The group made their official debut on June 19th 2014, with lead single "Mr. Ambiguous" from their first extended play Hello. The music video for "Mr. Ambiguous" contained cameo appearances from many well-known K-pop industry figures such as CNBLUE's Jonghyun, Baek Ji-young, Wheesung, Jung Joon-young, Bumkey, K.Will, and Rhymer of Brand New Music. The album contained three previously released collaborations and four new songs. The group made their first live appearance on the June 19th episode of M! Countdown.
MAMAMOO rose to domestic fame in 2015 with their single "Um Oh Ah Yeh" which became a sleeper hit and peaked at number three on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. Combined with their many appearances and victories in the popular music competition program Immortal Songs, this launched them into mainstream recognition with the public. On January 10 2016, RBW announced MAMAMOO's first solo concert less than two years after their debut in 2014, setting a new record of being the earliest solo concert among all girl groups. 7,000 tickets for the 2016 Mamamoo Concert "Moosical" were sold out in one minute. Their following release of "You’re the Best" (2016) from their debut studio album Melting proved to be a commercial success and dominated at least eight major music sites upon release, earning MAMAMOO their first music show win on the March 6th episode of Inkigayo and further cementing their popularity and growing momentum.
In 2017, MAMAMOO made a splash on the international scene with their fifth EP, Purple. Its lead single "Yes I Am" earned them their first number one on the Billboard World Albums chart. The quartet went on to achieve hits with high-charting singles "Starry Night" (2018), Egotistic" (2018), and "Gogobebe" (2019) from their "Four Seasons, Four Colors" project whereby every member took turns to become the focus for each album. This culminated in their biggest international success to date, "HIP" from their second studio album reality in BLACK becoming a number-one hit on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart. In November 2020, the song was certified platinum by the Korea Music & Content Association (KMCA) for surpassing 100 million streams, making it their third time to achieve this feat. They also earned a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), indicating their breakthrough in the Japanese music scene.
In January 2020, Kim Do-hoon, the CEO and executive producer of MAMAMOO's record label RBW, confirmed that the members would begin to focus on solo projects, with each member hoping to showcase their individualities that they had previously shown in the "Four Seasons, Four Colors" project series. With the release of Solar's debut single "Spit It Out" on April 23 2020, achieving a debut at number 12 and subsequent peak at number six, MAMAMOO became the second Korean group in which every member had a solo song chart on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, with "Spit It Out" joining Hwasa's "Twit", Wheein's "Good Bye", and Moonbyul's "Eclipse". However, MAMAMOO continued to release music together as well, with the EP Travel breaking the group's personal sales records upon its release in November 2020, selling a reported 100,000 copies in its first day and over 128,000 copies in its first week, and additionally topping iTunes charts in 29 countries.
On June 11 2021, RBW announced that Wheein would be leaving the company as she had chosen not to renew her solo contract with the agency. However, she signed a second contract extension to remain as a member of MAMAMOO until at least December 2023. Thus, RBW remained responsible for her activities in the group but was no longer involved in her solo endeavors. On August 31 2021, it was revealed that Wheein signed an exclusive solo contract with the agency THEL1VE.
MAMAMOO released a compilation album, titled I SAY MAMAMOO : THE BEST, in September 2021, alongside the lead single and new original song "mumumumuch". The album peaked at number eight on the Gaon Album Chart. On March 23 2022, MAMAMOO released I SAY MAMAMOO: THE BEST -Japan Edition-.
In August 2022, it was announced that members Solar and Moonbyul would be forming the group's first official subunit, MAMAMOO+, with an expected release at the end of the month. Their debut single "Better" featuring rapper BIG Naughty was released on August 30.
MAMAMOO released their 12th EP titled MIC ON and the lead single "ILLELLA" on October 11 2022. This kicked off their first world tour, "My Con", which started in Seoul on November 18 2022 and continued for 15 shows in Asia and 9 arena shows in North America, with the tour concluding with three encore dates in Seoul in June 2023.
On June 27 2023, it was announced that Hwasa would be leaving RBW after ten years. She signed with P Nation on June 30 while guesting at Psy's Summer Swag concert. P Nation released a statement saying "We plan to fully support Hwasa in her future activities, and we will do our best so she can meet her fans as MAMAMOO" (Naver, BNN).
