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Kwon Bo-ah (; born November 5, 1986), known professionally as BoA, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer and actress. One of the most successful and influential Korean entertainers, she has been dubbed the " Queen of K-pop." Born and raised in
Gyeonggi-do Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...
, South Korea, BoA was discovered by
SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
talent agents when she accompanied her older brother, a music video director, to a talent search in 1998. She was trained for two years and made her debut in August 2000. BoA has released twenty studio albums, including ten in Korean, nine in Japanese, and one in English. On television, she appeared as a judge on the reality competition show ''
K-pop Star ''Survival Audition K-pop Star'' ( ko, 서바이벌 오디션 K팝 스타) is a South Korean reality TV competition series where three entertainment/talent agencies in South Korea hold worldwide auditions to find the next potential K-Pop stars. ...
'' (2011–2013), as an actress on the
television drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms t ...
''
Listen to Love ''Listen to Love'' () is a 2016 South Korean television series starring Lee Sun-kyun and Song Ji-hyo about husbands who try to protect their marriage with the help of anonymous netizens, based on the 2007 Japanese TV series of the same title. It ...
'' (2016), as a host for the second season of ''
Produce 101 ''Produce 101'' is a reality television talent competition franchise created by South Korean entertainment conglomerate CJ E&M, based around the formation of a K-pop girl group or boy group. The format is noted for having no panel of judges, emp ...
'' (2017), and as a coach for the third season of ''
The Voice of Korea ''The Voice of Korea'' is a South Korean reality singing competition and local version of ''The Voice (franchise), The Voice'' first broadcast as ''The Voice of Holland''. Its The Voice of Korea (season 1), first season started on February 10, ...
'' (2020). BoA's ability to sing in Japanese, English and Mandarin has helped her find commercial success beyond South Korea, in China, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore. With the release of her debut Japanese studio album, '' Listen to My Heart'' (2002), BoA became the first South Korean pop star to break through in Japan following the fall of barriers that had restricted the import and export of entertainment between the countries since the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. She is the only foreign artist with three albums that have sold more than one million copies in Japan and one of only three female artists with six consecutive number-one studio albums on the
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
charts since her debut, the others being Japanese singers
Ayumi Hamasaki is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia. Due to her success and relevanc ...
and
Hikaru Utada , who is also known by the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American pop singer, songwriter and producer. By 2010, Utada had become one of the most influential, and best-selling, musical artists in Japan. Born in the United States to Japanese parent ...
.


Career


2000–2003: Debut and commercial success in South Korea and Japan

At age eleven, BoA accompanied her older brother to an SM Entertainment talent search. Though her brother was the one who auditioned as a break-dancer, SM
talent scouts Artists and repertoire (colloquially abbreviated to A&R) is the division of a record label or music publishing company that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists (singers, instrumentalist ...
instead took notice of BoA and offered her a contract on the same night as the auditions. Her parents initially opposed the notion of BoA leaving school to enter the entertainment business but eventually consented at her older brothers' persuasion. She has said that her early influence as a singer was
Seo Taiji Jeong Hyeon-cheol (Korean: 정현철; born February 21, 1972), better known as Seo Taiji or Seo Tae-ji (서태지), is a South Korean singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. After dropping out of high school to pursue a music career, ...
. BoA underwent two years of training (involving vocal, dance, English, and Japanese lessons), and at the age of thirteen she released her debut album ''
ID; Peace B ''ID; Peace B'' is the debut Korean-language studio album by South Korean singer BoA, released on August 25, 2000 by SM Entertainment. Commercially, it was only moderately successful in South Korea, peaking at number 16 on the Recording Industry ...
'' in South Korea on August 25, 2000. The album was moderately successful; it entered the Top 10 of the South Korean charts and sold around 156,000 units. Meanwhile, her Korean record label, SM Entertainment, made arrangements with Japanese label Avex Trax to launch her music career in Japan. She was forced to quit school to prepare and in early 2001, BoA released her first
mini-album A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...
, ''
Don't Start Now "Don't Start Now" is a song by English-Albanian singer Dua Lipa. Lipa wrote the song with Caroline Ailin, Emily Warren, and its producer Ian Kirkpatrick (record producer), Ian Kirkpatrick. The song was released for digital download and streami ...
''; it sold around 90,000 units. After its release, she took a hiatus from the Korean music industry to focus on the Japanese market at which time she worked to solidify her skills in Japanese. BoA began her Japanese music career singing at the Avex-owned club
Velfarre was a disco located in the Roppongi district of Tokyo, Japan. Velfarre was the self-professed "largest disco in Asia" with a capacity of 1,500 people, with three floors above ground and three floors below; owned by Tetsuya Komuro and Avex Trax. V ...
. Her debut Japanese album, '' Listen to My Heart'', was released on March 13, 2002. The album was a breakthrough in BoA's career, becoming an
RIAJ The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include p ...
-certified million-seller and debuted atop the Oricon, the first album by a Korean artist to do so. It was promoted with several singles: the Top 20 hit "
ID; Peace B ''ID; Peace B'' is the debut Korean-language studio album by South Korean singer BoA, released on August 25, 2000 by SM Entertainment. Commercially, it was only moderately successful in South Korea, peaking at number 16 on the Recording Industry ...
" (originally from the eponymous album), "
Amazing Kiss "Amazing Kiss" is BoA's second single in Japan. It was released July 25, 2001, and went to number 23 on the Oricon chart. Track listing # Amazing Kiss (4:36) # Someday, Somewhere (4:07) # Amazing Kiss ~English Version~ (4:36) # Amazing Kiss (Ins ...
", " Kimochi wa Tsutawaru", the Top 5 hit "Listen to My Heart," and the Top 10 " Every Heart: Minna no Kimochi". After the
September 11, 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
, BoA recorded the charity single " The Meaning of Peace" with
Kumi Koda , known professionally as , is a Japanese singer from Kyoto, known for her urban and R&B songs. After debuting with the single "Take Back" in December 2000, Koda gained fame in March 2003 when the songs from her seventh single, "Real Emotion ...
as part of Avex's Song Nation project to raise funds for charity. From 2001 to 2007, BoA hosted ''Beat it BoA's World'', a radio program on the
Japan FM Network is a commercial radio network in Japan. It was founded in 1981. TOKYO FM is the main station of the network. Japan FM Network stations Special station Originally in JFN, but now independent FM Fuji was a member from 1988 to 199 ...
. After the release of ''Listen to My Heart'', BoA released her second Korean studio album, '' No. 1'', a month later on April 12, 2002. The album sold around 544,853 units and became the fourth-best-selling record of the year in South Korea. ''Jumping into the World'' (a Japanese re-release of the mini-album ''Don't Start Now'') and the Japanese single "
Don't Start Now "Don't Start Now" is a song by English-Albanian singer Dua Lipa. Lipa wrote the song with Caroline Ailin, Emily Warren, and its producer Ian Kirkpatrick (record producer), Ian Kirkpatrick. The song was released for digital download and streami ...
" were released a month later on the same day. At the end of the year, BoA released her second Korean mini-album ''
Miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...
''. BoA's second Japanese studio album, '' Valenti'' (January 2003), became her best-selling album, with over 1,249,000 copies sold. Three singles preceded its release: " Valenti," which peaked at the number-two position on the Oricon chart, " Kiseki / No.1" and " Jewel Song / Beside You: Boku o Yobu Koe", both which also peaked at the number-three position. In support of the album, BoA launched ''BoA 1st Live Tour Valenti'', her first Japanese concert tour. Later in the same year, BoA released her third Korean-language studio album, ''
Atlantis Princess ''Atlantis Princess'' is the third Korean-language studio album by South Korean singer BoA, released on May 30, 2003 by SM Entertainment. Several singles were promoted off the album, including the promotional single "Lights of Seoul", "Atlantis ...
'' on May 30, 2003 and then released a mini-album '' Shine We Are!'' on December 4, 2003.The former was the fifth-best-selling South Korean record of the year with around 345,000 units sold; the latter sold around 58,000 units.


