K-pop soloist Jeon Somi (전소미) first rose to fame in 2016 after winning “Produce 101″ (프로듀스 101) and becoming the centre of the project girl group IOI (아이오아이) for a year. Despite her initial success, it seems the singer hasn’t done well as a solo artist, prompting discussion as to who’s at fault.
The singer, known for hits like “DUMB DUMB” and “Fast Forward”, recently responded to a critical comment about her career on TikTok. The now-deleted comment questioning her success and career trajectory, lamenting that all the Somi amounts to now is just dancing on TikTok. The comment appeared to feel sorry for her for not doing much as an idol – a point which Somi seemed to acknowledged.
Following IOI’s disbandment in 2017, Somi signed with The Black Label as a soloist after meeting producer Teddy Park (박홍준). Somi expressed her belief that The Black Label would help her grow both as an artist and a person, which aligned with her aspirations. Debuting as a soloist in 2019 with the Teddy Park-produced single “Birthday”, Somi initially appeared to be on the right track in her career.
However, over the past seven years, fans have increasingly felt that she has not been given enough opportunities to reach her full potential. On 19th March, a discussion titled “Jeon Somi’s 7-year activity level makes it understandable why fans are upset” was posted on the Korean forum “theqoo“, garnering significant attention with over 84,000 views and 300 comments.
According to the discussion, since moving from JYP Entertainment to The Black Label in 2018, Somi has only released 15 songs in seven years. Her last officially promoted track, “Fast Forward”, came out in August 2023, while her most recent release, the special single “Ice Cream”, was in August 2024. Surprisingly, Somi has never held a solo concert or launched an official fan club. Her only fan meeting took place in 2019, with no follow-up events despite her continued presence in the industry.
Fans had expected The Black Label to maximise her potential and maintain her public presence, yet her promotions remain limited. Many fans have voiced their frustration towards The Black Label, arguing that Somi deserves better and that the company is failing to support her properly. What do you think?
Source: Kbizboom
Nakhla Sabrina contributed to this article
