Seunghee from Oh My Girl: the Beyoncé fan and powerhouse singer who was destined to be a K-pop star

Seunghee grew up loving K-pop, and her amazing voice and energy make her a natural star
She was inspired to learn guitar by IU and hung out with classmates Jimin and V of BTS

K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop

Jeff Benjamin

Published: 10:15pm, 15 Aug 2020

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Seunghee from Oh My Girl seems to have been destined to become a great K-pop diva. From earning a nickname as a junior version of one of South Korea’s top soloists to befriending the star who inspired her to pick up the guitar, Seunghee is living a life most singers could only dream of.

But musical talent isn’t all she has to offer. Read on to learn more about what has made Seunghee a stand-out K-pop star today.

Her early life

Hyun Seung-hee was born in January 1996, in Chuncheon, the capital city of South Korea’s Gangwon province, a popular tourist destination. Seunghee grew up admiring some of K-pop’s finest pop stars – she was a big fan of IU and started learning the guitar after being inspired by the superstar soloist.

Seunghee was inspired by K-pop star IU to learn the guitar.

Even before she began her training as a singer, a young Seunghee gained the nickname of “11-year-old BoA”, a reference to the K-pop diva, after showing off her vocal skills on the reality show Star King. Seunghee also appeared in the 2010 singing competition Superstar K2, which featured other future stars including Huh Gak and John Park, and Winner’s Kang Seung-yoon.

Seunghee was also classmates and close friends with fellow future K-pop stars Jimin and V of BTS. Even though the pair debuted two years before her, Seunghee has said that she still remains close with the pair.

Seunghee is a powerful singer and the group’s main vocalist.

Her role in Oh My Girl

Seunghee is the main vocalist in Oh My Girl. She takes the lead in many of the group’s choruses, and delivers powerful lines and ad-libs throughout the tracks. Seunghee impressed with a string of high notes in the final chorus of their 2015 debut single, Cupid.

She also showcased her vocal skills when competing in the 2016 singing competition show Girl Spirit, that pitted underrated girl group singers against one another in weekly live performance challenges. Throughout the show, Seunghee consistently earned top scores – including some of the show’s highest rankings – ultimately making it into the final five.

Seunghee’s vocal prowess has also led to stand-out moments on other popular singing shows, including King of Masked Singer.

Her image

Seunghee’s expressive and energetic attitude towards singing is reflected in her personality. She has helped boost Oh My Girl’s reputation by appearing as a guest on many of South Korea’s most popular reality shows, including Radio Star, Idol Room and Ask Us Anything, with her spirited involvement and animated expressions earning her much camera time.

A breakthrough moment in Oh My Girl’s career came with their appearance on the girl group singing competition show Queendom, where the band showed they could compete against established chart-toppers such as Mamamoo, AOA and Park Bom, formerly of 2NE1. Seunghee’s reactions during other groups’ performances were a common talking point after each show.

Less than a year after Oh My Girl’s debut, Seunghee was taken to hospital after fainting backstage at a performance, and it was later revealed she had been hyperventilating due to stress. Seunghee later spoke about her health scare, saying that she was being hard on herself after giving an unsatisfactory performance. While she has had a few similar incidents since then, Seunghee said in 2019 that she had recovered.

Seunghee’s strong attitude and energy has been recognised by one of her earliest idols, IU, who invited both Seunghee and her Oh My Girl bandmate Hyojung to appear on her YouTube show, IU’s Homebody Signal, in 2020. She heaped praise on the girls and told Seunghee that they had a similar aura and facial features.

In her own words

Seunghee’s dream is to make an impact with her singing.

“I love many artists in Korea and outside Korea, including Beyoncé,” she told Fuse TV in 2016. “One of my dreams is to become a singer who can deliver happiness and move people’s hearts wherever my voice can be heard.”

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