After spending more than two decades in the entertainment industry, K-Pop superstar Sandara Park says she has finally reached the moment she has long been waiting for: creating and performing songs that truly come from her own heart.
In June, Sandara officially launched her own label, ARADNAS, which will oversee her activities as an artist moving forward. After the announcement, she released her single album REPRISM, which included tracks she has written and performed herself.
Looking back on her journey, from becoming a household name in the Philippines after joining Star Circle Quest in 2004 to debuting as a member of legendary K-pop girl group 2NE1, Sandara described this chapter as the most significant milestone of her career.
“This is the biggest turning point in my life,” Sandara said in an interview with Hankook Ilbo, as translated by The Korea Times. “Over the past 22 years, I’ve worn many hats, from singer and television host to variety-show personality and musical actor. But the one thing I never got to do was create my own music and sing my own songs.”
For years, Sandara had been quietly collecting memories, emotions, and experiences by writing them in her diaries and smartphone notes. While she always wanted to transform them into music, she admitted she never knew where to begin.
“I realized I didn’t know how to turn the thoughts and emotions in my diaries into songs, or even where to begin,” she said. “Then I met a team of songwriters who create music very instinctively, and I gradually began applying what I saw and learned to my own music.”
As she immersed herself in songwriting, Sandara also began looking back on the creative ideas she had contributed to concerts throughout her career. It made her realize that she had been producing in her own way all along.
"It had never occurred to me to think of them as creative work, but now I’m ready to dive headfirst into the creative process," she continued.
Although she has experienced several life-changing moments like moving from the Philippines back to South Korea to train as a K-pop idol, and later achieving global success with 2NE1, she believes creating something of her own is the "turning point".
With that freedom, however, also comes a new kind of pressure. Unlike before, every decision —from the music she releases to the direction of her career — is now hers to make.
“In the past, I would feel physically exhausted after finishing all my scheduled activities. Now, the strain is more mental because I have to judge and decide everything for myself. Even so, it’s finally sinking in that I’m creating music of my own,” she said.
Sandara also reflected on how her years with 2NE1 shaped her expectations of success. At one point, chart-topping releases had become so normal that anything less felt disappointing.
Now, she sees success differently.
One of the biggest realizations came after holding her first solo fan concert in a relatively intimate venue. While some questioned why someone of her caliber was performing in a smaller space, Sandara said it gave her the chance to truly connect with her fans — something she had missed for years.
“Some people said, ‘Oh, you’re performing at a small venue,’” she shared. “But happiness and success don’t have to mean just one thing. At a large venue, you can barely see the fans’ faces. At a smaller one, I can see their expressions as I sing and even talk with them. That time was so precious and made me so happy that I found myself thinking perhaps it had worked out for the best.”
That connection with fans, she added, continues to motivate her to keep performing and creating music.
“This isn’t something I could do if no one wanted to see me,” she said. “When I see the fans waiting for me and cheering me on, even when I’m taking a break, I find myself thinking, ‘What am I doing right now?’ I want to meet them again as soon as possible and let them hear new music. More than anything, I want to make my fans happy by doing what I do best.”
“There are fans who have stood by me through the good times and the hard times, and there are also fans who have only recently come to like me,” she said. “Just because I can’t do everything exactly as I once did doesn’t mean I should give it all up. I don’t think that would be right for them. If I walked away from this work, I knew I would regret it someday.”
Sandara also promised to continue giving her all in every project she takes on.
“That’s how it has always been, and that’s how it always will be,” she said. “I want to be an artist my fans can be proud to support, so they never feel embarrassed to say they love Sandara Park.”
Her latest release, REPRISM, is only the beginning of what she describes as a two-year creative journey.
The album features two self-written tracks, "Festival (Reprism Version)" and "Nail," both of which introduce listeners to a more personal side of the artist.
“I’ve prepared a lot,” she said. “For now, I just hope I don’t burn out along the way, because this is a two-year project.”
According to Sandara, REPRISM represents light refracting through a prism, revealing colors that have remained hidden until now.
“I think everyone has both the person others see them as and sides of themselves they have yet to show. The same is true of Sandara Park. There is the image that fans and the public know, but there are also parts of me that no one has seen yet. REPRISM is about discovering those parts of myself and bringing them out for others to see,” she said.
One of the album's tracks, "Festival," reimagines a familiar song through a rock-inspired sound that allows her to showcase another side of her artistry. Meanwhile, "Nail" holds special significance as the first original song she developed with her songwriting team, making it the foundation for the stories she hopes to tell in future releases.
Sandara acknowledged that her new musical direction may surprise longtime fans, especially those who associate her with 2NE1's signature sound. Still, she sees the change as part of her growth as an artist.
“It’s natural for artists to change and take on different genres, but doing it in your 40s? Some people might ask, ‘Why is she doing that now?’ Even people who know me may find the change jarring,” she said. “But whether I can turn that reaction into cheers is entirely up to me. That’s why I’m working harder than ever before and giving everything I have to every performance.”