Sunmi

Lee Sun-mi, known mononymously as Sunmi, is a South Korean singer, dancer, songwriter, and record producer. She first debuted in 2007 as a member of the South Korean girl group Wonder Girls under JYP Entertainment. After taking a hiatus to focus on her studies, she launched her career as a soloist in 2013 with her debut extended play (EP), Full Moon, which produced top-charting singles "24 Hours" and "Full Moon." Over her career, she has gained recognition for establishing a signature musical style known as "Sunmi-pop."

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 later majored in musical theater at Dongguk University. Inspired by the singer BoA, Sunmi decided to become a celebrity at age 12 to earn money to support her family after her father was hospitalized with pulmonary tuberculosis. She auditioned in Seoul and became a trainee at age 14. Her father died three months prior to her debut. While in university, she adopted her stepfather's surname, Lee.

As a member of Wonder Girls, Sunmi contributed to hit singles including "Irony," "Tell Me," "So Hot," and "Nobody," and toured in the United States alongside the Jonas Brothers. She left the group in 2010 to focus on her education before returning to music as a solo artist in 2013. Sunmi rejoined Wonder Girls in 2015, playing bass and co-writing tracks for their album Reboot and their 2016 single album "Why So Lonely" before the group officially disbanded in 2017.

In 2017, Sunmi signed with Makeus Entertainment (now Abyss Company) and released the hit single "Gashina." She followed this in 2018 with her second EP, Warning, featuring the successful singles "Heroine" and "Siren." In 2019, she completed her first world tour across 18 cities in Asia, America, and Europe, and released the singles "Noir" and "Lalalay." In subsequent years, her releases included "Pporappippam," "Tail," and a certified platinum duet with J.Y. Park titled "When We Disco."

Sunmi released her third EP, 1/6 (One Sixth), in August 2021, collaborated with the League of Legends esports team DWG KIA on the single "Go or Stop?", and launched her second world tour, 'Good Girl Gone Mad,' in 2022. Following singles such as "Heart Burn" and "Stranger," she released "Balloon in Love" in 2024 and "Blue!" in 2025. She later released her first studio album, Heart Maid, featuring 13 tracks.

Sunmi's musical identity, called "Sunmi-pop," combines elements of pop, disco, rock, retro, city pop, and traditional Korean music with cheerful dance rhythms paired with subtle sad or cynical lyrics. Her work often utilizes metaphors, double meanings, and complementary choreography. In her personal life, Sunmi was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, a topic she addressed in her 2021 song "Borderline."