Younha

Infobox Musical artist


Name = Go Younha 윤하 고윤하 ユンナ Younha
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = 고윤하 ("Go, Yoon-ha")


Img_capt = Younha
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1988|04|29
Died =
Origin = Seoul, South Korea
Current education = Hankook university of foreign studies, Seoul. majoring Japanese language
Instrument = Singing, Piano
Genre = J-Pop, K-Pop, Pop Rock, Piano Rock
Occupation = Singer
Years_active = 2004–Present
Label = Sony Japan
Stam Entertainment
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://stam.co.kr/younha/ Younha official website] ko icon [http://www.younha.net/ Younha official website] jp iconInfobox Korean name
hangul=고윤하
hanja=高潤荷
mr=Ko Yun-ha
rr=Go Yunha

Younha (Korean Hangul: 고윤하; hanja: 高潤荷 ; "Go Yoon-ha", Japanese Katakana: ユンナ, "Yunna") born April 29, 1988cite web|url=http://www.lionmedia.co.kr/younha/|title=Younha's Profile|accessdate=2008-10-01|] in Seoul, Korea, is a K-Pop and J-Pop South Korean singer.

Younha made her debut as an artist at the young age of sixteen. Nicknamed the "Oricon comet" for her success in Japan,cite web|url=http://english.kbs.co.kr/entertainment/news/1427543_11858.html|title=Younha Holds Showcase|accessdate=2007-04-27|] she has released eight singles and two albums there with varying degrees of success. Several of her songs have been featured in anime/dramas.

Younha is signed to Epic Records, owned by Sony Music Japan.In South Korea, she is signed to Lion Media and Stam Entertainment.

Biography

Early life

Born in South Korea to music-loving parents, Younha began to play the piano at the age of 4. She developed an interest in Japanese Drama and began to teach herself Japanese. What began as an interest in Japanese dramas developed into an interest in Japanese music. With the recommendation of an older student in her school's broadcasting club, she began listening to artists such as Hikaru Utada and Misia and acquired a taste for Japanese music. Younha began to dream about becoming a singer alongside her favorite artists.

2004 - 2005: Early Career & Moderate Success

ゆびきり (Yubikiri) Era

In order to accomplish her dreams, Younha began to audition within Korea. She says that she went through as many as 20 auditions. She also commented in an interview that certain companies refused to sign her to their labels because they believed she was not "pretty" enough, although she sang very well. [ [http://news.nate.com/Service/natenews/ShellView.asp?ArticleID=2006112715075983167&LinkID=528 http://news.nate.com/Service/natenews/ShellView.asp?ArticleID=2006112715075983167&LinkID=528] "News.nate.com" ] At one audition, she made an overwhelming impression and signed a contract with a Japanese company. Soon after, Younha's voice was heard by a company in Japan. In order to make her childhood dream of debuting in Japan come true, Younha recorded while traveling between Korea and Japan. Younha's Japanese skills advanced so quickly that she surprised the staff around her.Fact|date=September 2008

After a TV drama producer heard her demo tape, her single, "Yubikiri", was chosen as the insert song for the Fuji TV Monday drama Tokyo Wankei ~Destiny of Love~. In October of the same year, she released her official first single, "Yubikiri -Japanese version-".

ほうき星 (Houkiboshi) to Go! Younha Era

Younha's second single, "Houki Boshi", was used as an ending song for the popular TV anime Bleach. It became a hit, debuting on the Oricon chart at #18 and peaking at #12, and propelled Younha into the limelight. With this single, she became the second Korean, after BoA, to have broken the Oricon chart's top 20.cite web|url=http://english.kbs.co.kr/entertainment/news/1361923_11858.html|title=Younha takes Japanese pop market by storm|accessdate=2007-04-27|] Between "Touch / Yume no Tsuzuki" and "Houki Boshi", she released "Motto Futari de". It flopped and only reached #117 on the Oricon Charts, possibly due to a lack of promotion. Her later single, "Touch / Yume no Tsuzuki", debuted at #15, and peaked at #11.cite web|url=http://english.kbs.co.kr/entertainment/news/1364047_11858.html|title=Younha enters top-10 of Oricon chart|accessdate=2007-04-27|] After releasing five singles, Younha released her first album entitled "Go! Younha". It reached the #10 spot on the Oricon weekly charts.

2006: Later Struggles and Korean Debut

手をつないで (Te wo Tsunaide) to 儚く強く (Hakanaku Tsuyoku) Era

"My Lover" was a re-cut single from "Go! Younha", her debut album, and was re-cut because it was the theme to the videogame . It was limited to 70,000 copies and flopped, selling only about 2 000 copies and ranking at #58. Because of its limited print, however, it has become extremely valuable and rare to her fans. Younha was also chosen to sing the ending theme to the anime Jyu Oh Sei (獣王星). The single, "Te wo Tsunaide" did slightly better than "My Lover", peaking at #50.

"Ima ga Daisuki" (今が大好き) was released, with more live performances than "Te wo Tsunaide." It was her second worst ranking single, at #71. "Ima ga Daisuki" was also used as an opening song for the animation Jang Geum's Dream while the b-side "Inori" was used for the animation's ending song.

Younha released a digital Korean single titled "Audition". The single includes "Audition (Time 2 Rock)", a pop-rock song and "Waiting" (기다리다), a ballad. Although it was released as a digital single, very limited hard copies of the single were available as well. Many performances of this song were shown on Korean TV. The single received a lot of promotion and as a result, "Audition" charted for over 3 months on all Korean charts.

