# Song So-hee

Song So-hee (Korean: 송소희; RR: Song So-hui; born 20 October 1997), widely known as the "Traditional Music Girl" (Korean: 국악소녀; RR: Gugaksonyeo) is a South Korean Gyeonggi minyo (Korean: 경기민요) or traditional folk singer. She rose to fame after winning the KBS National Singing Contest in 2008 at the age of 11, earning her a reputation as a gugak prodigy. The South Korean government honored Song with the title, "Best Korean of the Year," in 2010.

## Early life and education

Song was born in Yesan, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea on 20 October 1997. She is the eldest daughter of Song Geun-yeong (her father), and Yang Bok-rye (her mother). She has one younger sister, Song So-yeong.
Song displayed her talent for music at a very young age, which she later attributed to her father's habit of singing minyo, a genre of Korean folk songs, to her. When she was five years old, her parents enrolled her in a gugak academy to develop her singing skills. She studied under Gyeonggi folk singers Park Seok-sun and Lee Ho-yeon, the latter of whom is classified as a "Living National Treasure" by the South Korean government. She learned to play traditional Korean percussion instruments under samul nori master Lee Gwang-su.
Song attended Deoksan Elementary School, Imseong Middle School, and Hoseo High School, all in Chungcheongnam-do. In 2016, she enrolled in Dankook University's School of Music to study traditional music.

## Career

Song became famous nationwide after she performed "Changbu Taryeong" at the 2008 KBS National Singing Contest. Her performance left a deep impression upon the viewers. She won the grand prize in the contest and became the youngest grand prize winner in the 29 years of the contest's history.
Since then she performed on several popular Korean TV programs such as Star King, KBS Open Concert [ko], and Yoondohyun's Love Letter [ko]. She sang songs such as "Changbu Taryeong", "Taepyongga", "Arirang", "Batnori", "Gunbam Taryeong", and "Battuiwara" on these programs and became more famous.
Her appearance on Star King in 2008 led her to another important training opportunity from Master Lee Ho-yeon, who is a specialist in Gyeonggi minyo. Having been impressed by So-hee's talent, Master Lee volunteered to provide training for her on a regular basis. Minyo (Korean folk song) literally means "song of folklore" and is the traditional music sung most frequently by Koreans. Minyo is broadly classified into five styles according to region: Gyeonggi, Namdo, Seodo, Dongbu and Jeju Minyo. Gyeonggi Minyo is traditionally popular in the central area around Seoul.
   "She was born with a gift for singing Minyo. She has high-pitched voice tone and it's a clear, ringing voice (which is essential for singing minyo). She also has an extraordinary sense of pitch which enables her to learn new songs with ease. Also, her Bangulmok, a singing technique of Korean traditional music is exquisite"
Since 2008, she has been invited to perform at various events, both at home and abroad. Her main domestic events are Celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Republic of Korea in 2008, Baekje International Cultural Festival in 2010, Jeonju International Sori Festival in 2010, and Public Broadcasters International Seoul Meeting in 2011.
Song's popularity rapidly spread around the world due to her online videos and also the online replay services of South Korean TV programs she performed at, allowing people around the world to watch her performances. Many of them were stunned by her performances and fell in love with her and minyo.
Such international recognition provided her with opportunities to perform abroad. Since 2009, she has been invited to perform at official events and a variety of culture exchange events in various countries including Japan, Russia, and the United States. Some of those are the Korea-Japan Culture Exchange in 2009, the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Russia in 2010, the Korean Festival in 2011, and the opening events of the Korean Cultural Center India in 2012. In 2010, the government chose her as "Best Korean of the Year", a yearly award for someone who has graced and enriched the nation. In 2014, Song sang "Arirang" at the closing ceremony of the Sochi Winter Paralympics on 10 March, and also won first place on the 26 July installment of "Immortal Song 2".
In 2014, she prematurely terminated her exclusive contract with Deokin Media following the sexual assault of a fellow singer under the label by the CEO's brother. The following lawsuit for breach of contract concluded after 6 years in 2019, setting a legal precedent for entertainers terminating their contracts ahead of time.
After signing with Warner Music Korea, Song So-hee has released two mini-albums and one single: 2015's New Song, 2016's "Love, Seasons" single, and 2018's Modern Folk Songs (a collaboration with traditional fusion band Second Moon).
She signed an exclusive contract with Magic Strawberry Sound in 2022 and released the single album Journey to Utopia in 2022 and the single Infodemics in collaboration with Jambinai's Lee Ilwoo in 2023.

