Mamamoo Translations

Having risen as Korea’s girl crush symbols only after 3 years of debut, Mamamoo’s (Solar, Moonbyul, Whee In, Hwa Sa) fatally sexy and charismatic Hwa Sa (Ahn Hye Jin) met her birthday this 23rd. Her birthday is 7/23/1995.

Hwa Sa is part of Mamamoo, who released their first mini album ‘Hello’ on 6/18/2014, is a four membered girl group that made their official debut with their title song ‘Mr. Ambiguous’ on Mnet’s ‘M Countdown’ on the 6/19/2004. After only 2 years from their debut, they grabbed first place on ‘Inkigayo’ with their song ‘You Are the Best’ earning them the phrase ‘Mamamoo is the Best’ as they grew to be one of the most popular groups receiving an explosion of love.

Hwa Sa is garnering intense attention having released a cover of ‘City of Stars’ from the movie ‘La La Land’ OST for her birthday. Her chic but humorous personality is evident in this birthday interview as Hwa Sa’s charm appeals through her answers to tell her birthday story.

Q.[How do you feel about your upcoming birthday?] “I have always had schedules on my birthdays, so I usually pass my birthday without even realizing.”

Q. [You are the Best. Now that you’ve become very popular do you feel this birthday is different than your past birthdays? What’s the biggest change?] “My hair got a lot longer. ^^.”

Q. [What does a birthday mean to Hwa Sa?] “I don’t put a lot of meaning to it. But if I had to, I would say it’s just a day when I miss my parents more.”

Hwa Sa “Stage fright… I dreamt of Winehouse”

Mamamoo has become the symbol for courageous female idols and Hwa Sa, a Mamamoo member, said, “I dreamt of becoming a courageous woman watching stars like Beyonce.” 

Singer Lee Hyori picked Mamamoo when asked what junior group caught her attention on the 4th during her 6th album ‘Black’ release press conference. Mamamoo is from a different company without any close ties and so she states the only reason they caught her eye was because, “They are overflowing with talent.” “They are one of the only groups who perform lives for college festivals,” is a praise (from Mersenne Entertainment’s event planning president Kim Jae Hyung) that proves how skilled Mamamoo is for having broken through the confines of uniformity idols are trapped in and are able to freely run wild on stage. “Don’t be conscientious, I am the Vogue,” is what their new song ‘Yes I Am’ declares, making it a song for confident women, and accordingly they walk a different path from other girl groups.

‘Unique,’ and ‘Progressive Women’ are the highlights of this song that is maintaining high popularity. ‘Decalcomanie’ placed 19th on the first half of the year(January~June) Gaon Charts, while 6 songs including ’Um Oh Ah Yeh’(2015) and ‘You Are the Best’(2016) have been played over 5 million times on Melon music sites. Mamamoo is the only idol group to have over 5 million streaming plays in the course of 3 years.

“It would’ve been a pretty girl group if it weren’t for you” Her talent broke through this harsh remark.

“Bluffing idols that aren’t hatable! Mamamoo found their own color?! <Purple>”

A Color Only Mamamoo Can Pull off <Purple>

It’s not an easy color that many can pull off but isn’t the color purple the best color to express Mamamoo’s uniqueness and individuality?

Their past 3rd album ‘Um Oh Ah Yeh’ showed off a bright and cheerful pink light charm and with the addition of the provocative and unpredictable blue light charm the end result was this album ‘Purple’ that represents Mamamoo’s truly own unique color.

‘BeLisMaMoo’ Mamamoo has returned.

There was showcase to commemorate Mamamoo’s 5th mini-album ‘Purple’ on 6/22 at the Seoul Mapo-gu district Hapjeong-dong’s MUV Hall.

Hwa Sa said, “We held an encore concert after our ‘Decalcomanie’ promotions last year. That was our biggest activities,” about their activities during their hiatus.

Solar revealed, “Whee In and Jungkey’s collaboration song ‘Anymore’ reached number 1 on the charts. It was most likely a very different experience for Whee In, but it was a huge experience for us, Mamamoo, as whole as well and we were all thankful.” Moonbyul also revealed, “We met our fans a lot at college festivals and regional events.”

About their album title ‘Purple,’ Whee In stated, “Purple is a color that results from mixing the colors pink and blue. Pink represents bright and cheerful feelings while blue holds depth and an intense musicality. We wanted to express the music color that is mixture of those.”

