A voice that first traveled the world through short-form videos has now found its place on the Korean pop stage. Semi, a singer-songwriter who built a global following via TikTok, has officially debuted in the K-pop scene with her first single Dreamed of You, released on January 11.
According to her agency, Lowkey Recordz, Semi began her formal music career with the digital release of the track, marking a new chapter for an artist whose journey has largely unfolded beyond Korea’s borders. Long before her official debut, Semi had already cultivated a global fanbase of more than 6,000 listeners on TikTok, where her distinctive voice and genre-fluid sensibility resonated strongly with audiences in the U.S., the U.K., and other English-speaking markets. Backed by over a decade of overseas living experience, she earned early recognition not through traditional K-pop pathways, but through direct engagement with international listeners.
Dreamed of You serves as a concise manifesto of Semi’s artistic identity. Built on an alternative pop framework, the track blends jazz-inflected vocals with elements of pop and rock, layered with an experimental dreamcore atmosphere. Lyrically, the song traces an emotional arc from anxiety and melancholy to quiet hope, capturing the fragile psychology of pursuing one’s dreams. Its opening—sampling the widely circulated meme audio “Have you ever had a dream~”—signals Semi’s playful awareness of internet culture while reinforcing her connection to the digital generation that first discovered her.
Semi’s debut is also notable for its strong visual dimension. Active as a painter, she approaches music as a form of “visible sound,” integrating visual composition with musical structure. This interdisciplinary sensibility extends to her music video, where she personally leads the visual direction, presenting surreal imagery and understated humor. Beyond singing, Semi takes part in songwriting, melody creation, and visual conceptualization, positioning herself as an all-round artist rather than a performer confined to a single role.
The single’s production was overseen by Nike Jean, a rising figure in Korea’s contemporary pop scene, also known as Na0H. Alongside partner Karacin Jr., the duo—currently active across platforms including the NFT space “Paycan”—handled sound engineering and arrangement, translating Semi’s abstract musical vision into a cohesive sonic form.
A representative from Lowkey Recordz described Semi as “an artist who dissolves genre boundaries by projecting a painter’s sensibility into music,” adding that her globally validated appeal is expected to offer Korean listeners a fresh and unconventional experience.
With Dreamed of You now available on major streaming platforms worldwide, Semi is preparing for an ambitious slate of future projects. Plans include the release of an EP, band-based live concerts, and exhibition projects that merge music with visual art—suggesting that her debut is less a conclusion than the opening scene of a broader, cross-disciplinary narrative.
SayArt.net
Jason Yim yimjongho1969@gmail.com
