I know Lee Jung Hyun made her debut as an actress in 1996, before debuting as a singer, but I can't think of many others who started out as actors before turning to music.
1st Gen Female Soloists - The Rate - Who paved the way?
- Thread starter Ana Raquel
- Start date
I know Lee Jung Hyun made her debut as an actress in 1996, before debuting as a singer, but I can't think of many others who started out as actors before turning to music.
RUNAWAY
Staff member
he/him
I'm absolutely here for this. I love Jung Hwa's discography, she's just such an incredible artist. I've never listened to much of Hyori's early discography, but I'm excited to dive in! Also if anyone wants to run a 1st generation girl groups rate, I'd be here for that as well. As long as M.I.L.K. and Isak N Jiyeon's under-appreciated albums are included.
she/her
(gif is not mine!!!)
Lee Jung Hyun
(이정현)
Just my personal favorite Asian artist ever.
Born in 1980, she is also known as AVA, a stage name she uses once in a while, and as the "Queen of Techno", as most of her songs are heavily based on techno, trance, and eurodance music - being one of the pioneers of the genre in South Korea.
Her work has a significant visual appeal, which resulted in remarkable and iconic visuals, which will properly be explained during song eliminations so that I have something to say there dddddd I will just introduce the most iconic asset: the pinky finger singing.
In short, her microphone is annexed on her pinky finger instead of her ear. So it ended up becoming one of her signature moves.
Anyway, as @Kneehigh Girl stated, she started her acting career before her singing one: three years apart, most precisely. "Petal", her acting debut, was so successful she won several awards - almost all of which she was nominated for. After a few movies and tv shows, she finally debuted back in 1999. Her musical debut was also a success back then.
During the 2000s, she had the opportunity to take part in Chinese and Japanese series, and also released two albums in those languages (Love Me for the former, This Is Hyony for the latter) - some new songs, some covers from previous albums in both of them. She had contact with western sensations by opening for Lady Gaga in 2009. Also, in the same year, she released "Crazy" (not the one in this rate, the one below), which was choreographed by no other than Brian Friedman. Yes. Britney's "Toxic" (and many other hits) choreographer Brian Friedman. THAT guy.
Yes, it is the Work Bitch scenery ddd.
And she has also being named ambassador by UNESCO, in 2007, and CICON (Korea-China Cultural Industry Conference), in 2012.
Songs we could have rated:
Thankfully, she has six albums prior to 2006, and most have two singles, so the selection was quite easy this time. In the end, the one that mainly missed out was "Summer Dance":
It comes from the special album "Summer Party", which is an interesting experience: it is divided in three parts, the first being a 4-song mini; the second, trance remixes of those songs; and, finally, a non-stop track with every song mixed there. The trance version of the single can be found here.
Other than that, there is also "A Petal", her first ever released song, as part of the soundtrack of her acting debut - in other words, yes, this is from before her official music debut.
Where is she now:
Musically speaking, her latest single was V:
Which was released on my birthday!!!
...of 2013.
Yes. Of all of the main girls, she is the one who hasn't released anything for the longest time. Just to have an idea, songs like Touch My Body, Come Back Home, Mr Mr, Catallena, Mr Chu, Full Moon, Don't Touch Me, BBB Big Baby Baby, and Watcha Doin' Today were all released after V. THAT'S WHY I AM A BITTER WOMAN I AM IN PAIN!!!!!!
So what she is doing today? Acting. She has returned strongly to the acting scene and pretty much was part of a movie in almost every single year ever since her latest album back in 2010. By the way, there is an upcoming film named "Decision to Leave" she is taking party and it is estimated to premiere some time this year. By the way, the movie is directed by Park Chan-wook, who also directed this:
...which I believe some here has/had this cover as their avatar? I could be wrong, but I am sure I saw this somewhere and I'm not a movie addict so it is probably from here?
Oh, she also has become a culinary youtuber. This is her latest video:
she/her
(gif is not mine!!!)
Kim Hyun Jung
(김현정)
This write-up will start differently because, first of all, I have to spread hate to THIS MAN:
Singer and actor Kim Hyun Joong. Every single time I tried to search for something about our Kim Hyun Jung, I mostly got results for him. Therefore, this will be the shortest write-up because I would rather not give mixed-up information. Also, I'm warning everyone in advance that her banners are the ones with the lowest quality as I struggled to find any pics at all, let alone high-quality pics.
(Also, I got some pics of WJSN's Seola as results as well because her birth name is Kim Hyun-jung dddddd)
Anyway, Kim has done a full 180 and, despite starting in a heavy metal band (according to Wikipedia, at least. I tried to find the name of said band, but I couldn't), she has become known as the queen of dance-pop, as most of her songs are of the genre. Also, she is known as the singer of long legs because she has... long legs.
