Heroine

"Heroine" (, literally Protagonist) is a song recorded by South Korean singer Sunmi. It was released on January 18, 2018, by Makeus Entertainment and The Black Label and distributed by LOEN Entertainment, with its music video premiering the same day. Following the success of her third solo release "Gashina", which articulated a cynical attitude in the aftermath of a breakup, Sunmi conceptualized "Heroine" as a prequel narrative to it. She drew inspiration from the Adrian Lyne film 9½ Weeks (1986), expressing a "show must go on" sentiment as the protagonist deals with a turbulent relationship. Background and release On December 18, 2017, it was revealed that the singer was preparing for a comeback with the goal to release a new song in January 2018 with no further details. On January 2, an image teaser was released revealing the name as "Heroine" and the producer as The Black Label, marking her second collaboration with the YG-owned label after "Gashina". The release date was set to January 18 at 6 P.M. KST. A day after, a short clip was released titled as a "prequel" to the official music video. On January 3, a full schedule was released, revealing the dates for image and video teasers, starting on January 4. The song was released on January 18, 2018, through several music portals, including MelOn in South Korea.