After debuting back in 2015 with her single “Fatal Love”, rapper YUNHWAY is gaining considerable prominence in the K-hip hop community. Comparable to the likes of Lizzo and Post Malone, she isn’t slowing down any time soon.
Before hitting it big, 25 year-old Korean-American Yang Yoon-hwa (양윤화) began releasing music independently. When starting out, YUNHWAY wasn’t a hip-hop artist, but under her current label WEDAPLUGG has experimented with different music styles.
Her initial style wasn’t well-received by audiences, so she altered her image and music to gain the recognition she was looking for.
However in a recent interview with Allure Korea YUNHWAY stated that she doesn’t want to be associated with just one genre. Instead, she says that she wants to make music “that can make friends with the public”.
Arguably her rise to fame came from appearing on the eighth season of Show Me The Money in which hip-hop artists go head to head to compete against each other. Though she didn’t win, she’s gained more recognition from the Korean general public and international audiences who watch the show.
During SMTM she became known for the iconic line “drippin in ma teriyaki sauce”. Her use of the word “teriyaki” in her music comes from her parents who owning a teriyaki restaurant in the USA where she grew up. You can hear it in this song at 1:06.
YUNHWAY’s dropped her latest mini album INSTANT at the end of 2019, and plans to release music later this year. Like all artists under WEDAPLUGG, she takes an active role in composing and producing her music. Check out her single “WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME (WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME)” from the album.
YUNHWAY is like no other – it’s women like her that are taking K-hip hop to the next level. A rising star, her music manages to successfully fuse together elements of electronic and R&B to create a sound that’s totally unique. K-hip hop is an ever-growing genre, and YUNHWAY has shattered expectations of what it means to be a rapper.
YUNHWAY is definitely one to watch in 2020.
