Sunmi

Lee Sun-mi (born Sun Mi on May 2, 1992), known mononymously as Sunmi (stylized as SUNMI), is a South Korean singer, dancer, songwriter and record producer. She debuted in 2007 as a member of South Korean girl group Wonder 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 national Gaon 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 left JYP 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".

Early life

Sunmi was born on May 2, 1992, in Iksan, North Jeolla, South Korea. She attended Hwangnam Elementary School, Chungdam Middle School and Chungdam High School, and majored in musical theater at Dongguk University.

Sunmi revealed on a 2018 episode of ''Talkmon'' that she first decided to become a celebrity when she was 12 after her father was admitted to hospital due to complications of pulmonary tuberculosis. She was inspired by BoA, 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 to Seoul to audition and became a JYP Entertainment trainee at 14, though her father passed away three months before her debut with Wonder Girls. She later adopted her stepfather's surname Lee while in university and merged her original given name and surname, becoming Lee Sun-mi.

Career

2006–2012: Debut with Wonder Girls, hiatus

In May 2006, Sunmi was revealed as the fourth member of Wonder Girls, a girl group managed by JYP 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. Sunmi participated with the group in American activities, touring alongside the Jonas Brothers, under the nickname Mimi.

In January 2010, JYP announced that Sunmi would be postponing her musical career to pursue her studies, but would continue until February in order to complete scheduled events. On January 13, 2012, a JYP representative stated that "Sunmi has remained within the company and continues to sharpen her musical talents." JYP Entertainment later stated that there were no plans for Sunmi to return and comeback as a member of Wonder Girls.

2013–2016: Solo debut with ''Full Moon'', Wonder Girls return

In August 2013, Sunmi was announced to be returning to her music career, debuting as a solo artist. Sunmi made her official debut stage on August 22, on Mnet's ''M! Countdown''. Her debut single " 24 Hours" was released on August 26, 2013, and subsequently achieved an all-kill on music charts. Subsequently, her debut extended play ''Full Moon'' was released on February 17, 2014 along with the promotional single of the same name. The latter peaked at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart and at number three on ''Billboard'''s K-pop Hot 100. "Full Moon" was praised for being innovative, and Sunmi was said to have delivered a classy rendition of "sexy".

On June 24, 2015, JYP Entertainment announced that Sunmi would be re-joining Wonder Girls, after withdrawing in 2010, for their comeback after the group's two-year hiatus. The group returned with a band concept, with Sunmi playing the bass. In August, the group's album ''Reboot'' was released, with Sunmi co-writing and co-producing three of its tracks. In 2016, Sunmi once again received songwriting and producing credits for a Wonder Girls release, this time for two songs present on the band's single album ''Why So Lonely'', including the title track of the same name.

2017–2021: Group final disbandment, ''Warning'', tour, and ''1/6''

On January 26, 2017, it was announced that Wonder Girls were to disband after unsuccessful contract renewal negotiation 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. In March, Sunmi signed with Makeus Entertainment. In August, she released her single " Gashina", produced by Teddy Park of The Black Label. The song debuted at number 2 on the Gaon Digital Chart before topping the chart the following week, and was named the third best k-pop song of 2017 by ''Billboard''.

Sunmi returned with a single titled " Heroine" on January 18, 2018. She described the single as a prequel to "Gashina". On September 4, Sunmi released her second EP, titled ''Warning'', along with the lead single, " Siren". "Siren" received an all-kill on six local music charts. ''Warning'' was named the third best k-pop album of 2018 by ''Billboard'' and '' Bravo''. "Addict" was named the eighth best k-pop b-side of the year by '' MTV''.

From February to June 2019, Sunmi held her first world tour, titled "Warning". 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". After completing the world tour she released her single " Lalalay" on August 27, 2019.

On February 6, 2020, Sunmi released the single " Gotta Go" along with its instrumental as part of the original sound track of the web series '' XX'' in which she made a cameo. Two days later, a dance performance for the song was released which later became the channel's most popular video after reaching over 4 million views. On May 21, it was revealed that Sunmi would be making a comeback in late June. Her single "Pporappippam