It feels weird writing the words “Jeon Somi’s debut” in the year 2019, because as far as I’m concerned, she debuted all the way back in 2016 with Produce 101 and I.O.I. But I suppose Birthday is offically considered to be Somi’s first release, which is wild, because, well, what has she been doing all these years??
After winning first place in the debut season of Produce 101, she rose to stardom as one of the most popular faces of I.O.I, being in the center of promotions for title tracks like Very Very Very and Whatta Man. After I.O.I disbanded, she signed with JYP Entertainment and basically... disappeared for a while, appearing in some commercials and television shows but with nary a peep concerning her musical future. In August 2018, Somi fans were hit with the news that she was leaving her then-agency.
Currently, Somi is signed under The Black Label, a sub-label under the currently beleaguered YG Entertainment. YG is currently caught in the crosshairs of public opinion, between being the nexus of the Burning Sun sexual assault/invasion of privacy/police corruption/tax evasion scandal (whew!) and the more recent, and ongoing, revelation that iKON’s B.I. was implicated in a drug scandal and left the group almost immediately after said implications came to light. It seems Somi just can’t catch a break.