Beasts and Natives Alike

 

Jung Soo-jung has thrown her hat back into the music industry as KRYSTAL. What led KRYSTAL, who debuted as an idol and continued acting under the name Jung Soo-jung, to release new music again as KRYSTAL?

 

KRYSTAL debuted in the music industry in 2009 as a member of the girl group f(x), receiving great love with hit songs such as ‘LA chA TA,’ ‘Pinocchio,’ and ‘Hot Summer.’ At the same time, she also appeared in several dramas, including MBC’s ‘More Charming by the Day’ and ‘High Kick: Revenge of the Short Legged,’ building her career as an actress. After her contract with SM ENTERTAINMENT ended in 2020, she focused more fully on acting and continued her activities under the name Jung Soo-jung.

 

Then in 2025, 16 years after her debut, she released her first solo single ‘Solitary.’ Fans responded enthusiastically, saying, “This day has finally come,” and “I missed singer KRYSTAL so much.”

 

There is a reason she picked up the microphone again after continuing her career as an actress. In a previous interview, KRYSTAL revealed her thirst for music activities, saying, “It wasn’t that I didn’t do music because I didn’t want to.” She also hinted, “The timing just didn’t work out,” adding, “I think it will come out this year (2025).”

 

This is not a story unique to KRYSTAL. Recently, idol-turned-singers who had been focusing on acting have been returning to music one after another. Singer and actor PARK JINYOUNG held a comeback live stage to commemorate the release of his 2nd mini album ‘Said & Done’ on the 15th, presenting a new album for the first time in three years. PARK JIHOON, who rose to the ranks of 10-million-viewer actors with the film ‘The King and the Clown,’ also released his single album ‘RE:FLECT’ on the 29th, communicating with fans for the first time in three years. In addition, as a member of WANNA ONE, who reunited after seven years, he stood on the Sangam stage and appeared on the variety show ‘WANNA ONE GO : Back to Base,’ expanding his points of contact with fans.

 

These moves differ from the past approach of focusing only on acting in order to erase the label of being “from a singer background.” Now, it is being read as a trend of expanding one’s field as an “all-round entertainer” who moves between the two areas. Above all, the desire to make their own music, which they could not do through group activities, and the longing to return to the stage where they can connect most passionately with fans are bringing them back to the music industry.

 

KRYSTAL is set to release an additional new single ‘PWLT’ on the 26th, continuing her path as both a singer and actress.