K-pop

Kwon Eun-bi Turns Down 'Waterbomb' Stage to Prepare for the Second Chapter of Her Solo Career [Interview]

New Song Released After 1 Year and 4 Months First Comeback Activities Following Joining RBW "I Want to Be a Singer People Can Trust"

KIM HYUNSIK
2026-09-15 09:40:08
[E-Daily Starin KIM HYUNSIK Reporter] “I prioritized preparing for my comeback over ‘Waterbomb.’”
(Photo: RBW)
Singer Kwon Eun-bi made these remarks during a roundtable interview held recently at a café in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, as she reflected on the process of preparing for her comeback single “DEJAVU,” released after a hiatus of one year and four months.
“Waterbomb” is a summer music festival where attendees can enjoy both water activities and live performances. Previously, Kwon Eun-bi took the stage as a headliner for three consecutive years, from 2023 through last year, connecting with audiences.
This year, she chose not to perform at “Waterbomb” and instead poured her energy into working on her new song. Kwon Eun-bi, who joined RBW last April, explained, “The timing of the ‘Waterbomb’ booking coincided with my agency transfer,” adding, “Since performing at ‘Waterbomb’ requires a lot of preparation, I decided to focus on preparing my first new song since the transfer this time.”
Kwon Eun-bi made a fresh start as a solo artist in 2021 after her stints with the girl group YeA and the Mnet “Produce 48” project group IZ*ONE. “Waterbomb,” the stage that gave wings to her solo career, has become a defining keyword for Kwon Eun-bi.
(Photo: RBW)
Kwon Eun-bi reflected, “During my first appearance, it was my first time as a solo artist filling a 30-minute set all by myself at a large-scale festival, so I was just worried about whether I could pull it off,” adding, “I didn’t expect it to become such a hot topic.”
She continued, “Since that stage earned me so much love, I accepted subsequent performance offers and did my best to show a new side of myself through cover songs and other performances,” adding, “I’m always open to performing at ‘Waterbomb’ in the future.”
The title track “Déjà Vu,” which shares its name with the comeback single, is a refreshing disco-pop track. It explores the theme of a strange yet familiar attraction—that pleasant flutter in the heart that makes you feel as if you’ve known someone for a long time, even at first sight.
Kwon Eun-bi selected “Déjà Vu” as her comeback track after personally listening to hundreds of candidate songs. “Since this involves production costs, I felt I had to find a song that could convince the company,” she explained. “From the very first listen, I had a feeling that ‘I absolutely have to do this,’ and the more I listened to it, the more I liked it, so I decided to make it my comeback track.”
(Photo = RBW)
(Photo = RBW)
Kwon Eun-bi, who has primarily showcased intense music and performances in the past, has toned things down this time and focused on highlighting her refreshing charm. Her visual concept—including her orange-hued hair—and outfits were also designed to match the song’s bright and fresh atmosphere.
“I often hear people say I ‘seem cold’ or ‘seem cynical,’ but if you get to know me, I’m actually cheerful and down-to-earth,” Kwon Eun-bi said with a laugh. “Through this promotion, I wanted to show you the natural charm of Kwon Eun-bi.” She added, “If I get reactions like ‘That’s unexpected’ or ‘That’s new,’ I’ll be personally satisfied.”
Kwon Eun-bi described this comeback as the starting point of “Kwon Eun-bi, Phase 2.”
“I feel like I’ve finally found the musical direction I want to pursue as a solo artist,” she said. “There are so many genres I’d like to try.” She continued, “I want to become an artist whose music people can trust and who can successfully tackle a wide variety of genres.” She added, “I’m also preparing a full-length album,” and emphasized, “My goal is to continue my career smoothly for a long time and consistently release new songs.”

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