MAMAMOO has received numerous accolades, most notably the Golden Disc Award for Best Group, the Mnet Asian Music Award for Best Vocal Group, and multiple honors at the Seoul Music Awards, as well as the Gaon Chart Music Award for New Artist of the Year in their rookie year. They also participated in and won the first season of the reality TV competition series Queendom in 2019.
rEALITY
MAMAMOO Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
이런 현실에 외로움에 자꾸 애가 타
그래 사실 네가 쓰레기라 욕했어
그래야 나의 가치를 지킬 것 같아
당연히도 아무 의미 없어
나를 망쳐버리는 말은 화살이 되고
무거워진 마음을 느껴 (느껴)
네가 없는 나날들
후회뿐인 오늘도 억지로 날 꾸미고
바보같이 난 lonely lonely lonely 해
애써 나를 감추려 해도
초라함이 더 휘날리네
Every time I missing you
I'm fine 아파
I'm fine (I'm fine) 아파
아마 나는 외톨이가 더 어울리는 것 같아
울지 말아줘
나에 대한 또 타인에 대한 이해가 더 필요해
죄책감 말고 이해
관심 배려 yeah
Oh 이런 날 만난 건 비밀로 해줘
붉어진 눈 비비고 oh oh
흘려버린 말을 담기가 어려웠지만
노력할 게 많아
당연히도 아무 의미 없어 (없어)
나를 망쳐버리는 말은 화살이 되고
무거워진 마음을 느껴 (느껴)
이젠 비틀거리는 난 어떡하니
네가 없는 나날들
후회뿐인 오늘도 예쁜 사진 올리고
바보같이 난 lonely lonely lonely 해
애써 나를 감추려 해도
초라함이 더 휘날리네
Every time I missing you
I'm fine 아파
I'm fine (I'm fine) 아파
I'm fine 아파
It's really not that simple about you (about you)
The lyrics of MAMAMOO's song "rEALITY" explore the experience of a person who didn't know what love was until now, but finds themselves feeling lonely and hurt in this harsh reality. The lyrics reveal that the person actually cursed the person they loved, believing that they needed to do so in order to protect their own self-worth. However, now they feel the weight of their actions, with their heart becoming heavier. They question how they will handle themselves now that they are stumbling without their loved one.
The lyrics continue to express the singer's feelings of regret and forced pretense even on days when they miss their loved one. They describe themselves as lonely and try to hide their true emotions, but their sense of insignificance is still evident. The chorus repeats the phrase "I'm fine" followed by "아파" (meaning "it hurts" in Korean), emphasizing their emotional pain. The lyrics also touch on the feeling of being misunderstood and the need for understanding and consideration from others, rather than guilt.
Line by Line Meaning
여태 사랑을 몰랐어 이게 뭐니
Up until now, I didn't understand what love is.
이런 현실에 외로움에 자꾸 애가 타
In this kind of reality, loneliness keeps burning my heart.
그래 사실 네가 쓰레기라 욕했어
Yes, in truth, I insulted you, calling you trash.
그래야 나의 가치를 지킬 것 같아
I thought that by doing so, I could protect my own self-worth.
당연히도 아무 의미 없어
Of course, it doesn't have any meaning.
나를 망쳐버리는 말은 화살이 되고
Words that ruin me become arrows.
무거워진 마음을 느껴 (느껴)
I can feel my heart becoming heavier.
이젠 비틀거리는 난 어떡하니
What should I do now that I'm stumbling?
네가 없는 나날들
The days without you.
후회뿐인 오늘도 억지로 날 꾸미고
Today, filled with regrets, I force myself to pretend.
바보같이 난 lonely lonely lonely 해
Like a fool, I'm lonely, lonely, lonely.
애써 나를 감추려 해도
Even when I try to hide myself.
초라함이 더 휘날리네
My misery is fluttering even more.
Every time I missing you
Every time I'm missing you.
I'm fine 아파
I'm fine, it hurts.
아마 나는 외톨이가 더 어울리는 것 같아
Maybe being a loner suits me better.
울지 말아줘
Please don't cry.
나에 대한 또 타인에 대한 이해가 더 필요해
I need more understanding for myself and others.
죄책감 말고 이해
Understanding, not guilt.
관심 배려 yeah
Attention and consideration, yeah.
Oh 이런 날 만난 건 비밀로 해줘
Oh, keep it a secret that you met me on a day like this.
붉어진 눈 비비고 oh oh
Wipe your reddened eyes.
흘려버린 말을 담기가 어려웠지만
Though it was difficult to hold onto the words that were spilled.
노력할 게 많아
There's a lot to work on.
네가 없는 나날들
The days without you.
후회뿐인 오늘도 예쁜 사진 올리고
Today, filled with regrets, I post beautiful pictures.
바보같이 난 lonely lonely lonely 해
Like a fool, I'm lonely, lonely, lonely.
애써 나를 감추려 해도
Even when I try to hide myself.
초라함이 더 휘날리네
My misery is fluttering even more.
Every time I missing you
Every time I'm missing you.
I'm fine 아파
I'm fine, it hurts.
I'm fine (I'm fine) 아파
I'm fine, it hurts.
I'm fine 아파
I'm fine, it hurts.
It's really not that simple about you (about you)
It's actually not easy when it comes to you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Woo Sang Park
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind