Wendy (singer)

Wendy
Wendy with brown hair wearing Celine shirt
Wendy in 2021
Born
Shon Seung-wan

(1994-02-21) February 21, 1994 (age 29)
Seoul, South Korea
Other namesWendy Shon
Alma materRichmond Hill High School
Occupations
Years active2014–present
Musical career
GenresK-pop
Instrument(s)Vocals
Labels
Member of
Formerly ofSM Rookies
WebsiteOfficial website
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationSon Seung-wan
McCune–ReischauerSon Sŭngwan
Stage name
Hangul
Revised RomanizationWen-di
McCune–ReischauerWenti
Signature
Signature of Wendy

Shon Seung-wan (Korean손승완; born February 21, 1994), known professionally as Wendy, is a South Korean singer. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Red Velvet. In 2021, she made her solo debut with the EP Like Water. In 2022, she became a member of SM Entertainment's supergroup Got the Beat.

Apart from her music career, Wendy has made various television appearance, such as being a panelist on reality show We Got Married (2015–2016), Trick & True (2016–2017), being cast on comedy show Saturday Night Live Korea (2021), and hosting Mysterious Record Shop (2021). From 2021 to 2023, Wendy hosted the radio program Wendy's Youngstreet. Also in 2023, she made her theatrical debut in the musical Rebecca.

Life and career

1994–2014: Early life and career beginnings

Wendy was born on February 21, 1994, in Seongbuk-dong, a neighborhood in Seongbuk District in Seoul, South Korea. Coming from a family of music lovers, Wendy showed interest in becoming a singer when she was only six years old. Besides her passion for singing, she is also able to play several instruments, including the piano, guitar, flute, and saxophone.

She lived with her family in Jecheon until her fifth year of elementary school, when she moved to Canada with her older sister, Shon Seung-hee, to study abroad. She lived in Brockville, Ontario before moving to the United States to attend Shattuck-Saint Mary's in Faribault, Minnesota, where she was an honor student and athlete, and earned various awards for academics and music-related activities. There, she started using her English name 'Wendy Shon'. Returning to Canada, she later studied at Richmond Hill High School in Richmond Hill, Ontario, where she participated in the school's show choir called Vocal Fusion. While living in both countries, she became fluent in English and also learned to speak some French and Spanish.

Her parents were initially against her pursuing a career in music and wanted her to focus on her studies, but while she was still in high school, they eventually allowed her to audition to become a singer in South Korea.

In 2010, she submitted an online audition for Koreaboo's Global Auditions in 2011 with Cube Entertainment. Though she was not the final winner, she was one of fifteen finalists personally picked by Korean singer G.NA and Koreaboo from over 5,000 videos to continue to the final round in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and open for G.NA's first solo showcase. In 2018, YG Entertainment founder Yang Hyun-suk revealed Wendy once auditioned for the company but was not accepted.

Wendy originally did not intend to audition for SM Entertainment, but was cast by the company when she accompanied a friend to the S.M. Global Audition in Canada in 2012. She recalled singing Kim Gun-mo's "Moon of Seoul" and passed. She trained for less than two years before she was introduced as a member of S.M. Entertainment's predebut group SM Rookies on March 14, 2014. As part of SM Rookies, Wendy released the song "Because I Love You" for the soundtrack of the Mnet drama Mimi and appeared in the song's music video.

On August 1, 2014, Wendy made her official debut as a member of Red Velvet.

2015–2020: Solo activities and hiatus

Wendy in August 2015

Wendy collaborated with rapper Yuk Jidam for the song "Return", which is part of the OST of KBS2's Who Are You: School 2015. The song was released on June 8, 2015, and debuted at number 31 on the Gaon Digital Chart. She released another song "Let You Know" for the soundtrack of the JTBC drama D-Day on October 16.

