The Story of Singer-Songwriter Shannon Bae
Many years have passed since Shannon Bae performed in an idol group, but she is behind many K-Pop hits to this day. Born in Seoul but raised in California, USA, Bae spent time in the 10-member girl group PRISTIN before producing music for other artists. This year, she rebooted her music career by releasing solo songs in conjunction with her production work.
Time in PRISTIN
Shannon Bae made her debut in PRISTIN under her Korean name, Sungyeon. She served as one of the group’s main vocalists, and helped compose and write many songs in their discography. On March 21, 2017, PRISTIN released their first EP, ‘HI! PRISTIN,’ with Bae credited on five of the six included tracks:
“WEE WOO”: co-written and co-composed
“Black Widow”: co-written
“Running”: co-written, co-composed, and co-arranged
“Over n Over”: co-written
“WE”: co-written and co-composed
The title track, “WEE WOO,” discusses a large crush that causes one’s heart to beat dangerously. The song uses a pop instrumental to guide the urgent desire of wanting these feelings reciprocated. PRISTIN uses the hook “WEE WOO” to mimic an ambulance siren to call attention to this dire situation.
When PRISTIN made their first comeback on August 23, 2017, three of five of their new songs credited Sungyeon. She co-wrote and co-composed the title track “WE LIKE” and the B-sides “WE ARE PRISTIN” and “You’re my boy.” Instead of waiting for the boy to acknowledge his feelings, PRISTIN tells him to follow their lead in “WE LIKE.”
Post-PRISTIN Activities
PRISTIN, unfortunately, did not last long. “WE LIKE” became their first and last 10-member comeback, and their 2018 single album Like a V under the subunit PRISTIN V (consisting of Nayoung, Roa, Eunwoo, Rena, and Kyulkyung) became their final release. PRISTIN disbanded on May 26, 2019. Though seven members left Pledis Entertainment, Kyulkyung, Yehana, and Sungyeon stayed with the company.
Bae continued her passion for composition and songwriting in the 2020s. She worked alongside PRISMFILTER MUSIC GROUP, a production company led by Pledis Entertainment producer BUMZU as co-CEO, on songs for artists such as SEVENTEEN, TWS, fromis_9, Kep1er, tripleS, and QWER. It is unknown when she left Pledis Entertainment, but the company’s website no longer lists her as one of their artists.
Solo Work
In 2021 and 2022, she started uploading her own songs on SoundCloud. Tracks like “Chicken,” “Rapunzel,” and “Better” go for a dreamier sound but listeners can also hear hip-hop in “We Order Hawaiian Pizza.” In 2023 and 2024, Bae began releasing more music on her YouTube channel. These videos not only showcase her musical talents but also her humour: her video for “Voicemail” looks like it stepped right out of early 2000s YouTube. She collaborates with SEVENTEEN’s Hoshi (under the pseudonym “Ne-ho”) for this song, which, despite its video’s low resolution and Comic Sans MS font, discusses the serious feelings of wanting an ex-lover to call back.
She made her official solo debut with the single album For Your Ex on October 18, 2024. Her comedic timing showed once again in For Your Ex’s promotional trailer. Shannon Bae channels her feelings towards a presumed ex into angrily baking cookies through a retro-style tutorial. The single album’s two tracks, “Morning Routine” and “Fxck You” show two different types of emotions: the first comes off serene like a Disney movie song, and the other brings a cute, but passive aggressive anger as she tells her ex not to call. Though her first try within the idol industry may not have ended in an ideal way, Shannon Bae is still able to showcase her talents in K-Pop through other means.
Edited by Clark Royandoyan