Acclaimed artiste Shi Shi (Sun Shengxi) has released a new English-Korean single Tteokbokki, her second song in these two languages after Falling in Love earlier this year.
To Shi Shi, who grew up in South Korea, tteokbokki, the traditional spicy Korean rice cake, is not just a familiar snack, but also a symbolism of youth, reminding her of the path that she took to go home each day after school and the warm atmosphere of the eateries where she spent her time growing up with her friends.
In this latest release, Shi Shi breaks away from her usual inspirations of relationships and works off a theme of “food memories”, portraying the emotions of the purest friendships that are both comfortable and also the hardest to come by, recorded as an ode to old friends.
Shi Shi worked with Chinese American producer Morrison Ma (Mosun) on Tteokbokki to bring a retro feeling to the gentle song, which opens with a self-recorded slice-of-life audio of a busy Korean market to bring the audience into the atmosphere.
Tteokbokki is Shi Shi’s latest release before her upcoming EP The Taste Of…, which will be out on July 10.
This will be her first-ever English-based EP, featuring songs in three languages – English, Mandarin and Korean, a nod towards her roots in South Korea and a first step of Shi Shi’s career onto an international stage.
Shi Shi is a third-generation South Korean-Chinese singer-songwriter who is based in Taiwan.
Her artistry has been recognised in Taiwan at the highest level, having been crowned with the Best Female Singer and Best Album awards at the prestigious Golden Melody Awards.
In 2020, Shi Shi also gained popularity with her title track Someday or One Day for the hit Taiwanese series Someday or One Day (Xiang Jian Ni), one of the most popular dramas in recent years.
In 2024, she also released a collaborative single Goodbye Spring with South Korean jazz artist Lee Jin-ah, gaining attention in Taiwan and Korea.
Leading into her new EP, Shi Shi highlights her ambitions to continue making music for an international audience, paving the way for the next era of her music.
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