2004–2008: New image, foray into China, and creative control

Her third Japanese studio album, '' Love & Honesty'' (January 2004) was a musical "change in direction": it contained a rock-dance song ("
Rock with You "Rock with You" was written by Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones. It was first offered to Karen Carpenter, while she was working on her first solo album, but she turned it down. It was released on November 3, 1979, by Epic Records as ...
") and "harder" R&B. Though the album failed to match ''Valenti'' in sales, it topped the Oricon chart for two weeks and became RIAJ-certified triple-platinum. In support of the album, BoA held a tour, ''Live Concert Tour 2004: Love & Honesty'', spanning nine performances and attracted approximately 105,000 attendants. In contrast with ''1st Live Tour'', which "emphasized exotic Asian design", the ''Love & Honesty'' tour had an "outer-space, sci-fi" theme; among the props were a three-storey-high
space ship Spaceship may refer to: Spaceflight * Space vehicle, the combination of launch vehicle and spacecraft * Spacecraft, a craft, vehicle, vessel or machine designed for spaceflight * Starship, a spacecraft built for interstellar flight Music Songs ...
and the robot Asimo. Her first
compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
, ''
Best of Soul ''Best of Soul'' is Korean pop singer BoA's second Japanese greatest hits album. This is her first greatest hits album to contain her Japanese songs. The album was released on February 2, 2005, under Avex Trax. The album contains singles from ...
'' (February 2005), however, sold over a million copies, making BoA the first non-Japanese Asian singer to have two million-selling albums in Japan. BoA reinvented her image for her fourth and fifth Korean albums, '' My Name'' (June 2004) and '' Girls on Top'' (June 2005), shedding the "cute" and "youthful" style that had characterized previous years and adopted a more "sexy" and "sultry" look. The sales of BoA's Korean albums began to decline: ''My Name'' sold 191,000 units and became the eleventh-best-selling South Korean album in 2004 while ''Girls on Top'' ranked fourteenth in 2005 with 113,000 units sold. In September 2004, BoA instigated controversy in Japan when she donated
The won sign , is a currency symbol. It represents the South Korean won, the North Korean won and, unofficially, the old Korean won. Appearance Its appearance is "W" (the first letter of "Won") with a horizontal strike going through the cent ...
50 million to a memorial project for
Korean independence The Korean independence movement was a military and diplomatic campaign to achieve the independence of Korea from Japan. After the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, Korea's domestic resistance peaked in the March 1st Movement of 1919, which ...
activist and nationalist
An Jung-geun Ahn Jung-geun, sometimes spelled Ahn Joong-keun (; 2 September 1879 – 26 March 1910; baptismal name: Thomas Ahn ), was a Korean-independence activist, nationalist, and pan-Asianist. He is famous for assassination of Itō Hirobumi, the first ...
. Her fourth Japanese studio album, ''
Outgrow Outgrow is the fourth Japanese studio album (ninth overall) by South Korean singer BoA. It was released on February 15, 2006, and features the singles " Do the Motion", " Make a Secret", "Dakishimeru", and " Everlasting". The album also features ...
'', (February 2006) reached the number-one spot on the Oricon chart for its first week of release, making it her fourth consecutive original Japanese album to do so. With 220,000 copies sold, it became her lowest-selling first-week debut for a studio album at that point. "
Do the Motion "Do the Motion" is BoA's 15th Japanese CD single (and first of 2005), and third highest selling. This was also BoA's first number one single, and made her the first non-Japanese Asian singer to top the Oricon charts in over 21 years. This single ...
", the first single from the album, reached the top spot, making her the fourth non-Japanese Asian to have a number-one single on the Oricon charts. "
Merry Christmas from BoA The discography of South Korean musician BoA consists of twenty-one studio albums (three of which were reissued), eight compilation albums, three extended plays (EPs) and numerous singles. BoA debuted as a musician through South Korean talent age ...
" (2005), the album's last single, was the singer's first digital single. That May, BoA renewed her contract with SM Entertainment until 2012. At the time it was noted that she had a shareholding in the company of 100,000 (Approximately worth $1m USD). She also voiced Heather the possum in the Korean and Japanese version of the animated film ''
Over the Hedge ''Over the Hedge'' is an American syndicated comic strip, written by Michael Fry, and drawn by T. Lewis. It tells the story of a raccoon, a turtle, a squirrel, and their friends, who come to terms with their woodlands being taken over, by su ...
''. On September 21, 2006, she released her first digital single in Korea, a Korean version of " Key of Heart". In support of ''Outgrow'', BoA launched a special
Zepp The Zepp music halls are a group of Japanese music venues covering every area of the country. They play host to many international tours and are a popular stop among Japanese musicians. Each venue takes the Zepp name, along with the city in which ...
tour, B0A The Live, on September 29, 2006, which lasted until October 29. She staged her first Christmas concert on December 7, 2006. Three singles preceded BoA's fifth Japanese studio album, '' Made in Twenty'' (January 2007): the Top 3 "
Nanairo no Ashita (Brand New Beat)/Your Color "Nanairo no Ashita: Brand New Beat / Your Color" is BoA's nineteenth Japanese single and her fifth double A-side single. It is her first single to be released in both CD and in CD+DVD formats. The former is an upbeat pop song while the latter is ...
," the Top 10 "Key of Heart," and the No. 2 hit "
Winter Love "Winter Love" is BoA's 21st Japanese single. It was released on November 1, 2006. It hit #2 on the Oricon Charts with sales of 42,481, making it the highest charting BoA single since " Do the Motion", which was released in March 2005. Formats are ...
." The album, which contained R&B and dance songs as well as ballads, debuted at the top of the weekly Oricon charts, making the album her sixth in a row to do so (including one compilation). Having previously compose the song "No More Make Me Sick" for ''Made in Twenty'', BoA assumed creative control over her sixth Japanese album, ''
The Face The face is a part of the body, the front of the head. Face may also refer to: Film * ''The Magician'' (1958 film) or ''The Face'' * ''The Face'' (1996 film), an American television film * ''Face'' (1997 film), a British crime drama by Antonia ...
'' (February 2008). The album debuted at the top of the weekly Oricon charts, making BoA one of only two artists in Japan to have six consecutive studio albums top the Oricon weekly charts (the other is
Ayumi Hamasaki is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia. Due to her success and relevanc ...
, who has eight consecutive number-one albums). On June 9, 2008, BoA and nine other artists from around the world recorded an English cover of Wei Wei's "Dedication of Love". Produced by
Roald Hoffmann Roald Hoffmann (born Roald Safran; July 18, 1937) is a Polish Americans, Polish-American theoretical chemistry, theoretical chemist who won the 1981 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He has also published plays and poetry. He is the Frank H. T. Rhodes P ...
and Brian Alan, the single was used to raise funds for victims of the
Sichuan earthquake This is a list of earthquakes that occurred in Sichuan province of China. Earthquakes with magnitude of 7.0 or greater Earthquakes registering magnitudes between 6.0 and 6.9 See also * List of earthquakes in Yunnan References {{Earth ...
. But due to a tight schedule, BoA was pulled back from this project. Korean jewelry brand Ramee also released, "Ramee by BoA", a line of jewelry designed by the singer herself.


