Girls Generation
What organization did Taeyeon join in Aug 2007?
Taeyeon Kim Tae-yeon ( born March 9 , 1989 ) , known mononymously as Taeyeon , is a South Korean singer . She debuted as a member of girl group Girls Generation in 2007 , which went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and one of South Koreas most popular girl groups worldwide , and has since further participated in other SM Entertainment projects , including Girls Generation-TTS , SM the Ballad , and Girls Generation-Oh GG . In 2015 , Taeyeon released her debut extended play I , which includes the number-one titular single on South Koreas Gaon Digital Chart . In 2016 , she released the number-one SM Station single Rain , followed by her second extended play Why , which peaked atop the Gaon Album Chart . Her debut studio album , My Voice ( 2017 ) , yielded the top-five singles , Fine and Make Me Love You . In 2018 , Taeyeon ventured into the Japanese music scene with the digital single Stay , followed by the 2019 extended play Voice . Her second studio album , Purpose ( 2019 ) , featured the successful singles Four Seasons and Spark . On television , Taeyeon appeared as a main cast on the reality shows We Got Married ( 2009 ) , Begin Again ( 2019 ) , and is currently serving as a main host for Amazing Saturday ( 2020–present ) . Additionally , she has recorded soundtracks for various television dramas that proved successful , notably If for Hong Gil-dong ( 2008 ) , Can You Hear Me for Beethoven Virus ( 2008 ) , and the chart-topping All about You for Hotel del Luna ( 2019 ) . Having sold over one million physical albums and twenty million digital singles as of 2021 , Taeyeon is one of the best-selling solo artists in South Korea . She has received various awards and nominations , including six Golden Disc Awards , five Seoul Music Awards , three Gaon Chart Music Awards , three Melon Music Awards , and three Mnet Asian Music Awards . Life and career . 1989–2008 : Early life and career beginnings . Taeyeon was born on March 9 , 1989 , in Jeonju , South Korea . Her family consists of her parents , an older brother , and a younger sister Kim Hayeon , who made her solo debut in 2020 . Having believed that she was only talented at singing , Taeyeon harbored the dream of becoming a singer at a young age . During her second year in middle school , Taeyeon accompanied her father to SM Academy ( a former music institution and auxiliary affiliation of SM Entertainment ) , to pursue vocal lessons . Although at the time her father did not encourage Taeyeon to become an entertainer , he was persuaded by the schools principal to give his daughter a chance after she recognized Taeyeons clean voice . During the next year , Taeyeon accompanied her father from their hometown to Seoul on every Sunday to receive her vocal lessons from The One . She named BoA , Whitney Houston and Utada Hikaru as her pre-debut inspirations . Taeyeon was trained by her former vocal instructor , known professionally as The One , for three years . In a 2011 interview , he described Taeyeon as a smart student , someone unlike others who came to him with dreams of becoming a celebrity.. . [ she ] wanted to be a singer and reach the top with her own talents . In 2004 , he wanted to acknowledge Taeyeons potential by giving her the chance to be in his song You Bring Me Joy . That same year , she won first place at the SM Youth Best Competition and signed a contract with SM Entertainment . The training process was so tough that it nearly made her quit at one point ; she continued , however , and debuted as a member of girl group Girls Generation in August 2007 . Years later , both the president of SM Academy and The One named Taeyeon as one of their most memorable students . Taeyeon graduated from Jeonju Art High School and was awarded the schools Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 . 