Sistar19: Inside the K-Pop Duo's Comeback

In K-pop parlance, a comeback refers to a new song or album release, with many groups releasing new material a few (or more) times a year. But for duo Sistar19, the comeback was seven years in the making. A sub-unit of the girl group Sistar, the pair debuted in 2011 with their hit “My boy,” before breaking up in 2017 — the same year Sistar also disbanded.

“It wasn't that we wanted to make a comeback exactly seven years later,” says singer Kim Hyo-jung, who is professionally involved with Hyolyn. Rolling rock. “Actually, we've been talking about it since we broke up, but we've had a lot to do. The timing was off until now.”

Hyolyn and rapper Yoon Bo-ra – better known simply as Bora – released their two-song digital album No More (Ma Boy) earlier this morning. The title track and sassy dance track “Saucy” were preceded by a slideshow of original photos designed to pique their fans' interest. In a photo spread, the trendy duo rock a retro fit of t-shirts and fur miniskirts. In another, they wear black shorts with thigh-high denim boots. Corsets, heart-shaped cowboy hats and Daisy Dukes appear in other photos. The result is a whimsical and provocative look at who Sistar19 are today. Yes, they're sexy, but they're also wholesome in a way that only K-pop idols can be.

“It was really fun to do this, but honestly we were also anxious to get everything ready,” Bora tells Zoom.

Hyolyn adds, “There's no way we weren't nervous because we really didn't want to disappoint our fans who've been waiting a long time for this.”

Sitting next to each other in a recording studio in Seoul the night after Christmas, they are dressed entirely in black, avoiding make-up. Now in their thirties, the two appear fresh and not much older than when they debuted in Sistar. They joke that it's because after working non-stop on Christmas Eve, they had to spend the holiday at home resting.

Throughout this interview, Bora and Hyolyn share the easy conversational flow of close friends finishing each other's sentences. “We spend more time together now than we did before we broke up, because we're more emotional about each other after our time apart,” they collectively reply.

Hyolyn, who is a bit younger than Bora, leads the conversation, thinking aloud about possible topics to discuss. Who are they listening to right now? Nicki Minaj for her, Olivia Rodrigo for Bora. But when addressing Bora, she politely avoids calling her partner by her name. As is customary in Korean culture, Bora is referred to respectfully as Unnie – or older sister.

“Even though she is older than me, I will protect her,” Hyolyn says. “Returning to the stage after such a long time, I am very happy to have a person like Bora who understands me. Preparing this album, I really realized that he is the most huggable, precious person. I thought, “I have to protect her.” I thought she was whining a lot!”

At this point, both women burst out laughing as Bora nods her head.

“Even though she's younger than me, I always feel like Hyolyn has my back,” Bora says, still laughing. “I always have fun when I'm around her, which made working on these new songs together so meaningful.”

The rich single “No More (Ma Boy)” isn't a rehash of their 2011 song so much as it closes the door on that era. Set against a throbbing bassline and synths, the new song's lyrics aren't begging an inattentive suitor to pay attention. This time, they display a firm but forgiving attitude, repeating the reassurance that “nobody's perfect.”

I ask them, what do they think happened to the infamous “boy” Sistar19 who was pinned all those years ago?

“We're more mature now, so are the protagonists of the song,” Hyolyn muses. “We're all more sophisticated in handling the end of relationships since then.”

Laughing, Bora says, “Gone!” Waving her hands to indicate he's been hit in the side, she adds, “He's probably crying a lot somewhere.”

They were still working on the music video for “No More (Ma Boy)” at the time of this interview. But they hint that the iconic synchronized chair dance from their 2011 video will be referenced in their new production.

“But this time it's not a chair,” says Bora. “We have a table.” Looking at Hyolyn, he adds wryly, “We've been upgraded.”

Fans want to know if this is a one-off reunion or something more permanent. Hyolyn says they're taking it day by day: “We have plans for the single album release, and then we honestly don't know. We'll have to see how it goes.”

Prior to the reunion, Bora and Hyolyn both had thriving solo careers. Hyolyn has been a featured singer on several K-drama soundtracks and collaborated with Korean Canadian musician Paul Blanco on “This Love” last year. She was also a contestant on the Korean music competition series Queen 2. And Bora, who has been acting since 2007, had roles in two seasons of the popular Korean series Romantic dr, Pale moon and Korean Odyssey. He was also a member of Sistar's summer band, Soyou “Aloha” last year.

At this stage in their lives, do they feel like they've accomplished everything they wanted to with their solo work?

Thinking before answering, Hyolyn says, “I don't think I'll ever be completely satisfied with my solo career, because I want to do so much. But Sistar19 is so special to me.”

“Acting wasn't the only career I wanted to pursue after the breakup,” says Bora. “I've always wanted to do singing as well, so this opportunity to come back as Sistar19 was so good for me. I'm still open to acting and singing and I'm working hard on both.”

As part of a second-generation K-pop group that debuted around the same time as 2NE1, Wonder Girls, and Girls' Generation, Hyolyn and Bora are well aware that the market for girl groups has evolved since their days in Sistar. The oldest members of NewJeans and IVE are 19 and 21, respectively, and write many of their own songs, something Sistar and Sistar19 were not encouraged to do. In a 2015 interview with Korean radio, Hyolyn said that their previous record company did not consider her song marketable enough to be included on their records. (She is now represented with her own management company, bridʒ.)

But for this comeback, Hyolyn had creative input on both songs as a vocal director. He is also credited as a composer on the title track and wrote the Korean lyrics for “Saucy”.

“We have more power than when we started,” says Hyolyn. “We need to express our ideas and communication is easier now. But since we're idols, I can't say we understand all of our ideas 100%… yet.”