BoA

Background

BoA was born and raised in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. She was discovered by SM Entertainment talent agents when she accompanied her older brother to a talent search. In 2000, after two years of training, she released ID; Peace B, her debut Korean album. Two years later, she released her debut Japanese album, Listen to My Heart, becoming the first Korean pop star to break through in Japan following the fall of barriers that had restricted the import and export of entertainment between the countries since the end of World War II. On October 14, 2008, BoA debuted in the United States with the single "Eat You Up" and released her debut English-language album, BoA on March 17, 2009.

BoA's multilingual skills (she speaks Japanese and English along with native Korean and has recorded songs in Mandarin Chinese) have contributed to her commercial success throughout East Asia. She is the only foreign artist to have three albums selling more than one million copies in Japan and is one of only two artists to have six consecutive number-one studio albums on the Oricon charts since her debut, the other being Ayumi Hamasaki.

2000–02: Debut and Japanese expansion

At age eleven, BoA accompanied her older brother to an SM Entertainment talent search. Though her brother was the one who auditioned as a break-dancer, SM talent scouts instead took notice of BoA and offered her a contract on the same night as the auditions. Her parents initially opposed the notion of BoA's leaving school to enter the entertainment business but eventually consented at her older brothers' persuasion. She has said that her early influence as a singer was Seo Taiji.

BoA underwent two years of training (involving vocal, dance, English, and Japanese lessons), and at the age of thirteen released her debut album ID; Peace B in South Korea on August 25, 2000. The album was moderately successful; it entered the Top 10 of the South Korean charts and sold around 156,000 units. Meanwhile, her Korean record label, SM Entertainment, made arrangements with Japanese label Avex Trax to launch her music career in Japan. She was forced to quit school to prepare and in early 2001, BoA released her first mini-album, Don't Start Now; it sold around 90,000 units. After its release, she took a hiatus from the Korean music industry to focus on the Japanese market at which time she worked to solidify her skills in Japanese.

BoA began her Japanese music career singing at the Avex-owned club Velfarre. In 2001, she released her debut Japanese single, a Japanese version of the song, "ID; Peace B" (originally from the eponymous album). The single reached No. 20 on the Oricon chart and was followed by "Amazing Kiss", "Kimochi wa Tsutawaru", and "Listen to My Heart"; the last became the singer's first single to enter the Oricon's Top Five. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, BoA recorded the charity single "The Meaning of Peace" with Kumi Koda as part of Avex's Song Nation project to raise funds for charity. From 2001 to 2007, BoA hosted Beat it BoA's World, a radio program on the Japan FM Network.

Her debut Japanese album, Listen to My Heart, was released on March 13, 2002. The album was a breakthrough in BoA's career: it became an RIAJ-certified million-seller and debuted atop the Oricon, the first album by a Korean artist to do so. A single, "Every Heart: Minna no Kimochi", was released on the same day as the album. After the release of Listen to My Heart, BoA released her second Korean studio album, No. 1, a month later. The album sold around 544,000 units and became the fourth-best-selling record of the year in South Korea. Jumping into the World (a Japanese re-release of the mini-album Don't Start Now) and the Japanese single "Don't Start Now" were released a month later on the same day.

BoA then released her seventh single "Valenti". It peaked at the number-two position on the Oricon chart. BoA released two more singles "Kiseki / No.1" and "Jewel Song / Beside You: Boku o Yobu Koe", both which also peaked at the number-three position. At the end of the year, BoA released her second Korean mini-album Miracle.

2003–05: Commercial success

BoA's second Japanese studio album, Valenti (2003), became her best-selling album, with over 1,249,000 copies sold. In support of the album, BoA launched BoA 1st Live Tour Valenti, her first Japanese concert tour. Later that year, she released two Korean albums, Atlantis Princess and the mini-album Shine We Are!. The former was the fifth-best-selling South Korean record of the year with around 345,000 units sold; the latter sold around 58,000 units.

