It takes a good deal of emotional and mental maturity for an artist to possess a clear sense of identity when most of their career has been spent sharing the spotlight with other people—how do you know what’s best for you when you’ve always done what’s best for the group? It’s a discernment that WJSN member Dayoung has developed over time, knowing she could handle the pressures of life as a soloist even if no one else did.
“When you’re in a group, you share the spotlight and the concept, but as a solo artist, everything comes down to you—your voice, your story, your choices,” the singer tells Teen Vogue over Zoom. Dayoung debuted as a member of the ten-piece group WJSN in 2016, back when the group was in their teenage years, and their concept was very cute and bubbly. But throughout the years, the 26-year-old has been steadily shedding her younger self and stepping into her role as a confident young woman with a new story to tell.
In 2025, Dayoung cleverly took her solo career into her own hands, debuting with one of K-pop’s biggest surprise gems of the year, “body,” after she says her company turned down her requests to go solo because the industry competition was “too tough.” She proved everyone wrong when “body” unexpectedly achieved both critical and viral success, earning her first Korean music show win and peaking at number nine on Melon’s Top 100. After this immense vote of confidence and excitement from K-pop fans worldwide, Dayoung is now more sure than ever that this is the path she’s meant to take.
With the release of her latest single, “What’s a girl to do,” she continues exploring different facets of herself that have just been waiting to be showcased on full display, including her sensual and romantic sides, her love of pop/R&B, and most notably, her innate capabilities as a dancer. Along with sharp and flirty choreography, the “What’s a girl to do” music video (filmed in LA back in March) also includes a surprise cameo and acting debut from Angelina Jolie’s daughter, Shiloh. After a chance casting call to be one of Dayoung’s backup dancers, the 19-year-old auditioned and was ultimately selected in the final round as one of the video’s four female dancers. When the news broke of Shiloh’s participation on April 3, both the K-pop and Hollywood sides of the Internet were reeling over the unexpected connection to one of Hollywood’s most notable families crossing over into K-pop, and how Dayoung is at the center of all of it.
Below, Teen Vogue chats with the 26-year-old via Zoom about her second digital single album, What’s a girl to do, how she’s handled her seemingly overnight fame, and how the pressures of following up with another hit became her greatest fuel and confidence boost.
Dayoung: I would say it was something I had been hoping for a long time, so I felt nothing but happiness and thankfulness. And at the same time, it made me feel relieved that I was on the right path, and it gave me more confidence to keep going.
Dayoung: The pressure was amazing [laughs]. The success of “body” gave my team and me more confidence, and we had a lot of fun preparing for this project. So every day was exciting as we wondered what people would enjoy next, but of course, it came with more pressure, and I handled it responsibly. More than anything, the best part was how much stronger and more energized our team felt.
Dayoung: I have such a wide musical spectrum I want to explore and share, so while my previous album focused more towards mainstream pop, I’d say this one is more R&B pop. I did have some worries about how it would be received, but my main goal was to create performances and stages that everyone can enjoy.
Dayoung: Since I was very little, I always wanted to sing an R&B song. Maybe since I was like 13, I listened to Brandy, Monica, and Alicia Keys, so I think for "What's a girl to do,” I wanted a softer voice and more emotion. And I wanted to express my feelings, thoughts, and many other things through my music, so I guess I learned more about myself through this album.
Dayoung: Yes, it was very intentional! April in Korea is a little bit cold and a little bit warm, with flowers everywhere, and people love zip-up hoodies in this weather. They are comfortable, stylish, and just really cool, so I wanted to use the zip-up hoodie as my style concept and even incorporate it into the choreography. Hopefully, people will listen to my songs with ear pods and a zip-up hoodie to get the full effect.
Dayoung: Honestly, I have tons of songs on my laptop, and my close writers are always sending me new song concepts, so I have a lot of options, which is really cool. And this time, while I was going home, I was just like, "Oh, maybe I could release my new album in the spring, so what will I do then?" So I just played a bunch of songs, and at that moment, “What's a girl to do” and “Priceless” just caught my attention to the point where I couldn't think about other songs.
Dayoung: I would say for “What's a girl to do,” it would just be the title itself—that's why I decided to also make it my album title. The vibe is really catchy and cute, and it's totally giving just a real ‘Dayoung’ vibe. There’s also a line in verse two that says, “Meet you out, I’ll act surprised,” and that situation would be so cute and so me! And for “Priceless,” I would say the chorus where the lyrics say, ‘Look at my hair, look at my nails / Baby, I’m priceless’—this is super confident and represents the real me.
Dayoung: To Eric Nam, I really want to say he is the best and so sweet. Even though he’s had a super busy schedule on The Traitors recently, he’s always helped and cared about my new album. He’s even helped me as a vocal coach and director, and with my pronunciation, because English is not my first language. It's been really hard to sing in English and to pronounce the words correctly, but he’s guided me the whole way. I don’t think I could release this album without Eric Nam.
Dayoung: I think the most important thing is having a clear sense of identity. When you’re in a group, you share the spotlight and the concept, but as a solo artist, everything comes down to you—your voice, your story, your choices. So it’s really about understanding who you are as an artist, what you want to express, and being confident enough to stand on your own. At the same time, I think discipline and responsibility are just as important. You have to lead your own direction, make decisions, and carry the entire performance and message by yourself. Most importantly, I think honesty matters the most. The more genuine you are, the more people can truly connect with you as a solo artist.
Dayoung: I will say this, even though I'm a solo artist, I've realized I can't do any of this alone. So many people constantly support me, and we grow together—even though at this moment, I have three people [on Zoom] and four people in my room to help me. It just made me realize that I need to take more responsibility and be more confident. And I think it's all part of learning, making mistakes, enjoying the journey, and continuing to grow, so the biggest and most important lesson is I can't do anything without my team and my people.
