Tiffany Hwang

Tiffany Hwang

Tiffany in July 2017
Born Stephanie Young Hwang
(1989-08-01) August 1, 1989
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Other names Hwang Mi-young[1]
Education Korea Kent Foreign School
Occupation
  • Singer
  • actress
Musical career
Genres K-pop
Instruments Vocals
Years active 2007–present
Labels S.M. Entertainment
Associated acts
Website tiffany.smtown.com
Korean name
Hangul 황미영[1]
Hanja 黃美英
Revised Romanization Hwang Mi-yeong
McCune–Reischauer Hwang Mi-yŏng

Stephanie Young Hwang (born August 1, 1989), known professionally as Tiffany or Tiffany Hwang, is an American singer based in South Korea. Born and raised in California, she was discovered by South Korean entertainment agency S.M. Entertainment at the age of fifteen and subsequently moved to South Korea. After four years of training, Tiffany debuted as a member of girl group Girls' Generation (and later its subgroup TTS) in August 2007, who went on to be one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and one of South Korea's most popular girl groups worldwide. In 2016, following her contribution to several side projects during the early part of her career, Tiffany became the second Girls' Generation member to release a solo debut album, I Just Wanna Dance.

Life and career

1989–2012: Early life and career beginnings

Tiffany was born Stephanie Young Hwang on August 1, 1989 in San Francisco, California.[2] Her family consists of her father, an older sister named Michelle, and an older brother, Leo.[3] Her mother died when she was at a young age.[4] Growing up in Diamond Bar, California, Tiffany’s childhood hobbies included dancing and singing. She started becoming inspired to be a singer by listening to K-pop artist BoA–a figure whom Tiffany would later go on "look[ing] up to [her] entire career".[5][6] Encouraged by her brother, at the age of 15, Tiffany participated in a singing contest, held by an L.A.-based Asian-American talent show called "Kollaboration", at a Korean festival. Although she was not chosen at this event, her potential was spotted by a local S.M Entertainment representative, who invited her to audition at the company–she was accepted as a trainee. Her father, at the time, opposed the idea of his daughter becoming an entertainer. Tiffany was adamant with her decision, however, recalling telling her father that he could have "ruined her life". He gave in, giving her the permission to move to South Korea three weeks later.[7]

In an interview, Tiffany recalled she did not go back home for at least two years after the move, in fear she would want to quit, thinking she "would walk [her] own path without blaming [her] parents."[8] She reflected that her relationship with her father inevitable drifted for some time as they could not talk or spent time with each other.[9] Tiffany attended Korea Kent Foreign School[10] and was trained at SM Entertainment for almost four years. She officially debuted as a member of South Korean girl group Girls’ Generation in August 2007. The singer adopted the stage name Tiffany, in honor of it being the name her mother initially wanted to name her at birth. The group gained significant popularity after the release of their hit single "Gee" in 2009.[7][11] Besides Girls' Generation, Tiffany’s early solo work mostly involved songs recorded for side projects and original soundtracks.[12] Throughout her career, she also participated as the host for several television programs.[13][14][15] In early 2008, Tiffany was diagnosed with vocal nodules and had to receive medical treatment. The symptoms relapsed in 2009 and 2010 in which the singer had to take a short break from her activities.[16] Tiffany acknowledged her voice became "huskier" and "more mature" as a result.[17]

2012–present: TTS & solo debut

"I respect my current occupation. Showing music is a method of expression, and it can also heal. You can tell a story, but you can also sing it...When you’re heartbroken, when you say goodbye, when you feel crazy, when you make a mistake, when you grow… You can sing these feelings, and when you hear it through music, it feels very different. Music can touch the bottom of your heart, and it has the ability to reach the deepest part of your soul."–Tiffany[18]

