Park Soo-young (; born September 3, 1996), known by the stage name Joy, is a South Korean singer, actress, and host. She debuted as a member of South Korean girl group
Red Velvet in August 2014. In 2017, Joy debuted as an actress and has had starring roles in the
television dramas ''The Liar and His Lover'' (2017),
''Tempted'' (2018), ''
The One and Only'' (2021), and ''
Once Upon a Small Town
''Once Upon a Small Town'' () is a 2022 South Korean streaming television series directed by Kwon Seok-jang and starring Park Soo-young, Choo Young-woo, Jung Suk-yong and Baek Seong-cheol. Adapted from a web novel by Park Ha-min, this KakaoTV o ...
'' (2022).
In 2021, Joy officially debuted as a soloist with the release of her special album
''Hello''.
Early life
Park Soo-young was born in
Jeju Island and raised in
Dobong,
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
.
She is the eldest of three sisters. As a child, Joy was interested in modern
trot music and was influenced to become a singer after receiving praise for her rendition of
Korean rock Korean rock (Hangul: 한국의 록) is rock music from South Korea. It has roots in American rock, which was imported to South Korea by U.S. soldiers fighting in the Korean War and stationing in U.S. military bases in South Korea after the war. Arou ...
band
Cherry Filter's song "Flying Duck" during a grade school festival. Joy auditioned and was cast 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 ...
at the SM Global Audition in Seoul in 2012.
Career
2014–present: Debut and group activities
Following two years of training, a vocal coach gave her the stage name "Joy".
Joy was officially introduced as the fourth member of
Red Velvet on July 29, 2014. Joy was the only member of the group who was not introduced as a part 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 training team created by SM Entertainment. Red Velvet made their debut in August 2014 with the digital 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 ...
". Over the course of their promotion, the group established themselves as one of most powerful celebrities in South Korea by
''Forbes'' Korea Power Celebrity in 2018 and 2019, and gained global popularity with
''Billboard'' regarding them as one of the most popular K-pop groups worldwide.
2015–2020: Solo activities
In June 2015, Joy began her first solo television activity with the fourth season of
MBC variety show ''
We Got Married
''We Got Married'' () was a South Korean reality variety show that aired on MBC from 2008 to 2017. The show paired up celebrities who pretended to be married couples and completed various challenges together. The show ran for four seasons and ...
'', where she was paired with
BtoB
}
BtoB ( ; ; acronym for Born to Beat; often stylized as BTOB) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2012 by Cube Entertainment. The group consists of Seo Eun-kwang, Lee Min-hyuk, Lee Chang-sub, Im Hyun-sik, Peniel Shin and Yook Sung-jae. Or ...
member
Yook Sung-jae
Yook Sung-jae (; born ), also known mononymously as Sungjae, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, actor, host and entertainer. He is a member of the boy group BtoB and its sub-group, BtoB Blue. Aside from his group's activities, Yook has acte ...
.
Joy gained recognition for her participation and won the New Star Award and Best Couple Award at the
2015 MBC Entertainment Awards. Joy also released a duet with Yook entitled "Young Love" in April 2016, with Joy receiving a songwriting credit for the song. Departing in May 2016, they became known as one of the longest-running and most popular couples in the show's history.
In November 2016, Joy collaborated with
Lim Seul-ong
Lim Seul-ong (Hangul: 임슬옹; born 11 May 1987), also known by the mononym Seulong, is a South Korean singer and actor. He debuted as a singer in 2008 as a member of the K-pop boyband 2AM. He made his acting debut in 2010 in the Korean dra ...
in a duet titled "Always In My Heart". The song reached number one on several charts and number ten on the Gaon Digital Chart.
In 2017, Joy made her acting debut as the female lead in
tvN TVN may refer to:
* TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel
* Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster
* TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi
* TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a comm ...
's music-based drama ''
The Liar and His Lover'', a South Korean adaptation of
Kotomi Aoki
is a Japanese manga artist residing in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan. She received the 2008 Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo manga, ''shōjo'' manga for ''Boku no Hatsukoi o Kimi ni Sasagu''. Kotomi took her 2013 Manga, "The Liar and His Lover" and ...
's popular
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
''
Kanojo wa Uso o Aishisugiteru
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kotomi Aoki. As of 2013, it has over three million copies in circulation. On November 23, 2016, it was announced that his manga will end in the next four chapters.
Synopsis
Aki is a gen ...
''.
With the drama's musical nature, Joy released several OSTs including: "Yeowooya", "I'm Okay", "Your Days", "Shiny Boy", "Waiting For You", and "The Way to Me". For her performance as lead actress, Joy received the Newcomer Award at the OSEN Cable TV Awards.
