Chung Ha - Querencia

We're so lucky to have Chung Ha. If you're not already familiar, she's Korea's risk-taking pop icon, a real superstar in her own right. In an industry so saturated, she does incredibly well to always stand out and push something different and distinctly wow-worthy.

All of that is apparent on her debut album 'Querencia', which arrives five years into an already remarkable career for the 25-year-old. Initially part of girl group I.O.I, formed on survival show Produce 101 in 2016, she made her official solo debut in 2017 with her' Hands On Me' EP. Led by delightfully bright bop 'Why Don't You Know', It's pretty safe to say she's only ever gotten stronger since.

A string of ever the more impressive singles and their EPs followed – 'Rollercoaster' and 'Love U' in 2018, 'Gotta Go' in 2019 – that saw Chung Ha grow into her own, all culminating with 2019's summer smash 'Snapping'. Cementing her as THEE star to watch, it left fans wondering how on earth she'd top it.

That's where 'Querencia' comes in. In the Western world, the record probably sits somewhere in the sphere of Dua's 'Future Nostalgia', Ariana's 'Dangerous Woman' and Zara's 'Poster Girl' (coming soon), with an added major Latin influence, and from the East, there's a definite influence from other solo powerhouses Sunmi and Hyuna. Except it's also none of those things because this is Chung Ha and really, there's no one right now quite like her.