PUBLIC IMAGE & IMPACT
Taeyeon has been widely regarded as a "talented vocalist" for her soulful vocals.
Korean composer Yoo Young-seok correlated Taeyeon's singing to "a woman who has been divorced seven times."
Taeyeon was selected as the best K-pop vocalist by 40 anonymous music industry officials in October 2015
named the best female vocalist in their twenties by twelve Korean music companies in April 2016.
Taeyeon has been recognized as a prominent South Korean figure. Janelle Okwodu from Vogue described Taeyeon as "the Beyoncé of [Girls' Generation]" whose fashion styles are "constantly on the go."
Taeyeon topped Gallup Korea's listing of the most popular K-pop idols of 2016, based on public polls and opinions.
She also appeared on the rankings in 2015 (#3), 2017 (#9), and 2019 (#7).
She also appeared multiple times on Forbes Korea Power Celebrity, making the list in 2016 (#32)
Boy band BTS deemed her as the inspiration for their single "Boy In Luv" (2014).
She has also been named as an influence by Lovelyz's Jiae
Vibe's Yoon Min-soo described Taeyeon's musical styles as an example of Korean R&B "K-Soul": "I can feel that sort of emotions from the ballads Taeyeon sings. If you can feel a deep soul from a singer, that's 'K-Soul'."
ARTISTRY
In the early years, Taeyeon's music was predominantly ballads recorded for television soundtracks.
With the popularity of songs including "If" (2008) and "Can You Hear Me" (2009), she was referred to as the "representative singer of popular OSTs"
Taeyeon graduated from Jeonju Art High School and was awarded the school's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.
CAREER
Taeyeon gained popularity through her various television soundtracks, recording "If" for the KBS2 drama Hong Gil Dong (2008) and "Can You Hear Me" for MBC's drama Beethoven Virus (2009).
If" was seen as more popular than its respective drama
"Can You Hear Me" won a Popularity Award at the 2008 Golden Disk Awards.
Both tracks remain among Taeyeon's most well-known hits.
Taeyeon tried out acting, making her theatrical debut in a lead role in the 2010 musical A Song to the Sun. She played the part of Kaoru Amane, a teenager who suffered from xeroderma pigmentosum, and learned to play a guitar for the role. Her performance in the sold-out shows received good press despite the musical's critical reviews.
Jang Gyeong-jin of 10Asia praised Taeyeon's "distinct vocals" and commented that her acting stood out among idol stars who had ventured into musical theatre
while Kim Ji-yeong from The Dong-a Ilbo felt "Taeyeon's optimistic and charming personality made her the perfect match" for the role.
Despite the favorable response, Taeyeon later described musicals as difficult, citing that her weak concentration made it hard for her to act and sing at the same time.
She recorded "Like A Star" (featuring The One), and the song reached number one on the Gaon Digital Chart.
Her next single, "I Love You", for the SBS drama Athena: Goddess of War soundtrack, reached number two on the same chart.
Ahn recalled his impression of the latter song: "I was surprised at how well Taeyeon could sing. This is a rather mature song, so I would be lying if I said I didn't have my doubts, but she blew me away. I was moved to tears listening to her singing."
In 2011, Taeyeon lent her voice to Kim Bum-soo's "Different", a single featured on his seventh album Solista: Part 2. The song debuted at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart.
Following Taeyeon's working relationship with him from the drama Beethoven Virus (2008), musical director Lee Pil-ho was determined to collaborate with her again on the soundtrack for MBC's melodrama The King 2 Hearts (2012) soundtrack, having her record the main theme song "Missing You Like Crazy".
It was released in March 2012 and debuted at number two on both the Gaon Digital Chart and K-pop Hot 100.
Taeyeon's vocal received positive feedback from the song's composer Park Hae-woon: "She fully understood the song in its entirety and expressed each detail very precisely...even though this song requires the lowest note that a female singer can produce, Taeyeon executed them perfectly."
she contributed her vocals to the song "Closer", for the SBS drama To the Beautiful You, which was number seven on both the Gaon Digital Chart and K-pop Hot 100
Her lead single of the same name (a duet with Shinee's Jonghyun) peaked at number three and six on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart and K-pop Hot 100 Chart, respectively.
