Sunmi skillfully visualized her artistic identity in a highly visual music video for new single “Siren.”

“Siren” marks the end of her trilogy project that began with 2017 megahit “Gashina” and continued with “Heroine.”

(YouTube channel 1theK)

The video, which has been on YouTube’s Trending list this week, follows in line with the highly acclaimed “Gashina” and “Heroine” videos, with high-fashion outfits and experimental camerawork that grab viewers’ attention and refuse to let go throughout the video.

(YouTube channel 1theK)

Behind the striking visual effects, hidden meanings are scattered about in the video.

In one scene, Sunmi appears on a washing machine under the sea as she gazes into the camera before dancing, creating the illusion of a modern mermaid.

(YouTube channel 1theK)

The underwater scene is seen as a nod to the single title “Siren,” which has a double meaning of the warning sound for emergency, as well as the dangerous creatures from Greek mythology who lured sailors to their eventual deaths with their sweet voices.



During a showcase Tuesday, the K-pop singer said she was inspired by the creature and drew inspiration from the mermaid in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”

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The brightly colored video also features another scene where the singer displays wild dance moves in several outfits in and out of a giant birdcage, as another where she looks at roses in a small birdcage plays intermittently.

The video comes to a climax as the chorus plays for the last time, switching between different settings featuring the singer in a number of outfits before she lights up the room in red at the end.

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The song, which has dominated streaming charts in Korea since being released Tuesday, has been described as a “mixture of the singer’s sensuous expressions that define her sensitive, delicate, fantastic and unique sensitivity expressed through her music, performances and styles.”

By Yim Hyun-su (hyunsu@heraldcorp.com)