Thoughts on Somi's Debut

Somi, also known as Jeon Somi and Ennik Somi Douma, was born on March 9, 2001 and is a Korean-Canadian singer of Dutch descent (her mother being Korean while her father is of Dutch-Canadian descent - you might have seen him in some dramas).

Matthew Douma with Song Joong Ki in 'Descendants of the Sun'.

She was first introduced on JYP Entertainment's 'Sixteen', a survival show consisting of 16 trainees competing for a spot in JYP's new girl group. This girl group later became the famous group who the nation now know as TWICE. Although she failed to secure a spot, I rooted for Somi due to the star quality she seemed to possess and this was recognised in the next survival show she participated in.

Everyone was shocked, even the other trainees participating, when news came out that Somi was joining the first season of Produce 101 - a survival show comprising of 101 trainees competing for any of the eleven spots to form another new girl group. It's understandable why everyone would be shocked and giddy since Somi was part of the Big 3 (I would be too since she was the only trainee from the Big 3 participating at the time). Personally, I was worried due to the fact that 'Sixteen' had just finished, but I was glad that the trainers also noticed this spark she emanated. After her grade evaluation performance, she received an A.

Even though I thought it was slightly lacking, I was still happy for her since I was, and still am, a big fan.

Fast forward to revealing the members of said girl group, Somi went on to secure a spot in the group, ranking first and becoming the group's centre. This group's name was then unveiled to the public during the live show to be I.O.I. (Ideal of Idol), who debuted with 'Dream Girls' on May 4, 2016.

I.O.I. then continued to flourish, winning Most Popular Artists (Top 50) Award during the 2016 Asia Artist Awards, the Best New Artist (Female Group) Award during the 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards, as well as the Rookie Artist Award during the 2017 Golden Disc Awards.

But just like all good things, the inevitable happened - they reached the end of their promotions. Mnet stated before the survival show began that the group would be temporary and would only promote for a year, but it was still heartbreaking when the time finally came to say goodbye to I.O.I.

Their last known activity was their concert 'Time Slip - I.O.I.' on January 20-22, 2017 before officially disbanding at the end of January 2017, returning to their respective agencies.

After Somi returned to JYP, there were rumours of her debuting with JYP's new girl group ITZY. However, that rumour quickly dissipated when it was revealed that Somi and JYP came to a mutual agreement to terminate her contract. Somi then made the decision to join YG's subsidiary label 'The Black Label' (TBL), making everyone fall out of their seat with excitement over her debut.

Ever since Somi joined TBL, her image of a bubbly idol transformed into one full of badassery.

And on June 13 2019, Miss Jeon Somi officially debuted with the title track 'Birthday', together with the side track 'Outta My Head'.

"I got all the boys comin' round to my yard, I'm shakin' that thing like a pola-polaroid..."

and

"Oops you're not invited."

... are the most iconic lines I've ever heard.

Personally, 'Birthday' has the sound of bubblegum pop, plus Meghan Trainor vibes. Together with the subtle-yet-catchy drop of the chorus and Somi's 'it' girl attitude, her debut was unforgettable and is still one of the songs I'll sing whenever someone's birthday comes along.

At first, I didn't like 'Outta My Head' as much as 'Birthday' since it seemed more chill. Lately, songs with a drop and with a lot of impact stand out to me, hyping me up, so I didn't give this song a second listen. However, after listening to it again, I found that the chorus literally could not stay out of my head (pun intended), together with the bridge.

Of course, as an avid Kpop fan I had to watch her live performance of it:

This being her first stage ever since performing as part of I.O.I, I had to applaud Somi. I could see that she was a little nervous - there were some parts in her performance where she looked down - which is understandable due to her now being a solo (it's normal to be nervous anyway). After watching other performances following this one, Somi continued to improve, showcasing the star quality that people saw in her.

Overall, I enjoyed Somi's debut and love 'Birthday' (it was on repeat on my phone when it came out). Although the public had been waiting for a century for her debut, I do think that there are still things that need improvement, but I know Somi will grow to be a legendary soloist and this is just the start of her career.