About

Photo credits: @herenmagazine on Instagram

Career Highlights

One of Sun-mi's earliest achievements in her music career was back in 2008. One year after the debut of Wonder Girls, the group released one of their greatest hits, "Nobody." This track made history and made Wonder Girls the first Korean act to be on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Later in 2017, SUNMI had now become a soloist with her single "Gashina" debuting No.3 on the Digital Single Sales charts, gaining her popularity among listeners for her catchy lyrics and unique choreography. Following this, in 2018 SUNMI released her second EP album, "WARNING," that included hits like "Heroine" and "Siren." By the end of 2018, Sun-mi swept awards like "Song of the Year," "Artist of the Year," and "Best Female Artist," from multiple esteemed Asian award ceremonies. After a successful year, "Lalalay," was produced and released by SUNMI which received the Song of The Year award in 2020 at the 9th Gaon Chart Music Awards. These awards gave SUNMI recognition amongst the music industry up till 2024 where she was awarded a Bonsang Award at the Seoul Music Awards.

Background

Back when she attended middle school, Sun-mi auditioned for SM Entertainment to debut as a K-Pop artist. However, she ended up auditioning for JYP Entertainment after a recommendation from a past SM Entertainment employee. After her audition, she quickly passed and was placed to debut in 2007 with the hit girl group: Wonder Girls. Three years later due to personal reasons, Sun-mi left Wonder Girls and pursued her education at Dongguk University. At school, she lived as a normal college student majoring theater and film department until 2013.

Influences

When she became a trainee, Sun-mi met the founder of JYP Entertainment, J.Y Park. As she trained and later on debuted in Wonder Girls, he helped guide her as she worked as a K-Pop idol. J.Y Park shared his experience with Sun-mi which in turn helped her develop her own artistry and career. BoA was also a big influence for Sun-mi, this popular artist was one of the reasons she wanted to become a K-Pop idol when she was younger. SUNMI felt inspired by BoA who was also a young woman who achieved success and fame through her music.

Impact

Ever since her solo debut in 2013, Sun-mi has been creating bold, unique concepts that expressed themes from breaking free from societal pressures to romantic desires. With her unapologetic expression of sensuality and vulnerability SUNMI has inspired Korean artists to sing about themes that are stigmatized in South Korea like mental health. Internationally, SUNMI has broken barriers through collaborations (working with Ed Sheeran and participating in international music festivals), showcasing the richness of K-Pop to millions.

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