Seohyun

Seo Ju-hyun (born June 28, 1991), known professionally as Seohyun, is a South Korean singer, actress and songwriter.

Seohyun was born Seo Ju-hyun on June 28, 1991, in Seoul, South Korea, and is the only child in her family.

Her mother was a chairwoman at a piano school and Seohyun was taught how to play piano, as well as violin and traditional Korean drums in her early childhood.

She also learned horseback riding and skating as a child.

Her parents did not encourage her to become a celebrity, but Seohyun credited them as the ones who helped her choose her career path by letting her experience different things.

As a fifth grader, Seohyun was discovered by a talent scout while riding in a subway train.

She sang children's songs for her audition at SM Entertainment, and was accepted as a trainee.

Seohyun cited BoA, S.E.S and Fin.K.L. as her main influences to become a singer, expressing "I thought it was cool to show and communicate the emotions through songs".

She debuted as a member of girl group Girls' Generation (and later its subgroup Girls' Generation-TTS) in August 2007, which went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and one of South Korea's most popular girl groups worldwide.

In August 2007, Seohyun made her official debut as the youngest member of girl group Girls' Generation.

The group gained significant popularity after the release of their hit single "Gee" in 2009.

Seohyun's early solo work mostly involved songs recorded for side projects and original soundtracks.

Although they did not achieve much commercial success; her duet titled "JjaLaJaJJa" with veteran singer Joo Hyun-mi earned a "Trot Music of the Year" nomination at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

Seohyun graduated from Jeonju Arts High School in February 2010.

In 2010–2011, Seohyun appeared in MBC's variety show We Got Married 2, alongside CNBLUE's Yonghwa.

They played a make-believe couple, portraying what life would be like if they were married.

In addition, Seohyun was cast as voice actor for the Korean-dubbed version of animated film Despicable Me (2010) and its sequel Despicable Me 2 (2013), together with fellow member Taeyeon.

She voiced the character of Edith, who is known for her rebellious attitude.

In April 2012, Seohyun, along with fellow members Taeyeon and Tiffany, formed a Girls' Generation subgroup named TTS.

Their debut EP, Twinkle, met with much success and became the eighth highest selling album of the year in South Korea.

Following her supporting role in the television drama Passionate Love (2013) and Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016), she starred in Bad Thief, Good Thief (2017), Time (2018), Private Lives (2020), Jinxed at First (2022) and Song of the Bandits (2023).

Her film work includes Love and Leashes (2022).

She also participated in the original and Korean versions of stage musicals including Moon Embracing the Sun, Gone with the Wind and Mamma Mia.

She co-wrote the songs "Baby Maybe" and "XYZ" (I Got a Boy, 2013) and was credited as the sole lyricist for "Only U" (Holler, 2014) and "Dear Santa" (Dear Santa, 2015).

In 2013, Seohyun debuted as an actress when she was cast for a supporting role in SBS's drama Passionate Love.

She played Han Yu-rim, a veterinary student and first love of the male lead character.

Director Bae Tae-sub said Seohyun's persona "perfectly paralleled that of her role" and "her understanding and expressiveness of the character exceeds those of a rookie actress".

Seohyun, self-described as someone who likes both singing and acting, began to develop an interest in musical theatre.

She named musical actress Ock Joo-hyun, who later became her mentor, as her main influence.

Although she had wanted to be in a musical for a long time, she rejected casting offers because she felt unprepared.

She attended Dongguk University, majoring in theatre acting and graduated in August 2014, receiving an achievement award at the graduation ceremony.

Her fellow Girls' Generation member, Yoona, attended the same university.

The subgroup went on to release two more EPs: Holler (2014) and Dear Santa (2015).

Besides contributing her vocals to Girls' Generation and TTS songs, Seohyun began to become more active in lyrics writing.

In January 2014, her wish was fulfilled as she accepted her first musical acting role.

Seohyun made her theatrical debut in the musical, Moon Embracing the Sun, which was adapted from the novel of the same name.

Seohyun released her first extended play Don't Say No in 2017.

She left SM Entertainment later that year, although she remains as a member of Girls' Generation.

She joined Namoo Actors in 2019.

Aside from her music career, she has established herself as an actress.