2008–2015 : Original soundtracks , TTS and SM The Ballad . Taeyeon sang 7989 ( featuring Kangta ) , a track taken from both Girls Generations eponymous debut album ( 2007 ) and Kangtas fourth studio album , Eternity ( 2008 ) . After that , Taeyeon gained popularity through her various television soundtracks , recording If for the KBS2 drama Hong Gil Dong ( 2008 ) and Can You Hear Me for MBCs drama Beethoven Virus ( 2009 ) . If was seen as more popular than its respective drama , and Can You Hear Me won a Popularity Award at the 2008 Golden Disk Awards . Both tracks remain among Taeyeons most well-known hits . During this period , she also recorded Its Love , a duet with Girls Generation member Sunny , for the MBC drama Heading to the Ground ( 2009 ) . Following a radio hosting job in 2009–10 , Taeyeon tried out acting , making her theatrical debut in a lead role in the 2010 musical A Song to the Sun . She played the part of Kaoru Amane , a teenager who suffered from xeroderma pigmentosum , and learned to play a guitar for the role . Her performance in the sold-out shows received good press despite the musicals critical reviews . Jang Gyeong-jin of 10Asia praised Taeyeons distinct vocals and commented that her acting stood out among idol stars who had ventured into musical theatre , while Kim Ji-yeong from The Dong-a Ilbo felt Taeyeons optimistic and charming personality made her the perfect match for the role . Despite the favorable response , Taeyeon later described musicals as difficult , citing that her weak concentration made it hard for her to act and sing at the same time . The same year , Taeyeon worked with Korean songwriter-composer Ahn Young-min on her musical projects . She recorded Like A Star ( featuring The One ) , and the song reached number one on the Gaon Digital Chart . Her next single , I Love You , for the SBS drama soundtrack , reached number two on the same chart . Ahn recalled his impression of the latter song : I was surprised at how well Taeyeon could sing . This is a rather mature song , so I would be lying if I said I didnt have my doubts , but she blew me away . I was moved to tears listening to her singing . In 2011 , Taeyeon lent her voice to Kim Bum-soos Different , a single featured on his seventh album Solista : Part 2 . The song debuted at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart . Taeyeon and Kim Bum-soo met again at his concert two years later for a live cover version of the latters 2008 song Man and Woman . Following Taeyeons working relationship with him from the drama Beethoven Virus ( 2008 ) , musical director Lee Pil-ho was determined to collaborate with her again on the soundtrack for MBCs melodrama The King 2 Hearts ( 2012 ) soundtrack , having her record the main theme song Missing You Like Crazy . It was released in March 2012 and debuted at number two on both the Gaon Digital Chart and K-pop Hot 100 . Taeyeons vocal received positive feedback from the songs composer Park Hae-woon : She fully understood the song in its entirety and expressed each detail very precisely...even though this song requires the lowest note that a female singer can produce , Taeyeon executed them perfectly . The song was named the most popular soundtrack at 2012 Seoul Drama Awards . Later in the year , she contributed her vocals to the song Closer , for the SBS drama To the Beautiful You , which was number seven on both the Gaon Digital Chart and K-pop Hot 100 . In April 2012 , a Girls Generation subgroup named TTS was formed with Taeyeon and fellow members Tiffany and Seohyun . Their debut EP , Twinkle , met with much success and became South Koreas eighth- highest selling album of the year . The subgroup went on to release two more EPs : Holler ( 2014 ) and Dear Santa ( 2015 ) . In January 2013 , Taeyeon and Tiffany sang a duet , Lost in Love , which was featured on Girls Generations fourth Korean album , I Got a Boy . Two months later , she recorded And One , written and composed by Kangta , for the SBS drama That Winter , The Wind Blows . It debuted at the top of Billboards K-pop Hot 100 and reached number two on the Gaon Digital Chart . In July 2013 , Taeyeon was invited to record the theme song Bye for the movie Mr . Go soundtrack , after its musical director was left with a deep impression having heard her cover version of a song during a radio appearance . In February 2014 , Taeyeon joined the roster of SM the Ballad , a ballad group initially formed by SM Entertainment in 2010 , contributing her vocals to their second album Breath . Her lead single of the same name ( a duet with Shinees Jonghyun ) peaked at number three and six on South Koreas Gaon Digital Chart and K-pop Hot 100 Chart , respectively . She also recorded a solo song , Set Me Free , for the album . Her other 2014 releases included Colorful for JTBCs campaign The World Is More Beautiful Because Were Different and Love , That One Word for the SBSs drama Youre All Surrounded ; the latter entered Top 10 on both Gaon Digital Chart and K-Pop Hot 100 . In February 2015 , Taeyeon accepted a personal request from f ( x ) s Amber to feature in Shake that Brass , the lead single taken from her debut album , Beautiful . 