Related Tags: Younha Extras

Younha started playing the piano at the age of 4. Younha has released eight singles and two albums so far, and an eighth single is slated for release in September, 2006. Her first single, "Yubikiri", contains her only two Korean songs, and was used during the J-Drama series Tokyo Wankei. Her third single was the Bleach anime's 3rd ending theme, "Houkiboshi" ("Comet"). Also on the single "Houkiboshi" was the song Omoide ni Dekinai, used as the ending theme to the movie Tenshi ga Orita hi. Younha also acted in the movie Tenshi ga Orita hi. Younha's debut album included the songs Orenji no Hatsukoi and My Lover, both used in the Game Cube game Bleach GC: Tasogare Ni Mamieru Shinigami.

Birth name: 고윤하 (Go, Yoon-ha)
Born: April 29, 1988 (1988-04-29)
Origin : Seoul, South Korea
Genre(s): J-Pop, K-Pop, Pop Rock, Piano Rock
Occupation(s): Singer
Instrument(s): Singing, Piano
Years active: 2004–Present
Label(s): Sony BMG, Stam Entertainment
Website: Younha official website (Korean): http://www.lionmedia.co.kr/younha/
Younha official website (Japanese): http://www.younha.net/



Early life

Born in South Korea to music-loving parents, Younha began to play the piano at the age of 4. She developed an interest in Japanese Drama and began to teach herself Japanese. What began as an interest in Japanese dramas developed into an interest in Japanese music. With the recommendation of an older student in her school's broadcasting club, she began listening to artists such as Hikaru Utada and Misia and acquired a taste for Japanese music. Younha began to dream about becoming a singer alongside her favorite artists.

2004 - 2005: Early Career & Moderate Success

ゆびきり (Yubikiri) Era

In order to accomplish her dreams, Younha began to audition within Korea. She says that she went through as many as 20 auditions. She also commented in an interview that certain companies refused to sign her to their labels because they believed she was not "pretty" enough, although she sang very well.At one audition, she made an overwhelming impression and signed a contract with a Japanese company. Soon after, Younha's voice was heard by a company in Japan. In order to make her childhood dream of debuting in Japan come true, Younha recorded while traveling between Korea and Japan. Younha's Japanese skills advanced so quickly that she surprised the staff around her.[citation needed]

After a TV drama producer heard her demo tape, her single, "Yubikiri", was chosen as the insert song for the Fuji TV Monday drama Tokyo Wankei ~Destiny of Love~. In October of the same year, she released her official first single, "Yubikiri -Japanese version-".

ほうき星 (Houkiboshi) to Go! Younha Era

Younha's second single, "Houki Boshi", was used as an ending song for the popular TV anime Bleach. It became a hit, debuting on the Oricon chart at #18 and peaking at #12, and propelled Younha into the limelight. With this single, she became the second Korean, after BoA, to have broken the Oricon chart's top 20. Between "Touch / Yume no Tsuzuki" and "Houki Boshi", she released "Motto Futari de". It flopped and only reached #117 on the Oricon Charts, possibly due to a lack of promotion. Her later single, "Touch / Yume no Tsuzuki", debuted at #15, and peaked at #11. After releasing five singles, Younha released her first album entitled Go! Younha. It reached the #10 spot on the Oricon weekly charts.

2006: Later Struggles and Korean Debut

手をつないで (Te wo Tsunaide) to 儚く強く (Hakanaku Tsuyoku) Era

"My Lover" was a re-cut single from Go! Younha, her debut album, and was re-cut because it was the theme to the videogame Bleach GC: Tasogare Ni Mamieru Shinigami. It was limited to 70,000 copies and flopped, selling only about 2 000 copies and ranking at #58. Because of its limited print, however, it has become extremely valuable and rare to her fans. Younha was also chosen to sing the ending theme to the anime Jyu Oh Sei (獣王星). The single, "Te wo Tsunaide" did slightly better than "My Lover", peaking at #50.

"Ima ga Daisuki" (今が大好き) was released, with more live performances than "Te wo Tsunaide." It was her second worst ranking single, at #71. "Ima ga Daisuki" was also used as an opening song for the animation Jang Geum's Dream while the b-side "Inori" was used for the animation's ending song.

Younha released a digital Korean single titled "Audition". The single includes "Audition (Time 2 Rock)", a pop-rock song and "Waiting" (기다리다), a ballad. Although it was released as a digital single, very limited hard copies of the single were available as well. Many performances of this song were shown on Korean TV. The single received a lot of promotion and as a result, "Audition" charted for over 3 months on all Korean charts.

Younha was once again chosen to sing an anime theme song for Kiba. The song "Hakanaku Tsuyoku" (儚く強く) was used as the second opening for the show. The single was released on January 17, 2007. Unlike her other singles, "Hakanaku Tsuyoku" only has 3 tracks.

