Hwasa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hwasa
Hwasa in 2024
Born	Ahn Hye-jin (1995-07-23) July 23, 1995 (age 29) Jeonju, North Jeolla, South Korea
Occupation	Singer songwriter television personality
Musical career
Genres	K-pop Jazz R&B
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2014–present
Labels	RBW P Nation
Korean name
Hangul	안혜진
Hanja	安惠眞
Revised Romanization	An Hyejin
McCune–Reischauer	An Hyejin
Stage name
Hangul	화사
Hanja	華莎
Revised Romanization	Hwasa
McCune–Reischauer	Hwasa
Signature

Ahn Hye-jin (Hangul: 안혜진) was born on July 23, 1995. She is known as Hwasa (Hangul: 화사), her stage name. Hwasa is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and TV star.

She became famous in 2014 as a member of the girl group Mamamoo. In 2019, Hwasa started her solo career with the song "Twit." This song was very popular and reached number one on the music charts. It also won "Song of the Year" at the Gaon Chart Music Awards.

In 2020, Hwasa joined a special group called Refund Sisters. Their song "Don't Touch Me" also hit number one in South Korea. In 2021, she released her EP (mini-album) called María. The main song, "María," was a big hit. In 2023, Hwasa joined a new music company, P Nation. She then released her song "I Love My Body," which was also very successful.

What Does Hwasa's Name Mean?

Hwasa's stage name, "Hwa Sa" (화사), comes from a Korean word. This word means "to shine brightly." Her birth name is Ahn Hye-jin. In Chinese characters (Hanja), "Hye-jin" means "Grace in Truth."

Hwasa's Early Life and Dreams

Ahn Hye-jin was born on July 23, 1995, in Jeonju, South Korea. She grew up there with her parents and two older sisters. She went to Wonkwang Information Arts High School.

Hwasa has often said that the American singer Beyoncé is her biggest music inspiration. She once shared that after someone told her she was unique and sang well but wasn't pretty, she watched Beyoncé's performances all night. This helped her feel confident. Even before she officially debuted in K-pop, other South Korean artists noticed her talent. They asked her to sing on their songs when she was only 18 years old.

Hwasa's Music Career

Starting with Mamamoo (2014–2019)

Hwasa in 2017

Hwasa officially became a member of the girl group Mamamoo on June 19, 2014. She was one of the main singers. Their first song was "Mr. Ambiguous" from their first mini-album, Hello. Hwasa also wrote and composed her first solo song, "My Heart/I Do Me," for this album.

In 2018, Hwasa released another solo song called "Be Calm." The music video for this song has been watched millions of times. Later in 2018, Hwasa appeared on a TV show called Hyena on the Keyboard. On the show, she worked with rapper Loco to create a song called "Don't." Hwasa helped write and compose this song. "Don't" became a number one hit in South Korea. It was later recognized for having over 100 million streams and 2.5 million downloads.

In February 2019, Hwasa officially started her solo music career. She released the digital song "Twit." Hwasa helped write and compose this song too. "Twit" was a huge success. It topped three different South Korean music charts at the same time. It also reached number three on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart in the United States. Later that year, "Twit" was named one of the best K-pop songs of 2019 by music critics.

Continued Solo Success with María (2020–Present)

Hwasa in 2020

In March 2020, Hwasa worked with English singer Dua Lipa. They made a remix of Lipa's song "Physical" that included Korean lyrics. In April, Hwasa released her first song for a TV show soundtrack, called "Orbit." This song appeared on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales Chart.

On June 29, Hwasa released her first solo mini-album, María. The main song from the album was also called "María." The album reached number seven on the Billboard World Albums chart. Hwasa helped compose "María" and wrote the lyrics for another song on the album, "LMM." The song "María" became very popular, reaching number two on the Billboard K-pop Hot 100 chart.

In September 2020, Hwasa appeared on the TV show Hidden Singer. She won the competition by a large number of votes. In October, she joined a special project group called Refund Sisters. Their first song, "Don't Touch Me," was number one on the charts for two weeks.

By the end of 2020, "María" was one of the most popular songs on the K-pop Hot 100 chart. Rolling Stone India and Paper magazine also listed "María" as one of the best K-pop songs of the year. Time magazine said that Hwasa's "María" left a strong impression among solo releases that year.

On July 23, 2021, Hwasa started her own YouTube channel. In November, she released another single album called Guilty Pleasure. In July 2022, she worked with Loco again on a new song called "Somebody." Hwasa also released songs for her TV show, Hwasa Show, in December 2022.

Hwasa in September 2023

In March 2023, Hwasa joined a new TV show called Dancing Queens on the Road. On June 27, she left her old company, RBW, after ten years. A few days later, on June 30, she signed with P Nation, a new music company. On September 6, Hwasa released her second digital single, I Love My Body. This song reached the top ten on the Circle Digital Chart and Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart in the U.S. In October, she released "Chili" for the Mnet show Street Woman Fighter 2.

In March 2024, Hwasa announced her official fan club name, "TWITS." She also shared plans for her first fan-con (fan concert) tour, "TWITS," in cities like Seoul, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Singapore.

Hwasa's Impact and Influence

Hwasa is a very influential person in South Korea. Forbes magazine included her in their "Korea Power Celebrity 40" list in 2019. She was also on Forbes' "30 Under 30 Asia" list in 2021.

Surveys by Gallup Korea showed that Hwasa was one of the most popular K-pop idols. Her appearances on TV shows like I Live Alone and Let's Eat Dinner Together have even changed what people eat and buy in South Korea. For example, specific foods she ate on TV became very popular.

Hwasa's Endorsements and Collaborations

Because of her popularity, many brands have chosen Hwasa to promote their products. She has worked with outdoor brands like The North Face and candy companies like Lotte Crunky Gold. She has also been a model for contact lenses, Coca-Cola's Gold Peak Tea, and makeup brand Rarekind.

Hwasa has also appeared in campaigns for Everland Caribbean Bay, Cosmopolitan Korea magazine, and Vogue magazine with Urban Decay cosmetics. She has promoted Jjamppong instant noodles for Ottogi.

In 2020, Hwasa was part of an advertising campaign for The Sims 4 video game. She also worked with fashion brands like MCM, Adidas, Tommy Jeans, and Gucci. In 2021, she continued to work with major fashion brands like Burberry, Louis Vuitton, and Dolce & Gabbana. She also became a model for a game called Taego M.

In 2022, Hwasa and EXO's Kai became ambassadors for the health and beauty brand Olive Young. In 2023, she continued her work with Louis Vuitton and became a model for Ottogi's Jin Bibimmyeon. She also attended fashion shows for brands like Ferragamo, Diesel, and Valentino.

Hwasa's Music Releases

Mini-Albums

• María (2020)
• O (2024)

Hwasa on TV and Web Shows

Television Series

Television Shows

Web Shows

Radio Show

Host

Hwasa's Concert Tours

• Twits (2024–2025)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Hwasa para niños