Sunmi gets candid about Borderline Personality Disorder and why she left Wonder Girls
While mental health is still a taboo topic in K-pop, more and more young idols are speaking up about it and going on hiatuses to recover and deal with their health. In the last week, we had three idols – WJSN’s Dawon, fromis_9’s Jiheon, and Weeekly’s Jiyoon - diagnosed with anxiety. And now, we have older-gen idols like BIGBANG’s T.O.P and Sunmi talking about their struggles.
Sunmi got honest in her first English-language interview with Spotify where she spoke about her time with Wonder Girls, taking care of her sick father, touring with Jonas Brothers, her retro music style, and her diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder.
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Sunmi leaves Wonder Girls in 2010
The K-pop idol shared that her father had lung cancer and she had to work at a young age to take care of her younger brothers. Sunmi joined JYPE at 13 and debuted with Wonder Girls, one of the major K-pop girl groups to pioneer the Hallyu Wave. However, she felt lonely when she was touring with the Jonas Brothers in the 2000s since, back then, no one knew about K-pop or even South Korea and ended up leaving the group.
Sunmi left Wonder Girls in 2010 to pursue her studies. However, that wasn't the only reason. She shared, “When I decided to take a break from Wonder Girls in 2010, I wasn't sure whether my choice was right or wrong. I just needed some time. Both my body and mind were exhausted and unhealthy.”
Sunmi uses music to explain Borderline Personality Disorder
She also explained that her experiences are why there is some kind of symbolism in her works and why her music was always double-sided with excitement and sadness. According to Sunmi, her music is based on her emotional experience and two clashing elements that create catharsis, as seen in the hit single ‘Gashina’.
Sunmi publicly shared her diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder in December 2020, admitting it felt like she was going from one extreme self to another, as if she had two personalities. However, she had assured fans that she was undergoing treatment and was good enough to talk about it as she didn’t see it as a weakness anymore. Back then, she had felt that her emotions sounded too straightforward in Korean, which was why she wrote the lyrics of ‘Borderline’ in English.
She told Spotify, “I had been fighting with mental illness for a long time and the first song that revealed my pain was ‘Borderline’. I was afraid to express the raw feelings I experienced…I made this song to comfort…those who are suffering.” She also explained that her latest single ‘Oh Sorry Ya’ was an apology to the Sunmi in ‘Borderline’ as she has overcome her pain and doesn’t see herself as a sick person anymore. “The new Sunmi became stronger,” said the K-pop soloist.
Listen to the whole interview below.