Moonbyul undertook vocal and dance lessons to push her own artistic boundaries.

“My vocal range expanded. I used to believe it was limited, but after taking lessons, it expanded rapidly. It’s amazing how quickly it grew in such a short period,” she said.

The expansion paved the way for her to delve into a wider array of music genres.

The resulting new album comprises 12 songs of diverse genres, spanning from hip-hop and disco-funk to R&B, ballad pop and punk-rock. Fronting the album are two lead tracks — “Think About” and “Touchin&Movin.”

When asked about the process of creating the album, she explained, “Company staff introduced the ‘Muse’ concept to me, and I reached out to various composers and lyricists to request their songs because I believed ensuring diversity was crucial for my studio album and that there were limitations in my ability to write songs.”

These days, improving her vocal skills remains her primary focus.

“It’s incredible that after almost a decade in the industry, I’m still dedicated to this pursuit, but I aspire to do even better in the future,” she said.

She envisions herself continuing her singing career for another 10 years.

“I don’t want to leave music,” she said. “Since I’m dedicated to this job, I believe I deserve such a future. I want to channel all my energy into my work even though I find it more physically challenging now.”

She also expressed hope to pursue soothing music instead of dance music and to start a band with musicians playing instruments when she gets older and more popular.