Lee Sun-mi (Korean: 이선미; bornSun Mi, May 2, 1992), known mononymously asSunmi, is a South Korean singer, dancer, songwriter and record producer. She debuted in 2007 as a member of South Korean girl groupWonder Girls and left the group in 2010 to pursue her studies. After a three-year hiatus, Sunmi resumed her career as a soloist with her 2013 debut extended play,Full Moon, spawning the number two singles "24 Hours" and "Full Moon" on the nationalGaon Digital Chart.
In 2015, Sunmi was announced to be resuming promotion with the Wonder Girls and remained with the group until their disbandment in 2017. She subsequently leftJYP Entertainment and joined Makeus Entertainment (now known as Abyss Company), releasing the hit single "Gashina". Her second extended play,Warning, was released in 2018 and produced two other hit singles: "Heroine" and "Siren".
Sunmi revealed on a 2018 episode ofTalkmon that she first decided to become a celebrity when she was 12 after her father was admitted to hospital due to complications ofpulmonary tuberculosis. She was inspired byBoA, who debuted at the age of 13, and it was for her "the fastest way to make money" in order to take care of her mother and two younger brothers. She went toSeoul to audition and became aJYP Entertainment trainee at 14, though her father died three months before her debut withWonder Girls. She later adopted her stepfather's surname Lee while in university and merged her original given name and surname, becoming Lee Sun-mi.[3]
In May 2006, Sunmi was revealed as the fourth member ofWonder Girls, a girl group managed byJYP Entertainment. The group debuted with the single "Irony", on February 10, 2007, and quickly rose to stardom with their hits "Tell Me", "So Hot" and "Nobody" within two years of debuting.[4] Sunmi participated with the group in American activities, touring alongside theJonas Brothers, under the nickname Mimi.[5]
In January 2010, JYP announced that Sunmi would be leaving the Wonder Girls the following month to focus on her education.[6] In January 2012, the agency confirmed that Sunmi had taken a leave of absence from school to train at JYP, but that there were no definitive plans for her to resume activities.[7]
2013–2016: Solo debut withFull Moon and return to Wonder Girls
In August 2013, Sunmi was announced to be returning to her music career, debuting as a solo artist.[8] Sunmi made her solo debut on August 22, onMnet'sM! Countdown. Her debut single "24 Hours" was released on August 26, and subsequently achieved anall-kill on music charts.[9] Subsequently, her debutextended playFull Moon was released on February 17, 2014, along with the promotional single of the same name.[10] The latter peaked at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart[11] and at number three onBillboard's K-pop Hot 100.[12] "Full Moon" was praised for being innovative, and Sunmi was said to have delivered a classy rendition of "sexy".[13]
On June 24, 2015, JYP Entertainment announced that Sunmi would be re-joining Wonder Girls for their comeback after the group's two-year hiatus. The group returned with a band concept, with Sunmi playing thebass.[14] In August, the group's albumReboot was released, with Sunmi co-writing and co-producing three of its tracks.[15] In 2016, Sunmi once again received songwriting and producing credits for a Wonder Girls release, this time for two songs on the band's single album "Why So Lonely", including thetitle track of the same name.[16]
2017–2019: Group disbandment,Warning, and world tour
On January 26, 2017, it was announced that Wonder Girls were to disband after unsuccessful contract renewal negotiations with members Yeeun and Sunmi. The group released their final single "Draw Me" on February 10, 2017, which also served as a celebration for their tenth anniversary.[17][18]
In March, Sunmi signed with Makeus Entertainment. In August, she released her single "Gashina", produced byTeddy Park ofThe Black Label.[19][20] The song debuted at number 2 on theGaon Digital Chart before topping the chart the following week, and was named the third best K-pop song of 2017 byBillboard.[21]
Sunmi returned with a single titled "Heroine" on January 18, 2018. She described the single as a prequel to "Gashina".[22] On September 4, Sunmi released her second EP, titledWarning, along with the lead single, "Siren".[23] "Siren" received an all-kill on six local music charts.[24]Warning was named the third best K-pop album of 2018 byBillboard andBravo.[25][26] "Addict" was named the eighth best K-pop b-side of the year byMTV.[27]
