Sunmi is the Summer Queen in “Forever July”

Photo: Abyss Company

Sunmi has been a constant in the K-pop industry for my entire tenure, and there is something so comforting about the fact that she’s still out there doing her thing to this day. In an industry that seems to transform every two or three years, there’s a quiet comfort in seeing Sunmi continue forward with her distinctive creative style despite it all. She’s been in the music industry for 20 years now and at one point was the female soloist of the generation, and even after all this time she continues to express her artistry with remarkable consistency.

“Forever July” is a quintessential Sunmi track, a vogue-influenced EDM track that foregrounds her vocals. The dreamy track is performed in a mix of Korean and English and relates a love story to the monsoon season, hence July in the title. The beat remains steady throughout, creating a sense of calm that complements the whimsical quality of her vocal delivery. The lyrics create an interesting contrast, first indicating unending devotion before questioning if that’s how she truly feels, which adds emotional depth to the track. 

The visuals are stunning, as has come to be expected from Sunmi. The music video opens with her lying with two snails on her face, which yields a striking opening image that also conveys the concept of monsoon season. The color palette of the video also focuses on subdued blues and grays, which is a very subtle yet powerful color expression that reinforces the overall theme. The music video really is the selling point of this single, as each motif and visual element ties the whole narrative of the track together.

Check out “Forever July” below.