In January 2016, Wendy became a long-term panelist on We Got Married and participated in King of Mask Singer as a contestant under the alias "Space Beauty Maetel". In March 2016, she collaborated with Eric Nam on a duet titled "Spring Love", as part of SM Entertainment's SM Station project. The song peaked at number 7 on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. In July 2016, Wendy and her Red Velvet bandmate Seulgi released an original soundtrack titled "Don't Push Me" for the TV drama series Uncontrollably Fond. In October 2016, she became a fixed panelist for the KBS show Trick & True together with her bandmate Irene. In December 2016, Wendy participated in two other singles for the SM Station project, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", featuring pianist Moon Jung-jae and violinist Nile Lee, and "Sound of Your Heart", a collaboration with several SM Entertainment artists. In the same month, she was featured in the English version of Latin pop star Ricky Martin's single "Vente Pa' Ca".

Wendy released the song "I Can Only See You" with Seulgi in January 2017 for the OST of the KBS2 TV series, Hwarang. In February, she sang the Korean version of "My Time" which is part of Disney Channel's Elena of Avalor's official soundtrack and also appeared in its music video. In the same month, she became the host of the KBS World show K-Rush. On October 27, she, along with Kangta and Seulgi, released a remake of the 2001 song "인형 (Doll)" by Shinhwa's Shin Hye-sung and Lee Ji-hoon as part of the second season of the SM Station project. Its music video used footage from their live performance of the song at the SMTOWN LIVE TOUR V in JAPAN and was released on the same day. She released a duet with Baek A-yeon on December 2, called "The Little Match Girl". In February 2018, Wendy was chosen as the interactive holographic avatar of SK Telecom's new AI voice assistant speaker, 'Holobox'.

In June 2018, Wendy was announced filming in Austria with Seulgi for Battle Trip's special episode themed 'The Country I Want to Live in'. In July 2018, Wendy collaborated with Yang Da-il for the single "One Summer" which was released on July 2. In October, it was announced that Wendy was set to release an English duet with American singer John Legend entitled "Written in the Stars" as part of the third season of SM Station, Station x 0 which would be Wendy's sixth time to participate in the project. The music video for the duet was released on October 19, 2018, on YouTube. In November 2018, Wendy released the song "Goodbye" for the soundtrack of JTBC drama The Beauty Inside.

Wendy in September 2019

On February 22, 2019, Wendy released the solo soundtrack, "What If Love", for tvN's drama Touch Your Heart. In October, Wendy participated once again in King of Mask Singer, under the alias 'Green Witch'.

In March 2020, Wendy had her first public schedule since suffering an accident in December 2019, with an appearance on MBC Standard FM's Listen To Books. In the same month, Wendy was confirmed to take part as main voice actress for the Korean release of DreamWorks animated film Trolls: World Tour. It was released in April. In May 2020, Wendy collaborated with Zico for the OST of The King: Eternal Monarch titled "My Day Is Full Of You". In November 2020, aside from Red Velvet's OST "Future" for the drama Start-Up, Wendy also had a solo OST named "Two Words". In the same month, Wendy featured in labelmate Taemin's "Be Your Enemy", which was in included in his studio album Never Gonna Dance Again.

2021–present: Solo debut, radio DJ, and Got the Beat

In January 2021, Wendy made her official return to television as a co-host of Mysterious Record Shop. In March 2021, it was announced that Wendy would be making her debut as a solo artist with an album releasing in April. This was later confirmed as her first EP Like Water, which contains a total of five songs and was released on April 5.

On July 12, 2021, Wendy became the permanent nightly DJ host for SBS Power FM's radio show Wendy's Youngstreet, where she had been a special DJ for in 2018. On December 27, 2021, Wendy was revealed as a member of supergroup Got the Beat alongside Red Velvet groupmate Seulgi. The group debuted on January 3, 2022.

In June 2023, it was announced that Wendy would step down as the host of Wendy's Youngstreet. The same month, Wendy was cast as 'I' in the 10th Anniversary production of the musical Rebecca, thereby making her official theatre debut.

