SUNMI’s story isn’t the typical narrative of a girl-group star going it alone. After finding fame in the '00s with South Korea's hugely successful Wonder Girls (who became the first K-pop act to chart in the US in 2009), she broke away in 2010 to pursue academic studies. (She later returned to the band for its final album, Reboot.) Three years later, she emerged with "24 Hours"—an urgent slice of dance pop with shades of "Toxic"-era Britney Spears. Since then, she has experimented with dancehall ("Gashina"), tropical house ("Heroine") and pure pop balladry ("If That Was You").