WJSN member Dayoung revealed the surprising story behind her solo debut and how she pushed forward with her dream after being rejected by her agency.
On the June 10 episode of MBC’s “Radio Star”, Dayoung appeared as a guest on the “Wassup! My Way” special and talked about how her solo career began.
Dayoung made her solo debut in 2025 with the digital single “Body”. The song became a strong success, winning first place on a Korean music show and being named one of Billboard’s “25 Best K-Pop Songs”.
Looking back on the response, Dayoung said, “I did not even expect it, but I was so happy to receive so much interest and love. Every day felt like a dream.”
She also shared that, thanks to the song’s success, she is set to perform at Waterbomb, a major summer music festival, 10 years after her debut with WJSN.
However, Dayoung revealed that her solo debut was not easy. After renewing her contract, she told her agency that she wanted to work as a solo singer, but she said she was “rejected in one second”.
At the time, the agency felt the female solo market was too competitive, with artists like Hwasa, Nayeon, and Sunmi already active. Instead of releasing an album, the company advised her to continue appearing on variety shows.
Dayoung followed the company’s plan but did not give up. For two years, she worked on variety shows while also studying songwriting, composing, choreography, vocals, and English by cutting down on her sleep.
Later, when she received a three month break, Dayoung told her company she was going to her hometown of Jeju Island. Instead, she flew alone to Los Angeles to prepare her solo music. She contacted famous overseas composers through social media, but at first, no one replied.
She then reached out to Eric Nam, whom she had met through a past variety show. With his help, Dayoung was able to meet local producers, and “Body” was eventually created.
Dayoung made the studio laugh as she recalled what happened after she returned to Korea with the completed song, saying, “The company was turned upside down.”
She has since continued her solo career with her second digital single, “What’s a Girl to Do.”
Dayoung also surprised the cast by sharing a story from the music video filming for her second single. She said she held an open dancer audition in Los Angeles, with a 100 to 1 competition rate.
The dancer who was chosen was later revealed to be Shiloh Jolie, the daughter of Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie.
Dayoung debuted as a member of WJSN in 2016 and promoted with songs such as “Secret,” “As You Wish”, and “I Wish”.