Her third Japanese studio album, Love & Honesty (2004) was a musical "change in direction": it contained a rock-dance song ("Rock with You") and "harder" R&B. Though the album failed to match Valenti in sales, it topped the Oricon chart for two weeks and became RIAJ-certified triple-platinum. In support of the album, BoA held a tour, Live Concert Tour 2004: Love & Honesty. In contrast with 1st Live Tour, which "emphasized exotic Asian design", the Love & Honesty tour had an "outer-space, sci-fi" theme; among the props were a three-story-high space ship and the robot Asimo. The tour, which started in Saitama and ended in Yokohama, spanned nine performances and attracted approximately 105,000 attendants. Her first compilation album, Best of Soul (2005), however, sold over a million copies, making BoA the first non-Japanese Asian singer to have two million-selling albums in Japan.

BoA reinvented her image on her fourth Korean album, My Name (2004); she left the "cute" and "youthful" style that had characterized previous years and presented herself as "sexy" and "sultry". The album was the beginning of a foray into the Chinese market and contained two songs sung in Mandarin Chinese. The sales of BoA's Korean albums began to decline: the album sold 191,000 units and became the eleventh-best-selling South Korean album of the year. In September 2004, BoA instigated controversy in Japan when she donated ₩50 million to a memorial project for Korean independence activist and nationalist An Jung-geun.

Her fifth Korean album, Girls on Top (2005), continued her image change. The album portrayed the singer as more "mature and self-confident" and was a "declaration of war on male chauvinism"; the "bohemian" look of the cover photograph represented "freedom and depth", while music videos and album photographs that portrayed BoA in traditional Korean dress brought the "idea of Korean womanhood" into her music. The album also continued BoA's foray into the Chinese market and, like the previous album, contained Mandarin Chinese songs. The album sold less than the previous album; it was the fourteenth-best-selling record of the year in South Korea with 113,000 units sold.

2006–08: Continued success in Japan

In 2006, BoA was mostly inactive in South Korea as she focused her attention on Japan. Her fourth Japanese studio album, Outgrow, was released on February 15, 2006. The album reached the number-one spot on the Oricon chart for its first week of release, making it her fourth consecutive original Japanese album to do so. With 220,000 copies sold, it became her lowest-selling first-week debut for a studio album at that point. "Do the Motion", the first single from the album, reached the top spot, making her the fourth non-Japanese Asian to have a number-one single on the Oricon charts. "Merry Christmas from BoA" (2005), the album's last single, was the singer's first digital single.

In May, BoA renewed her contract with SM Entertainment until 2012. At the time it was noted that she had a shareholding in the company of 100,000 (Approximately worth $1m USD). She also voiced Heather the possum in the Korean and Japanese version of the animated film Over the Hedge. On September 21, 2006, she released her first digital single in Korea, a Korean version of "Key of Heart". In support of Outgrow, BoA launched a special Zepp tour, B0A The Live, on September 29, 2006. The tour, which lasted until October 29, started from Nagoya and contained twelve shows, two in each of the following cities: Nagoya, Fukuoka, Osaka, Tokyo, Sendai, and Sapporo. She staged her first Christmas concert on December 7, 2006.

BoA's fifth Japanese studio album, Made in Twenty (2007), continued her transition from a "teenage girl" image to a more mature image. The album, which contained R&B and dance songs as well as ballads, debuted at the top of the weekly Oricon charts, making the album her sixth in a row to do so (including one compilation). She began using a personal computer for composing one of the songs ("No More Make Me Sick"). On March 31, 2007, she launched a nationwide tour of Japan in support of the album. The tour, which sold about 70,000 tickets, was, according to BoA, "the biggest concert" she had ever given. Two tracks from the singles of Made in Twenty (20) were used as theme songs; "Your Color", from the single "Nanairo no Ashita: Brand New Beat / Your Color" (2006), was used as the ending theme song for the Japanese release of the Xbox 360 game Ninety-Nine Nights. "Key of Heart", from the single "Key of Heart / Dotch" (2006), was the ending theme for the Japanese release of the movie Over the Hedge. She also released an English version of "Key of Heart", which was only available on the first press edition of the single. Later in 2007, Anycall (a Samsung brand) signed BoA, Xiah (of TVXQ), Tablo (of Epik High), and jazz pianist Jin Bora onto "Anyband", a band created specifically to promote Anycall. The band released only one single, "AnyBand".

