A decade after debuting with WJSN, Im Da-young has finally stepped into her own spotlight — and with her new single "What's a Girl to Do," she's proving the solo era is just beginning.

Not every K-pop idol gets a second act. After a decade in the group, the camera learns your angles, audiences know your role, and reinvention becomes a risk no one wants to take. But DAYOUNG — the Jeju-born vocalist who has spent ten years harmonizing inside WJSN (Cosmic Girls) — decided that risk was exactly the point.

On April 7, 2026, she dropped her second solo digital single, What's a Girl to Do, a two-track project that follows her viral breakout debut "Body" and signals something bigger: a solo career built on range, not repetition.

Who Is DAYOUNG? The WJSN Member Who Became a Solo Force

© MBC, TF News

Im Da-young was born May 14, 1999 in Jeju, South Korea. She showed up on the radar early — at just 12 years old, she performed on K-pop Star, a reality competition that became a launchpad for many of Korea's biggest names. By 2016, she was officially a member of WJSN, the large-format girl group under Starship Entertainment that blends Korean and Chinese members in a dreamy, space-themed concept.

For nearly a decade, Dayoung thrived inside the group's orbit. She became part of WJSN's quirky sub-unit WJSN Chocome in 2020, dabbled in acting with roles in Love Revolution and a cameo in True Beauty, and became a fan favorite on variety shows. She was, in the truest sense, a group person — adaptable, bright, dependable.

But something was quietly stirring beneath the surface. Dayoung had always gravitated toward R&B, grown up listening to Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Brandy, and Monica. The sound she carried inside herself didn't quite match the pastel pop WJSN was known for. So she began to build a solo vision — quietly, methodically, over three years.

"I wanted to do a solo at 27 years old, so I've been preparing step by step since I was 24."

— DAYOUNG, Allkpop Interview, April 2026

It started, famously, with a PowerPoint presentation. She compiled a pitch deck for Starship Entertainment — detailing the concept, musical direction, and visual identity she envisioned — and fought for the project herself. That kind of initiative is rare in the idol industry. It also tells you everything about who Dayoung is when she's calling the shots.

From "Body" to "What's a Girl to Do": DAYOUNG's Solo Debut and First Comeback

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On September 9, 2025, Dayoung made her solo debut with gonna love me, right? — a three-track English-language project headlined by "Body," a punchy, sun-drenched dance-pop track that felt custom-built for summer playlists and festival grounds. It was shot in Los Angeles, delivered with Western production sensibilities, and positioned her as a global pop artist rather than a standard K-pop solo act.

The response was swift and significant. "Body" climbed to No. 9 on Melon's Top 100 chart and earned Dayoung her first-ever solo music show win on SBS's The Show — just 14 days after debut. International outlets including NME, Billboard, and The Hollywood Reporter all covered the release. Within weeks, fans were calling her the "summer queen."

For many artists, that kind of breakthrough becomes a template to replicate. Not Dayoung. When it came time for her first solo comeback, she made a deliberate left turn.

What's a Girl to Do? DAYOUNG's New Single, Explained

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What's a Girl to Do, released April 7, 2026, is a two-track project featuring the title track alongside B-side "Priceless (kaching kaching)." Where "Body" was high-energy and physically exhilarating, the new single leans into R&B-influenced rhythms, softer production, and a more introspective emotional landscape. The lyrics explore the giddy disorientation of early romantic feelings — wanting to linger in someone's thoughts, manufacturing excuses to stay close, the honest awkwardness of falling for someone.

Dayoung co-wrote and co-composed both tracks, collaborating with global writers including Eric Nam. Her vocal approach shifts here too — her naturally husky timbre sits more openly in the mix, less layered and processed than on her debut, giving the single an intimacy that feels earned rather than manufactured.

"If 'Body' was like a hot party with friends, this song is the best song to match from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m."

— DAYOUNG, Starnews Korea, April 2026

The music video added another layer of global attention when it was revealed that Shiloh Jolie — daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt — appears as a dancer. The casting brought a wave of international headlines, but Dayoung's own presence in the video remains the anchor: confident, stylish, and unmistakably in control of her image.

The choreography as a storytelling tool

The What's a Girl to Do choreography is built around fast footwork and fluid, continuous movement — a hoodie incorporated as a signature prop, a detail that ties the performance to the season and doubles as a TikTok challenge moment. Despite the song's relatively gentler sonic palette, the stage presence is anything but restrained.

The Real Transformation: DAYOUNG's Identity Beyond the Group

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One of the most interesting tensions in Dayoung's solo journey is the way she reframes what "change" means. When fans commented that her solo persona felt different from her WJSN self, her response was consistent: this has always been her real self.

During her group years, she adjusted — brighter makeup, lighter styling, a tone calibrated to match the collective. Solo activities gave her the space to follow her own aesthetic instincts: stronger makeup, more defined visuals, a cooler and more confident stage presence. The bleached hair and bold styling choices that defined "Body" weren't a reinvention. They were a homecoming.

Music critic Lim Hee-yun, speaking to the Korea Herald, described Dayoung's success as "surprising, yet understandable" — noting that while her idol background provided structural advantages, the genuine vocal performance and artistic clarity she brought distinguished her from a crowded field of group-to-solo transitions.

"I want to be an artist who can have a positive influence — someone who acts with responsibility and gives good energy to others."

— DAYOUNG, Korea Herald, April 2026

What makes Dayoung's trajectory genuinely compelling to watch is the deliberateness behind it. She didn't stumble into a solo career — she architected one, from the PPT pitch to the LA shoot to the intentional genre pivot on her second release. Each move reflects a longer-term vision of "Dayoung" as a brand distinct from any group affiliation.

What's Next for DAYOUNG?

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Dayoung has already confirmed plans for a summer release — and has hinted at Latin-inspired styles as a future direction, citing her obsessive love of Katseye's "Gabriela." She's also set to perform at Waterbomb, one of Korea's biggest outdoor music festivals, in July 2026. She's expressed interest in duet collaborations and has dropped dream partner names including Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX.

The ambition is unmistakable. And so is the discipline behind it. Dayoung has spent a decade watching how careers are built and broken inside K-pop's unforgiving machine. She knows what longevity looks like. Now, finally writing her own setlist, she seems determined to make it last.

As she put it to Clash Magazine: she's "honest, passionate — very passionate — and evolving." If What's a Girl to Do is any indication, the evolution is just beginning.