Eugene (entertainer)
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| Eugene | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Kim Yoo Jin |
| Also known as | Eugene, Yoo Jin |
| Born | March 3, 1981 |
| Origin | Seoul, South Korea and Guam |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1997-2002 (group), 2002-present (solo) |
| Label(s) | Star Avenue Entertainment |
| Website | Official Website |
| Birth name | ||||||||
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Kim Yoo-jin (born March 3, 1981), professionally known in English as Eugene, is a South Korean singer and actress, known mostly for her musical career as part of the hit K-pop group S.E.S..
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[edit] Early life
Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea, but spent her childhood in Guam moving there after finishing elementary school. She returned to Korea with her mom and younger sister sometime in high school, after her parents divorced, and eventually graduated from Korea Kent Foreign School.[1] She is fluent in her native language Korean, English, Chamorro [2] and is a Christian.[3]
[edit] Career start
By way of an audition tape, Eugene was able to be part of a music group for SM Entertainment in South Korea, even though she was still in Guam. Debuting in 1997, S.E.S. became one of the biggest Korean groups of all time, having the record for biggest selling album by a female group in Korea. While in S.E.S., Eugene became known for her beauty and was part of the reason why S.E.S. had many advertising contracts. In fact, for certain print campaigns (like for Korean cosmetics company Etude), Eugene had the leading role, being the focus of the advertisements. Though vocally weaker than Bada, Eugene became the face of SES in advertising.
[edit] Solo career
After the split of S.E.S. in 2002, Kim has appeared in four Korean dramas: Loving You, Save The Last Dance, Wonderful Life, and I Really, Really Like You. She has also appeared in commercials and advertisements, most notably for Korean cosmetics company Cathy Cat. In addition, she has released two solo albums. My True Style, her first album, has sold nearly 65,000 records and had one hit ballad, The Best. Her second album 810303 sold a disappointing 19,000 copies. Although sales were low, Eugene still had a very successful single with Windy, mostly due to her new "sexy" image (compared to her previous girl next door image). This song was performed on all the music video programs in Korea for many months, in addition to her second single. Promotions were stopped near the end of the year. Eugene did some promotional work in the Philippines in mid-2006.[citation needed]
As of 2007, she is one of the co-hosts of KBS's Happy Together: Friends, taking over from Lee Hyori. Also, she has become part of the musical version of the film Innocent Steps.[4]
She also debuted as a film actress in Unstoppable Marriage (released on May 10, 2007).[5]
In March 2008, it was announced that she would take the lead role in the drama Three Daddies and One Mommy, to be aired starting in April.[6]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- My True Style... (released May 2003)
- Released singles: "The Best", "Cha Cha"
- 810303 (released August 2004)
- Released singles: "Windy", "Wuthering Heights"
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Dramas
- 2002: Loving You
- 2004 SBS: Save the Last Dance for Me
- 2005 MBC: Wonderful Life
- 2006 MBC: I Really Really Like You
- 2008 KBS:Three Daddies and One Mommy
[edit] Films
- 2007 Unstoppable Marriage
- 2008 That Man Book 198 Pieces[citation needed]
- 2008 Feel So Good[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ EPG profile
- ^ Manilastandard
- ^ [1]; [2]
- ^ Eugene to Star in Musical Version of 'Innocent Steps'
- ^ I love korean movie: [ Korean movie 2007 ] Unstoppable Marriage
- ^ KBS World. Eugene to Play Second Mother Role. March 27, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2008.