With her sixth Japanese album, The Face (2008), BoA took more creative control over her music. At this time, BoA was influenced by electropop. Additionally, BoA included "happy spring" songs (the lead single "Sweet Impact" and its B-side, "Bad Drive"), a guitar-driven "groovy dance" song (2007's "Lose Your Mind"), and ballads. Lyrically, BoA focused mainly on love, though "Be with You." (2008) was about a person's relationship with his dog. The album debuted at the top of the weekly Oricon charts, making BoA one of only two artists in Japan to have six consecutive studio albums top the Oricon weekly charts (the other is Ayumi Hamasaki, who has eight consecutive number-one albums). On June 9, 2008, BoA and nine other artists from around the world recorded an English cover of Wei Wei's "Dedication of Love". Produced by Roald Hoffmann and Brian Alan, the single was used to raise funds for victims of the Sichuan earthquake. But due to a tight schedule, BoA was pulled back from this project. Korean jewelry brand Ramee also released, "Ramee by BoA", a line of jewelry designed by the singer herself.

2008–10: Bring on America! and return to Japanese market

On September 2, 2008, it was announced that BoA would make her American debut under a new subsidiary label, SM Entertainment USA. With the album, BoA hoped to become a "world-renowned entertainer" in the vein of Janet Jackson.

BoA's debut American single "Eat You Up," produced by Thomas Troelsen, was released online on October 21, 2008. A physical promotional CD containing dance remixes of "Eat You Up" was released. "Eat You Up" placed at No. 9 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart. The remix of "Eat You Up" featuring rapper Flo Rida was slated for release in late November and leaked onto the internet in December. BoA performed "Eat You Up" as well as other songs at YouTube's Tokyo Live concert, and performed in New York City on December 3, 2008, as well as the Jingle Ball at the Anaheim Honda Center on December 6, 2008. She also performed the song "Look Who's Talking" at the event.

BoA released a triple-A-side single in Japan on February 18, 2009, "Eien/Universe/Believe in Love". On the same day, the Ravex single "Believe in Love" was released, featuring vocals by BoA.

BoA's self-titled English album was released in the U.S. on March 17 and featured tracks by producers Bloodshy and Avant as well as a duet with Sean Garrett. Her second Japanese compilation album, Best & USA was released on March 18 tying together a compilation of recent hits in Japan with her English-language debut.

BoA stated that "It has always been my dream to debut in America" and was tutored English in L.A., but found the language tougher to learn than Japanese. She lived in West Beverly Hills but admitted finding it tough to make friends.

BoA headlined as a performer for the San Francisco Pride Festival on June 28, 2009 alongside Solange Knowles and The Cliks. She debuted her next single "Energetic", performing it for the first time in public. She also performed "Eat You Up" and "I Did It for Love."

On August 31, SM USA released BoA Deluxe, a repackaged version of her debut English album. The album contained two new tracks and the radio edit version of "Energetic".

With her U.S. career struggling to gain traction, BoA returned to the Japanese market to release a new single entitled "Bump Bump!" (October 2009), which features label-mate Verbal from M-Flo. BoA then released "Mamoritai: White Wishes" (December 2009) which was used as the theme song to the video game "Tales of Graces" and held a Christmas concert in December.

Her seventh Japanese album, Identity was released on February 10, 2010, but only charted at No. 4, selling 37,606 copies in its first week. With little promotion from her label, it ended her run of six consecutive No. 1 albums, suggesting that it would be impossible for her to sustain her career in three territories simultaneously.

