Sunmi: ‘Heroine’ tells prequel story of ‘Gashina’

Singer Sunmi poses for the camera during a press showcase for her new single “Heroine” at a Seoul hotel on Jan. 18, 2018. (Yonhap)

By Shim Sun-ah

SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) — Former Wonder Girls member Sunmi established herself as one of the top female solo artists through the success of her single “Gashina” last year.

Dropping her first single after “Gashina” on Thursday, Sunmi said she had never expected the song would remain popular until now.

“I feel proud on the one hand but also pressure about that,” she confided during a media showcase for new song “Heroine” at a hotel in southern Seoul.

“Heroine” is her second solo track after the breakup of Wonder Girls. The girl group, who were managed by JYP Entertainment, disbanded in January last year after a relatively successful 10-year run.

As with “Gashina,” the new track was produced by The Black Label, a music production subsidiary under YG Entertainment led by star producer Teddy. She also took part in the production as a lyricist.

Singer Sunmi performs during a press showcase for her new single “Heroine” at a Seoul hotel on Jan. 18, 2018. (Yonhap)

The singer previously worked with JYP’s senior producer Park Jin-young for her first solo single, “24 Hours,” in 2013 and the rapper Brave Brothers for “Full Moon” in 2014.

“I think I’m musically a good match with The Black Label. The composition team consists of those who do varying genres of music, so working with them always provides me with good chances to try all sorts of genres.”

Sunmi says “Heroine” tells the prequel story of the woman who experienced a sad breakup with her lover in “Gashina.”

The diva delicately depicts the woman who gets hurt in her relationship with a bad guy but constantly struggles to understand him.

“Making a prequel was my idea. The thought that it would be good if ‘Heroine’ tells the prequel story of the woman in ‘Gashina’ came to my mind in the middle of working on the new song. So I proposed that idea, and the song’s video also came to have the same plot.”

As for her reputation as a next-generation sexy diva who will succeed Lee Hyori, Sunmi said: “I’m very thankful for that. I like the reputation, but I want to be a unique and iconic singer with her own trademark image more.”