Other ventures

Endorsements

Aside from endorsements with Red Velvet as a group, Wendy, in November 2018, became an endorser of Dongwon Yangban Rice Porridge with Irene. On December 31, 2020, L'Occitane Korea launched their new campaign, 'Be Happy, Smile Again', with Wendy as a muse to commemorate the launch of their Happy Shea 2021 edition. Later in February 2021, they launched another campaign for the new Pink Essence product with Wendy. In March 2021, Wendy became the new presenter of Pond's.

Personal life

Stage incident and health

On December 25, 2019, Wendy was involved in a stage accident during her solo stage rehearsal at the 2019 SBS Gayo Daejeon. Due to the alleged lack of common safety measures by the show's crew members in the stage design, in addition to the lift stairs not being in place for the performance, she fell approximately 2.5 metres (8.2 ft). Her injuries included a pelvic fracture, a broken wrist and several facial injuries including a cracked cheekbone, with all injuries on the right side of her body. The accident and subsequent hospitalization led to cancellation of all her planned activities. In February 2020, Wendy was discharged from the hospital after spending two months recovering, and began outpatient treatment. She made her comeback on January 1, 2021, at SMTOWN Live Culture Humanity.

Discography

Extended plays

List of EPs, showing selected details, chart positions, and sales figures
Title Details Peak chart
positions
Sales
KOR
JPN
Like Water 4 35
  • KOR: 184,620
  • JPN: 1,289 (Phy.)

Singles

List of singles, showing year released, selected peak positions, sales figures, and name of the album
Title Year Peak chart
positions
Sales Album
KOR
KOR Hot
As lead artist
"Like Water" 2021 54 85 Like Water
"When This Rain Stops" 91
Collaborations
"One Dream One Korea"
(with various artists)
2015 Charity single
"Spring Love" (봄인가 봐)
(with Eric Nam)
2016 7
  • KOR: 820,131
SM Station Season 1
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
(with Moon Jung-jae and Nile Lee)
"Sound of Your Heart" (너의 목소리)
(with Yesung, Sunny, Luna, Seulgi, Taeil, Doyoung, and Steve Barakatt)
"Doll" (인형)
(with Kangta and Seulgi)
2017 SM Station Season 2
"The Little Match Girl" (성냥팔이 소녀)
(with Baek A-yeon)
55
  • KOR: 59,483
"One Summer" (그해 여름)
(with Yang Da-il)
2018 40 Non-album single
"Written in the Stars"
(with John Legend)
SM Station X 0
"This Is Your Day (for every child, UNICEF)"
(with various artists)
2019 SM Station X
"Be Deep" (깊어지네)
(with Son Tae-jin)
2021 Non-album singles
"Airport Goodbyes" (공항로)
(with the production of The Black Skirts)
"Miracle" (안부)
(with MeloMance)
2023 170 N/A SM Station Season 4
As featured artist
"Vente Pa' Ca" (English Version)
(Ricky Martin feat. Wendy)
2016 Non-album single
"Be Your Enemy"
(Taemin feat. Wendy)
2020 Never Gonna Dance Again: Act 2
"Move Mood Mode"
(Lee Tae-yong feat. Wendy)
2023 N/A Shalala
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Soundtrack appearances