2010–12: Hurricane Venus, Hollywood film, Only One, and first Korean solo concert

On March 1, 2010, SM Entertainment announced that BoA would, on her 10th debut anniversary, release a first full-length Korean album after five years.

On July 21, 2010, Avex released the "Woo Weekend" single, the lead song of which was used to promote Disney on Ice's 25th Anniversary in Japan. BoA's official Korean website announced on July 23, 2010 that her comeback sixth Korean album would be entitled Hurricane Venus. Hurricane Venus was released on August 5, 2010 and debuted at No.1, where it stayed for 2 weeks. "Game" charted at No.6. A repackaged version of the album with two new songs under the name of "Copy & Paste" was released in September, 2010. The album won a Bonsang Award from the Golden Disk Awards in 2010, making it the first time in her career to receive the award. On December 6, 2010, Avex released a digital single, "I See Me", for a commercial that promoted Audio Technica headphones in Japan. In October BoA represented South Korea and performed at the 7th Asia Song Festival, organized by Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange, at the Seoul Olympic Stadium.

BoA made her Hollywood movie debut in the dance film Make Your Move 3D (formerly named Cobu 3D), directed by Duane Adler and produced by Robert Colt. BoA plays a character called Aya, while Derek Hough (known from the U.S. television show Dancing with the Stars) will play the male lead of Donny. Aya and Donny fall in love, even though their families are enemies on the dance scene. Filming began in Spring in New York City and Toronto, Canada.

On October 2011, BoA announced on her Twitter page that she will be releasing a new Japanese single: "Many ppl asking me when I'm gonna release my next single in Japan... I'm preparing my single now. So you'll be able to listen to it soon!". Then on October 6 she wrote: "Heading to the set for my new music video. 今日はPV撮影！！ 楽しみにしてねーヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ." It was later on announced by Avex that she will be releasing her single titled "Milestone" on December 7, 2011. The music video premiered on November 21 through MTV Japan. The single ranked at No. 4 on the Oricon Weekly Music-DVD charts.

In December, she joined the judging panel on SBS's K-pop Star which consists of Yang Hyun-suk from YG Entertainment and Park Jin-young from JYP Entertainment. She represented SM Entertainment.

On March 2, 2012, SM Entertainment confirmed that BoA will be making a 2012 comeback. It was eventually verified that BoA's 2012 comeback will be Korean. On March 16, 2012, it was announced that BoA will be releasing a Korean single the next day titled "One Dream" as the theme song for SBS K-pop Star. The song features SHINee's Key and Super Junior-M's Henry as the rappers. This was the first Korean song by BoA since "Copy & Paste" in 2010.

On July 12, 2012, it was confirmed that BoA would release her 7th Korean album, Only One, on July 25. BoA also wrote and composed the title track. The album was released digitally on July 22, and is her best selling Korean album so far with the combination of digital and physical sales. The dance version music video of "Only One" was released on July 22, 2012, and the drama version, which features actor Yoo Ah-in, was released on July 25, 2012. Later on, the music video for BoA's follow up track, "The Shadow," was released August 18, 2012.

On August 7, 2012, BoA stated in a fan meeting that she will be releasing the Japanese version of "Only One" in Winter 2013 and will be personally translating the lyrics from Korean to Japanese. On October 16, 2012, BoA released the digital single "Lookin'" featuring The Quiett for Hyundai's 'Premium Younique Lifestyle' campaign. On December 10, 2012, Avex Entertainment confirmed that BoA will be releasing a new Japanese single on February 27, 2013. The single includes the Japanese versions of her Korean songs "Only One" and "The Shadow" from her seventh Korean album Only One.

The next day, it was confirmed that BoA will hold her first solo concert in Korea entitled "BoA Special Live 2013 ~Here I Am~" on January 26, 2013 at the Olympic Hall. All tickets were sold out immediately upon going on sale.