2008–2012: American expansion and return to Asia

On September 2, 2008, it was announced that BoA would make her American debut under a new subsidiary label, SM Entertainment USA. Hoping to become a "world-renowned entertainer" in the vein of
Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
, BoA's debut American single "Eat You Up," was produced by
Thomas Troelsen Thomas Troelsen (born 6 October 1981) is a Danish singer, songwriter, and producer from Skive. Troelsen has written and produced songs for Pitbull, Flo Rida, Justin Bieber, David Guetta, Lil Wayne, Drengene fra Angora, Nile Rodgers, Jason Derulo ...
, and released on October 21, 2008. It charted at No. 9 on the ''Billboard''
Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...
chart. To promote the single, BoA performed "Eat You Up" as well as other songs at YouTube's Tokyo Live concert, and performed in New York City on December 3, 2008, as well as the
Jingle Ball iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbrella brand for iHear ...
at the Anaheim Honda Center on December 6, 2008. The following year, she released " Eien/Universe/Believe in Love" and was also featured in
Ravex Ravex (stylized as ravex; a portmanteau of rave and Avex) is a Japanese electronic music group, consisting of Shinichi Osawa, Tomoyuki Tanaka and record producer DJ Taku Takahashi. Established to mark the 20th anniversary of the Avex label, th ...
's single "Believe in Love." BoA's self-titled English album was released in the U.S. on March 17 and featured tracks by producers
Bloodshy and Avant Bloodshy & Avant are a Swedish songwriting and production duo consisting of Christian "Bloodshy" Karlsson and Pontus "Avant" Winnberg. They have worked with many prominent artists, including Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Ms. Dynamite, Madonn ...
as well as a duet with
Sean Garrett Garrett Robin Hamler, known professionally as Sean Garrett, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is responsible for a series of chart-topping compositions, most notably Usher's " Yeah!" which ranks second on the ''Billboa ...
. Her second Japanese compilation album, ''
Best & USA ''Best & USA'' is a 2009 album by the South Korean pop singer BoA. A Japanese issue coinciding with the release of her American first album, ''BoA'', it contains the American album (''USA'') as well as a compilation of Japanese singles (''Best'') ...
'' was released on March 18 tying together a compilation of recent hits in Japan with her English-language debut. Though she stated that " has always been my dream to debut in America," she found English tougher to learn than Japanese and despite living in West Beverly Hills, found it difficult to make friends. BoA later headlined the San Francisco Pride Festival on June 28, 2009, alongside
Solange Knowles Solange Piaget Knowles (; born June 24, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, performance artist, and actress. Expressing an interest in music from an early age, Knowles had several temporary stints as a backup dancer for Destiny's Child, wh ...
and
The Cliks ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
, where she also performed the song "Energetic" for the first time in public, in addition to "Eat You Up" and "I Did It for Love." On August 31, SM USA released '' BoA Deluxe'', a repackaged version of her debut English album. The album contained two new tracks and the radio edit version of "Energetic". With her U.S. career struggling to gain traction, BoA returned to East Asia to release her seventh Japanese album, ''
Identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), ...
'' (February 2010). Promoted by the singles " Bump Bump!" featuring Verbal from
M-Flo is a Japanese hip hop group consisting of record producer DJ Taku Takahashi, Verbal and Lisa. Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists fo ...
and " Mamoritai: White Wishes" (December 2009), the album only charted at No. 4, selling 37,606 copies in its first week. With little promotion from her label, it ended her run of six consecutive No. 1 albums, suggesting that it would be impossible for her to sustain her career in three territories simultaneously. Her first Korean album in five years, ''
Hurricane Venus ''Hurricane Venus'' is the sixth Korean language studio album (fourteenth overall) by South Korean singer BoA, released on August 2, 2010, by SM Entertainment, to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the singer's career. It is BoA's first major ...
,'' was released on August 5, 2010, and sold 55,776 units making it the 22nd best selling album in South Korea for 2010. She also represented South Korea and performed at the 7th Asia Song Festival, organized by ''Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange'', at the
Seoul Olympic Stadium The Seoul Olympic Stadium (), also known as Jamsil Olympic Stadium (formerly romanised as ''Chamshil''), is a multi-purpose stadium in Seoul, South Korea. It is the main stadium built for the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1986 Asian Games, 10th ...
. BoA made her Hollywood movie debut in the dance film '' Make Your Move 3D'', playing the character Aya opposite
Derek Hough Derek Bruce Hough (; born May 17, 1985) is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer, choreographer, actor and singer. From 2007 to 2016, Hough was a professional dancer on the ABC dance competition series ''Dancing with the Stars'', w ...
. Although production ended in 2011, the film was released in 2013. The movie received mixed reviews, with Inkoo Kang of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' praising the choreography but stating that " enever actor Derek Hough and BoA stop leaping and twirling, tis an underwritten mess." To celebrate the 10th anniversary of her Japanese debut, BoA released "
Milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...
," which ranked at No. 4 on the Oricon Weekly Music-DVD charts. She also held her 10th anniversary concert on December 10–11 at Tokyo International Forum. Following the concert, BoA shifted her activities to her native county, joining the judging panel on SBS's audition program ''