Mamamoo has returned in 6 months with their mini-album’s holds 5 tracks starting with their title track ‘Yes I am’ followed by an electronic dance song called ‘Finally’ which well captures Mamamoo’s strengths, Moonbyul’s solo song ‘Love & Hate’ which was released at their concert in March, ‘Age Gag’  a song with lyrics that hold the puns and childish humor used by old men and dads, and the song ’Da Ra Da’ that pop singer Jeff Bernat-rising newbie B.O. and Whee In worked on together.

The showcase began with their song ‘Age Gag’ that popped up from all over the stage and Mamamoo explained, “We think this kind of performance is our strength. A different performance every time, a performance you can’t get sick of is what we want to always show. People see showcases to have an uptight image but we wanted to break this and wanted to make a fun performance that we can connect with the audience with.”

‘Yes I am’ is a song that was made by composer and overall producer of the Mamamoo’s albums Kim Do Hoon, and it escapes that retro sound with a more modern sound change. With the concept ‘Cute Bluffing,’ they plan to show a kind of cute bluffing that isn’t aggravating to watch.

Hwasa revealed with confidence, “Whenever we were asked in the past about what Mamamoo’s strengths were we always said something about how we are bright and healthy but now we can say that we are a group that pleases both the eyes and ears.”

Solar said, “I think ‘BolMae’(acronym for ‘more charming as you get to know them’)  is a good way to describe Mamamoo. When we first debuted many people saw that we were short and had more friendly neighborhood people appearances and so they said things like, ‘What are those kids. Are they really a girl group,’ but as time passed their perspectives changed and now they just see us and go ‘They are just Mamamoo.’ I think this shows that we are more charming as you get to know us more.”

Solar also spoke about how they are work harmoniously with their company CEO and composer Kim Do Hoon, “A while ago while we were practicing our composer Kim Do Hoon told us not to expect good results. He told us not to get too disappointed and not fret about rankings. I understood what he said but because I’m human it was hard not to fret.”

Hwasa expressed gratitude by saying, “I tried to joke about it even though that thought was heavy in my heart and said ‘But what if we rank really low?’ to which he said ‘If it’s low it’s good because it means it can go up’ in a positive light. I was so thankful he tried to cheer us up like this.”

Mamamoo recently reached the 3rd year anniversary of their debut. Whee In said, “It’s a new experience. It feels like we debuted yesterday but 3 years has already passed so many thoughts popped in my head. All the things we’ve been through… all those upsetting ordeals don’t seem like a big deal anymore and now I realize those are slumps, hardships that anyone can overcome. We actually had more cheerful and happy moments.”

Hwasa revealed, “Promotions are always hard in the beginning. During our recent ‘Decalcomanie’ promotions I lacked energy and endurance. Usually we jump jump around like crazy and have tons of fun but I had no energy so I decided that I need to exercise more.”

‘Beagleness’ is a keyword that is associated with Mamamoo and they said, “We really love being called Beagle-dols. It’s not a characteristic that is trapped in a box. The keyword has a nuance that’s full of wild freedom and it shows off our color well. We think it’s a good keyword to introduce Mamamoo and we really like it.” Hwasa added, “We also like the ‘BeLisMaMoo’ keyword. We are grateful for it.”

Moonbyul revealed her ambition saying, “Even though we don’t have strong make up or high heels like other girl groups, I want to hear once that ‘Mamamoo is really cute. They have a very adorable side.’ We have a very strong ‘unnie’ image. Sometimes we’re portrayed too strong and it hurts us. We can also be pretty and we want to be able to show more of our different aspects.”

Mamamoo said, “We want to be a group that pleases the eyes and ears. We will strive hard until that day we are acknowledged as an artist that pleases everyone’s eyes and ears.” (Source)

The episode of KBS 2TV ‘Yoo Hee Yeol’s Sketchbook’ that is to be aired this 24th will include hot stages from various musicians of diverse genres who are known for bringing the raw talent and hyperactive energy.

From the legend performance at the ‘2016 Blue Dragon Awards’ that Mamamoo celebrated, member Moonbyul changed that famed line aimed at Jung Woo Sung “If I one shot this, will you date me?” to aim it at Yoo Hee Yeol with “Will you let me briefly live by your side?” and brought out laughter from the audience. Also Mamamoo grabbed the attention by performing their title track ‘Yes I am’ from their recently released 5th mini-album ‘Purple’ for the first time for a broadcasted show.

The romantic producer Jungkey and Mamamoo’s Whee In appeared on stage for another performance. These two had worked together on the song ‘Anymore’ in March and reached number 1 on a music show without even promoting on air. Jungkey who made this song revealed, “I made this when I read the lips of a fighting couple in front of my window,” and shocked everyone with how he had finished composing the song and writing the lyrics in one hour.