2013–14: First Korean tour, Japanese comeback and acting

On January 23, 2013, it was announced that BoA would release a new digital single on January 28, 2013 titled "Geuleon Neo," a song she both wrote and composed in commemoration of her first concert tour in South Korea. The music video for "Geuleon Neo (Disturbance)" premiered through SM Entertainment's YouTube channel on January 28. On April 11, 2013, it was confirmed that BoA had three more solo concerts added to "BoA Special Live 2013 (Here I Am)". The concerts were on May 18 in Taiwan, at the Taiwan University Gymnasium, on May 25 in Daegu, South Korea at the EXCO Convention Center, and on June 1 in Busan, South Korea at KBS Hall.

BoA's 33rd Japanese single, "Tail of Hope", was released on June 26, 2013, containing the theme song for the Japanese drama Hakui no Namida. The single featured a song titled "Baby You...", which is the Japanese version of her Korean song "Geuleon Neo (Disturbance)," and an English version of "Tail of Hope". A preview of the "Tail of Hope" music video premiered on June 7, 2013 at 5:50 am. JST via Mezamashi TV. A short version of the PV was released the same day through Avex Trax's official YouTube channel.

On May 27, 2013, BoA released an OST, "Between Heaven and Hell," for the KBS drama Shark. It is a minor waltz ballad song, produced by popular hit maker Kim Hyung Suk. The song served as the main theme song of the drama. On June 24, 2013, the Dutch trailer for BoA's Hollywood film, Make Your Move 3D, was revealed through YouTube, stating that the film would finally be released in the Netherlands on July 24, 2013. Two days later, the official trailer for the U.S. version of the film was revealed also through YouTube. It was eventually announced at K-CON 2013 that the United States release of the movie would be on March 28, 2014. On July 16, 2013, it was announced that BoA will be cast as the main female lead in the Korean drama Expect to Date. It will be part of KBS's drama special series which airs every Wednesday at 11:15 pm KST. BoA starred in the 2 episode drama with actor Choi Daniel. Production ended mid-August and the drama premiered in Korea on September 11.

On July 31, 2013, BoA released a new song titled "Action," serving as the theme song of the 2013 art galleries at Gwangju Biennale. BoA and composer Yoo Young Jin collaborated to write the song which is an electronic dance track that inspires listeners to work with passion to find their own color. On August 23, 2013, SOUL Office announced that BoA would be releasing her 34th Japanese single titled "Message/Call my name." The single released on October 23, 2013.

In October, she participated in MBC's "Infinity Challenge." She was paired up Leessang's Gil to create a collaboration single. Their team and song name was "G.A.B," which stands for "Gil and BoA." On November 2, they performed their new song at the 2013 Infinity Challenge Song Festival. "G.A.B" was also released via digital download through various Korean music sites. In December, BoA was confirmed to be starring in her first Korean film titled Big Match. BoA plays the role of mysterious woman named Soo Kyung who walks around with a poker face. The movie began filming the same month and was released in theaters in late 2014.

Also in December 2013, her official website confirmed that she will be releasing a new Japanese single in 2014 titled "Shout It Out". The single was originally scheduled to be released on February 26, but due to an unknown reason, the release date was pushed back to March 5. On January 21, Avex uploaded the full music video for "Shout It Out" on their official YouTube channel. "Shout It Out" is available in three versions including a CD-only, and two CD + DVD options.

In January 2014, staff of The Law of Pleasures announced that BoA will make a cameo appearance in the movie. She plays the neighbor of one of the main characters of the movie. The movie was released on February 13, 2014.

In May 2014, Avex Trax announced that BoA would release her 37th Japanese single, "Masayume Chasing," on July 23, 2014, which was also used as the fifteenth opening song for the anime, Fairy Tail. Her website also updated that she would be hosting a Japanese tour called "BoA Live Tour 2014 WHO'S BACK?" in September. The tour consisted of five concerts total, in four cities. The tour began on September 6 in Tokyo at the NHK Hall and continued on the 7th in Tokyo at the same venue, on the 14th in Aichi/Nagoya, on the 20th in Osaka, and ended in Fukuoka on the 23rd. This was BoA's first Japanese tour in 4 years. Throughout various interviews, BoA also confirmed of a new Japanese album coming out in 2014, in which her tour in September will promote. On July 10, Avex Trax confirmed that BoA's 8th Japanese studio album, "WHO'S BACK?", will be released on September 3. On August 30, 2014 in a special radio cast of "Beat It BoA's World", BoA stated that she would be releasing a new Japanese single after her Japanese tour. It was eventually verified through BoA's official Japanese website that she would be releasing her 38th Japanese single "FLY" on December 3, 2014.

