Former AOA member Shin Ji-min has returned to social media for the first time in over 18 months to share a new track.

On January 8, the former girl group member took to Instagram to unveil her new song, ‘Suddenly’ to commemorate her 31st birthday on the same day. This marks Shin’s first social media post and music release since her departure from AOA in July 2020.

“surprise gift for my dearest. out now. link in bio,” wrote the former idol in the caption of her post, alongside a two-and-a-half minute music video shot that was shot in London.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by dodo (@jiminbaby_18)

Later, she also shared a link to the song on SoundCloud. “So fuck that, your kind smile / I don’t need pity right now, ah / I’ll make my wonderland / I must go on,” she sings on the dreamy alternative-pop track, which is performed entirely in English.

Shin left AOA in July 2020, after former bandmate Kwon Mina alleged in a series of posts that the leader had bullied her during her time with AOA. During the peak of the controversy, Shin issued an apology before going silent on social media and ceasing all activities in the entertainment industry.

The claims made by Kwon have since been the subject of much speculation and discussion surrounding their legitimacy, with media outlet Dispatch most recently revealing screenshots of alleged past text conversations between the two former bandmates late last year.

In other K-pop news, former Day6 member Jae Park has issued an apology to soloist Jamie after making derogatory comments towards the singer during a recent livestream. Park later took to his own Twitter page to apologise “to Jamie and everyone about what I said”.

“It was most definitely a comment made in poor taste and I feel terrible for making Jamie feel the way she does,” he wrote.