Younha was once again chosen to sing an anime theme song for Kiba. The song "Hakanaku Tsuyoku" (儚く強く) was used as the second opening for the show. The single was released on January 17, 2007. Unlike her other singles, "Hakanaku Tsuyoku" only has 3 tracks.

2007 - 2008: Great Success in Korea & Return to Japan

고백하기 좋은 날 (A Good Day to Say I Love You) Era

Exactly two months after "Hakanaku Tsuyoku", Younha returned to Korea to release her first Korean album entitled "고백하기 좋은 날" ("Gobaekhagi Jo-eun Nal", translated "The Perfect Day to Say I Love You"). The album was a success, peaking at #1 on the charts. The first song promoted from the album was "비밀번호 486" ("Bimilbeonho 486," "Password 486"), for which she won the SBS Inkigayo Mutizen award twice. The second song promoted was "연애조건" ("Yeonaejogeon", "Love Condition"). She made a music video for the "비밀번호 486", which stars fellow Stam artist Yoon Ji-hoo. The video featured many image changes for Younha. The album also features a collaboration with Wheesung.

On July 14, 2007, Younha appeared on the Korean GomTV MSL Grand Finals (a StarCraft tournament) and performed in the opening ceremony.

At the 2007 MKMF held on November 17, 2007, Younha won the Best New Solo Artist award.

Younha Vol. 1.5 Album

With her increasing success, Younha released a version of "Go! Younha" rerecorded in Korean. The album, with tracklist changes, is titled "혜성" ("Hyeseong", "Comet"), and was released on October 23.

Return To Japan in the first half of 2008

On January 18, Younha left Korea to continue her music career in Japan. She released a Best Of Japanese album/music video DVD, "SONGS -Teen's Collection-", on March 26. She also re-released her very first Korean single "Audition" on March 14th as an offline CD. Seoul Records is limiting the amount of "Audition" to 10,000 CDs.

Second Korean Album: Someday

On August 28 2008 Younha released her second Korean album, "Someday", comprised of 17 tracks including 2 instrumentals. It features the hit single "텔레파시" ("Telepathy") as well as her second collaboration with Tablo called "기억 ("Memory") (Rap Mix)".

Plans after the second album

Younha has previously announced that she will be releasing a new Japanese album after her second Korean album, sometime between late 2008 and early 2009. Younha has also finished filming her first full-length Japanese movie which will be released sometime in 2009.

Discography

Infobox Discography
Type = studio
Name = Go! Younha
Released = October 5 2005
Label = Epic Records
Producer =
Format = CD
Chart position=
Oricon Top 200 Daily: #10
Oricon Top 200 Weekly: #12
Certification =
Sales = JPN: 20,000+
Singles = nowrap beginYubikiri, Houkiboshi, Motto Futari de, Touch / Yume no Tsuzuki, My Lovernowrap end
Other info = First debut album in JapanInfobox Discography
Type = studio
Name = 고백하기 좋은 날 (The Perfect Day to Say I Love You)
Released =
March 15 2007 (Original Edition)
June 28 2007 (Repackage Edition)
Label = Stam Entertainment
Producer =
Format = CD
Chart position= #1
Certification =
Sales = KRN: 45,000+
Singles = 비밀번호 486, 연애조건
Other info = First debut album in KoreaInfobox Discography
Type = studio
Name = 혜성 (Comet)
Released = October 25 2007
Label = Stam Entertainment
Producer =
Format = CD
Chart position= #1
Certification =
Sales = KRN: 35,000+
Singles = 혜성, 첫눈에
Other info = Korean remake of her Japanese debut, "Go! Younha"Infobox Discography
Type = singles compilation
Name = SONGS -Teen's Collection-
Released = March 26 2008
Label = Epic Records
Producer =
Format = CD
Chart position= Oricon Top 200 Weekly #152
Certification =
Sales = JPN: 1,300+
Singles = nowrap beginTe wo Tsunaide, Ima ga Daisuki, Hakanaku Tsuyokunowrap end
Other info = First Singles Collection Album in JapanInfobox Discography
Type = studio
Name = Someday
Released = August 28 2008
Label = Stam Entertainment
Producer =
Format = CD
Chart position=
Certification =
Sales =
Singles = 텔레파시
Other info = Second Korean Album

Collaborations

Younha sang the song "Boku wa Koko ni Iru" on the tribute album to Masayoshi Yamazaki, "One More Time, One More Track". (12.21.05)

Younha was selected as one of 14 female artists to perform in the omnibus album "14 Princess ~Princess Princess Children~", a collection of the most famous songs by the top girls band Princess Princess of late 80's and early 90's. Younha performed the song "Diamonds", which was the #1 seller of the year during 1999 in Japan. (03.08.06)

Younha has been featured on the following albums:

*Wheesung's 5th album, "Eternal Essence of Music", in the song "만져주기"
*Toy's 6th album, "Thank You", in the song "오늘 서울 하늘은 하루종일 맑음" ("Today Seoul's skies are sunny all day long")
*Epik High's 5th album, "Pieces, Part One", in the song "우산" ("umbrella")
*Ajoo's 2nd album, "Paparazzi", in the song "Paparazzi"
*Kim Bum Soo's 6th album, "Kim Bum Soo", in the song "줄다리기"

References

External links

* [http://www.stam.co.kr/younha/ Younha Official Website in Korea] (Korean)
* [http://www.younha.net/ Younha Official Website in Japan] (Japanese)