Talk of the Town: Hyun Ah, the New Sexy Queen of K-Pop?

The release last week of 4minute Hyun Ah’s new single, “Bubble Pop!”, was a major event in the K-Pop world. It wasn’t just about Hyun Ah’s return as a solo artist, but in certain respects, it also signified the emergence of K-Pop’s newest sexy icon. Korean press started describing Hyun Ah as the leading heir-apparent to Hyori’s throne of K-Pop’s reigning sexy queen.

At the tender age of 20, Hyun Ah already has the explosive stage presence, beautiful appearance, and sexy charms only a few musicians are capable of pulling off. Through the music video and live stages of her latest single “Bubble Pop!”, Hyun Ah has exemplified her glamorous allure in a variety of ways. The song itself is a sprightly, cute pop track, but Hyun Ah’s outfit and dance moves are rather sexy and seductive in that, to some fans, would bring images of sexy pop icon Hyori. In fact, “Bubble Pop!” has immediately become a YouTube sensation upon release on July 5^th, attracting more than 5 million views from all over the world.

But it’s not just the sexy choreography and style that make Hyun Ah the leading candidate for K-Pop’s sexiest diva. It is her maturity and professionalism as a pop singer that really set her apart from other female singers. During the first live stage of “Bubble Pop!” that was held on July 7^th at the “2011 Mnet 20s Choice Awards,” Hyun Ah impressed the audience with the way she handled poor stage conditions amid the pouring rain. After seeing artists slip and fall on stage before her performance, Hyun Ah smartly played the slippery stage to her advantage by throwing off her shoes mid-performance and completing the song barefeet. Her confidence and professionalism were apparent throughout the stage and the wet circumstances actually created a sexier performance that is sure to be remembered as one of the more inspiring live stages by any K-Pop musician in recent memory. 

There have been a number of artists who won the sexy queen title throughout the years, namely Uhm Jung Hwa, Hyori, and Son Dam Bi, to name a few. But due the influx of cute girl groups lately, we have not seen many female solo artists in K-Pop take the sexy diva moniker. Is Hyun Ah the answer to this gap? Would she be able to take over K-Pop’s sexy queen title eventually? What other female solo artists do you think should be considered?