SOMI‘s road to being a K-pop artist was *definitely* not an easy one. After winning a K-pop survival competition out of 100 other trainees at just 14 years old, to switching companies, the Korean soloist has completely transformed over the years.
Keep reading to see SOMI’s photo transformation over the years.
When Did SOMI Debut As a Soloist?
ICYMI, Somi competed in two survival shows before debuting as a solo artist. Originally a trainee at JYP entertainment, SOMI joined her first survival show, Sixteen, at just 14 years old, which eventually created the girl group TWICE.
While Somi eventually made it to the finale episode, she did not end up making the final cut, as JYP Entertainment founder Park Jin-young stated she had star quality but lacked preparation.
One year later, Somi competed in yet another competition show, Produce 101, and finished in first place out of 101 other trainees. The show created a group called I.O.I. that included Somi and the other top 10 contestants.
After the girl band wrapped up their 1-year promotions, Somi returned to JYP to continue training for an official debut.
However, after one year and no word on her debut (she was rumored to to debut with JYP group ITZY in 2019), Somi left the agency in August 2018 and signed with YG Entertainment’s independent label THEBLACKLABEL. There, she finally made her debut in June 2019 with “BIRTHDAY.”
“In a group, it was harder to express all of my creative sides because the focus is on the collective,” she told Elle Singapore in 2022 of switching music label. “It was finally an opportunity for me to voice my opinion in my music,” she explained. “At THEBLACKLABEL, everything from songwriting, producing, album covers, to outfits, and music videos — I was able to partake in the creative process. It was such an exciting transition for me.”
She has released a handful of tracks since debuting, with “Fast Forward,” her most recent music release, which premiered in August 2023.
“This is all mine,” she said of her music during an interview with Teen Vogue in August 2021. “At the end [of the day], like the music that I’m putting out, the music video that I’m putting out. It’s all mine. It just represents who I am to people.”
Click through our gallery below to see SOMI’s transformation from Produce 101 to now.
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