Artist of the week - Chae Yeon

Jun 14, 2009

PROFILE
Name : Lee Chae Yeon
Real Name : Lee Jin Sook
Place of birth : Seoul
Date of birth : December 10th, 1978
Physique : 165cm, 49kg
Blood type : O
Family : Parents and older brother
Education : Department of Broadcasting & Entertainment, Seoul Arts College
Hobbies : Photography, computer games
Favorite artists : Christina Aguillera, Britney Spears
Favorite colors : Orange, white, silver, black
Motto : More spoken out, a dream can come true.
Debut : 2001 in Japan and 2003 in Korea

BIOGRAPHY
For this week, we have the sexy singer Chae Yeon. She first appeared in the entertainment world in Japan under the name of “Jinny” in 2000. Having passed an audition held by an entertainment management company in Japan, Chae Yeon first appeared on a popular show called “Woojjang-Nanjjang’s Woorinari” on Japanese NTV. She was on the show for almost 3 years. Along with the television show, Chae Yeon (then Jinny) performed as a singer, releasing 3 singles and 1 mini-album in Japan. It was in 2003 that she returned to Korea with her first official album “It’s My Time” under the name Chae Yeon.

Her debut as a singer in Korea stirred up the entertainment world, thanks to the provocative scenes included in the music video of her title song “Dangerous Presentation”. However, approaching the audience with a sexy and erotic image for her music was successful. Chae Yeon continued to appeal to pop music lovers with her sensual appearance and voice in her second official album, released in 2005. Catchy melodies and upbeat rhythms of the song “Just the Two of Us” included in her second album gained raging popularity, putting the song on top of local music charts.

She returned after a brief break in order to release her third album III, which came in the fall of 2005. The first single, "오직 너", fared poorly on the charts, as it was not a strong dance single, lacking a catchy hook. The record company then quickly switched to the "Disco Mix" of the song, which helped sustain its life on the charts, although not by much. The second single, "세번째 사랑" (Third Love), also fared poorly, despite the fact that it had a very sexy video and was a bit more up-tempo than the lead single. However, this can be attributed to the fade of sexy R&B music in Korea at the time, as ballads were once again the style of choice for Korean singers; albums by other "sexy concept" singers such as Lee Hyori also underperformed.

Chae Yeon has maintained her popularity by continually participating in variety shows, such as SBS’s X-Man (TV series) and Love Letter, where she portrays both cute and sexy images. Her appearances on these variety shows allowed her to display her bubbly and positive personality. She ended her official schedule with her last X-Man episode on Sept 25, 2005, in order to concentrate on recording her fourth album.

Although briefly hospitalised due to exhaustion, she made her comeback at the end of March 2006. Her lead single from her fourth album was "My Love", which was a Latin-tinged dance song. The single was extensively performed, with a remix promoted from May onwards; she then followed up with "서투른 사랑" ("Clumsy Love"). The album sold 12,346 copies in 2007, placing 68th for the year. She continued to remain a "sexy" singer, saying that she doesn’t mind the label.

In addition to promoting her album, Chae Yeon has also joined the cast of Hi-Five, part of KBS’ Happy Sunday line-up. On the reality-variety show, which also stars Hyun Young, the stars attempt to succeed in various tasks, including starring in a musical, becoming flight attendants, and performing action movie stunts. She remained a part of the show until its cancellation in 2008.

Later that year, she drew media attention with her investment into, and direct involvement with, Bequem, a fashion company which means "comfortable" in German. She is a spokesperson for the brand, promoting its stylized caps and bags. Moreover, her portfolio with a sexy "Party" concept has hit record sales by elegantly mixing her sexy image with feminine touches.

The singer came back after a two-year hiatus from the music world, with her mini-album Shake. DJ Koo of Clo contributed to this mini album, remixing two extra versions of the track title. Continuing to stay within the "sexy singer" concept, the lead single "Heundeullyeo" ("Shake It") is an electronic dance song. The music video was labelled by major networks to be unfit for broadcast without parental advisory warnings.

DISCOGRAPHY

* It’s My Time (1st album, 2003) : Time, Dangerous Presentation, Feeling of Love

* Virginalness Bloom (2nd album, 2004) : Just the Two of Us, Come Closer, Dance All Night

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* Chaeyeon (3rd album, 2005) : Only You, White Snow, Third Love, Because of You, Don’t Go, Trap

* Third Love (Digital Single, 2006) : Third Love (Club Ver.), Third Love (Video Ver.)

BUY THIS ALBUM
* My Love (4th album, 2007) : My Love, Han Saram (One Person), Butak (Favor), Naseoreul Gajimal (Strange Lies), Geim (Game), Waiting so Long, Seotureum Sarang (Clumsy Love), Tell Me, Grand Love, Sorrowful Parting, Party Tonight, My Love [Global Remix], Naseoreul Gajimal [Benny Remix], Clumsy Love [Mojo House Remix], My Love [Bossa Remix]

BUY THIS ALBUM
* Shake (Mini Album, 2009) : Heundeullyeo, Ooh la la, Baboya, Ibyeollyegam, Byeonsim, Seotureun Ibyeol, Itja, Heundeullyeo [DJ Koo Club Radio Remix], Heundeullyeo [DJ Koo Club Extend Remix], Oh la la [Club Radio Remix], Oh la la [Club Extend Remix]