From February to June 2019, Sunmi held her first world tour, titled Warning.[28] Tickets for the Seoul concert reportedly sold out in five seconds after opening.[29] She performed in 18 cities across Asia, America and Europe. In the midst of the tour, on March 4, 2019, Sunmi released a single titled "Noir".[30] After completing the world tour, she released the single "Lalalay" on August 27, 2019.[31] Both singles peaked at number eight on the Gaon Digital Chart.[32][33]
On February 6, 2020, Sunmi released the single "Gotta Go" as part of the original soundtrack of the web seriesXX, in which she made acameo.[34][35] On June 29, she released the single "Pporappippam", which reached number 5 on the Gaon Digital Chart.[36][37][38] On July 22, she was selected as the exclusive model for the mobile game요괴미식가;Yogoemisikga.[39] On August 12, she andJ.Y. Park released the duet "When We Disco", which peaked at number 3 on the Gaon Digital Chart and was later certified platinum for streaming by theKorea Music Content Association.[40][41][42] In October, she featured on label mate Park Won's song "Oh Yeah" from his albumMy Fuxxxxx Romance.[43]
On June 8, 2022, Sunmi's agency announced that she was preparing for a comeback with a single titled "Heart Burn" on June 29.[47][48] On June 30, 2022, the agency announced Sunmi's world tour '2022 Sunmi Tour 'Good Girl Gone Mad' through its official SNS channel. It was held in Europe and North America, and wrapped up in Seoul in October 2022.[49][50] After not releasing new music for over a year, Sunmi released the single "Stranger" on October 17, 2023.[51]
On June 13, 2024, Sunmi released the self-composed single "Balloon in Love".[52] She released the single "Blue!" the following year on August 26, 2025.[53] On November 5, 18 years after she made her debut as a singer, Sunmi released her first full-length album,Heart Maid.[54] The album includes 13 tracks, including the lead single "Cynical".[54]
Sunmi is known in theK-pop industry to have created her own musical style called "Sunmi-pop".[55][56] It maintains K-pop's core influences such aspop,disco,rock,traditional Korean music plusretro andcity pop elements mixed with Sunmi's own defined music identity.[57]
The concept of "Sunmi-pop" was first mentioned by Sunmi herself onYou Hee-yeol's Sketchbook at the start of 2018.[58] Later in the year, in an interview for1TheK'sYouTube channel published in September 2018, she revealed that her personal goal was to create her own music style named after herself.[59][60] The interview was published at a time coinciding with the release ofWarning (her firstextended play since her renewal as asolo artist) and she referred to the newly published EP as "a stepping stone from which [she] can build [her] own music style".[60]
One week ahead of the release of her single "Noir", she mentioned her main goal during a detailed interview forBillboard Korea, hoping that her musical style would become something that could inspire other artists.[61][62] K-pop fans around the world started to acknowledge Sunmi's own musical identity by using for the first time the word "Sunmi-pop" in a few tweets, although the term became common onsocial media only after her fans used it to reply to a tweet posted by Sunmi herself. Even though the tweet itself didn't mention the term, Koreanmedia and industry players started to officially recognize the word "Sunmi-pop" and implement it in articles andvariety shows for the first time to describe Sunmi's music, reporting that she created her own style by applying her abilities inself-writing,self-composing and ideating performances.[55][63]
On May 30, 2019, inLondon, right before going up on the stage of theWarning World Tour, an interviewer of the Korean media agencyYonhap News made known to Sunmi that a term to describe her musical style had been coined already as "Sunmi-pop".[64] Thus the word "Sunmi-pop" gained its officiality, and on August 21, 2019, her agency Abyss Company (then known as Makeus Entertainment) also recognized the newly coined word by sharing an article fromNaver News which dedicated a section to "Sunmi genre, Sunmi-pop" in anticipation of her comeback with "Lalalay".[65]
The main characteristic of "Sunmi-pop" is defined by the emotions that the songs convey and provoke in the listener. According to Sunmi: "there's always a slightly sad emotion that permeates [my music] no matter how excitingly I sing the song" and "it's energetic and happy but with a sense of sadness".[66][67] "Sunmi-pop" songs featureupbeatdance rhythms with lyrics marked bymetaphors and double meanings that slightly conceal a sense ofcynicism.[68]
