At the intersection of the new and the familiar — where Y2K retro nostalgia meets the AI surge — sits singer Chuu’s first full-length album “XO, My Cyberlove.” The milestone is also the point at which her tumultuous journey, now nearing a decade, gives way to a new one.

As Chuu enters her 10th year in the industry, the 26-year old says the timing feels right to fully show who she is as an artist with a full-length album, an increasingly rare format in the K-pop industry, where many artists instead opt for EPs or singles.

“This felt like the right timing,” said Chuu during a roundtable interview on Wednesday in southern Seoul, the day of the latest album’s release. “Not because I saw it as the destination of my story, but as a new starting point for stories I wish to tell, which have now become clearer.”

Chuu, whose real name is Kim Ji-woo, debuted as a member of girl group Loona in 2017, but left the group in 2022 amid a legal dispute with BlockBerry Entertainment over the validity of her exclusive contract and unfair profit distribution. She ultimately won her case in 2024.

Chuu launched her solo career under ATRP in 2023 with her first EP “Howl.”

Her first full-length album “XO, My Cyberlove,” comes about eight months after her third EP, “Only cry in the rain” (2025), and consists of nine songs: the title track, along with B-sides “Canary,” “Cocktail Dress,” “Limoncello,” “Teeny Tiny Heart,” “Love Potion,” “Heart Tea Bag,” “Hide & Seek” and “Loving You!”

The title track, “XO, My Cyberlove,” leans into a dreamy pop sound with its lyrics centered on the “emotional resonance between a human and an AI connected through a virtual messenger,” according to ATRP.

“Cyber love” was a 1990s buzzword in Korea, referring to online dating, which was a novel phenomenon at the time. The music video, which portrays Chuu as an AI personification falling in love with a human, also amplifies the song’s nostalgic, dreamy atmosphere through retro-inspired visuals.

“In today’s highly digital-driven era, expressions of love take the form of text messages, emojis and photos sent to each other,” Chuu said. “I wanted that to be the core premise of the song’s storytelling.”

Yet the song and its music video feel less like a commentary about human-machine dynamics or the digital age and more like an exploration of the idea of affection and yearning — the deeply human desire to love and be loved — which also serves as a central theme that runs throughout the album.

“Diverse forms of love, depicted in many different perspectives, appear throughout the album,” Chuu said, adding that her goal was to have her genuine emotions resonate with listeners through the music.

“I believe love is not something that can be forced — it’s something that exists among us in daily lives, floating in the air,” she said. “The power of love, for me, lies in noticing it in small, everyday details and embracing it as a driving force going forward.”

Admitting that the idea of being in the 10th year of her career still feels awkward and unreal, Chuu said that she hopes to become a singer who continues to improve and ultimately establishes a distinct musical identity of her own.

“Someday, I want to become a singer who can fill an entire concert only with songs, and someone audiences can trust and look forward to seeing.”

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]