Sunny (singer)

This is a Korean name; the family name is Lee.
Sunny

Sunny
Background information
Native name 이순규 (Lee Soon-kyu)
Birth name Susan Soonkyu Lee[1]
Born May 15, 1989[1]
Orange County, California, United States[1]
Genres K-pop
Occupation(s) Singer, actress, radio personality
Instruments Vocals
Years active 2007–present
Labels S.M. Entertainment
Associated acts
Website girlsgeneration.smtown.com
Korean name
Hangul 이순규
Hanja 李純揆[2]
Revised Romanization I Sun-gyu
McCune–Reischauer Yi Sun-kyu
Stage name
Hangul 써니
Revised Romanization Sseoni
McCune–Reischauer Ssŏni

Lee Soon-kyu (born May 15, 1989),[1] better known by the stage name Sunny, is a South Korean[3] singer and actress. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Girls' Generation.

Early life

Sunny was born on May 15, 1989 in Orange County, California,[1] and moved to Kuwait while she was still an infant. Her family moved to South Korea around the time of the Gulf War.[3] She shares a birthday with her two older sisters (Lee Eun-kyu and Lee Jin-kyu). Her father was in the college band Hwaljooro with Bae Chul-soo.[4] She is the niece of Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM Entertainment.[5]

In 1998, Sunny entered Starlight Entertainment and was a trainee for five years before transferring to Starworld where she became a member of a duo called Sugar, which never debuted.[4][6]

In 2007, Sunny was recommended by the singer Ayumi, who was transferred to SM Entertainment.[6] After several months of training under SM Entertainment, Sunny debuted as a member of Girls' Generation that same year.

Music career

Girls' Generation

Main article: Girls' Generation

Girls' Generation is a South Korean girl group formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2007. The girl group now consists of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Seohyun after Jessica was removed from the group.

Solo activities

Over the life of her career, Sunny has released several songs for various television dramas and movies. A few of them are solos, while others are collaborations with fellow Girls' Generation's members and other artists.

Her solos include "You Don't Know About Love" for the SBS's drama Working Mom (2008),[7] "Finally Now" for the IPTV's movie Story of Wine (2009),[8] "Your Doll" for the SBS's Oh! My Lady (2010),[9] "The 2nd Drawer" for the MBC's drama The Queen Classroom (2013),[10] and most recently in 2014, "First Kiss" for the Hwang Sung Je Project Super Hero series.[11]

Her duets include "I Love You, I Love You" with Miryo (2012),[12] "It's Me" with Luna for the SBS's To the Beautiful You (2012),[13] and "It's Love" with Girls' Generation member Taeyeon for the MBC's drama Heading to the Ground (2009).[14] The latter song not only hit the number one spot in various music charts, but also has been hailed as one of the best soundtracks of the latter half of that year.[15]

Her other collaborations include songs such as "S.E.O.U.L" with Super Junior and other fellow Girls' Generation members to promote tourism for the city of Seoul in South Korea[16] and "You Are A Miracle" with various other artists for SBS Music Awards: Friendship Project (2013).[17]

Songwriting

Sunny composed the logo song for her radio show, Sunny's FM Date on MBC FM4U. Her self-written and composed song was first heard on the third part of her radio show, FM Date, that first aired on May 12, 2014.[18]

Acting career

Voice acting

Sunny was cast as a voice actor for the Korean-dubbed versions of the computer-animated films Koala Kid: Birth of A Hero (2011)[19] and Rio 2 (2014).[20] She dubbed the voices for the characters Miranda and Jewel, respectively.

Musicals

Besides appearing as a cameo character in a few television dramas, Sunny has also taken part in a couple of musicals.