List of soundtracks, showing year released, selected peak positions, sales figures, and name of the album
Title Year Peak chart
positions
Sales Album
KOR
"Because I Love You" (슬픔 속에 그댈 지워야만 해) 2014 230
  • KOR: 18,758
Mimi OST
"Return"
(with Yuk Jidam)
2015 31
  • KOR: 93,844
Who Are You: School 2015 OST
"Let You Know" (아나요) 139
  • KOR: 20,824
D-Day OST
"Don't Push Me" (밀지마)
(with Seulgi)
2016 25
  • KOR: 182,984
Uncontrollably Fond OST
"I Can Only See You" (너만보여)
(with Seulgi)
2017 80
  • KOR: 24,912
Hwarang OST
"My Time" (Korean Version) Elena of Avalor OST
"Goodbye" 2018 31 The Beauty Inside OST
"What If Love" 2019 158 Touch Your Heart OST
"My Day Is Full of You" (나의 하루는 다 너로 가득해)
(with Zico)
2020 148 The King: Eternal Monarch OST
"Two Words" (두 글자) 143 Start-Up OST
"If I Could Read Your Mind" (나를 신경 쓰고 있는 건가) 2021 Yumi's Cells OST Part 1
"Girls" 2022 Seoul Check-in OST Part 1
"Noblesse" Adele OST
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Other charted songs

List of songs, showing year released, selected peak positions, sales figures, and name of the album
Title Year Peak chart
positions
Album
KOR
"Why Can't You Love Me?" 2021 200 Like Water
"The Road" (초행길)
"Best Friend"
(with Seulgi)
"That Place in Between" (그 사이) Morning Dew 50th Anniversary Tribute to Kim Min-Gi, Vol. 3

Composition credits

Name of the song, year released, artist, and name of the album
Title Year Artist Album Notes Ref.
"Close to Me (Remix)" 2019 Ellie Goulding, Diplo & Red Velvet Non-album single As lyricist

Videography

Music videos

Year Title Ref.
2014 "Because I Love You"
(Soundtrack of Mimi)
2016 "Spring Love"
(with Eric Nam)
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
(with Moon Jung-jae and Nile Lee)
2017 "My Time" (Korean version)
"The Little Match Girl"
(with Baek A-yeon)
2018 "Written In The Stars"
(with John Legend)
2019 "This Is Your Day (for every child, UNICEF)"
(with various artist)
2021 "Like Water"

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2015 SMTown: The Stage Herself Documentary film
2020 Trolls World Tour Wani (voice) Animated film
Queen Poppy (voice) Korean-dubbed version of the Animated film

Television drama

Year Title Role Note Ref.
2016 Descendants of the Sun Herself Cameo (Episode 16)

Television shows

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2015 100 People, 100 Songs Contestant With Seulgi
Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend Goodbye with Seulgi and Joy (Episodes 223–224)
2015–2016 We Got Married Panelist
2016 King of Mask Singer Contestant As "Space Beauty Maetel" (Episode 43)
2016–2017 Trick & True Panelist
2017 Girl Group Battle Contestant With Seulgi and Joy (Korean New Year Special)
Raid the Convenience Store Host Pilot episode
K-Rush Episodes 1–4
2018 Battle Trip Cast With Seulgi (Episodes 100–103)
2019 King of Mask Singer Contestant As "Green Witch" (Episodes 225–226)
2021 Mysterious Record Shop Host with Yoon Jong-shin, Jang Yoon-jeong and Kyuhyun
2022 Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend Contestant Living in the Same Time by Naul (Episode 578)

Web shows

Year Title Role Ref.
2021 Saturday Night Live Korea Cast member

Radio shows

Year Title Role Note Ref.
2015 Kiss the Radio Special DJ With Seulgi
2018 NCT Night Night
Youngstreet
2020 Listen To Books
2021–2023 Wendy's Youngstreet DJ From July 12, 2021 broadcast

Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination
Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Ref.
Brand of the Year Awards 2022 Radio DJ of the Year Wendy's Youngstreet Won
Korea First Brand Awards 2022 Radio DJ Won
Korean Music Awards 2022 Best Pop Song "When This Rain Stops" Nominated
Mnet Asian Music Awards 2016 Best Collaboration "Spring Love" (with Eric Nam) Nominated
SBS Entertainment Awards 2022 Radio DJ Award – Power FM Wendy's Youngstreet Won
Seoul Music Awards 2022 Ballad Award Wendy Won

This page was last updated at 2023-11-21 22:09 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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