Borderline (Sunmi song)

"Borderline"
Song by Sunmi
from the album 1/6
Language
  • English
ReleasedAugust 6, 2021 (2021-08-06)
Genre
Length2:54
LabelAbyss Company
Composer(s)
  • Sunmi
  • Frants
Lyricist(s)
Special video
"Borderline" on YouTube

"Borderline" is a song recorded by South Korean singer-songwriter Sunmi. It is the closing track on her third extended play 1/6 (2021), which was released on August 6, 2021, through Abyss Company. The song was written by Sunmi and its composer, Frants. "Borderline" is mid-tempo alternative rock track that confronts the singer's experience with borderline personality disorder. Sunmi won an award for "Best Lyricist (Overseas)" with the track at the 2021 Asian Pop Music Awards.

Background

The song was debuted on her Warning Tour and was not originally planned to be released. In February 2019, the singer shared the lyrics for "Borderline".[1] During a March 2019 interview with Pop Crush, Sunmi described the track saying "It's about me, but I think it's a song everyone can relate to when they hear it."[2] On August 19, 2020, the special video for "Borderline" was released.[3] On August 28, the singer uploaded an interview on her YouTube channel, where she details the reasons behind the lyrics and conceptual choices for the special video.[4]

When I started making Borderline, I was quite afraid to reveal my injury from the past bcuz all the words in this song are true and honest feelings of mine. I realized that many people, not just me, were struggling with this feeling. I still don’t know how to deal with the remains, but I’m fine now and it' bcuz you gave me the courage to express everything honestly. Thank u #miyane. sincerely."

— Sunmi on the making of "Borderline", Twitter

Composition and reception

"Borderline" was written by Sunmi and its composer, Frants. The song is an atmospheric, retro, mid-tempo track about her experience with Borderline Personality Disorder.[5][6] Drawing influences from alternative rock and indie rock the track features a deep arrangement and the singer's "charming" low-pitched voice.[7][8][5][6] In terms of musical notation, the song is composed in the key of A minor, with a tempo of 113 beats per minute, and runs for two minutes and fifty-four seconds.[9] Angela Patricia Suacillo from NME noted that the song "showcases Sunmi’s ability to paint vivid imagery through her songwriting."[6] Many music critics noted the track for being "raw" and "emotionally honest" about something so personal to Sunmi, giving exposure and awareness to her disorder.[5][6]

Accolades

Award and nominations for "Borderline"
Year Organization Award Result Ref.
2021 Asian Pop Music Awards Best Lyricist (Overseas) Won [10]

Live performances

"Borderline" was featured on the setlist of Sunmi's Warning Tour in 2019. On March 13, 2021 the singer performed the song on You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook.[11] During the OUTNOW Unlimited, held on August 8, 2021, the singer performed a medley of "Narcissism" and "Borderline".[12]

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from Melon,[8]

  • Sunmi – Vocals, songwriter
  • Frants – Songwriter, bass, keyboard, computer programming
  • Ahn Sung Hoon – Guitar
  • DR in idiotape – Drums
  • Jo Sang Hyun – Audio mixing, record engineering
  • Oh Hye Seok – Record engineering
  • Choi Ja Yeon - Record engineering
  • Kwon Nam-woo – Audio mastering

Release history

Release formats for "Borderline"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
South Korea August 6, 2021 Digital download, streaming
  • Abyss Company
 [8]
Various

References

  1. ^ ""Borderline" lyrics". Sunmi. February 26, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2021 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Frances, Lai (March 27, 2019). "Sunmi on K-Pop's Global Expansion, Her Solo Career and 'Glowing Up' (Interview)". Pop Crush. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  3. ^ "선미 (SUNMI) - BORDERLINE Special Video". Sunmi. August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2021 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ "선미 (SUNMI) - BORDERLINE Interview". Sunmi. August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2021 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ a b c Gomez, Sofia (August 8, 2021). "SUNMI CREATES A RETRO UNIVERSE IN 1/6". Retrieved August 10, 2021 – via The Kraze.
  6. ^ a b c d Suacillo, Angela Patricia (August 11, 2021). "Sunmi – '1/6' review: a retro-inspired deep dive into the K-pop star's mental health". NME. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  7. ^ Honghyun Lee. "Sunmi - 1/6, review by IZM". IZM (in Korean). Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c "'Sunmi' 3th Mini Album 1/6" (in Korean). Melon. August 6, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  9. ^ "Key, BPM and analysis of "Borderline" by Sunmi". MusicStax. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  10. ^ "2020亚洲流行音乐大奖结果出炉 林俊杰获5奖成最大赢家" [2020 Asian Pop Music Awards results are out JJ Lin won 5 awards as the biggest winner]. VCT News (in Chinese). December 28, 2020. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  11. ^ Kim, Noeul (March 13, 2021). "선미 "경계선 인격장애 진단, 버림받는 게 무서운 아이였다"(스케치북)". Newsen. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  12. ^ Seung-hoon, Lee (August 8, 2021). "선미, 믿고 보는 '가시나'..콘셉트 장인이 완성한 한 편의 뮤지컬('아웃나우 언리미티드')". Osen. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.