Flashback Friday - "The Incomparable" Ivy

Dec 13, 2013

Do we have any Soompiers out there who remember dial-up internet and having to listen to this to get to spazz out on that strange thing called the Internet with other fangirls and fanboys? You probably remember Yoo Seung Jun being the original hot bad boy rapper of K-Pop; he was also a Korean-American with rock-hard abs who left South Korea in ignominy (Jay Park wasn’t the first). You probably also remember when Uhm Jung Hwa was the sexiest solo singer on the scene (Hyori had to wait her turn).

With that in mind, “Flashback Friday” will feature artists from days of yore when K-Pop wasn’t so polished but still just as shiny.

Today’s Flashback Friday features Ivy!

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Ivy – Tonight’s Secret

With an angel’s face and a sexy figure, Ivy could have easily relied upon her looks alone to make it in the industry. But this criminally underrated solo artist is the full package. Not only easy on the eyes, Ivy has vocal talent and dancing ability. Ivy is known for her live performances and said that, during her trainee period, she practiced singing while running on a treadmill.

In 2005, Ivy released her first full-length album “My Sweet and Free Day” with title track “What Happened Tonight.” Her sexy follow-up single “A-Ha” left male fans fainting in the wake of her breathy vocals and sexy abs. Her third single “I Must Be a Fool” was a ballad which showed she could sing.

In 2007, Ivy released her second full-length album “A Sweet Moment,” and the album’s title tracks “Sonata of Temptation” and “If It’s Like This” were hits. But, 2007 would also be the start of controversies that threatened to derail Ivy’s career. The music video for “Sonata of Temptation” was basically a live action reenactment of a fight scene between Tifa and Loz in “Final Fantasy VII Advent of Children,” and was eventually banned from television on copyright grounds. Later in 2007, the press got wind of an ex-boyfriend who had assaulted the singer, smashed her car’s windshield, and threatened to release a sex tape of the singer, and, subsequently, Wheesung gave an interview which implied that the singer had dated him while dating the blackmailing ex-boyfriend. It later turned out that there was no tape and the ex-boyfriend was prosecuted and convicted, but a public backlash forced Ivy to take a break from the industry.

Ivy – A-Ha

Subsequently, in 2009, Ivy released her third album “I Be….” Ivy’s comeback would be short-lived as the singer again found herself embroiled in controversy. The music video for her title track “Touch Me” was banned from television due to its overtly sexual concept, and Ivy was criticized for her seductive performance with baby-faced Nickkhun at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards. Ivy also encountered issues with performing on major broadcasting networks due to her management company and so she switched to a new company. Her new company did not promote or pay her, and Ivy eventually filed and won a lawsuit to terminate her contract and receive compensation for her third album.

In summer 2013, Ivy released a mini-album “I Dance” and its title track “I Dance” featuring Yoobin of the Wonder Girls. In fall 2013, Ivy competed on KBS singing competition “Immortal Song 2” and showed she still has sex appeal in spades.

Ivy – A-Ha (live)