Bae Joo-hyun (; born March 29, 1991), known professionally as Irene, is a South Korean singer, rapper, and actress. She is the leader of the South Korean girl group
Red Velvet and a member of its sub-unit
Red Velvet - Irene & Seulgi.
Early life
Irene was born Bae Joo-hyun on March 29, 1991, in
Daegu
Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
, South Korea.
She grew up in
Buk-gu. Her family consists of her parents and a younger sister. She attended
Haknam High School
Haknam High School is a public high school in Daegu, South Korea. The school has roughly 70 teachers, and 1,200 students. Its motto is "high ideal, endless devoting oneself."
History
The plan to establish the school was approved on 8 November 2 ...
in Daegu.
Career
2009–2014: Pre-debut
She joined
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 ...
in 2009 and trained for five years.
During her time as a trainee, in August 2013, she appeared in the music video of her then-labelmate
Henry Lau
Henry Lau (; ko, 헨리; born October 11, 1989), often mononymously referred to as Henry, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor based in South Korea and China. He debuted in 2008 as a member of Super Junior-M ...
's song "1-4-3".
On December 9, 2013, Irene was one of the second batch of trainees introduced as a member of
SM Rookies
SM Rookies (, stylized as SMROOKIES) is a pre-debut training team created by South Korean entertainment agency SM Entertainment in 2013, composed of trainees who have yet to join an idol group. From 2013 to 2018, the team officially introduced 30 ...
, a pre-debut team of trainees under SM Entertainment, alongside former trainee Lami and now-
NCT member
Jaehyun.
During SM Rookies, in January 2014, she alongside
Seulgi
Seul-ki, also spelled Seul-gi or Sul-ki, is a Korean unisex given name, predominantly feminine. It was the 8th-most popular name for baby girls born in South Korea in 1990. Unlike most Korean names, it does not have any Sino-Korean vocabulary, Sin ...
as well as now-NCT members Johnny and
Taeyong
Lee Tae-yong (; born July 1, 1995), known mononymously as Taeyong, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, and dancer. He is a member and leader of South Korean boy band NCT under SM Entertainment, having debuted in the group's first sub- ...
appeared in The Celebrity magazine. In February 2014, Irene, Seulgi and Taeyong appeared in the OhBoy! magazine.
Various clips of Irene were released in SM Entertainment's official YouTube channel, "SMTOWN", one of which included her and Seulgi dancing to "Be Natural", a song originally performed by SM Entertainment's group
S.E.S., showcasing their dancing on July 17, 2014.
2014: Debut with Red Velvet
On July 27, 2014, she was announced as a member and the leader of the girl group
Red Velvet. They made her official debut with the single "
Happiness
Happiness, in the context of Mental health, mental or emotional states, is positive or Pleasure, pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishin ...
". Since then, Red Velvet has released eleven EPs and two studio albums as well as two reissue albums. They have become regarded as one of the most popular K-pop groups in South Korea and worldwide. In November 2014, Irene appeared in the music video of
Kyuhyun's ballad single "규현 '광화문에서 (At Gwanghwamun)".
2015–present: Solo activities and sub-unit
From May 2015 to June 2016, Irene hosted the music show ''
Music Bank
Music Bank may refer to:
* ''Music Bank'' (TV program), a South Korean music program by KBS
**''Music Bank World Tour
The ''Music Bank'' World Tour is a worldwide live concert tour of South Korean music show '' Music Bank'' by the Korean Broa ...
'' with actor
Park Bo-gum
Park Bo-gum (; born June 16, 1993) is a South Korean actor. He gained recognition for his diverse range of roles in film and television, notably, a psychopathic lawyer in ''Hello Monster'' (2015), a genius Go player in ''Reply 1988'' (2015–2 ...
.
They both gained attention for their chemistry as well as singing and hosting skills. The press called them one of the best partnerships in the show's history.
In July 2016, Irene made her acting debut in the web drama ''Women at a Game Company'' where she played the female lead.
In the same month, Irene was cast in ''Hello! Our Language'', a sitcom that was set on teaching viewers proper Korean, and she played as detective.
On October 14, Irene became a host of
OnStyle
tvN STORY is a South Korean cable and satellite television channel owned by CJ ENM E&M Division. The channel is targeted to women, originate from OnStyle.
Programs
* '' Project Runway Korea'' (February 7, 2009 – May 18, 2015)
* '' Korea' ...
