South Korean singer Dayoung’s rise to superstardom has been over a decade in the making. After training for years, the K-pop star debuted in 2016 as a vocalist of the girl group WJSN, a ten-member act that includes singer-actress Bona and former I.O.I. member Yeonjung. Over the years, they’ve spawned hits like “As You Wish” and “Unnatural”, with Dayoung also joining bandmates Soobin, Luda and Yeoreum to release their viral 2022 single “Super Yuppers!” under the subunit WJSN Chocome. Now, the singer is ready to carve out a path of her own.

Without plans for a group release, she independently flew out to Los Angeles in preparation for her solo career, seeking out collaborators and working on her songwriting skills. The result? A certified smash hit in the form of “body”, the addictive, flirty lead single off her debut project gonna love me, right?. Summer might be over, but the song continues to climb the charts and dominate our Instagram feeds, propelling Dayoung's solo career to well-deserved new heights.

Instead of cruising on the wave of her newfound success, Dayoung is determined to push herself to greater heights. Beyond the recording studio, the singer shares that she is taking every opportunity to practice her language skills in hopes of better connecting to her international fans, opting to speak in English during her conversation with us. Even with ten years in the K-pop industry under her belt, she continues to forge forward with all the fiery ambition of a rookie, driven by her desire to keep making music that resonates and sparks joy across the world.

In this exclusive interview with ELLE Singapore, Dayoung tells us all about the hard work and challenges behind gonna love me, right?, what she got up to while she was abroad and what she really thinks about her new title as K-pop’s Summer Queen.