‘I hope we don’t view marriage negatively’: Mamamoo’s Hwasa wants to change ‘conservative’ views on K-celebs in relationships, Entertainment News

It’s often an uphill battle for South Korean celebrities when they date or get married, as they can potentially face disapproval from fans.

But Mamamoo’s Hwasa wants to change that.

The 29-year-old singer went on comedian Park Na-rae’s talk show Naraesik alongside actress Han Hye-jin in a video uploaded on YouTube on March 5, and was asked about her stance on wanting to get married early.

“I did have that idea once,” the idol responded. “In other countries, it’s freer when it comes to those things. South Korea is still…”

“A bit conservative about marriage?” Hye-jin, 43, suggested.

Hwasa continued: “Yeah, when it comes to marriage, whether it’s living together or marriage. I just want to…”

“Break it down?” Hye-jin asked, while Na-rae suggested: “Overturn it?”

“That’s honestly a dream of mine,” Hwasa said. “Like, Rihanna or Beyonce even performed while pregnant. She’s still viewed as Rihanna, you know? People see them as artists.”

Rihanna announced her second pregnancy with partner A$AP Rocky during her 2023 performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show while Beyonce announced her first pregnancy with husband Jay-Z at the 2011 MTV VMAs.

She also performed at the 2017 Grammys pregnant with twins.

“I hope South Korea becomes that free as well, so we don’t view marriage negatively,” Hwasa added.

Hwasa herself has been subject to relationship gossip recently, with rumours that she has been dating a businessman 12 years her senior.

She indirectly addressed it during the Naraesik episode while discussing 39-year-old Na-rae’s wishes to go on group dates with her friends, saying: “All three of us, we’re all single right now.”

Forced to apologise for dating, not revealing marriage for 11 years

Hwasa is far from the only K-celebrity under intense scrutiny when it comes to their romantic life.

When Aespa’s Karina and actor Lee Jae-wook had their budding relationship outed in February 2024 by paparazzi-style publication Dispatch, the idol had to make an apology to fans who felt betrayed.

“I am sorry to have shocked you so much,” the 24-year-old wrote in a handwritten note. “I was late [in addressing the news] as I felt like I had to be careful since MYs (her fans) were very rattled.

“I know very well just how disappointed MYs, who have supported me all this while, are and just how sad you must’ve been as you recalled everything we have talked about together. Because I know just how you feel, I feel even sorrier.”

Their relationship ended shortly after, with Jae-wook’s agency C-JeS Studio saying he wanted to “focus on his filming projects”.

Blackpink’s Jisoo and actor Ahn Bo-hyun also faced scrutiny during their short-lived relationship in 2023, while some Exo fans rallied against Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon when her relationship with Baekhyun was confirmed in 2014. They broke up the following year.

Even when it comes to marriage, K-celebs can incur fans’ wrath. Just ask Exo’s Chen, who had fans-turned-haters protesting and asking him to be removed from the group after he announced he would be marrying his pregnant girlfriend in 2020.

The same year, ’90s idol Lee Jae-hoon from the co-ed group Cool revealed that he had been married for 11 years with two children.

This was shortly after actor Sung Joon belatedly announced that he and his undisclosed partner had tied the knot and had a child back in 2018, before he was enlisted in the military, and would be holding a private wedding ceremony soon.

While they both cited their wives’ non-celebrity status and privacy as the reason for secrecy, the fear of losing their fanbases might also have played a part.

“Numerous celebrities believe that marriage will lead to a fall in their popularity,” comedian-turned-psychologist Kwon Young-chan told The Korea Times back then. “For them, losing popularity means losing fans who bring them economic gains.”

He added that fans can “easily turn away” when their favourite celebrities get married as some of them, “especially those who are young and unmarried, tend to regard their stars as ‘dream lovers'”.

However, he espoused the positive side of stars being married: “Celebrities with a happy domestic life are less likely to get mired in scandals, since the family members provide them stability.”‘

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drimac@asiaone.com