Soloist Kwon Eun-bi hopes to solidify her status as the summer queen with her first single “The Flash.”

“The Flash," which dropped Wednesday, was made especially for the season of summer. It's her first album release in almost 10 months since her third EP "Lethality" dropped last October.

Kwon is best known to the public as the former member of project girl group IZ*ONE, which stormed the K-pop scene for two years and a half as the winning members of cable channel Mnet's audition program "Produce 48" in 2018. She actually first debuted in 2014 as part of the now-disbanded girl group called Ye-A, and recently has taken her separate path as a soloist ever since IZ*ONE's official activities ended in April 2021.

This year, Kwon was crowned the "summer queen" by fans after appearing at this year’s Waterbomb Festival in Seoul and Japan.

“I’m very thankful that people think of Kwon Eun-bi when they think of summer,” Kwon said at the press showcase held on Wednesday at the Blue Square in Yongsan District, central Seoul.

“In fact, I like the term summer queen so much, I can’t think of any other title [to describe myself] — perhaps 'summer Eunbi' can be an alternative!”

“'The Flash' is filled with intensive, glamorous yet refreshing sounds that I hope can calm down the summer heat wave!” Kwon explained.

Single “The Flash” includes three tracks: “The Flash,” electronic teen pop score “Comet” and “Beautiful Night," a pop-rock track for which Eunbi helped write the lyrics.

“With every single album I release, I make sure to attempt something new,” Kwon said. “The three tracks are here to each show different colors, and they are all perfect for the season of summer.”

Summer is also the season during which the K-pop scene heats up with numerous album releases and comebacks, but Kwon was confident she would be able to stand out in the competitive scene.

“I think my strength comes down to the diverse color that I have,” Kwon explained. “I can pull off band music [like ‘Beautiful Night’], and I’m confident that I’m able to perform in a variety of genres. I would define myself as an all-around artist.”

Throughout the music video, Kwon is seen running on multiple occasions, including in a scene at a bridge over the Han River.

“Running on a bridge over the Han River is one of the first things I shot in the morning, and I had eye-contact with multiple passers-by,” Kwon said with a laugh. “But I stayed focused on the scene, and I think it came out well!”

Kwon added that she put a lot of effort into her acting, saying that she is “always open” to try out acting in the future.

“I’ve learned a lot through working as a team, but I also learned and grew a lot as a solo artist,” Kwon said. “I’ve still got a lot to learn, so I plan on continuously learning, growing and performing for a long time!”

To find out more about Kwon Eunbi, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]