Song Review:: Sunmi (Wonder Girls): Warning- Heroine

• Release date: 2018 September 04

• Album tracklist: ADDICT, Siren, Curve, Black Pearl, Gashina, Heroine, Secret Tape

• Album runtime: 20 minutes

 This, dear reader, was submitted into The Form as a regular review, and I saw it when I went looking for my next GH or BBS post. Thank you very much!! I think I'll add a paragraph at the end of the review to dedicate to the fangirling as this was a submission and whoever the submitter was (thank you!!) was lovingly verbose about it, so I'll return the favor. 

Wonder Girls is a second gen girl group active for ten years until they disbanded in 2017. Like several of their generational predecessors, the group had several lineup changes, including when Sunmi left the group to pursue her acting career, though she did rejoin it later and stay through the end of the group's lifespan. Heroine is the second of the singles that ultimately became pre-releases for this album, Warning, released in 2018. Also, my dude Teddy had a hand in the lyrics and the composition, so I love that. Heroine is actually in my Junk Drawer playlist, my catch-all playlist for various recommendations, so I'm pleased to be able to clear this out of there and into appropriate playlists should it apply to any. 

Heroine is absolutely going to be moved into at least two playlists. This is the bomb.

The echo quality that sometimes pokes its nose into the instrumentals gives the song a cavernous sound, and manages to really open it up. It's a really good way to make the song sound louder than it actually is, not that the song is all that quiet to begin with generally, though it does have some moments of relative quiet. Some of those moments are also punctuated by big dramatic bursts from the percussion and also possibly a trombone? There is also something that sounds a little like a kazoo, although I highly doubt that's actually what it is. There are some really interesting sounds coming out of the instrumentals here that I'm not used to hearing from K-Pop.

I love the empowerment and the range of her vocals in this song. Also, there are sections, specifically the pre-chorus and the chorus, which reminds me of that one song from A Star is Born that is so popular as a duet, most recently performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. I don't actually know what the name of the song is because I haven't seen any of the four versions of that movie, but it's that one song and this song sounds a lot like that song. Sunmi's tone, the melody, it's all very much a yes from me with the big, bold belts and the lovely grit that I love to hear. It's a good showcase for her vocal capabilities and range.

This feels a lot like a modern dance showcase combined with an art exhibition. She's gorgeous, first of all, and the number of different outfits that she wears here is genuinely impressive. The play between her freedom in the solo dance and the linked, constrictive dance in the couple dance does an excellent job of reinforcing the theme of the lyrics. 

Since one of the things the suggestion mentioned was the live performances, I'm going to include the comeback stage from MCountdown! First of all, that costume? An actual work of genius. The slits are so well disguised that you don't realize they're there until the choreography shows you they're there. So well done to the stylists and or designer. And honestly, my legs hurt just watching the choreography because when she drops down like that? Yowza. Just thinking about the practice makes my legs ache. Good for her. I have a strong suspicion that her in-person charisma is off the charts because just watching this was incredible. She owns the stage. I mean, look at that.