Good Girl Gone Mad — The Wheel

Global K-pop superstar Sunmi rocks the stage in her first online concert

“The show must go on,” Sunmi sings passionately in “Heroine,” her blonde hair sweeping against a striking red dress.

Lee Sunmi, known formally as SUNMI and to her fans as Miya, has had an eventful year. In February, she released a single album titled TAIL with a lead track and fiercely captivating music video of the same name. This past May, she turned thirty, a milestone in and of itself, and in Leo season一or August if you’re not into astrology一she released 1/6, her most personal work to date. “We were inspired by the early 2000s Y2K style,” Sunmi explains in her album unboxing video. “Among my physical albums, it’s the prettiest.” Talk about using a trend to your advantage.

*1/6 concept photo. Credit: ABYSS Company*

While this is a concert review and not an album review, I think 1/6 deserves a little love. The six-song extended play explores a colorful spectrum of emotions and experiences, including joy, anxiety, and even narcissism. From unforgettable gems like “You Can’t Sit With Us” (yes, this is Mean Girls reference) to “1/6,” my personal favorite when I need a break from being an overwhelmed college student, to “Borderline,” an emotional reflection of Sunmi’s struggles with her mental health, there is a slice of pie for everyone to enjoy.

I am a 1/6 enthusiast, and I attended Sunmi’s first virtual concert last month.

15 years in the making

Sunmi is well-known today for exploring bold themes in her music, but that notion had to brew before it was served.

*Wonder Girls, 2008. Sunmi pictured far left. Credit: TheSUNMIStats on Twitter*

At the young age of 16, Sunmi debuted as a member of the K-pop girl group Wonder Girls, a widely successful second-generation group-turned-band that was the first charting Korean act on the Billboard Hot 100. (For reference: 1997-2002 are considered first-generation groups, 2003-2011 are second-generation, 2012-2017 are third-generation, and so on). Under JYP Entertainment, Sunmi, and the group’s members, explored and experienced different eras of music and the highs and lows of the industry until disbanding in 2017. Did I mention they were also the first K-pop (girl) group to perform on American television and tour after opening for the Jonas Brothers? Yeah. They were bigger than big during a time when breaking into the American market seemed impossible. Legends, if you ask me.

Sunmi made her formal solo debut with the extended play Full Moon in 2014, which peaked at No. 12 on the Korean and American charts. This was during her time as a member of Wonder Girls and long before she joined her current company, ABYSS. Now, with fifteen years of experience under her belt as a performer, the idol has some major achievements of her own: she landed two No. 1 hits with “Siren” and “Lalalay,” a total of 10 songs on the K-Pop Hot 100, and two diverse extended plays that peaked at positions 9 and 5 on the South Korean digital charts respectively. 1/6 sold 16,305 copies during its first week and obliterated the record set by Sunmi’s previous album Warning, which was 2,911 units. The numbers speak for themselves, folks.

*Sunmi in the “Gashina” music video. Credit: ABYSS Company*

The critically acclaimed “Gashina,” her first release after switching companies, won Song of the Year at the 2018 Gaon Chart Music Awards. That same year, Sunmi was also awarded Best Female Artist at MAMA, or the Mnet Asian Music Awards. Her status as a queen is constantly reinforced, both at home and abroad. With a considerable number of awards, 7.6 million Instagram followers, and almost 2.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, it is safe to say that Sunmi is, and always has been, here to stay.

“She’s not here anymore”

The lineup for Good Girl Gone Mad consisted of 14 songs, each chosen to reflect one of the most prominent themes of Sunmi’s artistry: dualism. Her effortless ability to leap from a multifaceted tale of melancholy to the delight of endless possibilities with a new lover reflects years of experience as an idol. The polarity within and between songs (and visuals) made the event all the more charming and managed to give me a slight sense of whiplash, honestly.

My favorite performances from the event were “Noir,” “pporappippam,” “TAIL,” “Borderline,” “Narcissism,” “1/6,” “Gotta Go,” and a longtime favorite, “Black Pearl.” I have attended more than enough concerts to know the importance of costumes, set designs, and even pre-recorded videos. These elements create an atmosphere that can make or break a fan’s experience. Considering the virtual and pre-recorded limitations, Sunmi not only brought new life to her work, but she also made me forget about the distance.

When the band played a reimagined bridge for the rock version of “Noir” and Sunmi started jamming out, I felt like I was right beside her. Watching her performance of “pporappippam” was especially nostalgic and transported me back to summer 2020 when I learned the choreography and spent hours listening to it on repeat.

Another unexpected charm was the use of XR technology. From lifelike sea creatures to a giant crumbling mask to visualize the dark side of having a persona, Sunmi and her team went all-out to make Good Girl Gone Mad a visual masterpiece and an unforgettable experience. All viewers were treated to two screenings—the first on October 29 and the second on November 6. As someone who tends to cry, scream, and forget 90% of concerts as a result of dehydration, Sunmi’s event allowed me the opportunity to relax and be present for the first time. The replay also made it possible for me to reinforce the joy and memories I created while watching (and create a Spotify playlist for the line-up, of course.)

If you were a concert enthusiast once upon a time and now experience dilemmas concerning large crowds, know that you are not alone! I have not attended an in-person event since 2019, and my plans to remedy that fell through the floor during lockdown last year. Many artists are back on the road, but I am not comfortable sharing the same direct breathing space with strangers. When Sunmi’s company announced that the concert would be pre-recorded and virtual for the safety of everyone involved, I immediately knew I would be comfortable attending. COVID-19 is, unfortunately, part of our lives, and we each have our own comfort levels with its presence. Enjoying a beautiful event from my living room couch is an ideal evening for an easily overwhelmed Pisces like myself.

“Go to the moon”

In “1/6,” there is a line that has resonated with me from the moment I heard it. Sunmi sings, “On the moon where gravity is one-sixth, will the weight of anxiety also be one-sixth?” Something about this simple yet compelling question reminds me just how much Sunmi has grown as an artist since the beginning of her career. Essentially fluent in both English and Korean, Sunmi is far more open to discussing the downsides of joining the music industry at such a young age and how essential it is for human beings to rest and heal at 30 than she was at 16, and understandably so. Her most recent project is a collaboration with another K-pop artist, Jessi, and Ed Sheeran for his new song “Shivers.” While reflecting on “TAIL” during her online showcase earlier this year, she admitted, “I don’t have a song I like better.” Honestly, SAME.

*The ending banner for Good Girl Gone Mad. It reads, “Miya-ne, thank you for joining Sunmi’s first online concert.” Credit: ABYSS Company*

Sunmi is “running the show,” in her own words, and she has an agency over her career that was once absent. She is both a writer and a composer and can create unique concepts simply from thinking about how animals express emotion with their tails. Sunmi is an artist, and it takes experience to pull off such a vivid showcase. Each element utilized supported her theme and brought the event to life in a way I didn’t know was possible. When we push the boundaries of our imaginations, we can create beautiful things we would have never considered otherwise.

I believe Sunmi has such an enormously lush career not because she lives up to her previous successes, rather she surpasses her limits and remains true to her heart. In a live segment following the concert, Sunmi shared a heartfelt quote that she wants her fans to remember: “We are all too young to die.”