[Provided by Herald POP (now Herald Muse)]
[Provided by Herald POP (now Herald Muse)]

Hyolyn, a singer and former member of the girl group Sistar, has opened up about the challenges of running her own one-person agency eight years in — saying the company is currently operating at a loss while she still has staff to pay.

On Monday morning, Hyolyn appeared as a guest on the "Legend Master" segment of KBS Cool FM's "Park Myung-soo's Radio Show."

During the broadcast, DJ Park Myung-soo said it would be great to see the Sistar members come together for a performance. Hyolyn replied, "It would be nice to get together if a good opportunity comes along."

Park then said the four members could simply meet and talk it over, noting that the songs come from Hyolyn anyway. She said each member has her own projects going on, so they would need to discuss it.

Park also asked whether she had set up a company. "It's basically a cottage industry," Hyolyn said. "When I started out on my own, I set up a one-person agency, and it's been eight years now. After the group ended, I ran it for about seven years and then the team went through some changes. Based on what I experienced along the way — things I thought could be improved — I built another one."

Hyolyn said the agency has five employees, including herself.

On why she chose to start her own company, she said she had considered joining an established agency for peace of mind, but felt too impatient after Sistar's activities ended. "I thought it was such a waste of time to coordinate with so many different companies," she said.

Park quipped that she must have payroll to cover and would need to work hard. "Hyolyn needs to get paid too," she shot back. "I'm worn out."

When Park asked whether the company was turning a profit, Hyolyn said she had spent heavily on her new album. Pressed further on whether things were still holding up, she said, "We went into the red preparing this album, so now we need to get into the black. We need to start recouping. It's not just me anymore, so there's pressure."

"Oppa, please help me out," she added.

Hyolyn founded Bridge Entertainment as a one-person agency in 2017, then reestablished it under the name ReH Entertainment in January 2025.

She released her fourth mini-album, "OriginaLyn," on Wednesday. She produced all the tracks on the record.


yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com