Everglow ends 20-month hiatus with free-spirited return

Everglow holds a press conference for its fourth single "All My Girls" in Seoul on Friday. (Yue Hwa Entertainment)

Girl group Everglow made a long-awaited comeback on Friday with its fourth single "All My Girls."

The six-piece returns after a 20-month break with renewed energy, putting themselves forward as a voice for all girls around the world and declaring the members' determination to walk their own paths.

The members, E:U, Sihyeon, Mia, Onda, Aisha and Yiren, Friday held a press showcase in Seoul on Friday, where they performed the single package's main track, "Slay," live for the first time.

According to Sihyeon, the band's leader, the new single conveys a message to "good girls" to break free from rules set by others and follow their hearts.

"Slay" is an intense electronic hip-hop track with an addictive melody, accentuated with powerful drum beats.

Aisha said that selecting the song was a long process.

"Over the past year and eight months, we listened to countless songs. As it's a comeback after a long time, we wanted to be perfect and show that we've improved," Aisha, the band's lead rapper, said.

The single also has two more tracks: "Oh Ma Ma God," a mid tempo R&B pop song, and "Make Me Feel," a soulful fusion of acoustic and synth sounds.

Debuting in March 2019 under Yue Hwa Entertainment, Everglow garnered a fair amount of global fans with its fiery performance-oriented music and explosive stage presence.

Making its name with hits "Adios" and "Dun Dun," the girls dropped "Pirate" in December 2021, before going into an unexpectedly long break.

On Friday, the girls seemed unwilling to go deeper into why their hiatus had gone on for so long.

"As its a comeback in a long while, we didn't want to disappoint the fans, and that burden was also a reason why it took longer," Sihyeon said, citing a strict diet for all members was one of the efforts they made for their comeback.

The prolonged period of inactivity and the possibility of a bleak future sometimes weighed in on them, Sihyeon said, saying she had sometimes felt insecure.

"Many fans had been supporting us, and we also feel it a shame that we had to take a year and eight months off after 'Pirate.' All we could do was just strive harder and hone ourselves to make it worthwhile," E.U said.

Sihyun added, "As the date kept getting postponed, self-doubt grew inside me. I questioned myself, 'What was a I doing wrong and how could I overcome?' It was a difficult time. It was unbelievable that we were coming back even until yesterday. I couldn't sleep properly last night."

Wrapping up the event, the leader shared the band's goal with "All My Girls": "We hope to show that Everglow is a group that shines the brightest on the stage and is best with performances. We hope to go more global and make sure our name gets remembered by more people."

By Choi Ji-won(jwc@heraldcorp.com)