[Herald Interview] Kwon Eun-bi looks beyond 'Waterbomb goddess' with 'Dejavu'

Kwon Eun-bi is a familiar name to K-pop fans in Korea, first as a member of project group Iz*One and later as a solo artist whose performances at the Waterbomb music festival last year cemented her image as one of the country's leading summer performers.

Outside Asia, however, she remains a relatively unfamiliar name. She has yet to establish a significant presence in Western markets.

Now, after moving to a new agency, Kwon wants to change that — while also showing there is more to her than the bold image that has come to define her in recent years.

Kwon returned Thursday with the digital single "Dejavu," her first release in about a year and four months and her first since joining RBW Entertainment (RBW) in April.

"I've done a lot of music with glamorous and powerful concepts, but this time I thought about what really feels like me," Kwon said during a roundtable interview in Seoul on Monday. "Offstage, I'm an energetic and bright person. I wanted to show that side of myself."

"So with 'Dejavu,' I wanted to express the emotions inside me and a more honest mood, and that led to a new concept," she added. "This is another Kwon Eun-bi. I think it shows the natural and honest emotions that I have."

Built around a rhythmic bass line and upbeat guitar, "Dejavu" is a disco-pop track that captures the strange familiarity of meeting someone for the first time but feeling as though they have been known for much longer, according to RBW.

Kwon said she paid particular attention to her vocals, experimenting with her pronunciation and tone to give the song a more dreamlike quality.

"I think the image the public wants from me is the Kwon Eun-bi they saw at Waterbomb — a powerful Kwon Eun-bi," she said. "That is part of who I am, but there is also the Kwon Eun-bi of 'Dejavu' and many other sides of me. I want to try different things."

A new home, a different sound

Kwon spent about three and a half months preparing "Dejavu," meaning work on the single began almost immediately after she joined RBW.

She had spent roughly a decade with Woollim Entertainment, including her years with Iz*One and the beginning of her solo career, before moving to the current agency.

"When I first heard 'Dejavu,' I immediately thought, 'I absolutely have to do this,'" Kwon said. "Whatever opinions the company might have, I thought I had to push for this song. The reason was that when I heard it, it suited me so well. The melody felt familiar, but it was also a concept where I could stand out with a dreamlike quality."

The move also reflects ambitions that extend beyond a change in musical direction.

RBW, home to Mamamoo and other artists, has experience taking its acts overseas, something Kwon said appealed to her as she considered the next stage of her career.

"When I met with RBW before moving agencies, I was attracted to the fact that its artists tour a lot and that the company is very open to global activities," she said. "I haven't done that much overseas, so part of the reason I came here was that I thought I could receive support for global activities."

Before ultimately choosing RBW, Kwon drew interest from Galaxy Corp., the agency representing G-Dragon and Shinee's Taemin, as her options for the next stage of her solo career were being discussed. The talks, however, did not lead to an exclusive contract.

Kwon said her decision ultimately came down to which company could best envision the albums and artist she wanted to become — and give her room to pursue the music she wanted to make.

Looking beyond Asia

Kwon has so far concentrated much of her overseas activity in Asia, but she recently got a glimpse of what a broader international career could look like.

On Aug. 14, she performed at Istanbul Festivali in Turkey, appearing before some 50,000 festivalgoers in what was her first visit to the country.

Her set included songs spanning her solo career, including debut track "Door," as well as "Hi," "Hello Stranger," "Unnatural," and "Underwater." She also performed a cover of Dua Lipa's "Levitating."

"I had never been to Turkey before," Kwon said. "It was my first time, and the energy of the audience was much higher than I expected. I was overwhelmed by the atmosphere."

Asked where else she would like to perform, Kwon pointed to Mexico.

"When I went to Mexico for the World Cup, the passion there was incredible," she said. "At the time, I thought that I would like to promote there someday."

The ambitions are beginning to shape how she works as well. Kwon said she recently traveled to Japan for a songwriting session and is preparing to take part in another in the US — a process she did not experience at her previous agency.

"There are systems I didn't get to experience at my previous company, and I want to try working within those systems," she said.

For an artist whose releases have sometimes come more than a year apart, she also wants to pick up the pace. From here, Kwon said, she hopes to meet fans with new music about twice a year.

And while "Dejavu" presents a softer, more natural side of Kwon, she has no intention of leaving her more powerful persona behind.

"I also like that powerful diva feeling," she said. "I'd like to try something with that kind of dreamlike feeling, like Janet Jackson."