Since "Gashina", Sunmi'stitle tracks have featured double meanings and wordplays in the song title such as "Siren", expressing both the meaning of thewarning sound and themythological figure of thesiren,[60][69] and "Lalalay" which both refers to the act of flying [like abutterfly] and the wordnallari (날라리) meaning 'punk' or 'party-goer' in Korean.[70] Additionally, the songs "Gashina", "Heroine", "Siren", "Black Pearl", "Curve", "Lalalay" and "Tail" all present metaphors in the lyrics thus defining Sunmi's style of expression.[68] Although "Sunmi-pop" songs mostly present an exciting and happy beat, Sunmi shared that her lyrics are often imbued with a sense of cynicism due to the fact that, in her real life, as acelebrity, she can't always express her true feelings.[70] Metaphors, wordplays and double meanings are often expressed throughchoreographies that complement her work.[68]
Though "Sunmi-pop" isn't constricted within a single music style or genre,electro-pop and retro elements are often associated with Sunmi's songs. The reason why these elements emerge is to be found in Sunmi's roots as a member of theWonder Girls and her time in theUS. Sunmi said in a 2021 interview that producerJ. Y. Park wanted her and the other members to "broaden [their] understanding of the different music styles of different eras" focusing especially on retro concepts andMotown artists, which she ended up liking.[57][61] In aBillboard interview she revealed: "Personally, I like music from the '70s, '80s, and '90s, so I try to findinstrumentals and sounds that evoke those periods and work them into my music".[71]
"Sunmi-pop" is also considered by Sunmi to be a combination of popularity and identity.[61] On the April 2021 issue ofL'Officiel Singapore, Sunmi explained: "I always try to come up with fun and easy ways to approach a range of people, while keeping the original emotions in myself". While her aesthetic or themes are considered to beniche, her goal is to remain inside the world ofpopular music.[57]
Another key element of "Sunmi-pop" is dynamism: Sunmi shared her wish of wanting to try new ideas every time, like working with other producers, and explore new genres by showing a different range of themes, aesthetics and sounds through the years.[63]
^Hosted by the Korea Consumer Brand Committee and the Korea Consumer Forum, the Korea First Brand Awards bases its winners on a nationwide South Korean survey.[119]
^Created in 2018 by the Korea Singers Association, the Korea Entertainment Producer's Association, the Recording Industry Association of Korea, the Federation of Korean Music Performers, and theKorea Music Copyright Association, the Korea Popular Music Awards is designed to honor leaders in thehallyu wave.[120]
^The Korean Brand of the Year Awards selects the biggest brands from a large collection of categories via online voting.[122]
^"JYP "선미, 활동계획無..복귀는 본인이 결정할 일"" [JYP: "Sunmi has no plans for future activities... Her return is her own decision"].Star News (in Korean). January 13, 2012. RetrievedNovember 5, 2025.
^"선미, 첫 월드 투어 서울 콘서트 티켓 5초 매진 기록" [Sunmi's first world tour Seoul concert tickets sold out in 5 seconds].Sports Dong-a (in Korean).Naver. January 23, 2019.Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. RetrievedFebruary 9, 2024.
^Kim, Jin-seok (June 8, 2022)."선미, 10개월만인 이달 말 컴백 확정... '선미팝; 기대↑" [Sunmi confirms comeback at the end of this month after 10 months... 'Sunmi Pop; expectation↑] (in Korean).Ilgan Sports.Archived from the original on June 8, 2022. RetrievedJune 8, 2022 – viaNaver.
^Baek, Seung-hoon (June 16, 2022)."선미, '솔로 퀸'에서 '써머 퀸'으로...29일 컴백" [Sunmi, from 'Solo Queen' to 'Summer Queen'... comeback on the 29th] (in Korean).iMBC.Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. RetrievedJune 16, 2022 – viaNaver.
^Ji, Min-kyung (June 30, 2022)."선미, 3년 만의 월드투어 개최 확정..유럽+북미 16개 도시 공연" [Sunmi confirmed to hold world tour for the first time in 3 years... Performances in 16 cities in Europe and North America] (in Korean). Osen.Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. RetrievedJune 30, 2022 – viaNaver.
^"선미, 두 번째 월드투어 '굿 걸 곤 매드' 성료" [Sunmi successfully concludes her second world tour, "Good Girl Gone Mad"].Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). October 10, 2022. RetrievedNovember 5, 2025.
^"선미 "'STRANGER'는 선미스러운 앨범..진지함+코믹함 다 담았죠"" [Sunmi: "'STRANGER' is a very Sunmi-esque album... It's both serious and comical."].Star News (in Korean). October 17, 2023. RetrievedNovember 5, 2025.
^"선미, 오늘(13일) 컴백…"새로운 선미팝, 순수한 열망 담았다" [공식입장]" [Sunmi makes a comeback today (the 13th)… "New Sunmi pop, filled with pure desire" [Official Statement]].Xports News (in Korean). June 13, 2024. RetrievedNovember 5, 2025.
^""푸른 불안과 찬란함 사이"…선미, 'BLUE!'로 자작 세계관 완성→싱어송라이터 존재감 증명" ["Between blue anxiety and splendor"... Sunmi unveils her worldview with "Blue!" → Proving her presence as a singer-songwriter].Star News (in Korean). August 26, 2025. RetrievedNovember 5, 2025.