Also he expressed the reason why he chose Whee In as the vocalist by saying, “Whee In’s voice can rupture the space-time continuum.” On the other side, Whee In was brought to spotlight recently for her collabo project with the beloved romantic musician Jeff Bernat and expressed sadness for only being able to speak “Thank you” to him when they met. Whee In followed up by singing a bit of Jeff Bernat’s ‘Moonlight Chemistry’ to reveal she is a big fan of his. Jungkey and Whee In performed ‘Anymore’ for the first time on broadcast. (Source)

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‘BeLisMaMoo’ (Believe and Listen to Mamamoo) Mamamoo is coming back.

Earlier today on the 7th, Mamamoo has released a surprise teaser image on their official SNS sending up a flare for their incoming comprehensive comeback.

In their released teaser image, Mamamoo are in full colorful attires with kill heels and have explosive new hairstyles that instantly seize attention. There is also the bolded phrase ‘5th Mini Purple 2017.06.22. 6PM’ above the members who are each showing off their own unique confident expressions that showcase their upgraded beauty. With this, Mamamoo is making a comeback 7 months after ‘Memory’ which was released on the 11th month of last year.

Mamamoo’s new mini album ‘Purple’ is a mixture of energy and passion represented by the color red, and the liberating/infinite diversity represented by the color blue, making it an album that showcases Mamamoo’s colorful various charms. It will be the 3rd year anniversary of their debut this June and so the fans are in a situation where they have extremely high expectations for this announced album.

Mamamoo debuted with their song ‘Mr. Ambiguous’ in June 2014, which was followed by ‘Piano Man’, ‘Um Oh Ah Yeh’, ‘You Are the Best’, and ‘Decalcomanie’ making 5 continuous hits. Mamamoo’s strong singing ability and colorful performances make them a perfected girl group who have captured their fandom as well as the general public even earning the title ‘BeLisMaMoo’ which means Believe and Listen to Mamamoo, and have successfully found their own unique color in the industry.

Mamamoo continues to try keeping their hit album making streak and has already focused the music industry’s attention with anticipation for what they show through this new mini album. - Source

Becoming one of the top girl groups after 3 years --- “ We paid our family debts --- Kim Do Hoon is our mentor”

Mamamoo have accomplished astounding growth this past year [photo by RBW]

(Seoul=YeonHap News) They let out ‘bwuhaha’ laughter even for boring conversation. One of them would make a mischievous face and as if it were contagious, the others would return it with a more exaggerated expression and applause.

Girl group Mamamoo (Solar 26, Moonbyul 25, Whee In 22, Hwa Sa 22) are bright and overflowing with playfulness befitting their related search word ‘Beagle-dol’. They just finished their promotions that started last year in November with the release of their ‘Memory’ album and also held their Japanese showcase just this month, yet they show no sign of exhaustion.

In this recent meeting with YeonHap News, Mamamoo said, “Because we have matching points of laughter we are always boisterous,” and, “During our debut days, we would even turn on music in the car on our way home after our schedules and sing our throats out. Our laughter has died down a bit since we have a lot more schedules now.”

Mamamoo’s first appearance in 2014 was refreshing. They appeared in the midst of girls who wore the school look to emphasize their innocence. They weren’t completely a hip hop ‘Girl Crush’ emphasizing style like 2ne1 either. Although they were idols they showed a more mature image by covering a retro sound from the 30~40s, and just as they say in the lyrics of their hit song ‘Pride of 1 cm’  they packed the stage despite their 159~161 cm small heights with their strong vocal abilities.

The president of their company RBW, the famed composer Kim Dohoon, had said “I wanted to create a group with unique voice colors and the ability to play well on stage no matter what genre of song” and exactly as he desired Mamamoo has earned the title of ’TruLiMaMoo’ (Trust and Listen to Mamamoo) in just 3 years.

“Even during our trainee days we had a very different training. Instead of being given a tightly fit schedule, we led our practice ourselves nor were we given a character to fulfill by our company. Moonbyul just enjoyed those boyish dances and she brought life to her charm well on her own. Realistically we aren’t very pretty and we are all small so we had to fight with just our skills, we needed to have perfect lives and produce each stage with excitement.” (Hwa Sa, Solar)

Mamamoo have earned the title ‘TruLiMaMoo’ [photo by RBW]

Another reason they were able to surface in the red ocean Idol industry is due to the ‘truly different’ music made by Kim Dohoon.

