Hong Jin-young South Korean Singer Born 1985 in Gwangju

Early life

Hong Jin-young was born on 9 August 1985 in Gwangju, South Korea. She studied at Chosun University, a local institution in her home city, and began working in entertainment while still a young adult.

Career

Her earliest work was on screen. In 2006 she had a small part in the film Who Slept With Her? and also appeared in the historical television drama Yeon Gaesomun, which is set in the seventh century. The following year she turned to music as a member of SWAN, a four-woman group whose line-up also included Han Ji-na, Heo Yoon-mi and Kim Yeon-ji. The group debuted with the song "Call Me When You Hear This Song", featuring Coolapika, and did not last long.

Her direction changed in 2009, when the head of her agency proposed that she become a solo trot singer. Trot is a genre widely seen in Korea as music for an older audience, and she was reluctant at first because of her age. She nevertheless released the digital single "Love Battery" that year, and the song, composed by Jo Young-soo, became the start of her solo career. "My Love" followed in August 2010, and "Boogie Man" in March 2013. In 2014 she left Core Contents Media, the agency she had shared with the group Davichi.

During the mid-2010s she became a familiar face on television. She appeared on music programmes such as Immortal Songs 2 and King of Mask Singer, and in 2014 she joined the variety show We Got Married, where she was paired with the actor Namkoong Min in a staged marriage format. Her first EP, Life Note, was released in November 2014 with the lead track "Cheer Up", and Namkoong Min made a cameo in its music video. A second EP, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, followed in 2016 with "Thumb Up" and "Love Wifi", and that year she also recorded a Korean version of the Chinese song "The Moon Represents My Heart", for which she wrote new lyrics.

In 2017 she became a regular on Sister's Slam Dunk, where the producers gave her the role of a rapper, which she had long wanted to try. In April of that year she and the comedian Kim Young-chul released the electronic-influenced trot single "Ring Ring". Hong wrote it, and the pair won the Best Trot category at the 2017 MelOn Music Awards. A February 2017 digital single, "Loves Me, Loves Me Not", was part of the soundtrack of the film A Fabricated City.

In 2018 she released the retro-styled "Good Bye", composed by Jo Young-soo with lyrics by Kim Eana. She also wrote and composed "I Kicked My Luck Off", another electronic trot song, for Kang Ho-dong, issued through SM Station. In December of that year she put out "Seoul", a collaboration with the rapper Bray that she produced together with Park Keun-tae. In January 2019 she released the ballad "Love Is...", and on 12 January 2019 she made her debut as a concert performer in the United States at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in California, before an audience of more than 3,000. Her first studio album, Lots of Love, arrived in March 2019. She is also a frequent guest on the KBS programme Golden Oldies.

Later releases include "Viva La Vida" in April 2022, issued in both Korean and English versions, and the ballad "Spring" in February 2024, her first work with Jo Young-soo in a decade, since "Cheer Up". Her listed record label is MBK Entertainment.

Recognition

The Best Trot honour at the 2017 MelOn Music Awards, shared with Kim Young-chul for "Ring Ring", is the main award in her record. Her wider reputation rests on her trot recordings, her television appearances and a busy live schedule at events across South Korea.