's fashion show ''Laundry Day''. The show premiered on October 22, 2016.
In the same month, she became a panelist on the KBS show ''
Trick & True
''Trick & True'' () was a South Korean variety show, which aired on KBS2, KBS' channel for entertainment shows. The show was hosted by television comedy show host Jun Hyun-moo, Kim Jun-hyun and Lee Eun-gyeol. The show replaced ''Talents for S ...
'' with bandmate
Wendy
Wendy is a given name now generally given to girls in English-speaking countries.
In Britain, Wendy appeared as a masculine name in a parish record in 1615. It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century. Its popularity ...
.
In March 2017, Irene partnered with actor
Kim Min-jae for the portrayal of two lovers in the MV of Red Velvet'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 ...
ID'' "Would U". In July 2019,
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 ...
announced that Irene would be collaborating with South Korean DJ and producer
Raiden on the track "The Only", which was released on August 2.
On April 20, 2020, SM confirmed that Irene, alongside member
Seulgi
Seul-ki, also spelled Seul-gi or Sul-ki, is a Korean unisex given name, predominantly feminine. It was the 8th-most popular name for baby girls born in South Korea in 1990. Unlike most Korean names, it does not have any Sino-Korean vocabulary, Sin ...
, would form Red Velvet's first sub-unit.
Red Velvet - Irene & Seulgi debuted on July 6 with the extended play ''
Monster
A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...
''. A short solo performance MV of her, titled Episode 2: IRENE, was also released. She and Seulgi also starred in a spin-off version of their reality show ''
Level Up Project!
''Level Up Project!'' () is a series of Korean variety show featuring South Korean girl group Red Velvet. Currently, it spans over five different seasons.
Synopsis
Members visit different parts of the world in-between promotions. The first season ...
''
On July 16, 2020, SM confirmed that Irene would be acting in the upcoming film ''
Double Patty
''Double Patty'' ( ko, 더블패티, Deobeulpaeti) is a 2021 South Korean drama film directed by Baek Seung-hwan. The film stars Shin Seung-ho and Bae Joo-hyun.
Synopsis
Kang Woo Ram (Shin Seung-ho), a foodie and a struggling athlete busy pr ...
'', which was to be released later on that year, but it was later postponed to February 2021. She is to play the role of Lee Hyun-Ji, an aspiring anchor. Irene also released her own OST, titled "A White Night", for the movie.
Other ventures
Endorsements
Irene has been hailed a "CF Queen" due to her huge marketing power and numerous endorsement deals ranging from cosmetics, luxury apparel items, and up to basic commodities. Besides her endorsements with Red Velvet as a group, she also became a model for ''Ivy Club'' together with labelmates
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 ...
in 2015. In 2016, she became an endorser of coffee brand ''
Maxwell House
Maxwell House is an American brand of coffee manufactured by a like-named division of Kraft Heinz in North America and JDE Peet's in the rest of the world. Introduced in 1892 by wholesale grocer Joel Owsley Cheek, it was named in honor of the Ma ...
''. In January 2017, Irene became the new brand model for ''Nuovo Shoes''. In August 2017, Irene was also chosen to be the promotional model for the ''MMORPG Age of Ring (반지)''. In the same year, she became the official endorser of ''Hyundai Auto Advantage'' program.
On February 26, 2018, Irene was selected to be the model of contact lens brand ''Cooper Vision''. In the same month, she became an exclusive model of the British casual accessory brand ''Hazzy's Accessories''. On May 3, she became the brand model for famous vitamin brand ''LEMONA Vitamin C'' and was given the title “human vitamin”. On August 9, she was announced as the new exclusive model for French sports brand ''
Eider
Eiders () are large seaducks in the genus ''Somateria''. The three extant species all breed in the cooler latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.
The down feathers of eider ducks, and some other ducks and geese, are used to fill pillows and quilt ...
'' for fall/winter of 2018 and spring/summer of 2019. In November 2018, Irene, together with Wendy, also became an endorser of ''Dongwon Yangban Rice Porridge''. In December, she was chosen to be the face for ''
HiteJinro Chamisul'' soju brand.
In February 2019, Irene was announced as the new muse of the Italian luxury jewelry brand ''
Damiani
Damiani is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Chip Damiani (1945–2014), American drummer
*Damiano Damiani (1922–2013), Italian screenwriter and film director
*Donatella Damiani, Italian actress
*Ernesto Damiani, Ital ...
