Profile Taeyeon: K-Pop’s Powerhouse Vocalist – A Look at Girls’ Generation’s Leader (2024 Updated)

Kim Taeyeon is who?

Kim Taeyeon is a singer of the SNSD group, from South Korea. Known by the stage name Taeyeon, born in 1989 and raised in South Korea. Taeyeon is known as the leader of SNSD. Possessing live performance abilities, a powerful voice, and soulful vibrato, Taeyeon has captured the hearts of many fans with numerous solo music releases. Particularly, she also owns a number of hits that have made waves on the VPOP charts.

Kim Taeyeon’s biography:

Full name: Kim Taeyeon
Date of birth: 9/3/1989
Age: 32 (as of 2021)
Hometown: Jeonju City, South Korea
Current residence: South Korea
Occupation: Singer, actress, MC
Music group: SNSD
Instagram: taeyeon_ss
Youtube: 탱구TV

Kim Taeyeon has been a member of smaller groups TTS and Oh!GG within Girls’ Generation. Recognizing her passion and talent for singing at a young age, at 14 she began vocal training. In 2004, she joined SM the Ballad under S.M. Entertainment.

Kim Taeyeon has recorded for numerous soundtrack songs for movies, dramas, and television before joining Girls’ Generation. Currently, Kim Taeyeon is active as a solo artist.

Career

Taeyeon made her debut to the public as a member of the South Korean girl group Girls’ Generation in July 2007. Due to pressures from her position as the group’s leader, she suffered from sleepwalking for a period of time.

Alongside group activities, Taeyeon also engaged in some solo endeavors. In 2008, Taeyeon released two solo OST songs including “If” and “Can You Hear Me”. “If” became popular on various online music charts, while “Can You Hear Me” won the YEPP Popularity Award at the 2008 Golden Disk Awards.

In April 2008, Taeyeon became a host of the radio show Kangin’s Chin Chin Radio alongside Kangin, an artist from the same company and a member of the boy band Super Junior. After Kangin ceased participation in April 2009, Taeyeon became the sole host and the show was renamed Taeyeon’s Chin Chin Radio.

From February to August 2010, Taeyeon became a host for the television program Win Win.

Kim Taeyeon’s Acting Career

On May 7, 2010, she made her first acting appearance on stage in the musical “Midnight Sun”.

Her role was Kaoru Amane, a 17-year-old girl with a skin condition that prevents her from being outdoors during the day. She finds solace in composing music and performing at a train station every night. Taeyeon had to learn to play the guitar for her role and received positive feedback for her performance.

Kim Taeyeon has been actively involved in music activities.

In terms of music, Taeyeon duetted with her former vocal coach, The One, in the song “Like a Star”, and also released the solo song “I Love You”, the soundtrack of the television drama “Athena: Goddess of War”. Both songs topped Gaon’s weekly digital charts.

On March 28, 2012, she released the song “Missing You Like Crazy”, the soundtrack of the television drama “The King 2 Hearts”. The song reached second place on Gaon’s weekly digital charts and Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, and was chosen as the most famous drama OST song at the 2012 Seoul Drama Awards.

Additionally, Taeyeon released the song “Closer”, the soundtrack of the television drama “To the Beautiful You”, which reached seventh place on both charts.

In May 2012, Taeyeon became a member of the sub-unit Girls’ Generation-TTS with fellow group members Tiffany and Seohyun, releasing their debut mini-album “Twinkle”. All three members served as hosts for the music television program Music Core from February 2012 to April 2013.

Kim Taeyeon’s Solo Activities

Taeyeon began her solo career in October 2015 with her debut mini-album “I”. The album sold over 100,000 copies, and its title track “I” garnered over 1.6 million downloads. She continued her solo endeavors with her second mini-album “Why” in June 2016.

Taeyeon’s solo music career has consistently achieved remarkable success. Her new songs and albums continuously sell out upon release, setting records for a female artist. She consistently earns the title of “record-breaker” among female singers, causing fans to once again go wild for their idol. After more than a decade in the Korean music industry, Taeyeon still maintains her allure and popularity.

Dating News/ Rumors

Baekhyun

In 2014, Taeyeon’s romantic relationship with Baekhyun (EXO), a junior artist who had debuted just two years prior, was revealed to the public. At that time, both artists faced harsh criticism and malicious attacks from the public.

The pressure from the media and the fandoms of both sides became so intense that Taeyeon was seen bowing her head in shame at the airport, repeatedly apologizing for having feelings for her junior. However, despite her efforts, the relationship was not accepted and eventually had to come to an end, citing busy schedules as the reason for the breakup.

Ravi

In 2021, netizens were once stirred up by the news that Taeyeon (SNSD) and Ravi (VIXX) had been dating for a year. It was thought that Kpop would welcome a new couple, but SM Entertainment quickly denied the rumors.

However, later in the afternoon, netizens were thrown for a loop. Initially, Ravi’s close assistant revealed to Joynews24 that Taeyeon and Ravi were indeed dating: “Both are meeting. Please do not spread false articles so they can get to know each other peacefully.” Then suddenly, Ravi’s company announced that they were just close senior-junior relationship.

Joynews24 revealed that the couple was set up by Hyeri (Girl’s Day) and had been dating for a year. On Christmas Day recently, the couple was caught on camera during a date at Ravi’s private residence.

Controversy/ Scandals

In 2021, a video of the 2-year-old Japanese girl Nonoka participating in a popular singing contest spread widely across major social media platforms, capturing the attention even of Taeyeon, who expressed being charmed by the adorable little girl.

Taeyeon showed her affection for Nonoka through her personal Instagram account. Additionally, she covered songs from Nonoka’s performances and cosplayed the girl. Unexpectedly, this action faced criticism and malicious comments from Korean netizens.

For Koreans, the relationship between Japan and South Korea has always been sensitive, as evidenced by a large-scale boycott of Japanese goods in 2020. Taeyeon’s display of love for a Japanese child this time became the target of many netizens who harbored resentment towards the Japanese. Many commented: “She still fails as before”, “Does she have a brain? She represents South Korea as a member of a girl group but does this?”, “Doesn’t she know about the NO JAPAN movement?”, “Doesn’t anyone manage her?”, “Traitor”… Some criticized Taeyeon for feigning innocence and cuteness, “She’s already 30 years old”, “At 30, imitating little girls and posting it online, the women’s rights movement has already been difficult, don’t cause more chaos”, “Mature women imitating little girls is psychological regression, it’s a sickness, it needs treatment!”

Also in 2021, there was a buzz surrounding Taeyeon (SNSD) being one of the many victims of a real estate scam involving a planned project worth 250 billion won, resulting in personal losses of about 1.1 billion won. The situation didn’t end there as some negative rumors surfaced suggesting that the female idol engaged in speculation. Recently, Taeyeon also posted some new photos on Instagram, which inadvertently became a subject of criticism amidst the uproar.

According to reports, the plot of land Taeyeon purchased was in an area not suitable for redevelopment. The company bought the land for 400 million won and sold it to Taeyeon three months later for 1.1 billion won – three times the original price. This event sparked controversy not only for the outrage over Taeyeon’s fraudulent behavior but also because other suspicions emerged, further complicating the matter. Despite Taeyeon’s attempts to explain and urge people not to speculate, the controversy continues.