South Korean singer Hyolyn has come under fire for saying the N-Word while singing along to Doja Cat‘s ‘Say So’ during an Instagram Story.
The SISTAR member recently posted a number of Instagram Stories of herself on a trip with stylist GANi. One video in particular, which was uploaded yesterday (February 15), featured her dancing to the hit Doja Cat track ‘Say So’.
In particular, Hyolyn filmed herself singing along to a verse that contained the N-word. She has since deleted that particular Story, while keeping the rest of the footage from her vacation up.
hyolyn should have chosen another month to say nigga but on bhm??? pic.twitter.com/uqBB0gVEWX
— bean (@dieforloona) February 15, 2024
Shortly after the clip was uploaded, many fans flooded the comments section of Hyolyn’s Instagram account, demanding an apology from the singer. However, she has since disabled the comments on her most recent post.
Today (February 16), Hyolyn addressed the controversy with an apology on both her official X (formerly known as Twitter) account and Instagram Stories. “Yesterday, while singing along to a song playing in the background, I carelessly uttered a charged word with significant cultural and historical implications,” she wrote.
“I am deeply regretful and heartbroken to have hurt so many of you by my ignorance. I am sincerely sorry,” she continued, before expressing her gratitude to her fans for “keeping me accountable for my actions”.
“I hope you will be there in my journey to educate myself more on cultures beyond my own, to grow not only as an artist, but as a person,” she added. “Thank you again for all your love and support.”
Hello everyone, this is HYOLYN.
Yesterday, while singing along to a song that was playing in the background, I carelessly uttered a charged word with significant cultural and historical implications. I am deeply regretful and heartbroken to have hurt so many of you by my…
— 효린(HYOLYN) (@officialhyolyn_) February 16, 2024
Last month, the K-pop idol reunited with fellow SISTAR bandmate Bora to release their first music as sub-unit SISTAR19 in 11 years, with a single titled ‘No More (Ma Boy)’. The pair also released a B-side track on top of the lead single, titled ‘Saucy’.