In contrast to the previous main acts, she has not enrolled in the acting scene. Instead, the 45-year-old singer started two clothing brands: a jeans brand (Amy Loves Jean) and a dog clothing brand (Amy Loves Pet). It seems that she gave up on business (the latter brand is still active though) and returned to the music scene. Also, during her hiatus, she started to attend a jazz dance academy, and also learned piano and pansori. Here is a pansori performance (not by her), in case you are not aware of the genre.
I tried to find stuff by her on this area but all I get as result is KIM HYUN JOONG I HATE THIS MAN
Also, according to reliable Wikipedia, she has won every award she was nominated for.
Guess that's it? That's not much information on her, sadly.
Songs we could have rated:
Most of the biggest hits are in. Some second singles are out, such as:
"Separation Can Come Back", from her second album, "A Seagull Of Dream". (a hit, by the way)
"Like A Lie", from her third album, "Wild Beauty".
Where is she now:
Her most successful single in the past decade was "1 Minute 1 Second", from 2011.
Her latest album (in this case, mini album) was "Together Forever 18", from 2015. Her latest song is from last year though: "Holeman is back", where she collaborated with... guess what? Holeman.
She has done some cameos on TV. And now, WELCOME for some more mess. While researching, there was a website saying she was a contestant at Miss Trot 2020. HOWEVER, after looking into it, it is actually ANOTHER Kim Hyun Jung (more specifically, 1st gen co-ed group Space A's vocalist - her performance is cool, though!!!).
THAT BEING SAID, the same website said she took part in an episode of this year's "Archive K", and at least this one turned out to be true. Enjoy.
RUNAWAY
Staff member
he/him
I've started rating just now @Ana Raquel - I'll try to complete 2 sections tonight, and hopefully should have my full ballot to you by the weekend. Between work, and my own rate duties, I've been struggling a bit.
she/her
Yay! Don't worry, take your time!
I'm about halfway with the main singers, and nowhere on the extras, but I'm getting there!!
Slice of Life
Staff member
Finally started rating and yes, Miss Uhm Jung Hwa, mmmmmhhhh yes, I hear you and I’m loving what I’m hearing
she/her
(gif is not mine!!!)
Baek Ji Young
(백지영)
Born in 1976, she, like Kim Hyun Jung, hasn't enrolled in an acting career; she works solely as a singer. Starting her career in 1999, Baek (also called Baek Z Young) is known in the present days for her OST ballads. "Oh no, Ana, does that mean you will tank her section and give her an average of 4,85?" No!!!!! Because, in her early career, her songs (thus, most of her entries on this rate) were inspired by elements of latin american music - and she was one of the pioneers of such act in the mainstream k-pop. Reina latina!
Sadly, not too long after her debut, she was a victim in a scandal: a sextape of hers with her manager leaked on the internet in 2000. Her manager back then, Kim Shi-won, filmed them without Baek's knowledge and tried to use it to blackmail her when she wanted to change managers. Don't forget that she was an early teen back then. Despite being the victim, her career was nearly ruined and she was the one who got the blame. Ah, the misogyny. The blackmailer even fled to the USA, but was lately arrested and sentenced to prison for having sex with a minor + filming it without her consent + threatening the victim with the footage.
While, thankfully, Baek's career was not over, it took some time for her to overcome this scandal, having a proper successful era just in 2006. It was around that time when her music started leaning to the ballads until she became the successful ballad sensation she is today.
In 2008, she underwent surgery to remove a cyst in her vocal cords. It took a few months for her to return to the music scene again. Her comeback (intended to be a dance number, ended up being a ballad) was pretty successful back then.
She was one of the judges in the first two seasons of The Voice Korea. Her finalists ended up 2nd and 3rd, respectively. The former, U Sung-eun, released a single this year, in case you are curious to check it out.
In 2014, she placed 36th at Forbes's Korea Power Celebrity. She has been nominated for several prizes, including Mnet's Best New Solo Artist in her debut era, where she lost to 1st gen sensation Lee Jung Hyun. Still, she has won many prizes hereafter, with the latest victory being MBC Entertainment Awards's Mc award, back in 2016.
She had to face some other complicated moments, such as a miscarriage in 2013, a lawsuit filed by her because a plastic surgery clinic used her image without her permission (she won, in the end). Thankfully she is alive and well nowadays!
Songs we could have rated:
As she is known for many soundtracks, one song that could have been rated is her OST debut, back in 2006, with "It's a Dream", made for "I'm going too"'s OST.
Also, this one is quite bizarre: in 2006, her album "Smile Again" was re-released/repackaged with a new song, "Tomorrow". However, for some reason, I can only find the karaoke version of it? ddddd
Where is she now:
As she has become a well-known singer for her OSTs, she isn't releasing many albums or EPs anymore; instead, she switched to several non-album singles. Her latest EP, "Reminisce", was released in 2019, with the lead single "We".
