Everyone’s favorite experimental K-pop artiste Sunmi has blessed us once more with another thought-provoking, artistic offering in “STRANGER”.
Consisting of three tracks, Sunmi’s new digital single officially marks her first proper release since an action-packed 2022, which saw her drop the viral hit “Heartburn” and embark on her epic GOOD GIRL GONE MAD global tour.
Clocking in at 2:46, the title track “STRANGER” hears Sunmi embrace her quirky side to the fullest and is already polarizing listeners for its bizarre production choices. “STRANGER” is certainly not an easy listen; from the sultry electropop verse, we are dropped into a pre-chorus of swaying reggae riffs, which then takes us to a pumping moombahton chorus backed up by eerily jaunty pianos and an off-kilter bassline which sounds like it belongs in a Halloween themed Super Mario level. There’s a lot to unpack sonically and it’s a difficult song to get into, especially compared to the smoothness of Sunmi’s previous hits like “Gashina”, “Heroine” or “TAIL”. But that edgy experimentalism of “STRANGER” is exactly what makes Sunmi such a distinctive offering to the K-pop scene, and once again shows off her natural ability in traversing genres yet somehow making it her own.
The music video for “STRANGER” is a scenic feast, packed full of artistic scenes set in a grand European mansion which shows off the full spectrum of Sunmi’s capabilities and the diversity of the production; the climaxing dance scene is particularly memorable, where a version of Sunmi observes and films another version of Sunmi nailing choreography in between chaotic shots of Sunmi frantically at a typewriter and manically dancing outside the building being engulfed in flames.
Watch Sunmi’s music video for “STRANGER” below and stream “STRANGER” here.