i miss her all-encompassing presence in kpop. the thought-provoking concepts, the unmistakable artistic approach, the elegant ways of her horror and eroticism in choreography and film, the colorful and simply perfect rebrand, her commentary on online culture, the carefully crafted image and how she could pull any collab. where sunmi appeared, there was always a huge buzz. her gorgeously atmospheric 2025 album ventured far outside the box and that she came out was a huge deal imo, i wish both could have had long-term impact beyond the occasional nostalgia. that album should have left us wowed for months until now with all its immaculate nuance.
i am never exactly sure whether sunmi fully stayed in the collective kpop conscious, but i want her to: she is still something that new fans can also dive into; it's worth it. if you want a comparison: sunmi was basically our olivia rodrigo. thematically as well, with an even sharper edge. sunmi was extremely popular and impossible to escape at her peak in 2019; and despite not breaking charts apart she really gave the culture something and quickly made her mark through a mood, an aesthetic, a critical thinking, mixing downtrodden subtlety and a relentless shock that no one dared before. especially in the fast-paced climate of music where we often quickly forget, sunmi needs a legacy.
with boa resigning from SM, the stuff that happened with hyuna, and industry giants like CL, taeyeon, IU, jessi, chungha, and hwasa not really being as instantly viral and visible as they used to, girl groups having to carry it all, we need experienced, distinguished, and heavy-hitting female solo artists to rise up again urgently imo. with new colors and bolder hits. the demand is there, they just need hit songs and resources. why not deal all the strongest, most 'impossible to replace or confuse with anyone' cards kpop has? it doesn't mean compromising successful groups, lesser known solo artists, or younger stars hitting it big as they do right now, in sunmi's words 'both is possible' after all. like i wouldn't mind e.g. aespa becoming literal supernova-level solo artists while all the earlier-generation female artists bring on their heat again simultaneously.
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