(G)I-DLE's Shuhua Gets Real About Why She Chose To Dye Her Hair Blonde After Years Of Being Firmly Against It

(G)I-DLE made a successful comeback with “Nxde,” a title track that easily climbed to the top of the digital charts in South Korea. It made a strong impression on listeners all over the world with its catchy hook, empowering lyrics, and of course, gorgeous visuals.

The members stood out by sporting blonde hair all at the same time. It was an ode to Marilyn Monroe, an iconic American film actress who was the inspiration behind the “confidently sexy” and “more than meets the eye” theme.

This was an especially shocking development considering Shuhua‘s famous hatred for bleached hair. She continuously turned down the very idea of dyeing her hair any shade throughout the years, leaving her as a rare K-Pop idol who retained her natural dark locks from pre-debut until recent times.

After turning blonde, she was often praised for her sexy appearance that perfectly matched the old school style of “Nxde.”

In an interview with Grammy, the Taiwanese member delved deeper into the reason why she finally allowed herself to dye her hair. The site pointed out, “Shuhua going blonde was a big move, and even the members thought that it wouldn’t happen. As artists and as a group, how do you feel about getting out of your comfort zone to reach a greater goal? And how do you decide, ‘this is something that I won’t do’?”

She was honest about the reasoning behind it, saying that she was simply ready to make a change: “I just decided, ‘Okay!”

At the heart of her decision was her desire to show a new image to the fans who support (G)I-DLE.

[I thought] ‘It’s time to show fans our new appearance.’

— Shuhua

She added, “I learned that I have to believe in myself when I perform on stage. I have to trust myself a lot, because the audience is there, but they are only there to see us and support us, so I need to have faith in what I do and in my performance.”

The final nail in the coffin was the fact that the group’s overall look was significant to the style that they were going for this time around.

It really suits that concept [too] so that’s why I decided to go blonde.

— Shuhua

“Nxde” is a song that was conceptualized by fellow member Soyeon. By channeling their inner Marilyn Monroe as depicted by their blonde locks, they wanted to express the message that they are more than what people think of them.

There’s a message I wanted to share: ‘I’d rather be hated for being myself than be loved as someone I’m not.’ I want that to be the main message of our title song. I was inspired by Marilyn Monroe. As you all know, she was famous for being sexually attractive and had a ‘dumb blonde’ image. But I heard she was actually very smart.

— Soyeon

Evidently, the rest of the members believed in Soyeon’s plan and did their best to support her. Shuhua was a prime example of this with her conviction to dye her hair for the first time.