Singer Yang Yunqing—better known by her stage name, Sunnee — has signed with the Chinese division of Universal Music Group and released a single, By Your Side. The announcement was made at a virtual press conference in Shanghai on June 24.

The 23-year-old Thai singer of Chinese descent rose to fame as a former member of popular Chinese idol group Rocket Girls 101, which disbanded on June 23 with a live concert.

Sunnee is the first of the former 11-person group to sign with a major music label. She will release her debut solo album later this year.

Rocket Girls 101 were born out of Tencent Video's music reality show Produce 101 in 2018, and the winners have gained a large fanbase with songs such as Calorie, which was featured in a Chinese comedy Hello Mr. Billionaire.

"It's a privilege be able to collaborate with UMG's producers and songwriters," Sunnee said. "Since I became a singer through the reality show, I got to know more about the music-making progress and now I have the opportunity to express myself as a solo artist."

She also notes that though Rocket Girls 101 disbanded, she feels grateful to have 10 forever friends, who will back her throughout her career.