K-pop Star ''Survival Audition K-pop Star'' ( ko, 서바이벌 오디션 K팝 스타) is a South Korean reality TV competition series where three entertainment/talent agencies in South Korea hold worldwide auditions to find the next potential K-Pop stars. ...
'' as a representative of S.M. Entertainment, alongside
Yang Hyun-suk Yang Hyun-suk (born January 9, 1970) is a South Korean music executive, rapper, dancer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame as a member of Seo Taiji and Boys during the 1990s. After the group disbanded, he founded and became the Ex ...
from
YG Entertainment YG Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production compa ...
and
Park Jin-young Park Jin-young (Hangul: 박진영; born December 13, 1971), also known by his stage names J. Y. Park and The Asiansoul or the initials JYP, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, record executive, and reality television show ju ...
from
JYP Entertainment JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate founded in 1997 by J. Y. Park. It is one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea, and operates as a record label, tale ...
. BoA received praise for her ability as a judge with her insightful comments and discerning eyes, and also sang the theme song "One Dream." For her seventh Korean album, '' Only One'' (July 2012), BoA wrote and composed its title track, while its dance steps choreographed by NappyTabs, who has previously worked with BoA in ''Cobu''. Upon its release, "Only One" achieved an all-kill on several music charts. She followed this up with the second "The Shadow," was released August 18, 2012. Additionally, she recorded the song " Lookin'" featuring
The Quiett ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
for Hyundai's 'Premium Younique Lifestyle' campaign.


2013–2015: Music production, television role, and 15th anniversary

BoA launched her first Korean tour with BoA Special Live 2013: Here I Am tour at the Olympic Hall, and released the song " Disturbance," which she wrote and composed, to commemorate her first concert tour in South Korea. In September 2013, BoA starred in KBS' two-episode drama special ''Expect to Date'' alongside Choi Daniel and
Im Si-wan Yim Si-wan (; born on December 1, 1988), known mononymously as Siwan, is a South Korean singer and actor. He is a member of the South Korean boyband ZE:A and its sub-group ZE:A Five. As an actor, he is best known for starring in the film ''The ...
, her full first role in a drama, following a string of cameo appearances. She received praise for her acting performance. She also participated in '' Infinity Challenge's'' bi-annual song festival and was paired with Leessang's Gil, with the two co-produced the song "G.A.B". In March 2014, BoA was appointed as a de facto creative director in S.M. Entertainment, alongside labelmate
Kangta Ahn Chil-hyun (born October 10, 1979), known professionally as Kangta (stylized sometimes in all caps and formerly as KangTa), is a South Korean singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, actor and radio personality. He is well known as a ...
; she was placed in charge of mental care of artists who debut at a young age. The singles for BoA's eighth Japanese album, '' Who's Back?'' (September 2014), were released over a span of four years prior to the album's release:"
Woo Weekend "Woo Weekend" is the thirtieth single by BoA Kwon Bo-ah (; born November 5, 1986), known professionally as BoA, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer and actress. One of the most successful and influential Korean enter ...
" and "I See Me" in 2010, "Milestone" in 2011, Only One," " Tail of Hope" and " Message / Call My Name" in 2013, and " Shout It Out" and "Masayume Chasing" in 2014. To promote the album, she embarked on her BoA Live Tour 2014 Who's Back? tour in September, her first Japanese tour in four years. After the tour concluded, BoA starred in her first Korean film, ''
Big Match Big Matches are annual cricket matches played between different schools in Sri Lanka. The same schools have played one another for many years, some for over a century, and Big Matches form an important part of modern Sri Lankan culture T ...
'' alongside
Lee Jung-jae Lee Jung-jae (; born December 15, 1972) is a South Korean actor and filmmaker. Considered one of the most successful actors in South Korea, he has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cr ...
and Shin Ha-kyun though a Japanese single "Fly" was released on December 3, 2014. Her eighth Korean album ''Kiss My Lips'' (May 2015) became her first entirely self-written, self-produced album, working alongside American producers The Underdogs and Stereotypes. The single "Who Are You" (feat. Gaeko) was released prior to the album's unveiling, along with its accompanying music video, which starred EXO's
Sehun Se-hun, also spelled Se-hoon or Sei-hoon, is a Korean masculine given name. Its meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 15 hanja with the reading "se" and 12 hanja with the reading " hun" on the South Korean ...
as the male lead. The rest of the album was unveiled on May 12 along with an official music video of the eponymous title track. ''Billboard'' called the singer a promising songwriter despite moments of musical blandness. In July, she performed at the BoA Special Live 2015: Nowness to commemorate her 15th anniversary. The concert took place on August 22 and 23 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in South Korea, making BoA the first female idol to hold a solo concert at the venue. This was followed by BoA Special Live 2015: Nowness in Japan which took place on December 11, 2015, at Tokyo International Forum Hall-A. Her 15th anniversary in Japan the following year was celebrated in a similar fashion, including the release of the song "Lookbook", and a 15th anniversary edition of BoA's Japanese Winter hit, "Meri Kuri." As part of S.M. Entertainment's special winter project, ''
Winter Garden A winter garden is a kind of garden maintained in wintertime. History The origin of the winter garden dates back to the 17th to 19th centuries where European nobility would construct large conservatories that would house tropical and subtro ...
,'' BoA released a digital single entitled "Christmas Paradise."