2015–2016 : Solo debut and EPs releases . Taeyeon began working on her solo projects in late 2014 , believing her right time had come after eight years experience with Girls Generation . She released her debut extended play ( EP ) , I , in October 2015 . The EP peaked at number two on South Koreas Gaon Album Chart , and charted atop the US Billboard World Albums . As of 2019 , it has sold 160,000 copies in South Korea . The commercial success of I , according to Yonhap News Agency , was the main contributor to SM Entertainments leading music sales in the fourth quarter of 2015 . The title track , which features rapper Verbal Jint , incorporates elements of pop rock that departs from the ballad sound she had been known for . The song peaked at number one in South Korea , where it has sold over 2.5 million digital units . To accompany her solo release , she held a series of small concerts titled Taeyeons Very Special Day , and a reality show , OnStyles Daily Taeng9Cam . She was awarded Best Female Artist at the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards , and at the 2016 Golden Disk Awards . Taeyeon was featured artist on Yim Jae-beoms Scars Deeper than Love ( 2015 ) , Verbal Jints If The World Was a Perfect Place ( 2015 ) , and Crushs Dont Forget ( 2016 ) . Dont Forget has sold over 2.5 million copies in South Korea . In February 2016 , she recorded Rain for SM Entertainments digital music platform SM Station , of which the song was the inaugural release . Rain peaked at number one in South Korea , where it has sold over 2.5 million digital copies . Taeyeon and Super Juniors Kyuhyun were featured in a commercial for bottled water brand Jeju Samdasoo , for which she recorded a cover of The Blue Night of Jeju Island . She also became a spokesperson for Sword and Magic , a game developed by the company Longtu Korea , for which she recorded a rendition of BoAs 2003 song Atlantis Princess . Taeyeons second EP , Why ( 2016 ) , incorporates elements of more upbeat genres such as EDM and tropical house . It peaked atop the Gaon Album Chart , and charted at number two on the US Billboard World Albums . The EP has sold 120,000 copies as of 2019 . It spawned two singles : Starlight featuring Dean and the title track , which peaked at numbers five and seven , respectively , in South Korea . The EPs associated concert , Butterfly Kiss , made Taeyeon the first Korean female artist to embark on a full-scale concert while still being a member of an active girl group . In September 2016 , Taeyeon recorded All With You for SBSs television drama . Her next single , , was released in November 2016 . It peaked at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart and had sold 1.4 million copies by 2017 . Billboard ranked it the seventh best K-pop song of 2016 . The Dong-a Ilbo in December 2016 named Taeyeon as Voice of the Year , Singer of the Year , and Most Hardworking . At the 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards , Taeyeon was awarded Best Female Artist . 2017–2018 : First studio album and worldwide popularity . Taeyeons first studio album , My Voice , having been in the production process for over a year , was released in February 2017 and included the single Fine . Both the album and the song were well-received , topping both the Gaon Album Chart and Gaon Digital Chart , respectively . On April 5 , 2017 , a deluxe edition of the album was released , accompanied by the single Make Me Love You . The song reached number four on the Gaon Digital Chart . In May 2017 , Taeyeon embarked on her first Asia tour , Persona . In December 2017 , Taeyeon released her special EP . The album debuted at number two on the Gaon Album Chart , and at number six on the Billboard World Albums Chart . Hong Dam-young from The Korea Herald highlighted Taeyeons calm and undeniable vocal prowess in the album while praising the songs as the most sophisticated Christmas tunes of the year . Its single , This Christmas , debuted at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart . To promote the album , Taeyeon