New K-Pop Girl Group Heart of Woman Revives Y2K New Jack Swing in Debut Album

New K-pop girl group Heart of Woman is stepping into the spotlight with a distinct Y2K sound and a direct lineage to the musical legacy of the late R&B icon Wheesung. The group will release its debut full-length studio album, Heart Byte : LEGACY, on May 28 across all major music streaming platforms.

The group held a formal press conference at The Riverside Hotel in Seocho, Seoul, on May 27 to commemorate the upcoming release. All five members took the stage to discuss their highly anticipated debut and the artistic standard they hope to carry forward from Wheesung, whose foundational label launched the group.

Member Jihyun opened the session by reflecting on their debut. "Because our preparation period was so extensive, this moment feels incredibly meaningful," she shared. "We want to deliver performances that convey Heart of Woman's absolute sincerity. True to the message of our title track, we want to demonstrate our resilience to the public." Member Ryuin added to the sentiment, noting, "It still doesn't feel entirely real. I think it will finally hit me when I accidentally hear our song playing in a local cafe one day."

Choosing to debut with a full-length studio album rather than a conventional EP or digital single is a rare, high-stakes move for a rookie K-pop act. Member Ain explained the strategic decision: "We wanted to encapsulate both Wheesung's brightest musical eras and the new narrative we will construct ourselves within a single, cohesive body of work. Launching with a full-length album felt like the right way to signal our fresh start. We are debuting with an equal amount of profound excitement and natural fear."

Ain also spoke candidly about her personal artistic connection to the late singer. "I previously appeared on a tribute episode of Dingo Music's Killing Voice," she recalled. "While preparing for that, I made a conscious effort to inject genuine emotion into every single arrangement. In the past, I used to simply deliver the lyrics technically. Through that process, I truly understood the underlying weight of the words and pressed that raw feeling into my vocal delivery. It was a massive growth experience for me, and I wanted to deeply embody his artistic spirit."

Jihyun noted that the album's sonic and structural architecture intentionally reaches back to the golden era of domestic R&B. "We are immensely grateful that his uncompromising passion for music served as the definitive starting point for this label," she stated. "We structured the album into two distinct parts, allowing listeners to experience a cohesive narrative flow from beginning to end, paying homage to the classic album formats of the early 2000s."

The decision to adopt a retro Y2K concept was driven in large part by the members' own artistic curiosities. "While mastering contemporary girl group choreography and styles during our training, we naturally found ourselves drawn to the textures of older music," member Riri explained. "Trends always come full circle, don't they?" Jihyun reinforced this, adding, "It is also true that we fiercely wanted to preserve Wheesung's identity. The members were ultimately assembled because our natural chemistry fit this specific concept perfectly."

To authentically replicate the era's nuances, the group studied the historical source material directly. "All of our members were born in the 2000s," Jihyun observed. "We spent hours analyzing and replicating vintage choreography and vocal arrangements. We even traveled to the United States to immerse ourselves in that classic training environment." The group spent a month undergoing an intensive boot camp in the U.S. together. "Living under one roof overseas for a month brought our team incredibly close," she reflected. "We gained invaluable technical insights, studying under prominent choreographers at a renowned dance studio. We poured our absolute all into every session, discovering how to channel raw emotion into our movement and vocals."

When pressed on their long-term institutional goals, the members emphasized horizontal longevity. "I hope we can operate as a tight-knit family throughout our initial seven-year tenure, and seamlessly continue even beyond that," Jihyun concluded. "I want us to mature into a family-like collective that consistently stands on progressively larger and better stages."

The group's moniker carries its own definitive ethos: "Heart of Woman" references five distinct hearts, each bearing a unique personal narrative, converging into a single, powerful pulse designed to move the public. The debut album, Heart Byte : LEGACY, holds a generous tracklist of 13 compositions, anchored by the lead single "Lost in Proof" (Nareul Ilji Anneun Beop). The track is a modern reinterpretation of new jack swing, a rhythmic genre that defined the sonic landscape of the 1990s. Through it, the members deliver a resolute message about preserving one's core identity in moments of systemic crisis.