K-pop singer Hyolyn poses before an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul's Seongdong District, Thursday. Courtesy of ReH Entertainment

Before Hyolyn became K-pop's official "summer queen," before debuting as part of girl group SISTAR and before the stage name, there was a teenager in awe of Destiny's Child.

"Those sounds shocked me even back then," the singer said during an interview with The Korea Times at a quiet cafe in Seoul's Seongdong District, Thursday. "Artists I loved back then and still listen to now: Destiny's Child, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Britney, Missy Elliott. Even without seeking them out, old songs were always on my playlist. I wanted to bring back that feeling."

That feeling is the engine of "OriginaLyn," Hyolyn's fourth mini album.

Slated for release at 6 p.m. Wednesday, the seven-track set arrives through ReH Entertainment, the singer's self-founded agency. Its title fuses "original" with "Lyn," and the mission statement is in the wordplay — this is not a reinvention but a restoration. It's her first mini album since "iCE" in July 2022, and her first physical release in four years.

"As a soloist, I've worked across a lot of genres. Before, I projected my character onto whatever concept the music called for," she said. "But with this album, I wanted to show myself as I am," the singer said.

"And 'original' happens to end in an L," she added, laughing.

Hyolyn, formerly of K-pop girl group SISTAR / Courtesy of ReH Entertainment

The seven-track set is anchored by lead single "ChecK," a self-described 2026 take on Y2K pop co-written and co-arranged by The Stereotypes, the Grammy-winning production team behind Bruno Mars' "24K Magic."

For Hyolyn, the song was love at first listen.

"From the moment the beat started, I knew I had to do it," she said. "It resembled the music that inspired me when I first started singing and learning music. It felt like it reawakened feelings I'd unknowingly forgotten, from when my passion for music burned hottest."

The nostalgia extends to the format itself. The album arrives on vinyl, a first for the singer.

"It wasn't easy, and it honestly cost a lot of money," she said, again with a hearty laugh. "I thought it would be nice if even the way we listen to music returned to how it used to be."

K-pop singer Hyolyn / Courtesy of ReH Entertainment

Hyolyn debuted in 2010 as the main vocalist of SISTAR, the Starship Entertainment girl group that turned summer domination into an annual ritual with hits like "Loving U" and "Touch My Body." Her rasp-edged, R\&B-rooted voice made her one of the most decorated vocalists of K-pop's second generation, and her solo career, launched in 2013 with "Love \& Hate," proved she could carry that power alone.

Yet, she was careful to draw a line between the group's identity and her own.

"SISTAR's group color was something the company created and dressed us in at debut," she said. "I have a history of starting music before that, so rather than SISTAR's Hyolyn, I tried to restore my essence from that earlier time."

That essence, this time, sings largely in English, a first for an artist who admits she has never leaned this heavily on the language.

"I'm a Korean singer, a K-pop artist," she said. "But K-pop is loved worldwide. I wanted to communicate with international listeners through music. It was a big challenge and a dream."

K-pop singer Hyolyn / Courtesy of ReH Entertainment

The physical challenge is just as steep. For "ChecK," she traded her usual ankle-strap heels for open-toe stilettos, footwear she last attempted in her SISTAR days.

"Heels are everyone's constant worry. Even my mother worries," she said. "But I want to hear people react like, 'She pulled this off even under these conditions.'"

Running her own operation since leaving the traditional agency system, Hyolyn now analyzes herself with what she calls a CEO's "cold eye." The advice she hears most often is to sign with a bigger company.

"So many people say it," she said. "I used to tilt my head at it, but now I laugh it off."

K-pop singer Hyolyn poses before an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul's Seongdong District, Thursday. Courtesy of ReH Entertainment

As for the summer queen crown she once wore uneasily, she has made peace with it.

"It'd be nice to revive it. That's not why I made this album, though. I just love summer," she said. "Honestly, the market is already so full of summer queens."

Her ambition, after years of quietly waiting to be recognized, is finally spoken out loud.

"I realized that you have to genuinely hold the desire to reach No. 1 in your own heart for it to happen," she said. "With this album, I've come to purely hope it simply receives a lot of love."