How K-pop girl band Red Velvet's Irene powered up her career in 4 significant moves
The main vocalist of the five-member group, who was born on March 29, 1991, has also found success as a TV host, actress and the ‘face’ in HiteJinro’s liquor adverts
Irene, the leader and main vocalist of the K-pop girl group, Red Velvet – whose real name is Bae Joo-hyun – turns 28 today.
As we pay homage to the birthday girl, check out four of the highlights from her career.
Early career
Born on March 29, 1991, in Daegu, the third-largest city in South Korea, Irene grew up speaking the local Daegu dialect.
She auditioned as a trainee with the agency SM Entertainment in 2009 and had to spend a lot of time mastering the Seoul accent, in addition to her other regular singing and dance practice, during her five years of training.
Irene began to build her public profile before joining Red Velvet. She appeared in Canadian-born singer Henry Lau’s music video 1-4-3 in 2013.
After making her debut as an official member of Red Velvet in 2014 – with the release of the single, Happiness – she also featured in Kyuhyun’s single At Gwanghwamun later that year.
Red Velvet’s successful singles include the chart-topping Power Up and Red Flavor.