In 2012, Sunny played the lead female role Brenda Strong, in the Korean production of Broadway musical Catch Me If You Can, from March 28 until June 10,[21] and again from December 14 until February 9, 2013 at the Seongam Arts Center Opera House.[22] Her performance received positive critical review[23] and was nominated for the "Best New Actress" in the 6th Musical Awards.[24]

In 2014, Sunny acted as Kathy Selden, the lead female role in the SM Entertainment production of Broadway musical Singin' in the Rain. The musical ran from June 5, 2014 until August 3, 2014 at the Chungmu Art Hall in Seoul.[25][26]

Hosting career

Radio hosting

During the earlier period of her career, besides being a fixed guest for a few radio programs such as Kim Shinyoung’s Shim Shim Tapa (2007) and Taeyeon's Chin Chin Radio (2009), Sunny was also a co-DJ for Chunji with Super Junior's Sungmin (2008). In May 2014, Sunny became the solo DJ for MBC FM4U’s FM Date.[27]

Television hosting

She co-hosted a music show called The M with Kim Hyung Jun of SS501 and Im Seulong of 2AM but had to leave the show due to her busy schedules. Her last appearance as an MC for the show was on April 4, 2010.[28]

Sunny, along with other notable celebrities, was part of the star-studded cast on SBS MTV's Music Island, she was the main MC of this show, making it her first time as a solo TV presenter.[29]

Sunny was the occasional co-host to a few programs such as the 2008 MNet Super Concert, 2013 Super Joint Concert in Thailand, 2013 RCY’s 60th Anniversary Celebration and 2014 MBC Turn Up The Radio.

Variety show appearances

She was a permanent member on the show Star Golden Bell until Girls' Generation's song "Oh!" came out.

Sunny alongside with Yuri was a part of reality show Invincible Youth in which they were a part of G7, consisting of 7 girls from idol groups.[30] Due to Girls' Generation's Japanese debut and other activities, Sunny left the show, along with Hyuna and Yuri, in June 2010.[31]

On October 17, 2011, it was confirmed that Sunny would be joining for the second season of Invincible Youth 2, a Korean reality show alongside with Hyoyeon. She is the only returning member from original G7.

On July 6, 2012, a representative from S.M. Entertainment reported to the media, that Sunny would no longer be a regular casting member along with the members of G6 from Invincible Youth 2. The July 7, 2012, episode of Invincible Youth 2, was the last episode that Sunny appeared as a permanent member.

Sunny made a surprise appearance on tvN's popular show Grandpas Over Flowers 2 in 2013. She was requested by the Grandpas Over Flowers 2 staff to surprise actor Lee Seo-jin who is her fan. Sunny secretly departed for Taiwan to film for the reality show regardless of her busy schedule. She received praise for her Grandpas Over Flowers 2 appearance not only from staff and cast of the reality show but also from Korean viewers.[32]

On September 11, 2014, it was revealed that Sunny was confirmed for the second season of Roommate, with the new name It's Okay, Roommate, which began on September 21, 2014.

Discography

Soundtrack appearances and solo performances

Year Title Song Duration Artist
2007 SBS Thirty Thousand Miles in Search of My Son "Touch the Sky" 03:49 With Taeyeon, Jessica, Seohyun and Tiffany
2008 SBS Working Mom "You Don't Know About Love" 03:33 Solo
KBS Hong Gildong "The Little Boat (작은 배)" 03:27 With Taeyeon, Jessica, Seohyun and Tiffany
N/A "Haptic Motion" 01:31 With Jessica, Taeyeon and Seohyun
2009 IPTV Story of Wine "Finally Now" 04:11 Solo
MBC Heading To The Ground "It's Love" 04:15 Duet with Taeyeon
"Motion" 04:06 With Taeyeon, Jessica, Seohyun and Tiffany
N/A "S.E.O.U.L." 03:47 With Jessica, Taeyeon, Seohyun and Kyuhyun, Sungmin, Ryeowook, Donghae and Leeteuk of Super Junior
N/A "I Can't Bear Anymore (Bear Song)" 02:43 With Jessica, Taeyeon and Seohyun
2010 SBS Oh! My Lady "Your Doll" 03:49 Solo
N/A "Cabi Song" 03:19 With Jessica, Taeyeon, Tiffany, Seohyun, Yuri, Chansung, Junsu, Taecyeon
N/A "Cooky" 02:50 With Jessica, Tiffany and Seohyun
My Friend Haechi "Haechi Song" (해치송)[33] 03:26 With Taeyeon, Jessica, Tiffany and Seohyun
2012 Miryo A.K.A JoHoney "I Love You, I Love You" 04:10 Duet with Miryo
SBS To The Beautiful You "It`s Me" 03:42 Duet with Luna
2013 MBC The Queen's Classroom "The 2nd Drawer" 03:46 Solo
SBS Gayo Daejun: Friendship Project "You Are A Miracle" 06:11 With Various Artists
2014 Make Your Move "Cheap Creeper" 03:01 With Jessica, Taeyeon, Tiffany & Seohyun
Hwang Sung Je Project Super Hero "First Kiss" 03:25 Solo
2015 Heart Throbbing "Heart Throbbing" 03:32 With Rooftop House Studio

