Son Seong-hee begins domestic activities with new Korean song 'Tteokbokki'

Shi Shi's 'Taste' Filled with the Sounds of Traditional Markets

Shi Shi, a singer-songwriter active in the Taiwanese music scene, visits her Korean fans with songs in Korean. On July 10, Shi Shi released her new EP, ‘The Taste Of…’, through major music platforms worldwide. This new release, coming about two years after her last activity, features songs in three languages: English, Korean, and Mandarin.

The title track, ‘Tteokbokki,’ captures an emotion that fits its title. For Shi Shi, who was born and raised in Korea, tteokbokki symbolizes the warmth of the snack bars she used to visit with friends on her way home from school. A device was used at the beginning of the song to enhance the sense of realism. These are sounds she personally collected when she visited a traditional market in Seoul during this year's Lunar New Year holiday. The voices of merchants and the ambient noise of the snack bars, recorded while wandering through the market with her younger sibling, signal the start of the song and evoke nostalgia for youth.

To increase the musical quality, global producers collaborated on the project. Morrison Ma (MOSUN), a producer of Chinese descent from the United States, participated in the song production, and a unique texture that feels as if it is flowing out of a memory was realized using the guitar re-amp recording technique.

An Album Composed of Diverse Flavors

This EP, ‘The Taste Of…’, is the result of bringing together the singles that Shi Shi has been sequentially releasing since 2025. The theme of the album is 'relativity.' She used the concept of 'taste' to unravel the complex, changing human emotions where sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy flavors mix together. Shi Shi stated, “In life, we often face complex emotions that cannot be fully expressed in words, and I believe those emotions can be expressed and processed through a single song.” She added, “I hope each track feels like a cocktail with its own unique flavor and combination.”

The production team is also impressive. In addition to K-pop producer parkhyeon, who participated in the album works of TWICE's MISAMO and IVE's Miyeon, the team included Different Sleep, who was in charge of recordings for Zara Larsson and Aminé, and Latin Grammy winner Andrø Pop. Among the tracks, ‘Falling in Love’ and the title track ‘Tteokbokki’ are the tracks that contain the softest and most intimate emotions in this album.

A Reunion After 16 Years with Actor Lee Jung-min

The music video for the title track ‘Tteokbokki’ was produced on location in Korea. It was directed by Dawson Pong, a long-time partner of Shi Shi. The video has garnered attention as actor Lee Jung-min, who appeared in ‘What's Wrong with Secretary Kim,’ ‘Duty After School,’ and ‘Tale of the Nine Tailed,’ appears in the video.

Shi Shi and Lee Jung-min first met through the MBC Campus Song Festival in the past. Reunited after 16 years, the two appear in the music video wearing school uniforms and backpacks. Set against the backdrop of snack bars, parks, and streets, their appearance portrays a friendship from their school days, intertwining with their real-life past connection.

The Korean Activities of an Artist Who Swept Taiwan's GMA

After making a name for herself by singing the OST for the drama ‘Someday or One Day,’ Shi Shi simultaneously won the Best Mandarin Album and Best Mandarin Female Singer awards at the Golden Melody Awards (GMA), the most prestigious music awards in the Chinese-speaking world. She has established herself as a representative female solo singer of Taiwan.

Shi Shi, a third-generation Chinese descendant born and raised in Korea, musically projected her identity by including many Korean tracks in this album. Her agency announced plans to 본격적으로 (fully/intensively) expand Shi Shi's activities in Korea starting with the release of this EP.