Biography of Sunmi

Lee Sun-mi is a popular and iconic South Korean singer, dancer, songwriter and record producer who is also widely known as Sunmi. She made her first debut in 2007, as a member of the South Korean girl group, Wonder Girls. She took a break of three years in between for her academic pursuits and made her entry in August 2013 as a soloist. Her entry debut was marked by two singles ’24 Hours’ and ‘Full Moon’ with high audience reception and success and was listed on the National Gaon Digital Charts.

Early Life and Education

Sunmi was born on 2 May 1992, in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, South Korea. She completed her education at Hwangnam Elementary School, Chungdam Middle School and Chungdam High School. She is a university graduate from Dongguk University majoring in musical theater.

She dreamt of being a celebrity at the age of 12. She was inspired by BoA, a South Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, producer and actress. At the age of 14, she became a JYP Entertainment trainee. She later adopted her stepfather’s surname Lee after her father passed away.

Career

Sunmi began her career as the fourth member of Wonder Girls in 2006. Wonder Girls is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. Her first group single was titled ‘Irony’ and was performed on 10 February 2007. In a short span of time after her debut with the band, her fame and celebrity status heightened with hits like ‘Tell Me’ (2007), ‘So Hot’ (2008) and ‘Nobody’ (2008). She is internationally recognized for her activities and touring with Jonas Brothers under the pseudonym ‘Mimi’.

In 2010, she took a break from her musical career to continue her academic pursuits. In 2017, she left Wonder Girls after its disbandment and joined Abyss Company. In the same year, she released her hit single ‘Gashina’, which won ‘Song of the Year’ at the 7th Gaon Cart Music Awards in 2018. Her other prominent credits include ‘Warning’ (2018), ‘Heroine’ (2017) and ‘Siren’ (2018).

She made her debut on 26 August 2013, as a solo artist resuming her music career. Her official debut was through Mnet’s M Countdown and she released her debut single ’24 Hours’ on 26 August 2013. Her single ranked top in the South Korean Goan Digital Charts and K-pop Hot 100. She released her debut EP titled ‘Full Moon’ after 6 months of her solo debut single. The promotional single, ‘Full Moon’ was released on 17 February 2014, and was ranked number 2 on the Gaon Digital Chart and number 3 on Billboards K-pop Hot 100.

After 5 years of break from the girl group, she rejoined Wonder Girls on 24 June 2015. On 3 August 2015, Wonder Girls released their 1980s-inspired style studio album ‘Reboot’. Lee Sun-mi gained acclaim for her songwriting and producing credits for two of the tracks for the band’s single album ‘Why So Lonely’ released in 2016.

She released her single ‘Heroine’ by Makeus Entertainment and The Black Label on 18 January 2018. She released her second EP ‘Warning’ in 2018, which was her first solo Korean material since the release of ‘Full Moon’ (2014). In 2018, she released her lead single ‘Siren’, which she produced with Frants. ‘Siren’ topped all great music charts in South Korea and was ranked number 1 on the Gaon Digital Chart.

Billboard and Bravo named her second EP, ‘Warning’, the third-best K-pop album of 2018. She had her world performances in Asia, America and Europe in 2019. On 4 March 2019, she released her single titled ‘Noir’ which was produced by EI Capitxn and her. She released her single ‘Lalalay’ on 27 August 2019, which won the ‘Song of the Year’ at the 9th Gaon Chart Music Awards in 2020.

On 6 February 2020, she released her digital single ‘Gotta Go’, a soundtrack for the webseries ‘XX’. She also made an appearance in the same web series and a dance performance video was released, which was a popular hit with almost around 4 million views. She released her single ‘Pporappippam’ on 29 June 2020, which was co-produced with Frants. She along with J.Y Park recorded the song ‘When We Disco’ on 12 August 2020. She also appeared in Park Won’s song ‘Oh Yeah’ in 2020.

Lee Sun-mi released her standalone single ‘Tail’ with the lead single of the same name on 23 February 2021. She also released her third EP ‘One Sixth’, with the lead single ‘You Can’t Sit with Us’, which was composed by Melanie Fontana, Micheal Schulz and Ross Golan on 6 August 2021. She released her digital single ‘Go or Stop’ as the theme song for DWG KIA, in support of their League of Legends World Championship run in 2021. On 29 June 2022, she released her single ‘Heart Burn’.

Achievements

• Lee Sun-mi’s debut EP ‘Full Moon’, was a great success and was ranked on the National Goan Digital Charts.
• Lee Sun-mi is globally recognised for her international activities and tours, especially with Jonas Brothers.
• She released her digital single as a support theme song for League of Legends World Championship run 2021.
• She was selected as the exclusive model of Yokai Kitchen in a TV commercial game.
• Lee Sun-mi won the Best Dance Performance Solo for her song ‘Full Moon’ in 2014.
• Lee Sun-mi is the brand ambassador of Puma Korea.
• For the lead single ‘Gashina’, she won the Song of the Year at the Gaon Chart Music Awards in 2018.
• In 2018, Lee Sun-mi won the Best Female Artist Award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards.
• One of the prominent achievements she made in the K-pop industry is that she created her own music style called ‘Sunmi-pop’. Her music style is a merge of different styles like pop, disco, rock, traditional Korean music and city pop along with retro elements mixed with her own defined music identity.

Personal Life

Health issues

Net Worth and Lifestyle

Sunmi’s net worth is estimated to be approximately 25 million USD.

Her every single release was a great success with a unique style and charm. She lives a luxurious life with income from bands as well as being a soloist. She has a unique taste for fashion, always matching it with contrasting items. She lives an expensive lifestyle and has a mansion in Daechi-dong, Seoul, where she lives happily.

Awards

• Asian Pop Music Awards 2020
  Outstanding Song of the Year (2020)
  Singer of the Year (2020)
• Gaon Chart Music Awards 2020
  Song of the Year- Lalalay (2020)
• Korean Brand of the Year Awards 2019
  Female Solo Artist (2019)
• Asia Artist Awards 2018
  Artist of the Year (2018)
  Best Music Award (2018)
• Gaon Chart Music Awards 2018
  Song of the Year – Gashina (2018)
• Mnet Asian Music Awards 2018
  Best Female Artist (2018)
• CJ E&M America Awards 2018
  Best Music Icon (2018)
• Mnet Asian Music Awards 2017
  Style in Music (2017)
• CJ E&M America Awards 2017
  Female Idol of the Year (2017)
• Mnet Asian Music Awards 2014
  Best Dance Performance – Solo (2014)

Interesting Facts about Sunmi

1. Sunmi’s popular nicknames are Mimi and Miya.
2. Sunmi can play the bass.
3. Sunmi’s all-time favourite artist is Drake.
4. On 22 August 2017, Sunmi released the single ‘Gashina’, which was a huge success.
5. Sunmi’s favourite actor is Robert Downey Jr.

FAQs

1. How old is Sunmi?
   As of 2023, Lee Sun-mi is 31 years old.
2. Is Sunmi active on social media?
   Sunmi is widely active on Instagram, Facebook, V LIVE, Weibo, and Twitter.
3. What is Sunmi’s Instagram ID?
   ‘@miyayeah‘ is Lee Sun-mi Instagram ID with 8.3 million followers.
4. Is Sunmi married?
   Lee Sun-mi is focused on building her career and is currently single.