2015–present: Kiss My Lips and NOWNESS

It was reported on December 31, 2014, that BoA would release her 8th Korean album sometime in 2015 to commemorate her 15th debut anniversary. A representative from SM Entertainment told the media, "No specific date has been decided but BoA will release a new album in Korea next year. You will be able to enjoy both her music and charm from the album this time". The company also revealed, "The music will be such that only BoA can pull off." This was BoA's first Korean album release since Only One, which was released in 2012. On April 30, it was announced that BoA would be releasing her 8th Korean studio album, titled Kiss My Lips, on May 12. SM Entertainment revealed she took part of her album as a composer, lyricist, and producer. The album includes a variety of genres, including indie pop, R&B, funk, and more. On May 6, 2015, the pre-release single "Who Are You (feat. Gaeko)" was released through various online music sites along with its accompanying music video, which stars EXO's Sehun as the male lead. On May 8, the album's track listing was revealed online, and an image teaser video for the lead single came out via S.M. Entertainment's official YouTube channel the following day. Commercials for the album aired from May 11 until May 17. For 6 days teasers for the album's tracks were released through SMTOWN's various social media accounts, including YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. On May 12, the whole Kiss My Lips album was released with an official music video for the title track.

On July 1, 2015, it was announced through SM Entertainment that BoA would be holding a special concert entitled "BoA Special Live 2015: NOWNESS" to commemorate her 15th anniversary since her debut. The concert took place on August 22 and August 23 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in South Korea, making BoA the first female idol to hold a solo concert at this venue. On August 31, 2015, Avex Trax announced that the concert would also take place in Japan. "BoA Special Live 2015: NOWNESS in Japan" took place on December 11, 2015 at Tokyo International Forum Hall-A.

On October 9, 2015, BoA's official Japanese website announced that she would be releasing her 39th Japanese single "Lookbook". The single was released in five editions: a CD only edition, 2 CD+DVD versions, and 2 special SOUL shop playbutton editions. "Lookbook" served as the ending theme for the NTV Kei program Tokui to Goto to Uruwashi no SHELLEY ga Konya Kurabete Mimashita. The single also includes the Japanese version of the song "Kiss My Lips" and a 15th anniversary edition of BoA's Japanese Winter hit, "Meri Kuri".

On December 6, SM Entertainment revealed that the singer, alongside label mates f(x) and Red Velvet, will take part in the agency's special winter project, entitled Winter Garden, by releasing a digital single entitled "Christmas Paradise" on December 22.

On January 12, 2016, Avex Trax's YouTube channel mysteriously uploaded a song by BoA entitled "Make Me Complete", which is sung entirely in English. It was eventually confirmed that the song would serve as the theme song for the Fuji TV special drama Ooku, starring Sawajiri Erika and Watanabe Mayu. The song was officially released for download in both Japan and Korea through sites such as iTunes Japan and Melon.

On June 14, 2016, it was confirmed that BoA would be collaborating with Korean rapper Beenzino as part of S.M. Entertainment's "SM Station" project. The duo released the project's 18th single entitled "No Matter What" on June 16 at midnight KST with an accompanying music video on YouTube and Naver.

On February 23, 2017 it was confirmed by Mnet that BoA would be the MC for Produce 101 Season 2, which began airing on April 7. The last episode aired on June 16.