2007 - 2008: Great Success in Korea & Return to Japan

고백하기 좋은 날 (A Good Day to Say I Love You) Era

Exactly two months after "Hakanaku Tsuyoku", Younha returned to Korea to release her first Korean album entitled 고백하기 좋은 날 (Gobaekhagi Jo-eun Nal, translated "The Perfect Day to Say I Love You"). The album was a success, peaking at #1 on the charts. The first song promoted from the album was "비밀번호 486" (Bimilbeonho 486, "Password 486"), for which she won the SBS Inkigayo Mutizen award twice. The second song promoted was "연애조건" (Yeonaejogeon, "Love Condition"). She made a music video for the "비밀번호 486", which stars fellow Stam artist Yoon Ji-hoo. The video featured many image changes for Younha. The album also features a collaboration with Wheesung.

On July 14, 2007, Younha appeared on the Korean GomTV MSL Grand Finals (a StarCraft tournament) and performed in the opening ceremony.

At the 2007 MKMF held on November 17, 2007, Younha won the Best New Solo Artist award.

Younha Vol. 1.5 Album

With her increasing success, Younha released a version of Go! Younha rerecorded in Korean. The album, with tracklist changes, is titled 혜성 (Hyeseong, "Comet"), and was released on October 23.

Return To Japan in the first half of 2008

On January 18, Younha left Korea to continue her music career in Japan. She released a Best Of Japanese album/music video DVD, SONGS -Teen's Collection-, on March 26. She also re-released her very first Korean single "Audition" on March 14 as an offline CD. Seoul Records is limiting the amount of "Audition" to 10,000 CDs.

Second Korean Album: Someday

On August 28, 2008 Younha released her second Korean album, Someday, comprised of 17 tracks including 2 instrumentals. It features the hit single "텔레파시" ("Telepathy") as well as her second collaboration with Tablo called "기억 ("Memory") (Rap Mix)".

Plans after the second album

Younha has previously announced that she will be releasing a new Japanese album after her second Korean album, sometime between late 2008 and early 2009. Younha has also finished filming her first full-length Japanese movie which will be released sometime in 2009.


Full Discography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Younha_discography

Go! Younha (First debut album in Japan)

* Released: October 5, 2005
* Format: CD
* Label: Epic Records
* Chart position:
Oricon Top 200 Daily: #10
Oricon Top 200 Weekly: #12
* Sales: JPN: 20,000+
* Singles: Yubikiri, Houkiboshi, Motto Futari de, Touch / Yume no Tsuzuki, My Lover

고백하기 좋은 날 (The Perfect Day to Say I Love You) (First debut album in Korea)

* Released:
March 15, 2007 (Original Edition)
June 28, 2007 (Repackage Edition)
* Format: CD
* Label: Stam Entertainment
* Chart position: #1
* Sales: KRN: 45,000+
* Singles: 비밀번호 486, 연애조건

혜성 (Comet) (Korean remake of her Japanese debut, "Go! Younha")

* Released: October 25, 2007
* Format: CD
* Label: Stam Entertainment
* Chart position: #1
* Sales: KRN: 35,000+
* Singles: 혜성, 첫눈에

SONGS -Teen's Collection- (First Singles Collection Album in Japan)

* Released: March 26, 2008
* Format: CD
* Label: Epic Records
* Chart position: Oricon Top 200 Weekly #152
* Sales: JPN: 1,300+
* Singles: Te wo Tsunaide, Ima ga Daisuki, Hakanaku Tsuyoku

Someday (Second Korean Album)

* Released: August 28, 2008
* Format: CD
* Label: Stam Entertainment
* Singles: 텔레파시



Younha sang the song Boku wa Koko ni Iru on the tribute album to Masayoshi Yamazaki, One More Time, One More Track. (12.21.05)

Younha was selected as one of 14 female artists to perform in the omnibus album 14 Princess ~Princess Princess Children~, a collection of the most famous songs by the top girls band Princess Princess of late 80's and early 90's. Younha performed the song Diamonds, which was the #1 seller of the year during 1999 in Japan. (03.08.06)

Younha has been featured on the following albums:

* Wheesung's 5th album, Eternal Essence of Music, in the song "만져주기"
* Toy's 6th album, Thank You, in the song "오늘 서울 하늘은 하루종일 맑음" ("Today Seoul's skies are sunny all day long")
* Epik High's 5th album, Pieces, Part One, in the song "우산" ("umbrella")
* Ajoo's 2nd album, Paparazzi, in the song "Paparazzi"
* Kim Bum Soo's 6th album, Kim Bum Soo, in the song "줄다리기"