held a two-day Christmas concert titled The Magic of Christmas Time . In June 2018 , Taeyeon released her third EP , Something New . The EP peaked at number three on the Gaon Album Chart , and at number four on the Billboard World Albums Chart . That same month Taeyeon embarked on a Japan Showcase Tour , exclusively available to members of SM Entertainments official Japanese fan club . The tour visited Fukuoka , Nagoya , Tokyo and Osaka . Following the success of her sold-out showcase tour , Taeyeon released her debut Japanese single , Stay , on June 30 , 2018 . The single is accompanied by a B-side titled Im The Greatest . In August 2018 , Girls Generations second sub-group , Oh GG , was announced , consisting of Taeyeon and four other members who remained signed under SM Entertainment ; the group released their first single , Lil Touch in September . Taeyeon embarked on her second Asia tour from October 2018 to January 2019 . On October 12 , it was announced that the tour would go to Hong Kongs AsiaWorld Expo Arena , making her the first South Korean female solo artist to hold a solo concert at the venue . Encore concerts of her tour were announced in early 2019 , and took place at Seouls Jamsil Arena on March 23 and 24 . 2019 : Japanese debut and second studio album . Taeyeon released the digital single Four Seasons and its B-side Blue in March 2019 . Four Seasons charted at number six on the Billboard World Digital Songs and topped South Koreas Gaon Digital Chart for two consecutive weeks . The song was certified platinum by the Korean Music Content Association for exceeding 100 million streams . In April 2019 , Taeyeon embarked on her first concert tour in Japan , ~Signal~ , which started on April 13 in Fukuoka . She subsequently released her first Japanese-language EP , Voice , on May 13 . In 2019 , Taeyeon appeared as a main cast on the JTBC reality show Begin Again and performed busking in Berlin and Amsterdam , which aired in July 2019 . She also recorded All About You for the TVN television drama Hotel Del Luna ; the song topped the Gaon Digital Chart for two consecutive weeks . Taeyeon released her second studio album , Purpose , on October 28 , 2019 . The album peaked at number two in South Korea and spawned the single Spark , which reached number two on the Gaon Digital Chart . The album was reissued on January 15 , 2020 , featuring three bonus tracks including the single Dear Me . Taeyeon embarked on The Unseen Concert in January 2020 , and will hold the Japan Tour 2020 , visiting eight cities . 2020–present : Happy , continued popularity and What Do I Call You . On March 9 , 2020 , Taeyeon was set to release the digital single Happy in celebration of her birthday . The release , however , was postponed due to her fathers death the same day and her grandmothers death more than a month later . It was released on May 4 , 2020 . On November 18 , 2020 , Taeyeon released her second Japanese-language EP #GirlsSpkOut . On December 15 , 2020 , Taeyeon released her fourth Korean-language EP What Do I Call You . On January 1 , 2021 , Taeyeon was part of the SMTOWN Live Culture Humanity Concert and performed her single What Do I Call You live for the first time . On May 18 , 2021 , Taeyeon was featured in Taemins song If I Could Tell You released as part of Advice . Artistry . In the early years , Taeyeons music was predominantly ballads recorded for television soundtracks . With the popularity of songs including If ( 2008 ) and Can You Hear Me ( 2009 ) , she was referred to as the representative singer of popular OSTs . Since debuting as a solo artist , Taeyeons musical styles have varied . Her 2015 debut single I departs for a pop rock sound . In 2016 , the single Rain incorporates elements of jazz and R&B , while Why utilizes various elements including EDM , R&B and tropical house beats . Public image and impact . Voice and fashion . Taeyeon has been widely regarded as a talented vocalist for her soulful vocals . Her singing abilities have been subject to attention from several major South Korean producers ; in 2009 on MBCs Yoo Jae-suk & Kim Won-hees Come to Play Park Jin-young of JYP Entertainment expressed his wish to work with Taeyeon because of her ability to tell a story through singing . Korean composer Yoo Young-seok compared Taeyeons singing to a woman who has been divorced seven times . Taeyeon was selected