In July 2017, Joy participated on the singing variety contest show ''
King of Mask Singer
''The King of Mask Singer'' () is a South Korean singing competition program presented by Kim Sung-joo, with introductions by voice actor . It airs on MBC on Sunday, starting from April 5, 2015 as a part of MBC's '' Sunday Night'' programming ...
'' under the alias of ''Bandabi'', where she made it through to the next round of the competition.
In 2018, Joy began her first fixed hosting position as the co-host of the second season of
JTBC
JTBC (shortened from ''Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company'' (; stylized as jtbc) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on 1 December 2011. JTB ...
's ''
Sugar Man
Sabra
Sabreclaw
Sabreclaw is a character in the MC2 universe who first appeared in '' J2'' #8 (May 1999). He is the half-brother of Wild Thing and the son of Wolverine.
The character has claws (similar to Sabretooth), a healing factor, enh ...
'' alongside top TV personalities
Yoo Jae-suk
Yoo Jae-suk (; or ; born on 14 August 1972) is a South Korean comedian, host and television personality. He has hosted several variety television shows in South Korea, including ''Infinite Challenge'', '' Running Man'', '' Happy Together, and ...
,
You Hee-yeol
You Hee-yeol (; born April 19, 1971) is a South Korean singer-songwriter, radio disk jockey, and the host of ''You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook''. He is the founder of the record label Antenna Music and the sole member of the project band Toy.
Biogr ...
, and
Park Na-rae.
In 2018, Joy starred in
MBC's'' drama
Tempted'', loosely based on the French novel ''
Les Liaisons dangereuses
''Les Liaisons dangereuses'' (; English: ''Dangerous Liaisons'') is a French epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, first published in four volumes by Durand Neveu from March 23, 1782.
It is the story of the Marquise de Merteuil and ...
,'' and recorded its OST "OMG!".
Joy received numerous award nominations for her performance including: Best Actress at the
2018 MBC Drama Awards,
and the Popularity Award (Drama Actress) at
The Seoul Awards
The Seoul Awards () is an awards ceremony hosted by Sports Seoul. It honors outstanding achievements in film and television. It was first established in 2017 and is held annually.
Ceremony
Categories
*Grand Prize
*Best Actor
*Best Actress
*Bes ...
.
In July 2018, Joy was chosen as one of the hosts of
Lifetime's new variety show ''
Pajama Friends,'' alongside
Song Ji-hyo
Cheon Soo-yeon (born Cheon Seong-im on 15 August 1981), professionally known by her stage name Song Ji-hyo, is a South Korean actress and model. Song is one of the regular cast members of the South Korean variety show '' Running Man'' since 201 ...
and
Jang Yoon-ju
Jang Yoon-ju (born November 7, 1980) is a South Korean model, television personality, singer-songwriter and actress. Yoon-ju began modeling in 1997 when she was 17 years old, and became one of the most successful Korean fashion models, with a c ...
. Later that year in October 2018, Joy released the soundtrack song "Dream Me" (with
Mark Lee) for the
KBS drama ''
The Ghost Detective
''The Ghost Detective'' () is a 2018 South Korean television series starring Choi Daniel, Park Eun-bin and Lee Ji-ah. It aired on KBS2's Wednesdays and Thursdays at 22:00 ( KST) time slot from September 5 to October 31, 2018.
Synopsis
Detectiv ...
''.
In January 2019, it was announced that Joy was chosen to be a main host of the popular beauty program
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 ''Get It Beauty'', with former ''Pajama Friends'' co-host,
Jang Yoon-ju
Jang Yoon-ju (born November 7, 1980) is a South Korean model, television personality, singer-songwriter and actress. Yoon-ju began modeling in 1997 when she was 17 years old, and became one of the most successful Korean fashion models, with a c ...
.
In December 2019, Joy became part of the athletic variety show, ''
Handsome Tigers
Handsome Tigers () is a South Korean basketball reality show program. It airs on SBS every Friday at 11:10 PM KST.
Overview
A real basketball entertainment program that surrounds former basketball legend Seo Jang-hoon, where celebrities who lov ...
'', as the manager of
Seo Jang-hoon
Seo Jang-hoon (; born 3 June 1974) is a South Korean former professional basketball player, who is currently active as an entertainer and variety show star.
Early life
Seo attended Whimoon High School, known as one Seoul's high school basketball ...
's basketball team composed of celebrities such as
Lee Sang-yoon
Lee Sang-yoon (; born August 15, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his starring roles in '' My Daughter Seo-young'' (2012), '' Angel Eyes'' (2014), ''Liar Game'' (2014), '' On the Way to the Airport'' (2016), '' Whisper'' (2017 ...
and
Cha Eun-woo
Lee Dong-min (; born March 30, 1997), known professionally as Cha Eun-woo (), is a South Korean singer, actor, and model under the label Fantagio. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Astro.
