Hur Young-ji, a member of girl group Kara, is hoping she can make everyone happy with her first solo single.

“I’ve been thinking about what differentiates me [from other artists] for a while,” Hur said in a press showcase held at the Shinhan pLay Square Hall in Mapo District, western Seoul, ahead of the release of her single, “Toi Toi Toi.”

“As I was promoting our group as a member of Kara, people told me that they become happy when they see me happy; [with my solo release] you’ll be able to see me happy for three full minutes."

“Toi Toi Toi,” referring to the German expression wishing someone good luck, is an album that is designed to cheer people up and make everyone happy, according to Hur.

“I’ve shown the three tracks to my sister, and she suggested ‘Toi Toi Toi’ for the title of the single. I thought it was very befitting,” Hur said.

The lead track of the single, “L.O.V.E,” cheers people up with “Hur’s unique lovely energy,” the artist said. “I’m telling people to use love — not just in the sense of romantic love, but in the broader definition of love — to tackle life’s hardships as they go through this journey of life.”

The two other tracks included in the single are “Focus,” which tells people to “focus on Hur Young-ji, who made her solo debut” and “Climax,” a song that she first revealed during a meet and greet last year.

Hur debuted as a member of girl group Kara back in 2014, but the group ceased group activities after its seventh EP "In Love" in 2015, until it released its 15th-anniversary album "Move Again" last year. Hur, too, didn’t release many songs during the break, apart from her 2017 digital single "Memory Clock."

“I don’t think I was ready for a solo release for a while,” Hur said.

“That was a time for me to look back and think about what I should do. It took me a while to truly look back on myself.

"But one day I thought, ‘I’m someone who is capable of emitting this much energy, and yet I’m not performing on stage?’ That’s when I ran into the agency and demanded that they let me do a solo release,” she said.

“Kara members listened to my solo single from the very start of the production process, and they supported and praised me very much,” Hur said. “Our members even told me to focus more on my single release over the group activities, as it’s my first solo release,” she said with a laugh.

“I’ve been greedy about my first solo releases, and I will diligently continue my solo activities,” she said. “I still want to enjoy my journey!”

To find out more about Hur Young-ji, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]