MAMAMOO’s Hwasa Refuses To Follow Popular Music Show Trend
MAMAMOO’s Hwasa has a longstanding reputation for being a “no f*cks given” K-Pop idol. From her rookie days, the singer has never been afraid to stray from established standards and trends of the idol industry.
Be it from dressing the way she wants,
When knetz criticized Hwasa at MAMA 2018 because of the red bodysuit and days later she appeared with a corset and garter belt at Gayo Daejun 💅👑 pic.twitter.com/oJ75OZVytw
— Ceci (@Cecilia09Ceci) October 16, 2020
to speaking up for herself and her beliefs,
THIS HWASA
“If I don’t fit into today’s beauty standards, I will become a new and different standard.” — Hwasa
pic.twitter.com/eKfPfdeICR— Inah 🐢 (@ahn_hyegie) March 8, 2021
to being open about her personal struggles,
🦁I don't usually react much to malicious comments but it's too harsh this time round. But it was our first performance in New York so I tried to grab ahold onto my mentality So I had the thought of 'Ok let's just do it the way I always do' but it does affect me (the controversy)
— ㅌㅂ/TV (@lunaestreIIad0s) September 4, 2023
Hwasa never shies away from being her authentic self.
Her recent activities have once again reflected the same spirit, though on a much lighter note.
Hwasa recently signed with PSY’s label PNation as a soloist after leaving her former label of nine years, RBW. Shortly after signing with the new company, she put out her latest single, “I Love My Body,” which has been seeing rave response on Korean charts since its release.
Hwasa has been promoting the song on popular music shows, as is usual for any K-Pop singer. While her live performances have been nothing short of mesmerizing, there is one thing that the singer refuses to do on any of the music shows, despite it being a popular trend. And that is the ending fairy.
The term “ending fairy” basically refers to the ending sequence of a live music show performance where the camera takes close-up shots of the individual performers on stage after the song has ended. The trend rose to popularity with Jung Chaeyeon, whose innocent yet charismatic gaze during her closeup shot at the end of a performance on Produce 101 caught the public’s attention.
7 years ago today, Chaeyeon invented the ending fairy trend in kpop pic.twitter.com/71orVH1Ssd
— 📂 (@diafiles) February 11, 2023
During ending fairies, idols usually strike a pleasant expression, putting their best foot forward visual-wise. But some artist have also experimented with the trend, intentionally exaggerating their expressions or making funny faces just for a dash of added chaos.
JUNMYEON ENDING FAIRY!!! HE ACTED LIKE HE WAS CATCHING HIS BREATH IM CRYING HE'S SO FUNNY pic.twitter.com/1Ve5shOuoc
— maria ✴︎ (@ohsenh) April 7, 2022
remember this ending fairy#MAMAVOTE #shinee pic.twitter.com/MvIA9s64dx
— 718 (@fiveltm) November 7, 2021
taehyung's ending pose 😭 pic.twitter.com/rPQvZHUI7x
— 🐯🌟 (@tetesgallery) June 17, 2022
In the past, Hwasa, too, has given iconic ending fairies during her performances. But with this new song, she seems to have vowed not to follow the same trend. Instead, the idol simply walks off the stage as the song finishes, and often the camera is left confused trying to follow her movement.
hwasa ending fairy today pic.twitter.com/o0GAPsChye
— gabríella (@wheeix) September 14, 2023
She did the same thing in all her major music show performances, including Mnet’s M COUNTDOWN, SBS’s Inkigayo, and KBS’s Music Bank, and fans couldn’t be more amused!
ending fairy hwasa today pic.twitter.com/XJQUdUDMjZ
— gabríella (@wheeix) September 9, 2023
230915 MUSICBANK
오늘의 엔요🧚🏻♀️😘 #HWASA #화사 #ILoveMyBody pic.twitter.com/afCdUZHWFw— yeewen 유문 🩷🫧 | I Love My Body (@byuls__1222) September 15, 2023
ending fairy hwasa today 💋 pic.twitter.com/zA2gbjjMJQ
— gabríella (@wheeix) September 10, 2023
ENDING FAIRY HWASA pic.twitter.com/ajg2ygYZ2T
— gabríella (@wheeix) September 7, 2023
Is this another trend that Hwasa will launch to popularity?