Mamamoo singer aspires to become trusted stage performer
Solar, known as part of K-pop girl group Mamamoo, boasts 10 years of experience captivating audiences through singing and dancing. However, her journey in musical theater began only relatively recently in 2022, when she took on the role of Mata Hari in the eponymous musical. The singer's musical debut came about through a recommendation from renowned music director Kim Moon-jeong.

Known for embracing challenges with a unique style throughout her career, such as shaving her head and sporting unconventional hairstyles, Solar found resonance with the character of Mata Hari, an exotic dancer.
However, the transition to musical theater presented challenges, even in her area of expertise: singing.
“I was always confident in my singing, but I quickly realized that musical numbers demand a different vocal approach and a greater emphasis on emotional expression. Initially, I struggled to embody Mata Hari's emotions authentically and received feedback that my performance simply sounded like Solar singing. Despite my best efforts during the 2022 premiere, I recognized my shortcomings,” the 33-year-old singer said in a recent interview.
Solar has since embraced the theater's stage, having also taken on the role of Esmeralda in "Notre-Dame de Paris" earlier last year.
"However, for this run, the director and others around me said that I had more emotional expression, acting and singing. I also feel that before I was trying to get every single word of the lines right, but now I have the flexibility to try different things depending on the emotions within the lines," she noted.

Having discovered a passion for musical theater, Solar now aspires to earn recognition from a wider audience. “I want to build trust with the audience and have them eagerly anticipate my performances. My goal is to become an actor who commands attention and fully immerses the audience in the story," she said, adding that she admires Ock Joo-hyun, with whom she alternates the role.
Ock, likewise a celebrated musical theater actor who transitioned from a career in K-pop, has played Mata Hari since the musical's 2016 premiere. Composer Frank Wildhorn said he drew inspiration from Ock when creating the music for "Mata Hari."
Solar praises Ock as a "trusted actor whose consistent hard work and attention to detail, even down to costumes, allow her to embody her roles naturally and resonate with the audience."
The musical narrates the life of Margaretha Zelle, known as Mata Hari, who, after enduring an abusive and unfaithful marriage, reinvented herself as a celebrated dancer. Her story culminates in tragedy as she is falsely accused and executed by the French government to bolster national morale.
The fourth run of “Mata Hari” continues until March 2 at the LG Art Center in Magok-dong, western Seoul.