With the start of their debut song ‘Mr. Ambiguous’ (2014) followed by ‘Piano Man’ (2014), ‘Um Oh Ah Yeh’ (2015), ‘Pride of 1 cm’ (2016), ‘You are(is) the Best’ (2016), ‘Decalcomanie’ (2016) go through the genres funky, R&B, and blues and have been able to make ‘long runs’ on the charts.

These songs armed with unique titles and witty humor easily get stuck in the ear. Last year winning 8 times on music shows, they were even able to spread the ‘넌 is 뭔들’ catchphrase.

Moonbyul and Hwa Sa explained, “Instead of a full retro sound the song ‘Um Oh Ah Yeh’ had lighter music so we were worried,”  but, “However that song is what got us more widely known. Also when ‘You are the Best’ was in the works, it was just internet slang and we thought it was a bit lacking as a title track but the more we listened to it we began to really like it.”

Even though they are a team that have broken out of the idol mold so much they don’t even have a set concept, the members emphasize that “We are Idols,” and that, “We really like that the title Idol that means a figure of adoration.”

Their ripened wit was able to shine through at Blue Dragon Awards last year. They used characters from movies and crucial movie quotes in ‘Decalcomanie’ to decorate the stage and their shoutouts ‘Let’s go to Mojito and drink some Maldives’ to Lee Byunghun and ‘Jung Woosung, if I one shot this let’s date’ to Jung Woosung became a hot topic.

Moonbyul said, “Actually I was super nervous,” and, “Delivering these new lyrics to an audience full of people of the film industry was a mission that made me even more nervous than how I felt at our debut stage. We were so worried that their faces would get dark and so we were very relieved they replied to us with bright expressions,” with laughter.

“We might not be pretty but we’re still Idols” Mamamoo [photo by RBW]

They, like many other artists, have had many hardships rising to spot. Solar has auditioned for 30~40 different companies including YG Entertainment and had in mind of pursuing her dream as a flight attendant if she got kicked out from her current company.

Moonbyul also explained her story, “I’ve been cast out right before I was able to debut once,” and, “When I was kicked out from that company I was told that ‘You are too fat’ and that was reason I was cut. Then I weighed 60kg so I put my life on the line and lost weight until I was 46kg before I auditioned again and got accepted by my current company.”

Even after debut they endured a lot of emotional hardships due to negative comments.

Hwa Sa revealed, “I’ve received a lot of strong comments about my appearance,” and, “At first I wasn’t fazed but after seeing them constantly I started to get hurt. I got shocked by the comments like ’If it weren’t for Hwa Sa they would be a pretty group’ and comments that asked me to leave the team.”

Rapper Moonbyul added that, “I received criticism like ’They are all talented except for the rapper’ and ’She got in because of connections’ ” and, “They’ve also said ‘It must be nice to just be considered talented because of your members’ and ‘You are not needed in Mamamoo’ things like that.” Whee In also said, “I don’t really pay heed to comments but the inappropriate sexual jokes really hurt.”

Mamamoo’s goal this year is to have a tour overseas [photo by RBW]

However their struggles are not all for naught. They are treated differently by their company now, and although it might not be big money, they have become daughters that can provide economic stability for their families. Whee In and Moonbyul included have worked on composing and writing lyrics and are beginning to collect copyrights.

The members said, “After we got more work we got driven around in a latest model car, and before we usually just had kimbap for our meals but now we can freely choose our menu. If we get hurt now our company takes us to the hospital.”

Whee In said, “I was able to help pay a bit of my family’s debt,” and Moonbyul also, “My dad had to take out a loan to buy a truck and so I helped him pay it off and get a new car. Because I spent a long time as a trainee and received money from them, it is only right that I do this.”

They showed deep gratitude to their producer CEO Kim Dohoon as well.

“To our respected mentor. If it weren’t you we wouldn’t be a group that had this kind of color. We feel uneasy if we don’t get even the smallest things checked by you.” (All of the members)

Their goal this year is to grow once more and surpass their current positions.

Last week from the 6~8th, they held a showcase in Tokyo and received hot attention and they said, “We got a really good ‘feel’ from our Japanese stage” and “Even though it was abroad and there was a language barrier we didn’t get scared because we were together.”

“We got our wish and held our own solo concert which was our goal last year. So this year, we want to set up an even bigger goal and branch out into the world. We really want to do a tour overseas.” (Hwa Sa, Moonbyul)