Chae Yeon

Beginning of career

Chae Yeon was born Lee Jin-Sook (Korean: 이진숙, Hanja: 李珍淑), in Seoul in 1978. It took her many years to attain her current level of fame in Korea's entertainment industry. In fact, she had to start out in Japan first. She was part of a singing group called Brand New Biscuits (ブランニュービスケット), debuted in Japan on January 1, 2001, when it had six members. Brand New Biscuits included also another Korean singer, Yuny Han (Han Tae Yoon). Chae Yeon was also member of group UltraCats (ウルトラキャッツ) under the name of "Jinny" (ジニー) or "Jinny Lee" (ジニー・リー) from 2001 to 2002.

Having passed an audition held by an entertainment management company in Japan, Chae Yeon first appeared on a popular show called "Uchan Nanchan no Urinari!" on Japanese NTV. She appeared on the show for almost three years. Along with the television show, Chae Yeon (then Jinny) performed as a singer releasing three singles and one mini-album in Japan.

Pursuing career as an entertainer in Korea

She returned to Korea with her first official album It's My Time under her new stage name, Chae Yeon. Debuting late in 2003, nobody expected her to be successful as she is now. Initially, she was simply viewed as yet another "sexy concept" singer, as many female singers were at that time. However, unlike many others, she had a fairly successful debut. She proved to be a great dancer, and she showed off her vocals in her ballad songs and live performances. Her title song "위험한 연출" (Dangerous Presentation) did well, but her real success came when her second album released late in 2004. "둘이서" (Two Of Us) the lead single, pushed her to No.1 on many music charts in the spring of 2005. The music video for "둘이서" was controversial for being too "racy" in conservative Korea (for it contained scenes showing her full back and exposed underwear). Subsequently, the video was banned on television, and the airing time was limited to after 10:00 p.m. in some cable channels. Becoming heavily played on radio, the song became so popular that a signature "move" from the choreographed dance became known as the "Na-na-na" dance (named after the hook of the song). It managed to hit the top of various music charts in Korea. The follow-up single "다가와" (Come to Me) was released soon after and was also popular, riding on the wave of its predecessor.

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 uptempo 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.

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 September 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 does not mind the label.

In addition to promoting her album, Chae Yeon has also joined the cast of Hi-Five, part of KBS's 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. 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. Continuing to stay within the "sexy singer" concept, the lead single "Heundeullyeo" ("Shake") is an electronic dance song. The music video was labelled by major networks to be unfit for broadcast without parental advisory warnings.

On December 8, 2009, Chae Yeon had her first live mini concert in China. She performed her hits to a sold-out crowd.

On July 22, 2010 Chae Yeon made her comeback on M! Countdown. She performed Crazy & Look Look Look from her new album. It was well received by fans. Chae Yeon will continue to perform on various music programs and promote her album. Her new 2nd mini album "Look at" was released on July 29, 2010.

She has stated that although she felt awkward and uncomfortable with her sexy image initially, she feels more at ease now, and has stated that she feels sexier the more she relaxes.

In 2015, after five years hiatus. She made a comeback with single, Obvious.

On the 17th of October 2016, she had signed a new contract with A9 media. The label revealed on the 17th that they've signed one of Korea's iconic sexy divas onto their label. She's been promoting mostly in China for a while, so through this label, Chae Yeon will be promoting actively in Korea through variety shows, dramas, and musicals.

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