Exclusive Interview: SISTAR19 on How They’ve Matured with ‘No More (Ma Boy)’
11 Years in the Making! The K-pop subunit last released music in 2013, with ‘Gone Not Around Any Longer’.
11 long years after they were last active, K-pop duo SISTAR19 is finally back with a bang. The subunit which formed in 2011, from the four-piece girl group SISTAR, made its debut with ‘Ma Boy’, a catchy groovy track that had everyone body-waving. Now, powerhouse vocal Hyolyn and edgy rapper Bora are back with an elevated image of SISTAR19. Released in January, the pair dropped their latest single ‘No More (Ma Boy)’, a sultry pop track that speaks of love and letting go.
Below, we chat with the ladies of SISTAR19 to find out about the preparation process for this long-awaited comeback, and why it took them so long to finally reunite on stage. In this exclusive interview, Hyolyn and Bora also share the messaging behind their new title track and what we can look forward to from this comeback.
Here, watch the music video for ‘No More (Ma Boy) and get the full scoop from SISTAR19:
The last time SISTAR19 released music was in 2013 with ‘Gone Not Around Any Longer’. How does it feel to be back officially after 11 years?
Bora: The fact that the 2 of us are able to work together again, it’s very exciting and I’m looking forward to what we can achieve together. I’m very thankful that our fans waited such a long time for us.
Hyolyn: It feels so surreal. I think it’ll continue to feel surreal until we fully start performing actively, but we are extremely excited and know we’re going to have a lot of fun together and with our fans!
What made you two decide to return as a unit after more than a decade of solo activities?
H: We’ve always kept in touch, and we’ve always talked about making a comeback as a unit. We finally found the right timing for Bora and myself, so we moved as quickly as possible to make it actually happen.
B: Personally, I always have and always will miss the stage when I’m not on it. I’ve always told Hyolyn how I wanted to return to the stage and perform, and now here we are!
Has the working dynamic between you two changed at all from 11 years ago?
B: Since our debut, we’ve definitely improved professionally and individually as people. As human beings, we’ve learned how to embrace others much more than we have in the past. Because those were the lessons that we picked up in the last 20 years, we are able to come back together as a duo better than ever.
What is the biggest lesson you took away from your solo activities that you now bring to your comeback as a duo?
H: When I performed as a solo artist I only had to think about myself, and now I have to think about someone other than myself. The same goes for the creative process (concepts, writing, producing). I think over the years I’ve learned to see the bigger picture, and not be so focused or concentrated on just one thing.
B: I think branching out to do more of our individual work has brought us closer together because we were able to become more genuine with the conversations we have together.
You guys went for a Western cowgirl aesthetic for ‘No More (Ma Boy)’. What type of concept can your fans expect from this upcoming comeback and what made you two choose it?
H: With this comeback, we are a lot more mature, and we tried to make our choreography a little less tense. We really want to show the concept of being a little more relaxed about things that happen in life. Being able to let go and being able to be fine with yourself. That’s the main theme here.
How were the preparations for this comeback different from your previous music releases?
B: Even though we got back together after a long time, it never felt like we were starting from scratch. But after years of growing and learning, we came back more reliable to each other now. We feel more dignified together and our time apart made this comeback so fun.
We heard that Hyolyn contributed to the creation of the tracks. What was the writing process like for this comeback?
H: Music trends are always changing, but I wanted to make sure to show the kind of music that we did before. We prepared the new album in an “older SISTAR19” style, but with a trendier vibe. If we stray too far from our original sound then we might not meet the expectations of our fans, but at the same time, we still want to show new aspects of SISTAR19.
We’ve been loving your dances on TikTok! Can we look forward to a TikTok dance challenge for ‘No More (Ma Boy)’?
H: Yes, we’ve been having so much fun with the #NOMORE_CHALLENGE! If you check out our TikTok, you’ll see we’ve done some collaborations with other artists. Our fans have been doing the challenge and we love seeing it!!
How do you think the K-pop music scene has evolved since your debut hit single, “Ma Boy”?
B: I think the biggest change that I’ve felt is the spike in K-pop interest in general. There have been many before us, many after us, and I feel like there were a lot of pioneers who made it possible for K-pop to be recognised globally.
What else can fans look forward to in the future from SISTAR19?
B: As of right now we don’t have any concrete plans for the future, but it is for sure that we hope to create more opportunities for us to engage with our fans!
H: I have a similar answer. The future is unknown, but when we were a group as SISTAR, we actually didn’t have a lot of chances to meet our fans overseas. But now that K-pop is receiving so much love all over the world, there are more opportunities. We don’t want our fan meetings to be over a monitor, we want to see them in person.
