Actress and K-pop idol Sandara Park, or mononymously known as Dara, is returning to the music scene with her latest digital extended play. Last week, she dropped the self-titled EP alongside the music video for its lead single, “Festival.” It marked her first ever solo album since she debuted in South Korea as a member of the iconic K-Pop girl group 2NE1 in 2009.

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Following its online release last July 12, 2023, the mini album, titled “Sandara Park,” has garnered a total of more than 3 million views and 188 thousand likes on YouTube alone as of this writing.

Showcasing her evolution as an artist, the main track samples tunes from K-pop diva Uhm Jung-hwa’s 1995 song of the same title, whom Dara looks up to as her role model. The Doctor Cha actress even made a cameo in Dara’s music video.

“Festival” also features other cameos from Korean celebrities such as Aiki, Jo Se-ho, Kim Sook, and Park Na-rae.

Dara co-wrote “Festival” with South Korean rapper Gray, singer-songwriter Heize, and musician-producer SWJA. All three collaborated with her on “Dara Dara,” “T Map,” and “Happy Ending.”

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Prior to the launch of her career in Korea, she established herself as an actress and a singer with a self-titled EP in the Philippines; in 2004, she released the song “In or Out,” which was referenced in the second verse of her latest release.

Sandara Park is slated to make a highly-anticipated visit to the country as she will headline “The Super Stage by K-pop” concert this coming August 11 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. She will grace the Philippine stage alongside South Korean acts Kep1er, Lapillus, and Mamamoo.

Check out some stunning snippets from her latest album and single:

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Lead photos from @daraxxi

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