Su Lee is undoubtedly one of bedroom pop’s rising stars–and “Super Happy” shows she’s yet to let up. The late August track is an anthem for living in the present, however daunting the future may be. Though the newest addition to Su Lee’s discography, it still has all of her long-standing staples in place, from the shiny, dance-worthy pop instrumentals, to the relatable & reflective–if somewhat melancholic–lyrics, to Su Lee’s soft, smooth vocals.
As a twist, though, the track contains no fewer than 3 languages. Su Lee opens in English, and follows it up with a verse in her native Korean. This is followed by some lines in Spanish from featured artist Ariza, who hails from Colombia. The track’s multilingual nature, in a way, only furthers its universal sentiment. After all–whoever and wherever you are, you want to embrace the happy times, even if you know they won’t last forever.
It’s also a very resonant track for Su Lee herself. Since her 2019 debut, her DIY production style and graphic design background have formed an invaluable toolkit, with her content catching the eyes and ears of many. This proved especially useful in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic brought most of the music industry to its knees. The South Korean artist kept creating, all by herself, in her self-proclaimed “box room”, armed with Ableton and a can-do attitude.
In May of 2020, this brought Su Lee her first breakout hit: “I’ll Just Dance.” Its official music video was nothing more than Su Lee lip-syncing the song in her bedroom, plus some snappy editing and the self-made single art. Even back then, her musical hallmarks were apparent–that silky voice, some bedroom pop beats, and an ability to poke fun at herself.
And the Internet loved it. The video ended up on the front page of Reddit, and this drove traffic to her YouTube channel, where today the video sits at just under three million views.
Since then, Su Lee’s left that box room behind in a whirlwind of success, with several subsequent releases and her first tour earlier this year across the United States, taking her thousands of miles from where her creative journey began.
Super Happy even got its own music video–a far cry from those she recorded at home, it follows Su Lee in a series of shots from hospitals, to laundromats, to a day at the beach. It’s a great fit, each quirky vignette a compliment to the track’s colour and depth.
“This song marks a new little chapter of my life where I'm meeting new people, exploring the world, making/writing new kinds of music, and hopefully able to grow more as an artist,” Su Lee said in a pinned comment beneath the video. “All I know is that I'm just really super happy for all the things going on for me right now and I don't want to take a single second for granted!”
Of course, the track initially premiered with a “music video” in Su Lee’s more jokey, traditional style.
Overall, in “Super Happy,” all of Su Lee’s strengths are on display, as well as some serious growth in her craft. With every release, she solidifies that she’s more than a one-hit wonder. In fact, she’s not going anywhere but up.
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