"My Passion Is Very Much Alive": Kwon Eun-bi Begins a New Journey Beyond Summer Queen Image with "DEJAVU"

The performance that reshaped Kwon Eun-bi's solo career was never supposed to become a defining moment.

Speaking during a round interview held at RBW's Over the Rainbow Cafe ahead of the release of her new single "DEJAVU," Kwon Eun-bi looked back on the Waterbomb performance that unexpectedly helped establish her as one of K-POP's most recognizable summer stars, and on why her latest comeback is less about leaving that image behind than expanding what people associate with her name.

When she stepped onto the Waterbomb Seoul stage, Kwon Eun-bi was performing during an earlier time slot while the venue was still filling up. Rather than wondering whether the performance might go viral, she was focused on a much simpler concern: getting through her 30-minute set.

"I was so nervous and was simply trying desperately to fill those 30 minutes properly," she recalled. "So I never imagined that particular performance would explode in popularity like that."

Three years later, the "Summer Queen" title that followed remains difficult to separate from her name. Kwon Eun-bi, however, has no intention of running from it.

"The fact that people remember me whenever summer comes around is something I'm genuinely grateful for," she said. "It brought me so much success and instead of abandoning it, I want to keep that side of myself while thinking about what new sides I can show people."

While Waterbomb introduced Kwon Eun-bi to a much wider audience, much of the conversation surrounding her performances centered on her appearance. "I really want the music to become known too," she said. "I wanted people to know, 'This is the kind of music I make.'"

That distinction sits at the heart of her new single, "DEJAVU." Compared with the glamorous and powerful concepts that have defined much of her solo career, the new single takes a softer, fresher and more dreamlike approach. For Kwon Eun-bi, finding that direction began with a question of what actually felt most like herself.

"I realized that I'm actually a much more energetic and cheerful person than people might expect," she said. "I wanted to bring out a more restrained sensibility as well as a more honest version of myself."

That shift extended to her vocals as rather than emphasizing the high notes and charisma associated with many of her previous releases, she adjusted her pronunciation and vocal tone to better fit the song's dreamlike atmosphere.

"DEJAVU" was also not simply a direction presented to her by her new company. Kwon Eun-bi said she strongly pushed for the song herself. When she first heard it, her reaction was immediate: she felt that she "absolutely" had to do it. Even as different opinions were exchanged during the selection process, her own preference ultimately played a decisive role.

That greater sense of ownership was part of what she was searching for after leaving her longtime agency. Ironically, Kwon Eun-bi said the success of "Underwater" had helped make the direction expected of her increasingly clear. While it gave her solo career a recognizable identity, she found herself wanting greater room to decide what came next.

"Because of that album, I think the company developed a clearer idea of what kind of concepts and direction they wanted from me," she said. "But I wanted to do more of what I personally wanted to do. So, when I moved to RBW, I thought I needed to express my own opinions more strongly."

"As I arrived at this company, I asked them to let me try the things that I wanted to do," she added. Before ultimately choosing RBW, Kwon Eun-bi said she met with a number of companies; however, her decision came down largely to the music and what kind of artist each company imagined she could become.

That willingness to keep challenging herself has followed Kwon Eun-bi through both the highs and uncertainties of her career. When asked about its biggest turning point, she chose IZ*ONE sharing that before appearing on "Produce 48," she had even considered whether it might be time to give up on becoming an idol.

Years later, after experiencing the enormous success of IZ*ONE, she again found herself navigating uncertainty while establishing a solo career. Rather than interpreting quieter periods as proof that her career was moving downward, however, Kwon Eun-bi viewed them differently: the only direction left was up.

Now, beginning again at RBW, that appetite for something new remains. "I realized that I actually really enjoy taking on challenges," she said. "I thought, 'Ah, my passion is still very much alive.' I realized that I'm still a singer who has so many things she wants to do."

Some of those ambitions are already taking shape. After a string of digital singles, Kwon Eun-bi said she wants to return with a larger body of work potentially including the first full-length album of her solo career revealing, "I definitely want to release a full album while I'm at this company."

She also wants audiences to hear from her more frequently. "It was never that I didn't release albums because I didn't want to," she said. "I came to this company with the intention of making at least two comebacks a year."

Her creative plans are also beginning to stretch beyond Korea. She recently participated in a songwriting session in Japan, while another session with songwriters in the United States is being prepared. But when asked where she personally wants to promote next, her answer came immediately; "Mexico."

"I went to Mexico for the first time recently, and the energy there was incredible," she said. "I loved Mexico so much. It really gave me this feeling of, 'I want to promote here.' The passion and energy were just so intense."

There is also one part of Kwon Eun-bi's past she would readily return to as seeing I.O.I reunite this year immediately made her think of IZ*ONE.

"I want us to do it too," she recalled thinking.

More significantly, Kwon Eun-bi revealed that the possibility has already been discussed among the members.

"It was a very positive conversation," she said. "When our 10th anniversary comes around, if everyone has enough room in their schedules and an opportunity comes up for us to reunite, we'd like to do it."

"I think we could create another legendary IZ*ONE stage," she said, noting that such a reunion would also bring together very different versions of the members who once promoted together. Many of IZ*ONE's members were still in middle or high school during the group's early years so now, after years spent building careers of their own, she feels they have become better able to understand one another.

For now, however, Kwon Eun-bi's immediate goal is "DEJAVU" and whether it can widen what listeners associate with her name. Waterbomb, "Underwater" and the "Summer Queen" title remain parts of her story; the intention is not to erase them, but to make room for what comes next.

"If people hear it and think, 'Oh, Kwon Eun-bi does this kind of genre too. This feels really new,' or, 'She really seems to have changed,'" she said, "then I would consider these promotions a success."