Seo Ju-hyun, popularly known as Seohyun is a South Korean singer, dancer, song-writerand actress. She made her debut into the world of K-Popin August of 2007 as the youngest member of a popular girl group known as Girls’ Generation. Seohyun along with her other band mates went ahead and gained extreme popularity both in South Korea and also on the world stage. They were one of the most popular K-Pop girl groupsand one of the best-selling artists worldwide.
What was Seohyun’s early life like?
Seohyun was born on 28th June in the year 1991 in Seoul, South Korea. She was the only child in her family and had been introduced to music from her very childhood. Her mother, Kim Young-al being the chairwoman of a piano school and hence Seohyun learnt to play a number of musical instruments such as the piano, violin and the traditional Korean drum at a very young age.
Not only was she trained in music, Seohyun grew up being quite athletic and was taught horseback riding and skating as a child.
In February of 2010, Seohyun graduated high school from Jeonju Arts High School and went ahead for higher studies, majoring in theatre acting from Dongguk University. She graduated from university with an achievement award in August of 2014.
Even though her parents did not actively encourage her to choose a career as a K-Pop celebrity, they did however support her and gave her the freedom to choose her own career path.
How did Seohyun enter into the K-Pop industry?
In 2002, Seohyun was first discovered by a talent scouting agent from SM Entertainment, a popular entertainment agency in South Korea, on a subway when she was just a fifth grader. In the audition, she sang children’s songs and performed some ballet moves. Even though she was not prepared to appear in an audition, she did end up passing the audition and was signed by SM Entertainment as a trainee.
In 2007, she became a member of the group Girls Generation along with eight other members with their single “Into the New World” from their eponymous Korean album.
Seohyun along with her group members have had their breakthrough into becoming worldwide star when their 2009 single “Gee”, gained record-breaking response from the audience. The single becameMelon’s most popular song of the 2000s decade and was at the top spot on KBS’s Music Bank for nine consecutive weeks.
After being a group member of Girls Generation for more than five years, Seohyun and her fellow group members Taeyeon and Tiffany came together to forma Girls’ Generation subgroup named TTS. They made their debut as the subgroup in April of 2012 with their EP, Twinkle which was also accepted wholeheartedly by the audience and became the eighth highest selling album of the year in South Korea. Seohyun also became an active lyricist and co-wrote songs such as “Baby Maybe” and “XYZ”.
How did Seohyun started her career as an actress?
After being in the limelight as a K-Pop idol, Seohyun in 2013 dipped her toe into the world of acting. Her first debut role as an actress was in a drama seriesPassionate Lovebroadcasted by SBS Network, where she played the supporting role of a veterinary student and the first love of the male lead character, named Han Yu-rim.
She also made her way into performing in theatres with her first musical role in Moon Embracing the Sun, in January 2014 where she was seen performing the lead role of Yeon-woo who was the daughter of a noble family and the lover of both the King and his brother.
Later, Seohyun was also casted in the Korean version ofa French musical based on Gone with the Windwhere she played the role of Scarlett O’Hara in January of 2015 and in June 2016, she was casted in the character of a 20-year-old bride-to-be, Sophie in the Korean retelling of the musical Mamma Mia.
Seohyun went ahead in her acting career was also stared in a Chinese romantic film by the name So I Married An Anti-fan. In 2016, Seohyun also won an award at the SBS Drama Awards for her actingin the historical drama by the name Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo.
Seohyun also stared in a number of web-series and dramas such as Ruby Ruby Love and Bad Thief, Good Thief where she portrays a police-woman-turned-investigator and her journey to fight the abusive officials for which she won Best New Actress award at the 2017 MBC Drama Awards.
In 2018, Seohyun played the female lead character of Seol Ji-hyunin MBC’sThe Time. In 2019, Seohyun signed with the talent management company,Namoo Actors, after which she starred in the drama Hello Dracula. Seohyun made her debut into the world of cinema as a lead actress in the Netflix original movie Love and Leashes, in February 2022 for which she was nominated for the Best New Actress award under the Film category at the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards.
What are Seohyun’s other ventures and where is she now?
In January of 2017, Seohyun released her first solo album along with her debut extended play Don’t Say No, in which she took the full creative charge of the production process giving the album her own musical style. In October of the same year, after the end of the contract, Seohyun left SM Entertainment.
Apart from being a star, Seohyun also actively takes part in various philanthropic activities. In 2020, she donated feminine products worth 100 million Korean Won, followed by a donation of 17,000 sanitary pads in April 2022.
Seohyun had also been the brand ambassador for some the major cosmetics and personal care brands such as The Face Shop, Pantene, Clinique etc.
In August 2022 after five years of hiatus, Seohyun along with her band mates in Girls’ Generation,is all set to officially make a comeback with their seventh studio album, FOREVER1 as a part of the celebration for their 15th anniversary.