On April 28, 2017, BoA released a new single through "SM Station" entitled "Spring Rain" (봄비)

On June 26, 2017, BoA released a new single entitled "CAMO"

Personal life

In January 2017, it was revealed that BoA had been dating actor Joo Won since mid-2016

Image and artistry

BoA lists hip hop as her main musical influence, though she also enjoys R&B. Her favorite musicians are Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, and Ne-Yo; as a result, much of BoA's music is either dance-pop or R&B. Because she also sings ballads, she is often compared to Japanese singers Ayumi Hamasaki and Hikaru Utada. Her debut album, ID; Peace B, contained urban pop, "slickly produced" ballads, and "upbeat dance tunes". As her career went on, she began experimenting with different styles: Valenti contained mostly ballads; Love and Honesty was an experiment with "harder" R&B and rock music.

Because the composition and writing of BoA's songs is handled mostly by her staff, BoA has been criticized as being a "manufactured pop star". In response to such criticism, BoA said that "if one person were to force their own will on something, then things that should have gone right could easily go wrong" and that she is "not all that unhappy with the expression that [she is] a manufactured star. In a way, that is true. Because SM Entertainment created the environment and all the surrounding conditions, [she is] able to be successful in the way [she is] now." Though her earlier releases were marked by a "cute" and "youthful" style, BoA began to present a more "mature" image starting from the album My Name. In a Talk Asia interview, Anjali Rao noted that some felt that My Name marked the beginning of BoA's decline in popularity and asked if the public would always see the singer as "Little Baby BoA"; BoA replied, "So while I apologize to those people who still want the baby BoA, in fact, what can I do? I just keep growing up! I can't stop that from happening."

BoA has collaborated with high-profile artists. Among the Japanese artists she has performed with are the hip hop group M-Flo (for the single "The Love Bug"), pop singer Kumi Koda, and house DJ Mondo Grosso. She has performed with Western artists: the song "Flying Without Wings" from her album Next World was a collaboration with Irish band Westlife covering the original song; the Bratz single "Show Me What You Got" was performed with Howie D of the American band Backstreet Boys. She also worked with Akon, singing the song "Beautiful", which was featured on the Japanese release of his third album, Freedom. Other artists she has collaborated with are Soul'd Out, Dabo, Verbal (of M-Flo), Rah-D, Seamo, TVXQ, Yutaka Furakawa (of the band Doping Panda), and Crystal Kay (for her single After Love: First Boyfriend/Girlfriend). American rock band Weezer covered "Meri Kuri" on the Japanese version of their album Weezer.

BoA is a "top artist" in South Korea and Japan; her popularity in the latter is attributed to her linguistic skills (she speaks and records in Japanese, Korean, and English) and a Japanese interest in Korean pop culture started in the early 2000s when the two countries began promoting cultural exchanges. BoA's popularity extends throughout [East Asia]; she has fans in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore. She has expressed plans to enter a global market; in June 2006, the music video of her Korean song "My Name" became the first music video ever shown on MTV K, an MTV music channel directed at Korean Americans.

Because of her wide appeal, BoA has appeared in advertisements for many brands. Among the brands she has promoted are Olympus, Lotte, Nike, L'Oréal, Japanese cosmetic company KOSÉ, Skechers, Audio-Technica, GM Daewoo and L'Occitane. Seven of her songs have been used as themes. "Every Heart: Minna no Kimochi" was used as the ending theme for the anime InuYasha; "Beside You: Boku o Yobu Koe" was used as the opening theme for the anime Monkey Typhoon; "Key of Heart" was the theme song for the Japanese release of Over the Hedge; "Your Color" was the theme song of the video game Ninety-Nine Nights; "Mamoritai: White Wishes" was the theme song of the video game Tales of Graces,. "Tail of Hope" was used as the theme for the Japanese drama "Hakui no Namida," and "Masayume Chasing" was used as the 15th opening theme song for the anime "Fairy Tail." Her widespread popularity has also made her a "cultural ambassador"; she has represented South Korea in inter-Asian musical events and has appeared in an Oxford University Press-published English-language textbook.