Her other 2014 releases included "Colorful" for JTBC's campaign "The World Is More Beautiful Because We're Different" and "Love, That One Word" for the SBS's drama You're All Surrounded; the latter entered Top 10 on both Gaon Digital Chart and K-Pop Hot 100
Taeyeon began working on her solo projects in late 2014, believing her "right time" had come after eight years' experience with Girls' Generation.
She released her debut extended play (EP), I, in October 2015. The EP peaked at number two on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart
The commercial success of I, according to Yonhap News Agency, was the main contributor to SM Entertainment's leading music sales in the fourth quarter of 2015.
The song peaked at number one in South Korea
Taeyeon's second EP, Why (2016) peaked atop the Gaon Album Chart
and charted at number two on the US Billboard World Albums.
Taeyeon the first Korean female artist to embark on a full-scale concert while still being a member of an active girl group
Her next single, "11:11", was released in November 2016. It peaked at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart
Billboard ranked it the seventh best K-pop song of 2016.
The Dong-a Ilbo in December 2016 named Taeyeon as "Voice of the Year", "Singer of the Year", and "Most Hardworking".
Taeyeon's first studio album, My Voice, having been in the production process for over a year, was released in February 2017 and included the single "Fine". Both the album and the song were well-received, topping both the Gaon Album Chart and Gaon Digital Chart, respectively.
On April 5, 2017, a deluxe edition of the album was released, accompanied by the single "Make Me Love You". The song reached number four on the Gaon Digital Chart.
In December 2017, Taeyeon released her third EP This Christmas: Winter Is Coming.[100] The album debuted at number two on the Gaon Album Chart, and at number six on the Billboard World Albums Chart.
Hong Dam-young from The Korea Herald highlighted Taeyeon's "calm and undeniable vocal prowess" in the album while praising the songs as "the most sophisticated Christmas tunes" of the year.
Its single, "This Christmas," debuted at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart.
In June 2018, Taeyeon released her fourth EP, Something New. The EP peaked at number three on the Gaon Album Chart
and at number four on the Billboard World Albums Chart.
On October 12, it was announced that the tour would go to Hong Kong's AsiaWorld Expo Arena, making her the first South Korean female solo artist to hold a solo concert at the venue.
"Four Seasons" charted at number six on the Billboard World Digital Songs
and topped South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart for two consecutive weeks.
The song was certified platinum by the Korean Music Content Association for exceeding 100 million streams.
She also recorded "All About You" for the TVN television drama Hotel Del Luna; the song topped the Gaon Digital Chart for two consecutive weeks.
Taeyeon released her second studio album, Purpose, on October 28, 2019. The album peaked at number two in South Korea.
and spawned the single "Spark", which reached number two on the Gaon Digital Chart
DISCOGRAPHY
Taeyeon consists of two studio albums, five extended plays (EPs), thirty-nine singles (including five as featured artist and thirteen recorded for soundtracks), and four promotional singles.
As a solo singer, Taeyeon has sold over 650,000 albums in South Korea as of September 2019, making her the highest-selling female solo artist in the country since 2010.
Her debut extended play I (2015) peaked at number two on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart and has sold over 160,000 physical copies.
The title track peaked atop the Gaon Digital Chart and has sold over 2.5 million digital units.
In February 2016, Taeyeon released "Rain" as the opening single for digital music project SM Station. The single reached number one in South Korea and has sold over 2.5 million copies.
Her second EP Why (2016), reached number one in South Korea and spawned two Gaon top-ten singles.
Taeyeon's first studio album, My Voice (2017), peaked atop the Gaon Album Chart and has sold over 230,000 copies in South Korea.
Her second studio album, Purpose (2019), debuted at number two in South Korea with first-week sales of 154,000 copies.
singles "Four Seasons" and "Spark", which peaked at numbers one and two on the Gaon Digital Chart, respectively.
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
Since debuting as a member of Girls' Generation, Taeyeon has received numerous nominations and awards for her solo activities in original soundtracks, radio show hosting and musical theatre dating back to 2008. She has won two Best Female Artist at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, as well as Bonsang awards at the 25th Seoul Music Awards and the 30th Golden Disc Awards.
In January 2020, Taeyeon won the OST Award, the Bonsang Award, and the Daesang Award (grand prize) at the 29th Seoul Music Awards.
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