as the best K-pop vocalist by 40 anonymous music industry officials in October 2015 , and was named the best female vocalist in their twenties by twelve Korean music companies in April 2016 . As the leader of popular K-pop girl group Girls Generation and a successful solo artist , Taeyeon has been recognized as a prominent South Korean figure . Janelle Okwodu from Vogue described Taeyeon as the Beyoncé of [ Girls Generation ] whose fashion styles are constantly on the go . Taeyeon topped Gallup Koreas listing of the most popular K-pop idols of 2016 , based on public polls and opinions . She also appeared on the rankings in 2015 ( #3 ) , 2017 ( #9 ) , and 2019 ( #7 ) . She also appeared multiple times on Forbes Korea Power Celebrity , making the list in 2016 ( #32 ) , 2018 ( #16 ) , and 2019 ( #23 ) . She became the first K-pop female celebrity to reach seven million followers on Instagram in June 2016 and has more than 16 millions followers as of April 2021 . Influences . Taeyeon has been cited as an inspiration for numerous K-pop artists . Boy band BTS deemed her as the inspiration for their single Boy In Luv ( 2014 ) . She has also been named as an influence by Lovelyzs Jiae , Melody Days Chahee , Cosmic Girls Luda , CLCs Elkie , Sonamoos High.D . and Baek A-yeon . Vibes Yoon Min-soo described Taeyeons musical styles as an example of Korean R&B K-Soul : I can feel that sort of emotions from the ballads Taeyeon sings . If you can feel a deep soul from a singer , thats K-Soul . Other ventures . Endorsements . Taeyeon has been known as a completed piece that fits diverse roles such as artist , beauty icon , and fashion-trend leader , especially in Asia . Given her popularity as a beauty icon , she has endorsed various Korean beauty brands since 2008 . Besides her appearances in commercials and advertisements with Girls Generation and Girls Generation-TTS members , she began her solo brand advertising career with A-Solution , a brand of acne cosmetics , in 2008 . Two years later , she became the first female Asia brand ambassador of Korean skincare brand , Nature Republic , along with boy group Exo from the same company SM Entertainment , for three consecutive years . In 2016 , when Taeyeons contract with Nature Republic ended , the cosmetic brand Banila Co . selected her to be its new spokesmodel for a variety of products because of her popularity not only domestically in South Korea but also across the entire world . In May 2020 , Taeyeon has become a muse of Apieu , well-known Korean beauty subsidiary brand of Missha , of which its official brand representative claimed that Taeyeons pure atmosphere matches well to Apieus cosmetics . Aside from her activities in the beauty industry , other endorsements included the bottled mineral water brand Jeju Samdasoo in 2016 , Sword and Magic game of Kaokao Games in 2016 , bakery café franchise brand Paris Baguette in 2017 , nail-art product brand Gelato Factory in 2018 and 2019 , Déesse Color Contact Lenses in 2018 , and Hyundais Haesang Direct Car Insurance in 2019 . From 2013 to 2014 , she was also the first and only foreign spokesperson of B-ing Collagen Drink by Singha , a large Thai beverage corporation . She featured in the B-ings commercial films , broadcasting in various mass media channels including most Thai local television and many radio stations . She also appeared in B-ing Taeyeons FinMeeting in Bangkok , a fan meeting sponsored by Singha . Discography . - My Voice ( 2017 ) - Purpose ( 2019 ) Concerts and tours . Headlining . Korea tours . - Butterfly Kiss ( 2016 ) - The Magic of Christmas Time ( 2017 ) Asia tours . - Persona ( 2017 ) - s.. . Taeyeon Concert ( 2018–2019 ) - The Unseen ( 2020 ) Japan tours . - Japan Tour 2019 ~Signal~ ( 2019 ) Concert participation . - SMTOWN Live Culture Humanity ( 2021 ) Awards and nominations . Since debuting as a member of Girls Generation , Taeyeon has received numerous nominations and awards for her solo activities in original soundtracks , radio show hosting and musical theatre dating back to 2008 . She has won two Best Female Artist at the Mnet Asian Music Awards , as well as Bonsang awards at the 25th Seoul Music Awards and the 30th Golden Disc Awards . In January 2020 , Taeyeon won the OST Award , the Bonsang Award , and the Daesang Award ( grand prize ) at the 29th Seoul Music Awards . External links . - Official website