2016–present: Musical projects, television production, and acting debut

On January 12, 2016, BoA released an English-language single "Make Me Complete", which serves as the theme song for the Fuji TV special drama ''Ooku'', starring Sawajiri Erika and Watanabe Mayu. In June, she collaborated with Korean rapper
Beenzino Lim Sung-bin (; born September 12, 1987), better known by the stage name Beenzino (Hangul: 빈지노), is a South Korean rapper. His stage name is a play on that of Boston rapper Benzino, combined with "빈" (pronounced "been") from his birt ...
for
S.M. Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
's ''
SM Station SM Station is a digital music project by South Korean record label SM Entertainment. It undertook to release one digital single every Friday starting from February 3, 2016. The project's first season ended on February 3, 2017, with 52 songs. Its ...
'' project. The duo released the single "No Matter What," which ranked atop five domestic charts. BoA worked with BeatBurger for another ''SM Station'' single titled "Music Is Wonderful", where she participated in the composing and writing of the track. From October to November 2016, BoA starred in JTBC's romance melodrama ''
Listen to Love ''Listen to Love'' () is a 2016 South Korean television series starring Lee Sun-kyun and Song Ji-hyo about husbands who try to protect their marriage with the help of anonymous netizens, based on the 2007 Japanese TV series of the same title. It ...
'', returning to the small screen after three years. The following year, BoA became one of the producers for
Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...
's
boy group A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Man ...
survival reality show, ''
Produce 101 Season 2 ''Produce 101 Season 2'' () was a 2017 boy group survival reality show on Mnet, and is the second season of the original South Korean version of the franchise. The public (called 'national producers') "produces" a boy group by choosing 11 mem ...
'', which aired from April 7 to June 16. BoA later released another song for ''SM Station'', "Spring Rain", an R&B number produced by Kenzie. In May, BoA embarked on her BoA The live in ''Billboard'' Live Tour, held in Tokyo and Osaka. She also released the single "Camo," a dance song with a heavy emphasis on bass and synthesizer sounds, which was a change in sound from her previous materials and produced by The Underdogs. In July, she released the Japanese single "Right Here, Right Everywhere" for the soundtrack of drama ''Yaneura no Koibito''. She later starred in the film ''Autumn Sonata'' alongside Lee Hak-joo, playing a terminally ill patient. In 2018, BoA returned to Japan and released her ninth Japanese album ''Watashi Konomama de Iinokana'' on February 14, 2018, followed by EP ''Unchained'' in March. To accompany the release of the EP, she embarked on the BoA The Live 2018: Unchained Tour from March 15 to April 4. People who attend the concerts received a copy of ''Unchained''. On January 31, she released "Nega Dola", which served as a single for BoA's then-upcoming first extended play. The EP, '' One Shot, Two Shot'', was released on February 20, alongside its titular lead single and the song's music video. The EP peaked at number six at the South Korean Gaon Album Chart and number seven at the ''Billboard'' World Albums Chart. On October 24, she released her ninth Korean album ''
Woman A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...
'' alongside a lead single of the same name. The album peaked at number six at the Gaon Album Chart, number eleven at the ''Billboard'' World Albums Chart. On June 4, 2019, she released the single "Feedback", which features rapper
Nucksal Lee Jun-yeong (; born March 24, 1987), better known by his stage name, Nucksal (), is a South Korean rapper. He debuted in 2009 as a member of the hip hop duo Future Heaven, and became one of the most popular rappers in South Korea South ...
, alongside the song's music video. BoA embarked on her #Mood Tour, which had six dates in Japan and two dates in Seoul, from September to October 2019. On October 23, she released a new Japanese single, "Wishing Well," which she earlier debuted on the tour. On December 11, 2019, she released her second extended play ''
Starry Night ''The Starry Night'' ( nl, De sterrennacht) is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Painted in June 1889, it depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provenc ...
''. In May 2020, BoA was featured as one of the coaches for the third season of
The Voice of Korea ''The Voice of Korea'' is a South Korean reality singing competition and local version of ''The Voice (franchise), The Voice'' first broadcast as ''The Voice of Holland''. Its The Voice of Korea (season 1), first season started on February 10, ...
, alongside
Dynamic Duo Dynamic duo may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups *Dúo Dinámico (Spanish for Dynamic Duo), a Spanish musical duo formed in 1958 and one of the main precursors of pop music in Spain *Dynamic Duo (South Korean duo), a South Ko ...
, Sung Si-kyung, and
Kim Jong-kook Kim Jong-kook (; born April 25, 1976) is a South Korean singer, entertainer, and actor. Kim debuted as a member of South Korean duo Turbo in 1995. The duo was considered to be one of the most popular idols in that time and sold out millions of ...
. On December 1, 2020, she released her tenth Korean album '' Better''. SpoTV News shared BoA to join as a judge for Mnet Dance program "Street Woman Fighter". It is a female dance crew competition premiering in August 2021. On November 5, 2021, BoA released the Japanese single, "My Dear", to commemorate her 20th anniversary. BoA was revealed as a member of the supergroup
Got the Beat Got the Beat (; stylized as GOT the beat) is a South Korean supergroup formed by SM Entertainment in 2022. It is the first sub-unit of project group Girls On Top, and consists of seven members: soloist BoA, Taeyeon and Hyoyeon from Girls' Gen ...
on December 27, 2021. The group debuted on January 3, 2022. To celebrate her 20th anniversary, BoA released the Japanese compilation album ''The Greatest'' on May 30, 2022.