Early life
Cha Eun-woo was born on March 30, ...
.
After positive response in variety shows, Joy won the Best Female Variety Idol Award at the 2020 Brand Customer Loyalty Awards.
In March 2020, Joy released her solo OST "
Introduce Me a Good Person" for the soundtrack of
tvN TVN may refer to:
* TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel
* Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster
* TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi
* TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a comm ...
's drama ''
Hospital Playlist
''Hospital Playlist'' () is a South Korean television series written by Lee Woo-jung and directed by Shin Won-ho. It is the second installment of the ''Wise Life'' series, following ''Prison Playbook'' (2017–18). It stars Jo Jung-suk, Yoo Ye ...
''. The song reached number one on multiple charts, number five on the
''Billboard'' K-Pop Hot 100 Chart, number six on the
Gaon Digital Chart
The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based o ...
, and has surpassed 500 Million Digital Index Points on Gaon. In April 2020, Joy next participated alongside prominent Korean artists in the multi-collaboration project "Evergreen Tree" to support medical professionals during 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 May 2020, Joy featured on the lead single of
R&B artist
Crush, with "Mayday" topping the charts on several Korean music platforms. "Introduce Me a Good Person" went on to be nominated for the Song of the Year Daesang (Grand Prize) and Best OST Award at the
Mnet Asian Music Awards, and Best OST at the 30th
Seoul Music Awards
The Seoul Music Awards (; SMA) is a major South Korean music awards show presented by the newspaper ''Sports Seoul''. The award winners are selected based on a combination of criteria, including music sales, popular votes, and expert judges' op ...
. Joy was also nominated as a soloist for the Top 10 Artist of the Year Bonsang (Main Prize) at the 2020
Melon Music Awards, and Artist of the Year Daesang at the 2020
Genie Music Awards
The Genie Music Awards () is a music awards show that is held annually in South Korea and organized by Genie Music together with their partner network. The award winners are selected based on chart data from the Genie Music platform, evaluati ...
.
2021–present: Solo debut, return to acting, and rising popularity
On May 12, 2021, it was announced that Joy would make her official solo debut with a special album consisting of 6 remake songs from the 1990s to 2000s. Joy's extended play ''
Hello
''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses
''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwich ...
'' was released on May 31, with the title track reaching number one on multiple charts and the album recording number one on the iTunes Top Album charts of 26 countries. All 6 tracks from the album debuted on the
Gaon Digital Chart
The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based o ...
, with Joy also reaching number one as a soloist on the
Melon
A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a " pepo". Th ...
Female Solo Artist Chart. Joy's title track "Hello" also reached the Top 10 of ''
Billboard's
''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...
'' K-Pop Hot 100, with 5 tracks in total from her solo debut album also entering the chart. On November 8, 2021, Joy's solo debut album ''Hello'' was nominated for the Album of the Year Daesang (Grand Prize) at the 2021
Melon Music Awards.
Joy was also nominated as a soloist for the second consecutive year for the MMA Top 10 Artist Bonsang (Main Prize).
On November 27, 2021, Joy was nominated for Artist of the Year (Digital Music - May) at the Gaon Music Awards.
In December, Joy was also nominated for the Best Digital Song Bonsang at the
36th Golden Disc Awards,
and the Main Award (Bonsang) at the
31st Seoul Music Awards.
In addition,
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
listed Joy's "Hello" as one of the Top 25 Best K-pop songs of 2021.
On December 20, 2021, Joy made her return to acting in the
JTBC
JTBC (shortened from ''Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company'' (; stylized as jtbc) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on 1 December 2011. JTB ...
drama ''
The One and Only''. In 2022, Joy was nominated for Best Actress Idol and Best Variety Idol at the 2022 Brand Customer Loyalty Awards. On May 26, 2022, it was announced that Joy would star in
KakaoTV's original drama ''
Once Upon a Small Town
''Once Upon a Small Town'' () is a 2022 South Korean streaming television series directed by Kwon Seok-jang and starring Park Soo-young, Choo Young-woo, Jung Suk-yong and Baek Seong-cheol. Adapted from a web novel by Park Ha-min, this KakaoTV o ...
'', set to premiere worldwide on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
on September 5, 2022.
On October 21, 2022, Joy and
Wonstein
Jeong Ji-won (), better known by the stage name Wonstein () is a South Korean rapper and singer. He debuted in 2018 with the single "Spider Web" under the label Beautiful Noise. He achieved mainstream popularity after participating on the hip-hop ...
released the single "Love Song" as part of the World Peace Project, with proceeds donated to
UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...
Korea.
Public image
In 2019, Joy ranked 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 o ...
