Singer Krystal, who debuted as a member of the K-pop girl group f(x) in 2009 and has since built a career as both a singer and actor, released her first-ever solo single on Thursday — 16 years after her debut.

Krystal’s debut single “Solitary” ranked No. 44 on Melon’s Hot 100 chart as of 8 a.m. Friday, which reflects the past hour’s streaming volume for new releases within 30 or 100 days of release. Released at 6 p.m. Thursday, the track entered the chart at No. 37 just an hour after release.

“Solitary” is Krystal’s first new music release since 2017’s collaboration “I Don’t Wanna Love You” with Glen Check’s Kim June-one, after which she largely shifted focus to acting. For f(x) fans, the group’s last release was the 2016 album “4 Walls.”

“Solitary” was produced by freekind and Gigi, both of whom previously contributed to BTS member V’s solo album “Layover” (2023) — produced by Min Hee-jin of OOAK — as well as tracks by girl group NewJeans.

A “Solitary (Party Remix)” version, available only on CD, lists producer 250 and American singer-songwriter and producer Toro y Moi as arrangers.

Over an R&B soul melody, Krystal delivers a subdued yet dreamy vocal tone. According to her label, Beasts and Natives Alike (BANA), she has long been passionate about covering classic R&B and soul tracks.

“Krystal has clearly set her musical direction with her first solo record,” a BANA official said, expressing confidence that the single marks an important turning point in her music career.

Coinciding with the release, Krystal uploaded a behind-the-scenes documentary of the single’s production on YouTube. In the first episode of “Charging Crystals,” she is seen recording between London and the House of Refuge studio in Jeju Island.

The physical album featuring the two versions of “Solitary” sold 32,000 copies in preorders alone. General sales begin Dec. 2 at major online and offline retailers.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HWANG JEE-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]