## Discography
### Extended plays

| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
| Title | Album details | KOR | Sales |
| New Song | Released: 23 April 2015 Label: SH Foundation, Warner Music Korea Formats: CD, digital download, streaming | 8 | KOR: 1,461+ |
| Modern Minyo (모던민요) with Second Moon | Released: 21 March 2018 Label: SH Foundation, Warner Music Korea Formats: CD, digital download, streaming | 65 | — |
| GANGGANGSULLAE | Released: 4 April 2024 MAGIC STRAWBERRY SOUND Formats: digital download, streaming | — | — |

### Singles

| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
| Title | Details | KOR | Sales |
| Love, Seasons | Released: 25 July 2016 Label: SH Foundation, Warner Music Korea Formats: Digital Download, streaming | — | — |
| Odolttogi With Second Moon | Released: 24 December 2017 Label: SH Foundation, Warner Music Korea Formats: Digital Download, streaming | — | — |
| ARIRARI | Released: 18 November 2019 Label: SH Foundation, Warner Music Korea Formats: Digital Download, streaming | — | — |
| Miryang Arirang: A Precious Flower | Released: 12 December 2019 Label: SH Foundation, Miryang Cultural Foundation Formats: Digital Download, streaming | — | — |
| Moon Halo | Released: 29 February 2020 Label: SH Foundation, Warner Music Korea Formats: Digital Download, Streaming | — | — |
| My country, Korea | Released: 6 June 2021 Label: SH Foundation, Warner Music Korea Formats: Digital Download, Streaming | — | — |
| 구름곶 여행 : Journey to Utopia | Released: 25 November 2023 Label: MAGIC STRAWBERRY SOUND, Kakao Entertainment Formats: Digital Download, Streaming | — | — |
| Infodemics | With: Ilwoo Lee from JAMBINAI Released: 27 May 2023 Label: MAGIC STRAWBERRY SOUND, Kakao Entertainment Formats: Digital Download, Streaming | — | — |
| Asurajang | Released: 9 October 2023 Label: MAGIC STRAWBERRY SOUND, Kakao Entertainment Formats: Digital Download, Streaming | — | — |

### Compilation Appearances

| Title | Album details | Peak Download Chart Positions | Download Count |
| Title | Album details | KOR | Download Count |
| Immortal Songs: Singing The Legend - Jo Young-nam (Part 1) as lead & title track artist | Released: 26 July 2014 Label: KBS Media, LOEN Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download | 98 | KOR: 18,289+ |