'', becoming the first Asian to represent the brand as a muse. In the same year, she also became the face of fashion brand ''
Miu Miu
Miu Miu is an Italian high fashion women's clothing and accessory brand and a fully owned subsidiary of Prada. It is headed by Miuccia Prada and headquartered in Paris, France.
History
Miu Miu was established in 1992 by Miuccia Prada. The name ...
''. In March 2019, she attended Paris Fashion Week and caused a craze at Miu Miu's AW19 show.
As her global influence continues to rise, Irene became the new ambassador for mid-range beauty brand ''
Clinique
Clinique Laboratories, LLC () is an American manufacturer of skincare, cosmetics, toiletries and fragrances, usually sold in high-end department stores. It is a subsidiary of the Estée Lauder Companies. As of 2019, Clinique has over 22,000 cus ...
'' in Asia Pacific in March 2020. On September 17, 2020, Irene was announced as the new ambassador for ''
Prada
Prada S.p.A. (, ; ) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1913 in Milan by Mario Prada. It specializes in leather handbags, travel accessories, shoes, ready-to-wear, and other fashion accessories. Prada licenses its name and branding t ...
''.
Impact and influence
In
Gallup Korea
Gallup Korea () or Gallup Korea Research Institute () is a South Korean research company. Founded by Park Moo-ik in 1974, the company became a member of Gallup International Association in 1997. It is best known for conducting public surveys on ...
's Idol Preference poll (before it was discontinued in 2020), Irene was named as one of the topmost loved idol celebrity in South Korea. In 2019, in a separate survey among soldiers doing
mandatory military service in South Korea, Irene was ranked as the third most popular female K-pop idol. The popularity of Irene have led her to endorsing several brands, she also topped 'Individual Girl Group Members Brand Power Ranking' published by the Korean Corporate Reputation Research Institute placing within top 3 several times in 2018.
Personal life
In February 2020, Irene donated 100 million won for the
Community Chest of Korea
Community Chest of Korea ( ko, 사회복지공동모금회) is a Korean nonprofit organization, launched in 1998. It is the only government-sanctioned charity within Korea. It is Korea's largest welfare institution. With a community-based fundrais ...
to help support those affected by the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
in South Korea.
Controversies
On October 21, 2020, Irene came under fire for mistreating and lashing out at a fashion editor (according to a now-deleted Instagram post of that fashion editor). Irene took to the social media platform to post an official statement, apologizing for her poor words and actions. SM Entertainment also subsequently released a statement apologizing for causing concern to many people. The heated controversy had caused widespread reaction as it sparked larger conversations about the deep-rooted "
gapjil
Gapjil () is an expression referring to an arrogant and authoritarian attitude or actions of people in South Korea who have positions of power over others. Gapjil is a neologism made by combining the word Gap (갑; 甲)—the first of Heavenly ...
" (갑질) culture in Korean society. Experts and spokespersons of various political movements in South Korea believed that much of the public outrage towards Irene stems from the country's reckoning with "gapjil" (or abusive conduct and bullying by people in positions of power or seniority), an issue that the country has been trying to eradicate and tone down.
The perception of the general public in South Korea toward members of idol groups also came to light with regards to the incident, wherein women in particular are held to a higher standard compared to male artists when it comes to controversies.
Following further numerous speculations in regards to the incident, staffers who had previously worked with Irene voiced their opinion to defend the musician. Some stylists, dancers, and make-up artists that worked with her had also posted on their Instagram accounts that they had never experienced such rude actions that are being shared about Irene. The staffs shared that Irene is someone who has a clear understanding of what she wants and has the talent to deliver her opinions clearly; she also knows how to appreciate her staff through giving handwritten cards and gifts to staff members. Ellena Yim, a former SM stylist and visual director, also claimed there are always "two sides to every story" and it's unfortunate that people refused to look at the other side of the story as they only concentrate on what has been revealed and what they want to see.
The involved fashion editor also spoke up about rumors circulating online and asked to stop the speculations. She emphasized that there was no monetary settlement, and only an exchange of "sincere apologies" occurred when they had met again.
Discography
As lead artist
As featured artist
Filmography
Film
Television series
Television shows
Web shows
Hosting
Music video
Music video appearances
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irene
Red Velvet (group) members
SM Rookies members
South Korean women pop singers
South Korean female idols
South Korean women rappers
South Korean television actresses
21st-century South Korean women singers
People from Daegu
Living people
1991 births