[TF Focus] YENA, A 'Rare Woman' Who Stepped Out of the Comic

2nd, 'Uncommon Girl' released.. Block B remakeExpanding 'Yena-core' smartly instead of repeatingYENA released the digital single 'Uncommon Girl' on the 2nd. It reinterpreted the song of the same name, included in boy group Block B's fourth mini-album 'HER' released in 2014. The photo shows her attending the '2026 THE FACT MUSIC AWARDS' in September. /Reporter Kim Sung-ryeol[THE FACT | Reporter Jung Byung-geun] As difficult as it is to create one's own color is not to be trapped by that color. YENA completed the so-called 'Yena-core' through 'Nemo Nemo' and 'Catch Catch' this year. And the moment she showed what she does best, she took a step in a slightly different direction.The digital single 'Uncommon Girl' (Feat. Nauen Young), released by YENA on the 2nd, is therefore interesting. Compared to YENA's recent image, which seemed to have jumped out of a cartoon or animation, she has toned it down considerably. Many of the devices of 'Yena-core', which densely filled the music and visuals, have also been removed. Yet, when you listen to the song, it's strangely YENA. The familiar YENA is wearing unfamiliar clothes.'Uncommon Girl' reinterprets the song of the same name, included in boy group Block B's fourth mini-album 'HER', released in 2014. The original song was a sweet pop rap that contained a man's active courtship of an attractive woman. The YENA version flips that gaze. The person who was described as an 'uncommon girl' by someone now becomes the narrator and defines herself as such.If the original song had the male saying, "You're not an ordinary girl," this time YENA says, "I am not an ordinary girl." The chorus, which in the original song complained about being tired while looking at the attractive woman, has also changed subjects to something like, 'You're tired because I'm pretty.''Uncommon Girl' differs from the starting point of a simple remake where a man's song is sung in a woman's key. As a result, despite being a remake, there is a wide scope for YENA to play.With rapper Nauen Young, who gained attention on Mnet's 'Show Me The Money 12', participating as a featured artist, the original song's one-sided courtship has turned into a push-and-pull conversation between a man and a woman. YENA knows her charm well but playfully steps back from cheesy expressions, while Nauen Young is the younger man who actively approaches her. At this point, YENA's strengths shine.YENA's weapon is her ability to turn characters into songs. This continues in 'Uncommon Girl'. However, the difference is that while 'Nemo Nemo' and 'Catch Catch' were new worlds filled with all sorts of devices, 'Uncommon Girl' is much closer to an everyday romantic comedy. The photo shows her at the '2026 THE FACT MUSIC AWARDS'. /Reporter LEE SAEROMThe most powerful weapon YENA has built up through her solo activities is her ability to turn characters into songs, more so than any specific genre. In 2022, she showed bright, playful, and confident energy with 'SMILEY' and has since explored her range across rock, pop, and emotional music. The process of this taking a clear form was 'Nemo Nemo' in 2024.Intuitive lyrics expressing the rough edges of each other discovered through love as 'nemo' (square) shapes, millennium-inspired electronic sounds, and cartoon-like visuals combined with hand gestures forming squares, all merged music and character.'Catch Catch' refined this further. Repetitive melodies, instantly memorable point choreography, high-saturation colors, and a world closer to animation than reality moved together. Thus, 'Yena-core' is not just a cute concept, but YENA's unique way of embodying exaggerated expressions, fast energy, and quirky, confident attitudes through music, performance, and visuals.This method exploded. 'Catch Catch' connected the heat generated from short-form content to the music charts, reaching a monthly high of 7th on the Circle Digital Chart, and surpassed 100 million cumulative streams on Spotify on the 30th of last month. She expanded the scale of her activities with an Asian tour that started in Seoul in April and went through Macau, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, followed by an encore concert in August.It would have been natural to use 'Yena-core', which created this momentum, once more. However, YENA chose a B-side track from a boy group from 12 years ago. This is where the value of 'Uncommon Girl' lies.In the new version, YENA's signature bright and light tone, and her playful way of delivering words, are still present. Her cheeky attitude of declaring "I am an uncommon girl" also aligns with the character YENA has shown in 'Nemo Nemo' or 'Catch Catch'. Making cheesy lines shameless yet lovable is an area where YENA particularly excels.On the other hand, the way it is packaged is distinctly different. While 'Nemo Nemo' and 'Catch Catch' were new worlds filled with all sorts of devices, 'Uncommon Girl' is much closer to an everyday romantic comedy. Instead of a character dominating the entire screen alone, she converses and plays push-and-pull with the other person. Therefore, YENA's brightness, rather than exploding as before, works by reacting to the other person's words.What YENA needs now is not just to deepen her own color, but to confirm how far that color can spread, and 'Uncommon Girl' is a rather clever choice for that first experiment. The photo is a scene from the music video. /YH EntertainmentThe new version, compressed to 2 minutes and 29 seconds, is much shorter than the original 3 minutes and 11 seconds. While keeping the familiar chorus of the original song at its center, it quickly exchanges new lyrics and Nauen Young's parts. The arrangement using guitar, bass, and synthesizer was also re-composed to fit today's short and upbeat pop grammar, rather than restoring the original song.The music video also focuses on the relationship and chemistry created by the two people, rather than showing YENA's exaggerated world alone. The fact that she pre-released this song with Nauen Young at the encore concert in August already shows that character well. It's more of a continuation of the enjoyable synergy that began at the concert, rather than a next chapter.Therefore, the format of a digital single is appropriate. A single-song remake single allows for trying out different aspects without pressure. There is no reason to discard the color, nor is there a need to stay in it.Above all, this song conversely shows the essence of 'Yena-core'. Even when the high-saturation sets, animated settings, and relentlessly fast-paced concepts are removed, YENA's unique tone, expressions, cheeky confidence, and her ability to digest a song like a character are felt. This proves that YENA herself, not the various devices, is the center of 'Yena-core'.What YENA needs now is not just to deepen her own color, but to confirm how far that color can spread, and 'Uncommon Girl' is a rather clever choice for that first experiment. In the light format of a digital single, she took a well-known song by Block B and tried out a different tone without pressure. And she did so without losing her core strengths.Viewed in this light, 'Uncommon Girl' is a song that confirms the boundaries of 'Yena-core'. At a time when 'Catch Catch' was gaining strong momentum this year, YENA did not rush to create another 'Catch Catch', but instead showed that she can utilize her established color in different genres and relationships. It is a smart expansion of 'Yena-core'.kafka@tf.co.kr[Entertainment Department | ssent@tf.co.kr]