Image and artistry

BoA lists hip hop as her main musical influence, though she also enjoys R&B. Her favorite musicians are
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...
,
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
,
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
, and
Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...
; as a result, much of BoA's music is either
dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
or R&B. Because she also sings
ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
, she is often compared to Japanese singers
Namie Amuro Namie Amuro ( ; ja, 安室奈美恵, Amuro Namie, label=none; born September 20, 1977) is a Japanese former recording artist, producer, songwriter, dancer, model, actress and entrepreneur who was active between 1992 and 2018. A leading figure of ...
and
Ayumi Hamasaki is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia. Due to her success and relevanc ...
. Her debut album, ''ID; Peace B'', contained
urban pop Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music. The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhythm ...
, "slickly produced" ballads, and "upbeat dance tunes". As her career went on, she began experimenting with different styles: ''Valenti'' contained mostly ballads; ''Love and Honesty'' was an experiment with "harder" R&B and rock music. ''The Face'' was influenced by
electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
and included "happy spring" songs (" Sweet Impact" and "Bad Drive"), a guitar-driven "groovy dance" song (" Lose Your Mind"), and ballads. Because the composition and writing of BoA's songs is handled mostly by her staff, BoA has been criticized as being a "manufactured pop star".BoA has contributed to the writing and composition of 49 songs to date since the start of her career, and self-produced her seventh Japanese studio album ''IDENTITY'' In response to such criticism, BoA said that "if one person were to force their own will on something, then things that should have gone right could easily go wrong" and that she is "not all that unhappy with the expression that
he is He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
a manufactured star. In a way, that is true. Because SM Entertainment created the environment and all the surrounding conditions,
he is He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
able to be successful in the way
he is He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
now." She later assumed creative control with ''The Face,'' while ''Kiss My Lips'' became her first entirely self-written, self-produced album. BoA has collaborated with high-profile artists. Among the Japanese artists she has performed with are the hip hop group
M-Flo is a Japanese hip hop group consisting of record producer DJ Taku Takahashi, Verbal and Lisa. Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists fo ...
(for the single "The Love Bug"), pop singer
Kumi Koda , known professionally as , is a Japanese singer from Kyoto, known for her urban and R&B songs. After debuting with the single "Take Back" in December 2000, Koda gained fame in March 2003 when the songs from her seventh single, "Real Emotion ...
, and
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
DJ
Mondo Grosso , also known by his stage name Mondo Grosso, is a Japanese musician, DJ, record producer and composer currently signed onto Avex Trax's Rhythm Zone label. Previously he was signed to Sony Music Japan's FEARLESS RECORDS division and released album ...
. She has performed with Western artists: the song "Flying Without Wings" from her album ''Next World'' was a collaboration with Irish band
Westlife Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporarily di ...
covering the original song; the
Bratz Bratz is an American fashion doll and media franchise created by former Mattel employee Carter Bryant for MGA Entertainment which debuted in 2001. The four original 10-inch (25 cm) dolls were released on May 21, 2001 — Yasmin, Cloe, Jade ...
single "
Show Me What You Got "Show Me What You Got" is the lead single by rap artist Jay-Z from his album '' Kingdom Come''. Song information It is the first single from his "comeback" album '' Kingdom Come''. It was produced by Just Blaze. The song samples " Show 'Em ...
" was performed with
Howie D Howard Dwaine Dorough (born August 22, 1973) is an American singer. He is a member of the pop vocal group Backstreet Boys. Early life Dorough was born August 22, 1973, in Orlando, Florida, where he met his friend and bandmate A.J. McLean throug ...
of the American band
Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The gr ...
. She also worked with
Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...
, singing the song "
Beautiful Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to: Film and theater * ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field * ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...
", which was featured on the Japanese release of his third album, ''
Freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...
''. Other artists she has collaborated with are
Soul'd Out Soul'd Out (usually styled as SOUL'd OUT) was a Japanese hip-hop trio, consisting of Diggy-MO' (MC), Bro.Hi (MC/Human Beat Box), and Shinnosuke (DJ). Their name is a portmanteau of "soul" and "sold out", and the group is sometimes referred to by ...
, Dabo, Verbal (of M-Flo), Rah-D,
Seamo is a Japanese hip hop recording artist better known by his stage name Seamo (シーモ ''Shīmo''). He made his debut in 2004 using the alias , but later changed his name to Seamo. He made his solo debut in 2005 with the Japanese record label ...
,
TVXQ TVXQ (stylized as TVXQ!), an initialism for Tong Vfang Xien Qi (), is a South Korean male pop duo consisting of U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin. They are known as in Japanese releases, and are sometimes referred to as DBSK, an abbreviation of ...
, Yutaka Furakawa (of the band Doping Panda), and
Crystal Kay is a Japanese singer, songwriter, actress and radio host. After releasing her first single, " Eternal Memories" (1999), Crystal Kay gained fame for her third studio album, '' Almost Seventeen'' (2002), which debuted at number 2 on the Japanese ...
(for her single After Love: First Boyfriend/Girlfriend). American rock band
Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing v ...
covered " Meri Kuri" on the Japanese version of their album ''
Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing v ...
''.


