[Star Encyclopedia 2.0] The Continually Evolving BoA

She’s now 26 years old but it has been already 13 years since she debuted. She entered the gayo world at 13 and became Asia’s top female hallyu star. But in 2000, when she made her debut, no one could have predicted such success.


I am

The 1986-born BoA followed her older brother when she was a fifth grader in elementary school to her brother’s SM Entertainment auditions. There, she was cast in SM, marking the beginning of BoA the singer.

SM’s Lee Soo Man would invest over 3 billion won to make her into a global entertainer. BoA received training in everything from singing to dancing and her linguistic abilities as well. It’s already well known by now that she used to live with an NHK announcer to improve her Japanese. In addition to the Japanese language, BoA learned English simultaneously, enabling her to penetrate the Japanese and American markets later.

There are many rumors that BoA has a net worth of 1 trillion won. In 2007, the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade evaluated her and Rain as the most-valued singers.

In the past when the image of K-Pop was relatively low, BoA helped to upgrade its image. In Japan, BoA demonstrated K-Pop’s abilities.

BoA helped to expand the range of Korea’s gayo. BoA demonstrated that even with high production costs for an album, a singer could make a profitable return in investments. It’s to the point one can say it’s because BoA existed that the hallyu movement has spread so much now.

BoA once faced criticism as a ‘product-made’ singer. But Lee Soo Man was able to see BoA’s hidden talents thus enabling her to stand where she is today.

Charm

Among the many musicians in gayo, BoA is among those described as having some of the best performances. She is a singer who demonstrated that a female singer can show powerful dance moves as well. In Japan she also succeeded through this strategy. At the time, when female artists would engage in cute dance moves, BoA’s merit-filled performances attracted the attention of fans. Though a female artist, she was an individual who could be seen as ‘cool’.

After gaining popularity in Japan, the opinion of her in Korea changed as well. Returning to Korea, she became a mega star. Unfortunately for her fans in Korea, in comparison to her activities in Korea, she was more active in Japan.

However, recently BoA has been showing a new side of her to fans in Korea through her appearance in SBS’ K-Pop Star. Until now, BoA had appeared in Japanese variety programs but shied away from variety programs in Korea.

Even in an interview a few years ago she had stated, “I don’t have confidence in making people laugh on a variety program.” It was difficult to see her in interviews or program appearances.

But that same BoA showed her true self to fans in Korea. BoA’s appearance in K-Pop Star drew much attention to the point BoA even said, “My mother is happy I’m appearing often on television.”

Through her appearance in K-Pop Star, viewers were able to see why she was the recipient of 3 billion won-worth of investments. Through her frank and veteran hallyu evaluation of the show’s contestants and passion for music, as well as her soft and warm side, she showed she was more than just a singing machine but a person with a heart.

At the disappointment of contestants, she cried along with them and for those who performed beyond expectations she showed her fiery support and happiness. Through all of this, BoA returned as a beacon of hope for countless young aspirants.

BoA has finished filming her Hollywood dance movie Cobu 3D and is currently awaiting its premiere. She is currently expanding her career from singer to actor and not in Korea but the U.S.

Crisis

Perhaps it’s because of her many merits, but BoA has been the center of many romantic rumors. In 2010, she was snapped in mid-embrace with popular Japanese band Kat-Tun’s Akanishi Jin, at a club party, inciting rumors the two were dating. Both, at the time, denied any romantic feelings saying the two were only close friends.

In 2005, a Japanese press outlet reported she was in a relationship with Japanese stylist eight years her senior. The two had been snapped shopping for groceries together. However BoA’s side denied the rumors.

She was also embroiled in a blackmail scandal after a university student hacked intoher online account and found emails with her picture attached to g.o.d.’s Danny An.

After it was reported the two were being blackmailed, questions over the two’s relationship naturally arose. SM at the time had said, “The two are close as friends in the same industry but the criminal is trying to make something more out of it and blackmail [them].”

Though involved in many rumors, BoA has denied all of them.

In addition to her privacy issues, she also faced a lot of personal blows. The thoroughly prepared American music market debut proved less fruitful than anticipated. But just the fact she made a crack into the American music market makes her a big pioneer for Korea’s gayo. She planted the hopes that Korean singers could enter the pop market and gave them the hope that it was possible with a little more effort.

Profile

Name: BoA
Birthday: November 5, 1986
Agency: SM Entertainment
Family: Mother, Father, Older Brother
Debut: August 25,2000; First album, ID: Peace B

Photo credit: SM

Reach reporter Oh MiJung on Twitter @isyutar!

Reporter : Oh, MiJung (omj0206@cj.net)
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