Universal signs Sunnee, former member of China’s most popular girl group Rocket Girls 101

Universal Music Greater China (UMGC), a division of Universal Music Group (UMG), has signed Sunnee (杨芸晴), former member of China’s most popular girl group Rocket Girls 101 (火箭少女101).

Following news of their disbanding earlier this week, Sunnee becomes the first former member to sign with a major music company.

The announcement was made via a virtual live-streaming press conference from Shanghai on the evening of Wednesday June 24.

During the event, Garand Wu, Managing Director, Universal Music China set out details of her forthcoming single By Your Side, which will be released worldwide across all major platforms on June 26, and will be followed by her debut album later in 2020.

As part of the press conference, Sunnee previewed a special music video, made for fans, of new single By Your Side.

The track was produced by 220 (Joseph Park), the producer behind popular K-Pop artists and groups including Twice, GOT 7 and NCT, with lyrics written by Sunnee herself.

Sunnee is a Thai singer based in China. She was previously a member of A’N’D under K-L Entertainment, as a lead singer and lead dancer. In 2018, she appeared on the hit music reality show “Produce 101” and won a seat in the 11-girl group – Rocket Girls 101 that were formed from the show.

Rocket Girls 101 quickly became a hugely popular Chinese idol girl group, achieving multiple hit singles before they officially disbanded on June 23, 2020, exactly two years after their formation.

During the past two years Sunnee has built a large and loyal fanbase, with more than 18 million followers on Weibo, achieving more than 14.7 billion views of her personal Weibo “super topic”. Sunnee is a brand ambassador of MaxFactor, Calvin Klein, Dove and many other international brands.

The event saw fellow UMG artists including Alan Tam, Lang Lang, Tao Wang, Chusheng Chen, Matzka, Evan Guo, Wang Zi, Tifa Chen, Gin Lee, AGA and senior UMG executives from around the world, all extend a warm welcome to UMG to Sunnee through video messages.

“Sunnee is a one-of-a-kind artist, and a true representative for Generation Z. We are looking forward to working with our UMG partner labels around the world to introduce her music and talent on a global level.”

Sunny Chang, UMG Greater China

In making the announcement, Sunny Chang, Chairman and CEO of UMG Greater China, said: “UMG Greater China has always been dedicated to finding talented and influential artists locally, with a view to helping these new voices reach audiences globally.

“Sunnee is a one-of-a-kind artist, and a true representative for Generation Z. We are looking forward to working with our UMG partner labels around the world to introduce her music and talent on a global level.”

“Sunnee is a talented young artist with a uniquely personal style and huge international potential.”

Garand Wu 

Garand Wu added:  “Sunnee is a talented young artist with a uniquely personal style and huge international potential.

As a Thai-Chinese musician, she’s inspired by both C-Pop and Southeast Asian pop music, adding rich expressiveness to her music.

“In the coming months, UMG China will continue to build on her popularity in China with a series of exciting releases that will continue to establish her as one of the most exciting pop artists today, whilst also introducing her music to new global markets and audiences through UMG’s worldwide network.”

“I’m very excited to join UMG and to take the first steps into my solo music career together. Working with UMG, what hit me the most, is the uncompromising pursuit of high-quality music.”

Sunnee

Sunnee said: “I’m very excited to join UMG and to take the first steps into my solo music career together. Working with UMG, what hit me the most, is the uncompromising pursuit of high-quality music.

“I feel so privileged that I’m able to collaborate with top producers and song writers here, and what I want to express through music is becoming clearer and clearer.

“My first single By Your Side is a reflection of my gratitude to the fans’ support over the years and I hope my debut album later this year will let more fans experience my artistic journey alongside me.”

 Music Business Worldwide