Before she dreamed of being a singer, K-pop superstar CHAEYOUNG loved dancing. For her 2025 solo debut—the unhurried, dreamlike LIL FANTASY vol.1—the TWICE member chose “SHOOT (Firecracker)” as the lead single. The breezy, synth-sparkling track about moving through the world with sincerity was inspired by ’80s and ’90s dance music, and is the album at its most buoyant. CHAEYOUNG is both a rapper and a singer, but on her solo debut she leans into the latter. Rather, it’s Jibin (of Korean hip-hop duo Y2K92) and SUMIN who spit verses alongside CHAEYOUNG’s sweet vocals on “RIBBONS,” a song about struggling amid superstardom. Japanese brother band Gliiico lend their signature combination of psychedelic chill to “AVOCADO” and “DOWNPOUR”. CHAEYOUNG wrote the lyrics for all of the tracks on LIL FANTASY vol.1 and composed all but one (“BF”) of the songs, adding increasing weight to lyrics like “I’ve travelled the world but my room is perfect” (“SHOOT [Firecracker]”) or “Sweat-soaked hands/I hid them in my pockets” (“RIBBONS”). The album is filled with vulnerable insights like these, carried along on gentle waves of subdued groove. The result is an album that isn’t quite like anything CHAEYOUNG has done as a member of TWICE.