Of the main girls, she was the one with the most recent music released (unless Park Ji Yoon releases a single by next Wednesday), as she released a small song in April of 2021:
she/her
By the way, there will be an extension, as I need voters some time, because I'm a bit busy right now. Not sure on the exact date, but most likely somewhere around mid-june.
I'm definitely still in! I've just been lazy because of the extension. Shame on me!
she/her
(again, not mine!!!!!)
Park Ji Yoon
(박지윤)
Born in 1982, she is the youngest of our main girls (and also the only one under 40). She started working as a model in 1992, had her acting debut in 1993, and released her debut album in 1997.
Park's career follows a common trope among pop divas: she starts with an innocent, angel-like persona. However, a few laters, she switched her image to a more mature, adult concept. Whilst it's not a unique concept, she was one of - if not the most impactful one in K-pop, being acclaimed and praised to this day.
That being said, she had a six-year hiatus from the music scene after her album "Woo~ Twenty One" (according to the reliable source Wikipedia, she alleged she felt controlled by her former manager, the well-known JY Park. Instead, she wanted to showcase her true self and her true feelings). During this time, she still continued her career as an actress.
After she returned, she switched again from the mature/sexy concept to the emotional-ballad-i-would-probably-tank concept. From now on, she started to have more control over the creative input on her work, and that's what matters the most.
She has only one award in music, which is MAMA's Best Female Artist, in 2000. Fun fact: the other nominees are exactly the other acts in this rate: Uhm Jung Hwa, Lee Jung Hyun, Kim Hyun Jung, and Baek Ji Young. The only songs we are rating here are Park Ji Yoon's and Baek Ji Young's. The remaining three had to sadly be cut out.
Songs we could have rated:
There could have been her first song used as soundtrack, as it's from 1998... but I haven't found it. Oopsie (My Bad).
Anyway, she has released A LOT of singles, so several cuts were done. Trying to get at least examples from different eras.
"The Rain in My Eyes", from her second album, "Blue Angel".
"I fell in love", from her fifth album, "Man". (the way she invented Bossa Nova though... Tom Jobim who!!!)
"11 Things Women Want from Men", from her sixth album, "Woo~ Twenty One".
Where is she now:
In 2016, she created her own label, Parkjiyoon Creative, and is now focusing on songwriting. Her latest album, which is basically a self-titled one, has eight of the ten tracks composed by herself. "O" was the lead single.
Her latest single, Spring of the Day, was released a bit over a year ago.
Last edited:
she/her
That should be it for the write-ups! The women on Extra will have smaller ones in their elimination posts.
Now, thank you to all the voters.........
.........so, uhhh, please vote? Don't humiliate me!!!!!
I should start some tagging after I set on a new deadline, be prepared for a lot of mentions.
Now, thank you to all the voters.........
.........so, uhhh, please vote? Don't humiliate me!!!!!
I should start some tagging after I set on a new deadline, be prepared for a lot of mentions.
she/her
I adapted RUNAWAY's batch of mentions so be prepared!!!!!!!!!!
Hi! I hope you have interest in taking part in this rate. Don't be reluctant if you don't know most of the songs, as the main idea is to promote these gems who served as inspiration for many k-pop idols to this day.
@An Insider
@askew
@aux
@BeingNormal
@berserkboi
Your deadline is June 30th! Let me know if you need anything.
Hi! I hope you have interest in taking part in this rate. Don't be reluctant if you don't know most of the songs, as the main idea is to promote these gems who served as inspiration for many k-pop idols to this day.
@An Insider
@askew
@aux
@BeingNormal
@berserkboi
Your deadline is June 30th! Let me know if you need anything.
she/her
Hi! I hope you have interest in taking part in this rate. Don't be reluctant if you don't know most of the songs, as the main idea is to promote these gems who served as inspiration for many k-pop idols to this day.
@BEST FICTION
@boombazookajoe
@camden_italian
@clowezra
@codecat
Your deadline is June 30th! Let me know if you need anything.
she/her
Hi! I hope you have interest in taking part in this rate. Don't be reluctant if you don't know most of the songs, as the main idea is to promote these gems who served as inspiration for many k-pop idols to this day.
@Cotton Park
@Crisp X
@Cutlery
@Dangerous Maknae
@DJHazey
Your deadline is June 30th! Let me know if you need anything.
she/her
Hi! I hope you have interest in taking part in this rate. Don't be reluctant if you don't know most of the songs, as the main idea is to promote these gems who served as inspiration for many k-pop idols to this day.
@eatyourself
@eccentricsimply
@eliminathan
@Empty Shoebox
@enjoy
Your deadline is June 30th! Let me know if you need anything.
she/her
Hi! I hope you have interest in taking part in this rate. Don't be reluctant if you don't know most of the songs, as the main idea is to promote these gems who served as inspiration for many k-pop idols to this day.
@evilsin
@Ezz
@FunkyButChic
@GeiPanda
@Gintoki
Your deadline is June 30th! Let me know if you need anything.