BoA

Kwon Bo-ah, known professionally as BoA, was born on November 5, 1986, in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Often hailed as the 'Queen of K-pop', she has made a significant impact on the music industry as a singer, songwriter, and actress. BoA's journey began in 1998 when she was discovered by talent agents from SM Entertainment while accompanying her older brother to a talent search. After two years of rigorous training, she made her debut with the album ID; Peace B in 2000.

BoA's career has been marked by remarkable achievements, including the release of twenty studio albums, with ten in Korean, nine in Japanese, and one in English. Her breakthrough in Japan came with the release of her debut Japanese studio album, Listen to My Heart, in 2002, making her the first South Korean pop star to achieve success in the Japanese market. Notable albums such as Valenti and Best of Soul sold over one million copies each, with the latter holding the record for the last album by a non-Japanese artist to do so for sixteen years.

In addition to her music career, BoA has showcased her versatility on television. She served as a judge on the reality competition show K-pop Star from 2011 to 2013, acted in the drama Listen to Love in 2016, hosted the second season of Produce 101 in 2017, and coached on the third season of The Voice of Korea in 2020. Her self-titled English album released in 2009 made history as the first record by a K-pop artist to appear on the Billboard 200, debuting at number 127.

Throughout her illustrious career, BoA has sold over ten million albums and is one of only three female artists to achieve six consecutive number-one studio albums on the Oricon Albums Chart, alongside Ayumi Hamasaki and Hikaru Utada. Her accolades include numerous awards in both South Korea and Japan, such as eight MAMA Awards, six SBS Music Awards, five Japan Record Awards, and five Japan Gold Disc Awards. In 2013, she was recognized by Mnet as one of the most influential artists in South Korea, solidifying her legacy in the music industry.