Go ahead and add Sunmi’s newest EP “Heart Burn” to your "Sunmi-pop" summer playlist to get ready for the hot, scorching summer ahead.

“Heart Burn” dropped at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

The EP has two songs: the title track and “Childhood.”

“'Heart Burn' is about a passionate, hot summer love, and the lyrics are from the perspective of a lovestruck girl,” Sunmi said during a showcase event on Wednesday at Shinhan Play Square in western Seoul, just hours before the EP’s drop.

The title track “Heart Burn,” according to Sunmi, is the day version of “Pporappippam” (2020), another summery song. Both songs were intentionally released on the same date, June 29, Sunmi says.

“If ‘Pporappippam’ was about a summer night [like its title, which translates to ‘purplish night’] ‘Heart Burn’ is all about a hot summer day,” Sunmi said. “I thought the two songs have a connection, which is why I decided to release them on the same day.”

Sunmi, wearing a turquoise flowy dress with Rapunzel-length, wavy hair as red as a blood orange, says that she wanted to portray a breezy concept and appear feverish, which is why she decided to emphasize her blush, and added a touch of faux freckles.

“Childhood” was written and composed by Sunmi, and the lyrics look back at a childhood love that did not make it, inspired by the romance film “The Notebook” (2004).

As part of Sunmi’s recommended summer love playlist, “'Heart Burn' should be listened to when the sun is hottest, around 1 to 3 p.m.,” Sunmi said. “'Childhood' is best for around after 4 p.m., and after sunset I recommend listening to ‘Pporappippam.’

“I like to drop music in the summer because I tend to get very sick in the winter,” Sunmi continued, laughing. “And you know how female singers or groups earn the title ‘summer queen’ when they drop a hit summer song? I think I want that title too.”

Sunmi debuted as a member of girl group Wonder Girls in 2007. Since then, the group had undergone numerous lineup changes, but Sunmi remained as one of the original members until it disbanded in 2017.

The group is best known for “Tell Me” (2007), which became a national sensation for its catchy melody and choreography, earning the Wonder Girls its breakthrough as one of the top K-pop groups at the time.

Continuing its success with songs “So Hot” (2008) and “Nobody” (2008), the group ventured overseas and became the first Korean act to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No. 76 with “Nobody.”

In 2010, Sunmi announced that she was “taking a break from Wonder Girls,” saying that she “wanted to go to college,” but remained under JYP Entertainment.

In 2013, Sunmi made her solo debut with the single “24 Hours.” She later dropped her first EP “Full Moon” (2014) with the title track. Both songs earned impressive results on domestic music charts.

Sunmi returned to Wonder Girls in 2015, and it was around this time that the group underwent a major change. Straying from the typically dance-centered K-pop quintet, Wonder Girls adopted a rock band-like concept, donning guitars and drums on stage for songs like “I Feel You” (2015) and “Why So Lonely” (2016).

In 2017, the remaining members of Wonder Girls decided to go their separate ways as their contracts with JYP Entertainment ended. Sunmi actively released songs as a solo singer, and her 2017 song “Gashina” became an instant hit.

Continuing her success with songs like “Heroine” (2018), “Pporappippam,” “Tail” (2021) and “You Can’t Sit with Us” (2021), Sunmi has shown the public a wide array of different concepts, from sexy to retro-pop, earning her music the nickname “Sunmi-pop.”

While her 2019 single “Lalalay” included taepyeongso (traditional Korean oboe) sounds, “Heart Burn” has “a guitar rift at the beginning of the song that sounds very Korean,” and the choreography features large traditional fans and elastic bands used in gomujul nori, a traditional children’s game that sees players skip over rubber bands.

“I’m very grateful for how the media created the name ‘Sunmi-pop,’” Sunmi said. "I think that for all my songs, no matter how happy or exciting a song is, there’s some sort of sadness within. As for adding Korean elements to my music, I have this confidence that anything Korean will be popular among the public. So when I recorded ‘Heart Burn,’ I made sure to twist and bend my notes to convey a Korean spirit and sorrow" similar to pansori, or traditional Korean narrative singing.

“One thing I’ve always said while working in the music industry for the past 15 years is that to be persistent, you've got to tough it out,” Sunmi continued. “I want to compliment myself for holding out. I’m going to keep making music for as long as I can — it’s not something that’s going to end in one or two years.”

Sunmi (Lee Sun-mi)

Date of birth: May 2, 1992
Zodiac sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Iksan, North Jeolla
Debut: February 2007 as a member of girl group Wonder Girls
Agency: Abyss Company

Singer Sunmi debuted in February 2007 as a member of girl group Wonder Girls. The group, which debuted with the lead track “Irony” of the EP “The Wonder Begins,” shot to stardom with the song “Tell Me” (2007) later that year. In 2010, Sunmi announced that she would be taking a break from the group and in 2013 launched her solo career with the single “24 Hours.” She returned to Wonder Girls in 2015 and released music until it disbanded in 2017. Since then, Sunmi has been active in establishing her reputation as one of K-pop’s biggest solo female singers with hits like “Gashina” (2017), “Heroine” (2018), “Pporappippam” (2020) and “You Can’t Sit with Us” (2021).

This information was confirmed by Abyss Company on June 28, 2022.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]