Nmixx’s Sullyoon Opens Up: ‘bae And I Cried Together Writing This Song’

Fresh off NMIXX’s first-ever grand prize, Sullyoon lands a WWD Korea cover and reveals the emotional process behind “Hot ‘n Unbothered” ahead of the group’s new EP, Strange Muse.

Writing a song is one thing. Crying through it is another. For NMIXX‘s Sullyoon, finishing the lyrics to her very first songwriting credit meant hours of conversation with bandmate Bae and, by her own admission, more than a few tears shed together along the way. That raw, hands-on vulnerability is the quiet revelation tucked inside her glossy new WWD Korea cover, and it signals an artist stepping into a deeper, more authorial phase of her career.

A Cover Built Around a Theme: ‘A Muse of Her Own’

On October 16, Sullyoon graced the cover of WWD Korea’s November issue a double cover, no less for an editorial themed “A Muse of Her Own.” The concept suits the moment. Shot amid curated spaces where fine art and fashion intermingle, Sullyoon traded the bright, bubbly energy her fans know for restrained expressions, natural poses, and what the magazine framed as soft charisma layered over inner strength.

The styling leaned into that maturity. She worked a range of looks, moving from a deep burgundy shoulder bag with real presence to a delicately detailed crossbody her signature clear, luminous visual now carrying a firmer, more self-assured attitude. It reads as a deliberate statement: the “pretty idol” framing is giving way to something closer to artistry.

NMIXX Sullyoon posing while sitting down / WWD Korea

The Confession That Steals the Interview

Fashion covers come and go, but the interview conducted alongside the shoot is where Sullyoon reveals the most. She spoke candidly about three threads defining her current chapter a landmark award, her first lyric-writing credit, and a world tour but it was the songwriting that drew out her most human admission.

The track in question is “Hot ‘n Unbothered,” a duet unit song she shares with Bae. “I tend to want to do things I start perfectly,” Sullyoon explained, “so I deliberated deeply over every single word, every expression.” Then came the detail that lingers: “Bae and I talked endlessly, and we even cried together while completing the lyrics.”

For a performer often celebrated first for her looks, that’s a meaningful window into her creative seriousness. Perfectionism, emotional investment, collaborative struggle these are the markers of someone who wants to be understood as a maker of music, not merely a face delivering it.

Why ‘Strange Muse’ Is a Turning Point for NMIXX

Sullyoon’s writing debut isn’t an isolated flourish. It’s part of a larger creative pivot embodied by NMIXX’s sixth mini album, Strange Muse, which arrives October 19. The record marks a genuine first for the group: three dedicated unit songs that pair the six members in twos the first subunit material since NMIXX debuted in February 2022.

The pairings are telling. Lily and Haewon take “Sing to the Moon,” Jiwoo and Kyujin deliver “WHIP,” and Sullyoon joins Bae on “Hot ‘n Unbothered.” Crucially, all six members contributed to the songwriting and composition across the album a collective authorial leap that reframes NMIXX from performers of their music to co-architects of it. Sullyoon described the EP as a vehicle for “new musical attempts,” and characterized the title track, “Birthday Wish” (긴 소원), as a song with a mood the group has never shown before, distinct from anything in their catalog.

That matters because NMIXX built their early identity on “MIXXPOP” genre-splicing tracks that veered mid-song in ways designed to showcase technical prowess. A move toward intimate, member-written unit songs suggests a group maturing from spectacle toward storytelling, trusting their own voices to carry emotional weight.

NMIXX Sullyoon posing while holding a bag / WWD Korea

Riding a Grand-Prize Wave

The timing of all this is no accident. NMIXX enter their Strange Muse era carrying serious momentum: at the 2026 The Fact Music Awards, the group claimed their first-ever daesang (grand prize), winning Sound of the Year alongside an Artist of the Year honor while Sullyoon personally took home the FANSTAR MYSTAR award. For a group that debuted in 2022 and spent years earning its stripes, a first grand prize is the kind of validation that transforms confidence into creative ambition.

You can feel that confidence in the choices on Strange Muse. Groups rarely gamble on member-written unit tracks and tonal left-turns unless they feel secure in their footing. NMIXX, newly crowned, clearly do.

What Comes Next

The group isn’t slowing down. NMIXX will cap their first world tour, EPISODE 1: ZERO FRONTIER, with a three-night encore at Inspire Arena in Incheon from November 27 to 29 closing a yearlong global run that has steadily expanded their international footprint.

Sullyoon’s WWD Korea cover, then, captures a performer at an inflection point: an award-winner, a first-time lyricist, a touring artist growing into a fuller version of herself. “A Muse of Her Own” was meant as an editorial theme. On the evidence of this chapter tears over lyrics and all it’s starting to look like an accurate description. Her full editorial and interview appear in the November issue of WWD Korea.