Born under the name Sandara Park, the South Korean singer, actress, and model known as Dara was born on November 12, 1984, in Busan, South Korea, however grew up in the Philippines from the age of 10. At the age of 20, she participated in the talent show Star Circle Quest on the advice of her best friend and thanks to this sudden media exposure, she became very popular in the Philippines, even though she didn't win the competition, landing several roles in local TV shows and dramas. In 2004, she released her first EP titled Sandara, which featured her first hit song "In or Out," among others. In 2007, she returned to South Korea and joined YG Entertainment as a trainee, where she underwent training in singing, dancing, acting, and languages. In 2009, she became a member of the group 2NE1 and remained with them until 2016, when the group disbanded. During her time with 2NE1, she performed on several successful albums, including To Anyone in 2010 (which reached Number 1) and Crush (number 2). After the group's disbandment, she continued her career as a solo artist, collaborating with various artists while also pursuing her acting and modelling endeavours. In 2023, she released her second solo EP titled Sandara Park, which features a mix of pop and R&B music. The EP included five new tracks, including "Festival," which contained a sample of the song of the same name written by Joo Young-hoon and originally performed by Uhm Jung-hwa in 1999.