In December 2011–January 2012, Tiffany debuted as a musical actress through a lead role in the Korean adaptation of musical Fame. She played a character named Carmen Diaz, a performing arts student who has an ambition to achieve success.[19] In April 2012, a Girls' Generation subgroup named TTS was formed with Tiffany and fellow members Taeyeon and Seohyun. Their debut EP, Twinkle, met with much success and became the 8th highest selling album of the year in South Korea.[20][21][22] The subgroup went on to release two more EPs: Holler (2014) and Dear Santa (2015).[23][24] In November 2013, Tiffany participated as a contestant in the SBS’s reality program Fashion King Korea–a program where South Korean celebrities team up with the nation’s top designers to compete in fashion challenges and missions. The singer was paired with a designer named Ji Il-geun and finished the program in third place.[25]

During the summer of 2015, Tiffany began work on a solo record, having the mentality of it being the "transition into the next chapter of [her] music career." She started participating in writing music since 2014, calling it "nerve-wrecking to put out music [she’s] written on [her] own." Tiffany named Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon as "a big part" that helped her throughout the preparation process for the album. The two singers have been known to be best friends since Tiffany’s arrival in South Korea in 2004.[6][26] The album, titled I Just Wanna Dance, was released in May 2016, making Tiffany become the second Girls’ Generation member to have a solo debut. Her album met with mixed, but generally favorable reviews. Tamar Herman from Billboard called the album an "audible canvas to paint a new image for [Tiffany]", elaborating it "showcases [her] range as an artist."[27][28] The album, having a more American influence than typical K-pop, debuted at number 3 on both Billboard World Album chart and South Korea’s Gaon Album Chart.[29][30] It has sold 61,409 physical copies and was chosen by Billboard as the seventh best K-pop album of the year.[31][32] The titular lead single debuted at number 10 on both Billboard World Digital Song Chart and Gaon Digital Chart.[29][33] In June 2016, the follow-up single "Heartbreak Hotel", featuring Simon Dominic, was released through SM Station digital music platform.[34] To accompany her solo releases, Tiffany held a series of small concerts titled Weekend during the same month.[35]

Using her social media accounts to interact with fans, in August 2016, while Tiffany was at a SMTown Live concert in Tokyo, she posted a couple of photos that involved the use of the Japanese flag and Rising Sun Flag, indicating her whereabouts. Though there was no evidence of ill-intentions, this caused heavy criticism from the Korean public as the timing coincided with Korean Liberation Day, stirring a historical war wound sentiment.[36][37] This event caused her to step down from Sister's Slam Dunk, a KBS2 variety show that she participated at the time.[38] Tiffany expressed regret for her action in two handwritten apologies, acknowledging her lack of history knowledge.[39] After the controversial blunder, some spoke out in defense of Tiffany, while others questioned the misogyny within the Korean society, arguing that they can be "unforgiving" towards a female artist while a male counterpart wouldn't have received the same treatment if the same event has occurred.[37][40][41][42]

In October 2016, Tiffany was featured in the single "Don't Speak", taken from Far East Movement's album Identity. In an interview, the hip-hop group has said that working with Tiffany has "really opened [their] eyes", commenting on "how versatile [Tiffany's] range is as a singer."[43]

Discography

Concerts

Headlining

  • The Agit: Tiffany Weekend's (2016)

Filmography

See also: Girls' Generation filmography

Films

Title Year Role Notes Ref
I AM. 2012 Herself Biographical film of SM Town [44]
My Brilliant Life 2014 Herself Cameo appearance [45]
SMTown The Stage 2015 Herself Documentary film of SM Town [46]

Television drama

Title Year Network Role Notes
Unstoppable Marriage 2008 KBS2 Bulgwang-dong's Seven Princesses Gang Cameo appearance
The Producers 2015 KBS Herself Cameo appearance[47]

Musical theatre

Year Title Role
2011–2012 Fame Carmen Diaz

Reality and variety shows

Year Title Network Role Notes
2007–2008 Sonyeon Sonyeo Gayo Baekseo Mnet Co-host with Kim Hye-seong
Champagne KBS
2008 Kko Kko Tours Single♥Single KBS2 Regular Cast Season 1
2009–2012 Show! Music Core MBC Co-host with Yuri
2011–2012
2012–2013 with Taeyeon and Seohyun
2013 Fashion King Korea SBS Regular Cast/Contestant Third place
2015 Heart A Tag[48] Mnet Host with Lee Cheol Woo
2016 Sister's Slam Dunk KBS2 Regular cast