's annual data list of the Top 20 Most Popular Idols. In another survey conducted among soldiers doing
mandatory military service in South Korea, Joy was ranked in the Top 5 most popular female K-pop idols.
In their annual list, K-pop Radar also confirmed that Joy's Instagram account _imyour_joy had the most Instagram followers out of K-pop female artists who opened their account in 2019. Joy has also ranked first several times in the "Individual Girl Group Members Brand Power Ranking" published by the Korean Corporate Reputation Research Institute.
In February 2020, Joy was invited as a VIP guest of
Michael Kors
Michael David Kors (born Karl Anderson Jr. August 9, 1959) is an American fashion designer. He is the chief creative officer of his brand, Michael Kors, which sells men's and women's ready-to-wear, accessories, watches, jewelry, footwear, and f ...
to attend
New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...
, with
''Vogue'' calling Joy "one of K-pop's brightest stars".
As a singer, Joy's voice has received praise from various producers and musicians including composer Hwang Hyun,
singer-songwriter
You Hee-yeol
You Hee-yeol (; born April 19, 1971) is a South Korean singer-songwriter, radio disk jockey, and the host of ''You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook''. He is the founder of the record label Antenna Music and the sole member of the project band Toy.
Biogr ...
, and producer Ma Joo-hee. In 2020, Joy became the first
SM Female Artist without a solo debut to receive a Bonsang (Main Prize) nomination.
In 2021, Joy became the first SM Female Soloist to be nominated for the Album of the Year Daesang (Grand Prize) at the Melon Music Awards.
Other ventures
Endorsements
In July 2018, Joy was named as the new model and dual endorser for
Lotte's liquor drink Fitz. In May 2019, eSpoir, of South Korea's leading cosmetics conglomerate
Amore Pacific
Amorepacific Corporation is a South Korean beauty and cosmetics chaebol, operating more than 30 beauty, personal care, and health brands including Sulwhasoo, Laneige, Mamonde, Etude House, AMOREPACIFIC and Innisfree. The firm was founded in 19 ...
, chose Joy as their official muse for their makeup and skincare products. In 2020, Joy became the face of
Aveda
Aveda Corporation ( ) is an American cosmetics company founded by Horst Rechelbacher, now owned by Estée Lauder Companies, and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Aveda manufactures skin and body care, cosmetics, perfume (internally call ...
South Korea, owned by
Estée Lauder, with the brand citing Joy's positive image across various fields. In February 2021, Joy became a muse of
Tod's
Tod's S.p.A., also known as Tod's Group, is an Italian company which produces luxury shoes and other leather goods. The company is majority controlled by the founding family Della Valle Family and is listed on the Italy's Milan Stock Exchange be ...
Italian luxury brand,
Hogan
A hogan ( or ; from Navajo ' ) is the primary, traditional dwelling of the Navajo people. Other traditional structures include the summer shelter, the underground home, and the sweat house. A hogan can be round, cone-shaped, multi-sided, or squ ...
, and was later officially announced as the new Ambassador for
Tod's
Tod's S.p.A., also known as Tod's Group, is an Italian company which produces luxury shoes and other leather goods. The company is majority controlled by the founding family Della Valle Family and is listed on the Italy's Milan Stock Exchange be ...
in Korea on August 13, 2021. In September 2021, Joy became the face and model for
Calvin Klein's latest campaign in Korea. In January 2022, Joy was named as a muse of Calvin Klein. In February 2022, Joy became the exclusive model of premium vegan beauty brand, Athé. In March 2022, Joy was announced as the new endorser of Lacto-Joy health products. In July 2022, Joy was announced as the first exclusive model for Alachi Chicken, with the brand stating that Joy was selected for her lively charm and luxurious image.
Philanthropy
In February 2020, Joy donated 10 million won to 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 in South Korea
The COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first case in South Korea was announced on 20 January 2020. The numb ...
.
Personal life
In February 2015, Joy graduated from
School of Performing Arts Seoul
School of Performing Arts Seoul ( ko, 서울공연예술고등학교), colloquially known as (SOPA) in South Korea, is an arts high school in Gung-dong, Guro District, Seoul.
History
SOPA was founded on March 6, 1966 as Jeonghui High School ...
.
On August 23, 2021, Joy was confirmed to be dating R&B singer-songwriter
Crush.
Discography
Extended play
Singles
Soundtrack appearances
Other charted songs
Composition credits
Filmography
Film
Television series
Web series
Television show
Music videos
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Authority control
1996 births
Living people
People from Jeju Province
South Korean women pop singers
South Korean child singers
South Korean television actresses
South Korean female idols
South Korean web series actresses
Red Velvet (group) members
School of Performing Arts Seoul alumni
21st-century South Korean singers
21st-century South Korean women singers
Japanese-language singers of South Korea