Sunmi has opened up about the creative process and inspirations behind her latest single album, ‘Heart Burn’, in a new interview with NME.
On the day she announced plans to release new music, Sunmi had surprised fans with a “comeback trailer” set by the poolside. The visual sees her strumming on her bass guitar and soaking up the sun before she takes a quick dip in the pool to cool off.
“The problem is, I don’t know how to swim,” Sunmi admits, reflecting on the preparations that have led up to her latest release. “The thought of having to swim was scary, but I tried my best because I wanted to show the fans a beautiful outcome.”
“The result came out well and the fans also liked the video, which made me very happy,” Sunmi added.
Apart from Sunmi’s surprise comeback announcement, another thing that had caught the attention of many fans’ was the interesting transition from her 2020 single ‘Pporappippam’ to the then-unreleased ‘Heart Burn’ in a “mood teaser”. It was soon theorised by fans that Sunmi’s new single would be a potential sequel or a continuation of her 2020 summer hit.
While Sunmi notes that there are “no lyrical connection or continuation” between the two tracks, she does add that both of them share a major thematic parallel. “Both songs compare love with summer,” Sunmi elaborates. “‘Pporappippam’, which many people loved, compared love to summer nights, and ‘Heart Burn’ is comparing love to summer day[s], which connects the two songs.”
Meanwhile, B-side ‘Childhood’ is a city-pop-inspired track that recounts the story of young love that does not pan out. “In Korea, there is a myth that ‘first love’ never comes true,” Sunmi says of the track. “I think childhood love contains sadness that is pure and passionate but cannot last forever.”
Apart from Korean myths, Sunmi adds that the story behind ‘Childhood’ also draws inspiration from the 2004 film, The Notebook.
Sunmi’s new single album ‘Heart Burn’ is out now via Abyss Company.
The post Sunmi unpacks her latest summer release, ‘Heart Burn’ appeared first on NME.
