Kim Na-young (; born December 31, 1991) is a South Korean singer and actress who gained immense popularity through social media exposure on New Year's Eve 2015, when her single "What If It Was Going" topped

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". The ...

's (South Korea's biggest music streaming site) music charts, holding the top place for five days, and high spots on other streaming sites. She has recorded several soundtracks, including "Once Again" for '' Descendants of the Sun''. As a solo artist, she released three studio albums, 26 singles and 22 soundtrack appearances.

Music career

She debuted as a singer in 2012, after which she took the unusual route of

busking Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

in the Hongdae area, where a video clip of her singing on a cold winter night went viral and attracted over 1 million views. She has had a few TV appearances and was a contestant on

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 ''

Superstar K ''Superstar K'' ( ko, 슈퍼스타 K) is a South Korean television talent show series which is held yearly. First held in 2009, Superstar K has increasingly gained more attention, considered the biggest audition program in South Korea. Superstar ...

'' in 2013, but did not reach the finals. From her appearance on

, her singing skills were noticed in the

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 ...

industry and she did a 2014 original soundtrack for a

Korean drama Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. They are popular worldwide, especially in Asia, partially due to the spread of Korean popular cultu ...

New Year's Eve 2015 viral success

Her sudden rise in popularity, without being known much by mainstream media, occurred with the release of the viral video clip "What If It Was Going" and was called remarkable. Social media experts said the video's reception, which "spread like wildfire among young trendsetters," was because "mobile oriented social networks are changing the traditional routes to success for singers." She called the success, which coincided on her birthday, December 31, an unforgettable birthday gift.

''Descendants of the Sun'' OST

She has recorded a number of soundtracks, including those for ''

The Girl Who Sees Smells ''A Girl Who Sees Smells'' () is a 2015 South Korean television series adapted from the KTOON webtoon of the same title by Seo Soo-kyung a/k/a Man Chwi. Starring Park Yoo-chun, Shin Se-kyung, Namgoong Min and Yoon Jin-seo, it aired on SBS o ...

'', ''

Orange Marmalade ''Orange Marmalade'' () is a South Korean manhwa series written and illustrated by Seok-woo. It was adapted into a Korean drama, TV series Orange Marmalade (TV series), of the same name in 2015. Plot Vampires were once hunted to extinction, b ...

'' and ''

Bubble Gum Bubble gum or bubblegum is a type of chewing gum, designed to be inflated out of the mouth as a bubble. Bubble gum flavor While there is a bubble gum "flavor" – which various artificial flavorings including esters are mixed to obtain – it ...

''. In March 2016, she and

Mad Clown Jo Dong-rim ( ko, 조동림; born March 25, 1985), better known by the stage name Mad Clown ( ko, 매드클라운), is a South Korean rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He debuted with the single "Luv Sickness" in 2008 and released his fi ...

collaborated for a well received OST "Once Again" for ''Descendants of the Sun'', and used as background music when the drama's leading roles flashed back to old memories.

2019: First music show win

On June 23, 2019, she received her first music show win on SBS' ''

Inkigayo ''Inkigayo'' ( ko, 인기가요; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who p ...

'' with her single "To Be Honest".

2020: ''Do You Like Brahms?''

On September 21, 2020, the original soundtrack Kim sang titled "Dream" was released for the South Korean television series ''

Do You Like Brahms? ''Do You Like Brahms?'' () is a South Korean television series starring Kim Min-jae, Park Eun-bin, Kim Sung-cheol, Park Ji-hyun, Lee You-jin, and Bae Da-bin. It is a romance drama about the students of classical music at a prestigious instit ...

'' as the sixth part.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Soundtrack appearances

Filmography

Television shows

Theater

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* (in Korean) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Na-young 1991 births Living people South Korean contemporary R&B singers Seoul Institute of the Arts alumni 21st-century South Korean singers 21st-century South Korean women singers