## Filmography
### Variety shows

| Date | Show | Episode | Notes | Song |
| 15 February 2010 | Golden Oldies | 1163 | Lunar New Year Special | "Binari" |
| 16 August 2010 | Golden Oldies | 1184 | Arirang Special | "Gangwon-do Arirang" |
| 20 September 2010 | Golden Oldies | 1189 | Hangawi Special | "Roasted Chestnuts & Changbu Taryeong" |
| 25 October 2010 | Golden Oldies | 1194 | Golden Oldies 25th anniversary Special | "Nulilririya" |
| 3 January 2011 | Golden Oldies | 1203 | Happy New Year | "Song of Peace" |
| 7 March 2011 | Golden Oldies | 1212 | Spring Welcome | "Nodeul Riverside" |
| 17 October 2011 | Golden Oldies | 1244 | Favorite Songs 3 | "Camellia Girl" |
| 16 September 2013 | Golden Oldies | 1340 | Hangawi Special | "Harvest Song & Song of Peace" |
| 7 October 2013 | Golden Oldies | 1343 | Mokpo Song Festival Special | "A Boatman's Song" |
| 1 March 2014 | Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend | 142 | Independence Movement Day Special | "Arirang Alone" (Hong Kyung-min feat. Song So-hee) |
| 26 July 2014 2 August 2014 | Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend | 158-159 | Jo Young-nam | "I Can't Live Without Love" |
| 1 September 2014 | Golden Oldies | 1383 | Songs of my Heart | "Song of Youth" |
| 13 September 2014 20 September 2014 | Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend | 165-166 | Saturday NightHeat | "Tomorrow" |
| 21 February 2015 | Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend | 187 | Traditional Folk Songs | "A Boatman's Song" |
| 25 April 2015 | Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend | 196 | Seo Yoo-seok | "Sky" |
| 11 July 2015 18 July 2015 | Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend | 207-208 | Goo Chang-mo | "Lost" |
| 3 October 2015 | Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend | 219 | Jo Su-mi | "If I Leave" |
| 4 January 2016 | Golden Oldies | 1448 | Wishes for the New Year | "Arirang Alone" |
| 16 April 2016 | Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend | 247 | Lyricist Kim Dong-chan | "Love and Seasons" |
| 28 May 2016 | Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend | 253 | Composer Baek Yeong-ho | "Haeundae Elegy" |
| 3 September 2016 | Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend | 267 | Drama Soundtrack Special | "Onara & I Can't Say Goodbye" |
| 15 October 2016 | Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend | 273 | Arirang Special | "Gangwon-do Arirang" |
| 25 February 2017 | Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend | 292 | Songwriter Choi Jong-hyeok | "This is Goodbye" (with Ko Youngyeol) |
| 9 September 2017 | Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend | 320 | Songwriter Kim Ki-pyo | "Seoul Woman" (With Ko Young-yeol) |
| 16 December 2017 | Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend | 333 | Songwriter Shin Jung-hyeon | "I Will Forget You" |
| 3 March 2018 | Immortal Songs: Singing The Legend | 344 | KBS 45th Anniversary Special | "You Say It's Over" (with Ko Young-yeol) |
| 24 March 2018 | Immortal Songs: Singing The Legend | 347 | Legendary Songs In Textbooks | "Face" (with Second Moon) |
| 12 April 2018 | All That Music | 295 | | "Face" (with Second Moon) |
| 25 August 2018 | Immortal Songs: Singing The Legend | 368 | Gayo Stage Special | "Tearful Dooman River" |
| 23 March 2019 | Immortal Songs: Singing The Legend | 397 | Cheong Tae Choon & Park Eun Ohk | "Garden Balsam" |
| 11 May 2019 | Immortal Songs: Singing The Legend | 403 | Han Dong Jun & Yurisangja | "Only You" (with Son Tae-Jin) |
| 4 January 2020 | Immortal Songs: Singing The Legend | 437 | New Year Special | "In the Wilderness" (with Ahn Ye-Eun) |
| 29 February 2020 | Immortal Songs: Singing The Legend | 445 | Jung Su-ra | "Have You Seen My Love" |
| 20 March 2020 | All That Music | 378 | | "Magic Lily" (with Ahn Ye-Eun) |
| 13 June 2020 | Immortal Songs: Singing The Legend | 460 | 20th Anniversary of the June 15th North–South Joint Declaration, Here Comes Peace | "As I Live & Song of Peace" |
| 24 October 2020 | Immortal Songs: Singing The Legend | 479 | 2020 Korean Traditional Music Special | "Pollack" |
| 14 November 2020 | Immortal Songs: Singing The Legend | 482 | BTS X Pdogg Special | "Spring Day" |
| 2 August 2021 | Chosun Pop, Drop the Beat | 2 | | "Odolttogi & Gangwon-do Arirang" (with Second Moon) |
| 4 September 2021 | Immortal Songs: Singing The Legend | 521 | Jeon In-kwon | "Everyday With You" |
| 30 January 2022 | Thank You Everyone, Song Hae | N/A | Commemorative musical for Singer and Television host Song Hae | "Odolttogi" |
| 11 November 2022 | Music Bank | | | "Journey to Utopia" |
| 4 March 2023 | Immortal Songs: Singing The Legend | 596 | KBS 50th Anniversary Special | "Monggempo Taryeong & Journey to Utopia" |

### Television shows

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 5 May 2018 | Knowing Bros | Guest | National Talent Show |
| 2021–present | Chosun Pop Drop the Beat | Host | |
| 2021–2022 | Goal Girl | Cast Member | Season 2 |

## Ambassadorship

* Korean hanbok ambassador (2022)