^ab"선미, 와이 소 시니컬?…데뷔 18년 만에 첫 솔로 정규" [Sunmi, Why So Cynical?… First Solo Full Album in 18 Years Since Debut].Newsis (in Korean). November 5, 2025. RetrievedNovember 5, 2025.
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^선미(SUNMI) 'STRANGER' MV (Music video). Abyss Company. October 17, 2023.Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. RetrievedOctober 17, 2023 – via YouTube.
^Kang Hyo-jin (October 21, 2021)."'싱어게인2' 윤도현 합류, 이선희→송민호 심사위원 라인업 확정[공식]" ['Singer Gain 2' Yoon Do-hyun joins, Lee Seon-hee → Song Min-ho Jury lineup confirmed] (in Korean). SPOTV news.Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. RetrievedOctober 21, 2021 – viaNaver.
^Lee, Seul (November 8, 2023)."'싱어게인3' 최초 슈퍼 어게인→"내 OST가 가장 유명" 참가자까지" ['Singer Gain 3' first super gain → "My OST is the most famous" participant].X-ports News (in Korean).Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. RetrievedNovember 8, 2023 – viaNaver.
^Hwang Hye-jin (June 9, 2021)."원더걸스 출신 선미·소녀시대 티파니 '걸스플래닛999' 출연 확정(공식)" [Wonder Girls former Sunmi and Girls' Generation Tiffany confirmed to appear in 'Girls Planet 999' (official)] (in Korean). Newsen.Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. RetrievedJune 9, 2021 – via Never.
^Seon Mi-kyung (February 8, 2023)."'보이즈 플래닛' 연습생 전원, 선미와 1회 방송 시청.."벌써 반응 뜨겁다"" [All trainees of 'Boys Planet' watch the first episode with Sunmi.."The reaction is already hot"] (in Korean). Osen.Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. RetrievedFebruary 11, 2023 – viaNaver.
^Jeong Ga-young (June 24, 2022)."[단독] 선미, '쇼!터뷰' 새 MC 된다...제시와 배턴터치" [[Exclusive] Sunmi becomes the new MC for 'Show! Jessie and the baton touch] (in Korean). Sports World.Archived from the original on June 24, 2022. RetrievedJune 24, 2022 – viaNaver.
^Oh Ji-won (July 8, 2022)."선미, '쇼!터뷰' 새 MC 확정...14일 첫 공개" [Sunmi confirmed as new MC for 'Show! Interview'... First release on the 14th] (in Korean).YTN.Archived from the original on July 8, 2022. RetrievedJuly 8, 2022 – viaNaver.
^"亚洲流行音乐大奖2021年度获奖名单揭晓" [The winners of the 2021 Asian Pop Music Awards have been announced].Phoenix New Media (in Chinese). December 28, 2021. RetrievedApril 7, 2025.
^"【APMA 2022】亚洲流行音乐大奖2022年度获奖名单" [[APMA 2022] Asian Pop Music Awards 2022 winners list].Weibo (in Chinese). December 28, 2022. RetrievedApril 7, 2025.
^Hwang, Soo-yeon (November 9, 2018)."공정성+신뢰성" 2018 한국대중음악시상식 12월 20일 개최 ["Fairness + Reliability" 2018 Korean Pop Music Awards ceremony to be held on December 20].Newsen (in Korean).Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. RetrievedJuly 14, 2019.
^《2018 KPMA》入圍名單公開，BTS、EXO、WANNA ONE 三強鼎立！ [The Finalists of the "2018 KPMA" are Announced, and BTS, EXO, and Wanna One Stand Out!].Kpopn (in Chinese). November 30, 2018.Archived from the original on March 2, 2019. RetrievedDecember 29, 2019.
^Park, Sung-won (July 24, 2019).[포토] 오마이걸, '2019브랜드대상' 여자아이돌 부문 수상 [Oh My Girl Wins '2019 Brand Award' in Idol Category].New Daily Biz (in Korean).Archived from the original on July 24, 2019. RetrievedDecember 25, 2019.
^Lee, Seong-sun (January 3, 2024)."'서울가요대상', 영예의 대상엔시티 드림...임영웅→제베원 등 18팀 본상 수상" ['Seoul Music Awards', Honourable Mention NCT Dream... 18 teams including Lim Young Woong → Zerobaseone win main prize].Surprise News (in Korean).Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 2, 2024.
^Yang, Mi-sun (March 23, 2018).한국 연예계의 세대교체 [Generational change in Korean entertainment industry].JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean).Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. RetrievedMay 21, 2021 – via Joins.
^Kim, Min-soo (April 23, 2019).파워 셀럽 40인은 누구? [Who are the 40 power celebrities?].JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean).Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. RetrievedMay 21, 2021 – via Joins.
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