Endorsements

Because of her wide appeal, BoA has appeared in advertisements for many brands. Among the brands she has promoted are Olympus, Lotte,
Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
,
L'Oréal L'Oréal S.A. () is a French personal care company headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine with a registered office in Paris. It is the world's largest cosmetics company and has developed activities in the field concentrating on hair color, sk ...
, Japanese cosmetic company KOSÉ,
Skechers Skechers USA, Inc. is an American multinational footwear company. Headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, it was founded in 1992 and is now the third largest footwear brand in the United States. History Skechers was founded in 1992 by Ro ...
,
Audio-Technica (stylized as audio-technica) is a Japanese company that designs and manufactures professional microphones, headphones, turntables, phonographic magnetic cartridges, and other audio equipment. Company history Audio-Technica was established ...
,
GM Daewoo GM Korea Company ( ko, 한국지엠주식회사) is the South Korean subsidiary of multinational corporation General Motors. GMK is also the third largest automobile manufacturer in South Korea. GM Korea's roots go back to the former Daewoo Motor ...
and
L'Occitane L'Occitane en Provence, "the Occitania, Occitan woman (in Provence)," commonly known as L'Occitane, is a French luxury retailer of body, face, hair, fragrances, and home products based in Manosque, France. Founded in 1976 by Olivier Baussan, wi ...
. Several of her songs have been used in affiliation with television shows. "Every Heart: Minna no Kimochi" was used as the ending theme for the
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
''
InuYasha is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from November 1996 to June 2008, with its chapters collected in fifty-six '' ...
''; "Beside You: Boku o Yobu Koe" was used as the opening theme for the anime ''
Monkey Typhoon Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
''; "Key of Heart" was the theme song for the Japanese release of ''
Over the Hedge ''Over the Hedge'' is an American syndicated comic strip, written by Michael Fry, and drawn by T. Lewis. It tells the story of a raccoon, a turtle, a squirrel, and their friends, who come to terms with their woodlands being taken over, by su ...
''; "Your Color" was the theme song of the video game '' Ninety-Nine Nights''; "Mamoritai: White Wishes" was the theme song of the video game ''
Tales of Graces is an action role-playing game released for the Wii in Japan in December 2009. The game is a core product of the ''Tales'' series and was developed by Namco Tales Studio. The game was ported to the PlayStation 3 under the title and was rele ...
,''. "Tail of Hope" was used as the theme for the Japanese drama "''
Hakui no Namida is a Japanese television drama series. Cast *Miki Mizuno *Masaru Nagai References

Japanese drama television series 2013 Japanese television series debuts {{Japan-tv-prog-stub ...
,''" and "Masayume Chasing" was used as the 15th opening theme song for the anime "''
Fairy Tail ''Fairy Tail'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from August 2006 to July 2017, with the individual chapters collected and published into 63 '' ...
.''" In 2007,
Anycall Anycall () was a South Korean mobile phone brand established by Samsung Electronics in 1993. Like other mobile phone brands in South Korea, they provide technology such as cameras, internet access, and digital TV through Digital Multimedia Broadc ...
(a
Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...
brand) signed BoA,
Xiah Kim Jun-su (; born December 15, 1986) or simply Junsu, also known by the stage name Xia (stylized as XIA; ; ko, 시아) is a South Korean singer, model, dancer and stage actor. He is a member of the Korean pop group and later duo JYJ, and was ...
(of TVXQ),
Tablo Daniel Armand Lee (Korean: Lee Seon-woong; Hangul: 이선웅; born July 22, 1980), better known by his stage name Tablo (Hangul: 타블로), is a Korean-Canadian hip hop recording artist, lyricist, composer and record producer. Tablo is best k ...
(of
Epik High Epik High (Hangul: 에픽하이) is a South Korean hip hop trio formed in 2001, composed of Tablo, Mithra Jin, and DJ Tukutz. Primarily based in Seoul, the group signed with Woollim Entertainment and released their first two studio albums, ''M ...
), and jazz pianist
Jin Bora Jin Bora (; born November 14, 1987) is a South Korean jazz pianist, composer, music arranger, and CF model. Biography Jin Bora is a professional musician despite her young age. She considers herself first and foremost a pianist. She began pl ...
onto "
Anyband ''AnyBand'' (Hangul: 애니밴드) is the K-pop EP, released by South Korean project group AnyBand. It featured three songs: "Talk Play Love," "Promise U," and "Daydream." Musical group AnyBand is a promotional band formed by cell phone brand Sa ...
", a band created specifically to promote Anycall. The band released only one single, "
AnyBand ''AnyBand'' (Hangul: 애니밴드) is the K-pop EP, released by South Korean project group AnyBand. It featured three songs: "Talk Play Love," "Promise U," and "Daydream." Musical group AnyBand is a promotional band formed by cell phone brand Sa ...
". In December 2010, she recorded " I See Me" for to promote Audio Technica headphones in Japan. The song "Woo Weekend" was used to promote Disney on Ice's 25th Anniversary in Japan while "Lookbook" served as the ending theme for the NTV Kei program ''Tokui to Goto to Uruwashi no SHELLEY ga Konya Kurabete Mimashita.'' In August 2017, it was announced that BoA was chosen as promotional ambassador for Jeju Biennale, an inaugural international art event on the resort island of Jeju. In Her widespread popularity has also made her a "cultural ambassador"; she has represented South Korea in inter-Asian musical events and has appeared in an
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
-published English-language textbook.