Awards and nominations

See also: List of awards and nominations received by Girls' Generation and Girls' Generation-TTS § Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2008 Mnet 20's Choice Awards Hot School Girl Herself Nominated
2009 11th Mnet Asian Music Awards Best OST "By Myself" Nominated[49]
2011 MBC Entertainment Awards Special Award: MC Division (with Yuri) Show! Music Core Won[50]
2016 18th Mnet Asian Music Awards Best Dance Performance Solo "I Just Wanna Dance" Nominated
Song of the Year Nominated

Music programs

The Show
Year Date Song
2016 May 17 "I Just Wanna Dance"[51]
Show Champion
Year Date Song
2016 May 18 "I Just Wanna Dance"

References

  1. 1 2 Tiffany's Korean name: Hwang Mi-young (in Korean) Newsen.com (March 1, 2009). Retrieved August 5, 2014.
  2. ↑ Ahn, Woorim (November 18, 2014). "[Past And Present] Bright Like A Diamond, Tiffany". BNT News. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  3. ↑ Pawar, Rushali (August 1, 2016). "Here's how Girls' Generation member Tiffany is celebrating her 27th birthday". International Business Times. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  4. ↑ "티파니 "먼저 세상떠난 어머니, 8자매를 선물로 줬다" 눈물고백" [Tiffany confesses with tears, "My mother who passed away gave me a gift of 8 sisters"]. Newsen. August 13, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  5. ↑ Stewart Ho (June 18, 2012). "BoA’s Influence on the SM Artists Evident in ′I AM′". eNewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Pops in Seoul _ Tiffany(티파니) _ Interview _ Part 1 (news program). South Korea: Arirang on YouTube / Google Inc. May 23, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Yi, David (October 23, 2011). "NYers screaming for new wave of K-pop stars". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  8. ↑ Jung, Yeawon (October 21, 2014). "SNSD’s Tiffany is Happy She Can be a Role Model". eNewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  9. ↑ Jeong Ji-won (November 23, 2011). "티파니 눈물 "가수 활동하며 아버지와 멀어졌다" 마음고생 고백" [Tiffany tears up "While promoting as a singer, I became distant from my father" confesses hardships of her heart]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  10. ↑ Lee Seul-bi (June 7, 2011). "티파니가 26세? ‘나이논란‘ 종결…2007년 졸업 영상 ‘시선’" ["Tiffany is 26 years old? 'Age controversy' ends…2007 graduation video draws attention]. The Dong-A Ilbo. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  11. ↑ Kim, Do-yeun (November 2, 2011). "Girls' Generation featured on Yale School of Art website". Korea Times. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  12. ↑ "소녀시대 티파니 제시카 서현 게임 주제가 신곡 발표" [Girls' Generation Jessica, Tiffany and Seohyun released a game theme song] (in Korean). Newsen.com. August 1, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  13. ↑ Hyesung, Gil (April 4, 2009). "티파니-유리, 오늘(4일) '음악중심' MC 첫 도전" [Tiffany-Yuri’s First Time as Music Core MC’s Today (4th)]. StarNews (in Korean). Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  14. ↑ "태티서, '음중' MC 마지막 무대..."잊지 말아 달라"". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). April 13, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Girls' Generation's Tiffany becomes MC for fashion and beauty program". Jakarta Post via MSN. March 31, 2015. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  16. ↑ Lee Ji-hae (July 14, 2016). "Pre-debut photos and fun facts about Girls‘ Generation". KpopHerald. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  17. ↑ "소녀시대 티파니 목 상태 호전 "26일 '음중' 참여 가능할듯"" [SNSD Tiffany throat condition improving, participation in 'Music Core' on 26th seems possible]. Newsen (in Korean). September 21, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  18. ↑ Yan, Qiu (April 1, 2016). "Tiffany Hwang 少女时代等到现在". Pin Prestige (in Chinese). Burda International. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Tiffany of Girls' Generation Reinventing Herself for Musical 'Fame'". The Chosun Ilbo. November 8, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  20. ↑ "TaeTiSeo to drop EP 'Holler' next week". The Korea Herald. September 11, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Taetiseo to Conclude Promotions on June 3; Will Be First 4 Time Triple Crown Winner as Unit". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. May 31, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Gaon's Yearly Chart 2012". Gaon Album Chart. 2012. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  23. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff (September 16, 2014). "Girls' Generation-TTS on Why New 'Holler' EP Represents Their 'Mind, Body and Soul'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Girls' Generation-TTS to release Christmas album". Yonhap News. November 25, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  25. ↑ "티파니, 촬영 중단 "죄송해요, 저희 지금…"" [Tiffany, stops filming "I'm sorry, we are..."]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). January 27, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  26. ↑ Kim Jae-heun (May 11, 2016). "Tiffany releases first solo album". The Korea Times. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  27. ↑ Herman, Tamar (May 12, 2016). "Girls' Generation's Tiffany Releases 'I Just Wanna Dance' EP". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  28. ↑ MTV News Staff (May 27, 2016). "Hits & Misses: Tiffany's 'I Just Wanna Dance', Jay Z's Lemonade Verse on 'All The Way Up', Wale's 'My PYT', and 'Snapback'". MTV. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  29. 1 2 Benjamin, Jeff (May 18, 2016). "Girls' Generation's Tiffany Makes Her Solo Mark on Multiple Charts With 'I Just Wanna Dance'". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Album Chart – Week 20, 2016" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on June 9, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Album Chart – July 2016" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  32. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff; Oak, Jessica (December 22, 2016). "10 Best K-Pop Albums of 2016: Critic's Picks". Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Digital Chart – Week 20, 2016" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on June 4, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  34. ↑ Kim Ji-young (June 7, 2016). "Next on ‘SM Station’: Tiffany and Simon Dominic". KpopHerald. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  35. ↑ Ahn Sung-mi (June 1, 2016). "Tiffany adds 3 more solo concerts". KpopHerald. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  36. ↑ "Female stars in SNS controversies". The Korea Times. August 15, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  37. 1 2 Jones, Lee (August 19, 2016). "Have We Been Too Hard On Tiffany?". TheMusicMind. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  38. ↑ Jin Min-ji (August 20, 2016). "Tiffany leaves ‘Unnies’ after flag controversy". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  39. ↑ Lee Ji-hae (August 28, 2016). "Tiffany issues another apology". KpopHerald. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  40. ↑ ""When they go low, we go high"". jTBC (in Korean). August 18, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  41. ↑ Pawar, Rushali (August 19, 2016). "Girls' Generation member Tiffany's exit from 'Sister's Slam Dunk' exposes Korea's misogyny?". International Business Times. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  42. ↑ Lee Ji-hae (August 24, 2016). "Culture critic Ha analyzes the controversy surrounding Tiffany from Girls’ Generation". Kpop Herald. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  43. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff (December 8, 2016). "Girls' Generation's Tiffany Stars & Slays in Far East Movement's 'Don't Speak' Video: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  44. ↑ "Documentary Shows Top K-Pop Singers Behind the Scenes". The Chosun Ilbo. May 2, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  45. ↑ Park Gyu-oh (August 26, 2014). "TaeTiSeo acted with Kang Dong-won in ‘My Brilliant Life’". KpopHerald. Herald Corporation. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  46. ↑ Lee, Edmund (November 24, 2015). "Film review: SMTown: The Stage". South China Morning Post. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  47. ↑ Yoon, Sarah (May 14, 2015). "SNSD to appear in Kim Soo-hyun's drama 'The Producers'". The Korea Herald. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  48. ↑ "Girls' Generation's Tiffany becomes MC for fashion and beauty program". Jakarta Post via MSN. March 31, 2015. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  49. ↑ (in Korean) Mnet Asian Music Awards – official website Archived April 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  50. ↑ MBC 올해의 예능 프로그램에 '나는 가수다' (in Korean). MBC News. December 30, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  51. ↑ "Tiffany takes her first solo win on 'The Show'". allkpop. May 18, 2016.
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