Chart

Year Title Peak positions Album
KOR KOR
Gaon Billboard K-pop Hot 100
2010 "Your Doll" 88 — SBS Oh! My Lady OST
2012 "It's Me" (with Luna) 25 16 SBS To The Beautiful You OST[34]
"I Love You, I Love You"
(Miryo feat. Sunny)		 56 51 Miryo aka Johoney
2013 "The 2nd Drawer" 107 76 MBC The Queen's Classroom OST

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2012 Koala Kid: Birth of A Hero Miranda Voice-over for the Korean-dubbed version
I AM. – SM Town Live World Tour in Madison Square Garden Herself Biographical film of SM Town[35]
2014 Rio 2 Jewel Voice-over for the Korean-dubbed version

Television dramas

Year Title Network Role Notes
2008 Unstoppable Marriage KBS2 Bulgwang-dong's Seven Princesses Gang Cameo
2009 Tae-hee, Hye-kyo, Ji-hyun! MBC Sunny Cameo
2011 Sazae-san: Special 3 Fuji TV Sunny Cameo

Variety shows

Year Title Network Role Notes
2009–2010 The M MTV Korea Co-host with SS501's Kim Hyung-jun and 2AM's Im Seulong
Invincible Youth KBS2 Regular Cast with Yuri (Episode 1–32, 37, 38,51)
2011–2012 Invincible Youth 2 KBS2 Regular Cast with Hyoyeon (Episode 1–31)
2012 Music Island SBS MTV Main host
1 vs 100 KBS2 Contestant
2013 Real Men MBC Narrator with Seohyun
Grandpa Over Flowers 2 tvN Guest Episode 9-11, 14
2014-2015 Roommate SBS Regular Cast Season 2

Musical theatre

Year Title Role Notes
2012–2013 Catch Me If You Can Brenda Strong Lead Role
2014 Singin' in the Rain Kathy Selden

Radio show

Year Title Notes
2008 Melon Chunji Radio Co-DJ with Super Junior's Sungmin
2014-2015 MBC FM4U's Sunny's FM Date Solo DJ

Awards and nominations

Year Awards Category Work Result
2010 Mnet 20's Choice Awards Hot Female Multitainer Nominated
2012 The 6th Musical Awards Best New Actress Catch Me If You Can
2013 The 19th Korean Musical Awards
2014 MBC Entertainment Awards Rookie Radio DJ Award [36] Sunny's FM Date Won