Impact

Dubbed the "Queen of
K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...
", BoA is considered one of this century's top artists in East Asia; her popularity in the latter is attributed to her linguistic skills (she speaks and records in Japanese, Korean, and English) and a Japanese interest in Korean pop culture started in the early 2000s when the two countries began promoting cultural exchanges. BoA's popularity extends throughout
East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...
; she has fans in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
,
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
and
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
. She had expressed plans to enter a global market; in June 2006, the music video of her Korean song "My Name" became the first music video ever shown on
MTV K MTV K was an English-language online media hub under the MTV brand that focused on Korean pop music for a global audience. Owned and operated by parent company Viacom Media Networks, MTV K was based out of New York City and provided original med ...
, an
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
music channel directed at
Korean American Korean Americans are Americans of Korean ancestry (mostly from South Korea). In 2015, the Korean-American community constituted about 0.56% of the United States population, or about 1.82 million people, and was the fifth-largest Asian American ...
s. In 2021, ''
South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
'' estimated her net worth to be over
US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
25 million. Though her earlier releases were marked by a "cute" and "youthful" style, BoA began to present a more "mature" image starting from the album ''My Name''. In a '' Talk Asia'' interview,
Anjali Rao Anjali Rao is an Australian-Indian global television news anchor and broadcast journalist. She starred on season 5 of ''The Real Housewives of Melbourne''. Rao has spent over 25 years in television journalism, as an anchor and correspondent f ...
noted that some felt that ''My Name'' marked the beginning of BoA's decline in popularity and asked if the public would always see the singer as "Little Baby BoA"; BoA replied, "So while I apologize to those people who still want the baby BoA, in fact, what can I do? I just keep growing up! I can't stop that from happening." Various artists have cited BoA as an influence and role model, such as
Girls' Generation Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece ensembl ...
's
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 August 2007, which went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and on ...
, Sunny, Tiffany,
Hyoyeon Kim Hyo-yeon (born September 22, 1989), referred to as Hyoyeon or DJ Hyo, is a South Korean singer, dancer, DJ, and television personality. She debuted as a member of the girl group Girls' Generation in August 2007, which went on to become one ...
,
Seohyun Seo Ju-hyun (; born June 28, 1991), known professionally as Seohyun, is a South Korean singer, actress and songwriter. She debuted as a member of girl group Girls' Generation (and later its subgroup Girls' Generation-TTS) in August 2007, which ...
,
Shinee Shinee ( ; ko, 샤이니, Syaini; ja, シャイニー, Shainī; stylized as SHINee) is a South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment in 2008. The group's musical impact in their native country has earned them numerous accolades and th ...
's
Key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...
,
Exo Exo ( ko, 엑소; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. The group consists of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai ...
's
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Discography

Korean albums * ''
ID; Peace B ''ID; Peace B'' is the debut Korean-language studio album by South Korean singer BoA, released on August 25, 2000 by SM Entertainment. Commercially, it was only moderately successful in South Korea, peaking at number 16 on the Recording Industry ...
'' (2000) * '' No. 1'' (2002) * ''
Atlantis Princess ''Atlantis Princess'' is the third Korean-language studio album by South Korean singer BoA, released on May 30, 2003 by SM Entertainment. Several singles were promoted off the album, including the promotional single "Lights of Seoul", "Atlantis ...
'' (2003) * '' My Name'' (2004) * '' Girls on Top'' (2005) * ''
Hurricane Venus ''Hurricane Venus'' is the sixth Korean language studio album (fourteenth overall) by South Korean singer BoA, released on August 2, 2010, by SM Entertainment, to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the singer's career. It is BoA's first major ...
'' (2010) * '' Only One'' (2012) * ''
Kiss My Lips ''Kiss My Lips'' is the eighth Korean-language studio album (seventeenth overall) by South Korean singer BoA. It was released digitally on May 12, 2015, and physically a day later by SM Entertainment, and distributed by KT Music. The album fea ...
'' (2015) * ''
Woman A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...
'' (2018) * '' Better'' (2020) Japanese albums * '' Listen to My Heart'' (2002) * '' Valenti'' (2003) * '' Love & Honesty'' (2004) * ''
Outgrow Outgrow is the fourth Japanese studio album (ninth overall) by South Korean singer BoA. It was released on February 15, 2006, and features the singles " Do the Motion", " Make a Secret", "Dakishimeru", and " Everlasting". The album also features ...
'' (2006) * '' Made in Twenty'' (2007) * ''
The Face The face is a part of the body, the front of the head. Face may also refer to: Film * ''The Magician'' (1958 film) or ''The Face'' * ''The Face'' (1996 film), an American television film * ''Face'' (1997 film), a British crime drama by Antonia ...
'' (2008) * ''
Identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), ...
'' (2010) * '' Who's Back?'' (2014) * '' Watashi Kono Mama de Ii no Kana'' (2018) English albums * ''
BoA Kwon Bo-ah (; born November 5, 1986), known professionally as BoA, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer and actress. One of the most successful and influential Korean entertainers, she has been dubbed the " Queen of K- ...
'' (2009)


Awards


Filmography


Film


Television drama


Television shows


Tours


See also

*
Contemporary culture of South Korea The contemporary culture of South Korea developed from the traditional culture of Korea which was prevalent in the early Korean nomadic tribes. By maintaining thousands of years of ancient Korean culture, with influence from ancient Chinese cult ...
* Korean Wave *
J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1 ...


Footnotes


References


External links

* {{Authority control 1986 births 20th-century South Korean women singers 21st-century South Korean women singers Avex Trax artists English-language singers from South Korea Grand Prize Seoul Music Award recipients Japanese-language singers of South Korea Mandarin-language singers of South Korea Living people Korean Mandopop singers K-pop singers MAMA Award winners People from Gyeonggi Province SM Entertainment artists SM Town South Korean child singers South Korean dance musicians South Korean expatriates in Japan South Korean expatriates in the United States South Korean expatriates in China South Korean female idols South Korean women pop singers South Korean women singer-songwriters South Korean film actresses South Korean J-pop singers South Korean rhythm and blues singers South Korean singer-songwriters South Korean television actresses Synth-pop singers World Music Awards winners