SUNMI
Solo singer SUNMI, from the company ABYSS, returns to the stage this Tuesday, October 17, with the song “Stranger,” her latest digital single.
The showcase begins with quick presentations, a photo shoot, and the performance as well as the clip for her new title follow, the artist finding herself surrounded by numerous dancers. The clip takes place in a large seemingly abandoned mansion, with SUNMI looking for this “stranger” tormenting her. The room is full of journalists, the success of the young woman no longer needs to be demonstrated.
It’s been more than a year since SUNMI last made a comeback, but she confirms that she’s still nervous every time she goes on stage, even if the world tours she’s been able to do, including one during her absence, seems to have given her more self-confidence, according to her. Among her dates, she stopped in Paris, a city she knows well since she was there until recently for Fashion Week. She says she was very touched to see fans there, who asked her, for example, to do cute poses for their camera.
Although it has been a while since her last appearance in Korea, she wants to become someone who can convey her emotions, remaining natural during shows where she might appear, and creating a reputation as a professional singer with unique concepts. Most notably, this concept is meant to represent her ambivalence, as one of the strangers she pursues turns out to be herself. The video for “Stranger” was also filmed in Poland, a place that she found magical, and therefore ideal for this shoot.
The singer provokes laughter from the reporters, because she keeps sneezing, claiming that her energetic dance previously performed stirred up a lot of dust. The MC seizes his chance, and then throws confetti at her, to support his words about his “dust” flying in the air. But the seriousness returns, because she continues to approach the other songs of her single, without stopping sneezing. “Calm myself”, more particularly, is entirely in English, SUNMI wanting to challenge herself. She also dances the chorus of “Stranger” again while continuing to sneeze, so much so that the MC renames the dance “atchoom”. Seeking to regain her composure, the singer speaks seriously about the choreography which is intended to represent a tiger and a zombie.
“It’s been more than 10 years since I started, but I don’t want to experiment with a radically different style, I like my musical identity.” – SUNMI
She brings some comforting words to her fans, telling them that even if their favorite artist is having difficulties, which is natural, it will eventually work out, and in her songs, she seeks to convey this kind of message, so that the people supporting her feel close to her, hoping to present an authentic image of herself. In addition, this comeback has a concept of “back to basics”, because it is darker than his recent titles, wanting to be joyful and bright like “Heart burn“. Here, we find ourselves in a haunted castle with clowns and ghosts, a concept reminiscent of the period of her debut with “Full moon“.
Her stylist worked in this direction, as the dress that the singer wears demonstrates, with a horrific concept. This dress is indeed torn, and covered in stains, which SUNMI reveals to be coffee, an Americano as she specifies. The third song of this single, “Call my name“, is the one particularly intended for his fans. It is important to note that the three songs were written and composed by SUNMI, demonstrating the sincerity of the young woman. It’s been over ten years since she debuted, but it’s still important to her to stay sincere and real.
“My favorite songs are probably “24 hours”, “Gashina”, “Siren” because they each represent a phase of myself“. – SUNMI
She also recommends listening to “Stranger” on a rainy day, locked in a dark house, to immerse yourself in the special atmosphere of this comeback. The songs in this single have a slightly different identity from what we find recently in the Kpop landscape, which is why she chose different BPMs for each of the tracks, while seeking to connect them together. by common themes. She thought a lot about this comeback with her producer, particularly on the significant change of rhythm within her songs, to cause a break between the verses.
Her concept is reflected not only in her songs, but also her photos. Indeed, the poses she adopted for “Stranger”, her outfits, and the locations, make the young woman adopt a very unique style. She confides on this occasion that her photographer is one of her close friends, who also produced the cover of the single “Pporappippam”. She also looks back on her last world tour, having stopped in Europe, and in particular on her audience which was not only made up of her exclusive fans, but also simple Kpop fans, who for her arrival, looked at her discography and learned her songs, although they were in Korean. This detail particularly touched the singer, delighted to receive so much support.
Looking back on her creative process, she thought long and hard about which “unknown” to write, before deciding that it would ultimately be about herself. However, she did not change the lyrics saying “Mr. Stranger“, finding it funny, this confusion of genres. She says she doesn’t really pay attention to these details, because she knows who the stranger in question is, seeking to discover her true self, explaining the choice of the title “Call my name”. Her titles are therefore intended for her audience, but also for herself, further emphasizing the authenticity of her career.
She also admits to being very busy on a daily basis, between her singles and her tours, and makes comebacks when she finds time to finish writing a few songs. To conclude this showcase, the reporters discuss the famous expression “Sunmi pop“, representing the singer’s unique and particular style, asking her where she draws her inspiration from. SUNMI answers that she takes great inspiration from herself, wanting to talk about herself, and asking herself before each single, what the subject of her songs would be, before starting to write them. She also watches a lot of music videos to find artistic inspiration.
“I just think I’m someone who likes to talk about themselves, I like to reveal myself to the world” – SUNMI
Although it wasn’t possible to discuss in-depth topics during her solo debut and career with the group WONDER GIRLS, she thanks her current agency, ABYSS COMPANY, for giving her the freedom to talk about what she wants, and considers herself lucky to be a woman in the music industry who has the opportunity to continue her career with her life in a girl band. She therefore distinctly separates her career from before and after her current agency, and in particular from the song “Gashina” which marked a turning point in her artistic direction. This is how this showcase ends, with thanks from the singer who expresses her gratitude to her fans, affirming that she is not lucky, but just supported, and that without her fans and her team surrounding her, she would not be able to stand not on stage today.
The words of our reporter: “SUNMI is a person rich in sincerity, it is always pleasant to attend her showcases because an artist like her is rare”.
Journalist: Pillet Anaïs
Translator: Shawn
Photos: Pillet Anaïs
Source: KSTATION TV