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Person details for Susan Soonkyu Lee, 'California, Birth Index, 1905-1995'". FamilySearch. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Sunny Birth name (Chinese)" (in Korean). September 30, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Invincible Youth, episode 15, aired January 29, 2010
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 (Korean) '소녀시대' 써니, 이수만 SM이사 친조카. StarNews. November 30, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2010
  5. ↑ '소녀시대' 써니는 이수만의 조카...아버지도 가수 출신 – 오마이뉴스. Ohmynews.com (January 18, 2013). Retrieved on July 25, 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 (Korean) 소녀시대 써니 SM 이수만 친조카 ‘슈가 후속 그룹 멤버 될 뻔’. asiae.co.kr. November 30, 2007. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  7. ↑ YesAsia's Working Mom OST YesAsia (August 28, 2008). Retrieved on November 26, 2014.
  8. ↑ Story of Wine OST (in Korean) Music.naver.com (March 5, 2009). Retrieved on November 25, 2014.
  9. ↑ Oh! My Lady OST (in Korean) Music.naver.com (April 15, 2010). Retrieved on November 25, 2014.
  10. ↑ Girls' Generation Sunny The Queen's Classroom OST "The 2nd Drawer is released (in Korean) Eto.co.kr (June 13, 2013). Retrieved on November 25, 2014.
  11. ↑ Hwang Sung Je Project Super Hero 3rd Line Up (in Korean) Music.naver.com (November 20, 2014). Retrieved on November 25, 2014.
  12. ↑ Miryo releases debut album, 'Miryo AKA Johoney' feat. Sunny. Allkpop.com (January 31, 2012). Retrieved on July 25, 2014.
  13. ↑ Onew, Sunny & Luna To The Beautiful You OST is released (in Korean) Xportsnews.com (August 22, 2012). Retrieved on November 25, 2014.
  14. ↑ Heading to the Ground OST (MBC TV Drama) YesAsia.com (October 15, 2009). Retrieved on July 20, 2014.
  15. ↑ Heading to the Ground OST Released Allkpop.com (October 14, 2009). Retrieved on July 20, 2014.
  16. ↑ Girls' Generation and Super Junior's "Seoul Song" on SM Entertainment's Official YouTube Channel YouTube.com (July 7, 2011). Retrieved on July 20, 2014.
  17. ↑ 2013 SBS Music Awards (in Korean) Tenasia.hankyung.com (December 30, 2013). Retrieved on November 25, 2014.
  18. ↑ Sunny of Girls’ Generation Debuts as Songwriter and Composer in “FM Date”. Soompi.com (May 14, 2014). Retrieved on July 25, 2014.
  19. ↑ Sunny to Voice-Act in Animated Movie. Soshified.com (December 8, 2011). Retrieved on July 25, 2014.
  20. ↑ Sunny to Take Voice Actress Role for ‘Rio 2′. soshified.com (2014).
  21. ↑ Sunny, Key, Kyuhyun, Dana, & more to star in ‘Catch Me If You Can’ musical. Allkpop.com (January 28, 2012). Retrieved on July 25, 2014.
  22. ↑ Sunny to Return as Brenda in ‘Catch Me If You Can’. Soshified.com (October 24, 2012). Retrieved on July 25, 2014.
  23. ↑ (Korean) '캐치미'의 다섯 색깔 공연(주인공 한 명에 엄기준·김정훈·박광현·규현·키 캐스팅)… 넘치고, 모자라고
  24. ↑ Sunny Finishes Her Final Performance of ‘Catch Me If You Can’, Nominated for Award. Soshified.com (May 14, 2012). Retrieved on July 25, 2014.
  25. ↑ "소녀시대 써니, 뮤지컬 <싱잉 인 더 레인>서 EXO 백현과 호흡". news.hankooki. April 24, 2014. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  26. ↑ Musical “Singin’ in the Rain” Releases Official Teaser Feat. Sunny, Kyuhyun, Baekhyun, Jay Soompi.com (May 21, 2014). Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  27. ↑ Sunny Chosen as New DJ of MBC FM4U’s ‘FM Date’ Radio Show. Soshified.com (May 16, 2014). Retrieved on July 25, 2014.
  28. ↑ (Korean) SS501 형준+소녀시대 써니, 음악프로 MC 발탁 (SS501 Hyung Joon + Girls Sunny, music, professional MC recruited) Money Today. February 4, 2010. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  29. ↑ Sunny to MC on SBS MTV’s ‘Music Island’. Soshified.com (February 1, 2012). Retrieved on July 25, 2014.
  30. ↑ (Korean) 걸그룹 멤버들, 또 뭉쳤다...시골 농가서 '1박2일' (Girl Group members, and ... the country united nonggaseo '1 Night 2 Days) Joy News. October 9, 2010. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  31. ↑ (Korean) ‘하차설 끝내 사실로..’ 유리-써니-현아 19일 ‘청춘불패’ 마지막 녹화, Newsen. May 14, 2010. Retrieved May 15, 2010
  32. ↑ Sunny Receives Praise for Her 'Grandpas Over Flowers' AppearanceGirls’ Generation Sunny Surprises Lee Seo Jin for “Grandpas Over Flowers”
  33. ↑ "내친구 해치 (My Friend Haechi) [Original Soundtrack] – Single". iTunes US Apple. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  34. ↑ South Korea's Gaon digital chart from August 19-25, 2012 (in Korean) Originally from Gaon Digital Chart. Archived on December 3, 2014. Retrieved on December 3, 2014.
  35. ↑ "Documentary Shows Top K-Pop Singers Behind the Scenes". Chosun Ilbo. May 2, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  36. ↑ Winners of The 2014 MBC Entertainment Awards

External links

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