Bae Suzy
Bae Su-ji (Korean: 배수지; born October 10, 1994), better known by the stage name Bae Suzy or mononymously as Suzy, is a South Korean singer, actress, and model. She is a former member of the girl group Miss A under JYP Entertainment. She made her debut as an actress in the hit television series Dream High (2011) and has gone on to appear in series such as Gu Family Book (2013), Uncontrollably Fond (2016), While You Were Sleeping (2017), Vagabond (2019), Start-Up (2020), Anna (2022), and Doona! (2023). She made her film debut in Architecture 101 (2012), and following its success, she has been hailed as "The Nation's First Love" in her home country.
Early life
Bae was born in Buk District, Gwangju, South Korea on October 10, 1994, to Bae Wan-young, former coach of the Korean national youth taekwondo team, and Jeong Hyun-sook. She has an elder sister and a younger brother. She attended the School of Performing Arts Seoul and graduated in 2013. Before debuting, she was an online shopping model and was part of a street dancing crew to show her parents that she was serious about becoming an idol.
Career
2009–2010: Debut with Miss A
Main article: Miss A
In 2009, Bae auditioned for Mnet Superstar K and made it through the preliminary round but was ultimately eliminated. However, she caught the attention of a scout from JYP Entertainment and soon became a trainee after singing an excerpt from Younha's Love.
In March 2010, Bae became a member of the group Miss A.
2010–2016: Rising popularity and acting debut
Apart from her group activities, Bae also ventured into acting. She made her acting debut in the teen drama Dream High, which aired on KBS from January 3 to February 28. She also released an OST for it, titled "Winter Child". The drama was a local success, earning high viewership ratings during its two-month run, and also gained popularity in other countries. At the KBS Drama Awards, Bae won the Best New Actress award as well as the Best Couple award with co-star Kim Soo-hyun. She also became a cast member in KBS' reality show Invincible Youth 2. The show began filming on October 19 and aired on November 11.
In 2012, Bae made her film debut with Architecture 101, playing the younger version of the female protagonist. Architecture 101 was one of the ten most-watched films in South Korea in the first quarter of 2012, and achieved over 4.1 million admissions nine weeks after its theater release, a new box-office record set for Korean melodramas.The same year, Bae played a supporting role in the romantic comedy Big, written by the Hong sisters and starring Gong Yoo and Lee Min-jung.
Bae was the first Korean female celebrity to win a singer rookie award, drama rookie award, film rookie award, and variety rookie award. She received the Best New Actress award at the 48th Baeksang Arts Awards for her acting performance in Architecture 101, and the Best Newcomer award in the variety category at the KBS Entertainment Awards for her stint in Invincible Youth 2.
In 2013, she starred in the fusion sageuk Gu Family Book alongside Lee Seung-gi. She received acting recognition at the MBC Drama Awards, winning the Top Excellence award and at the Seoul International Drama Awards, winning the Outstanding Actress award. She also featured on the variety show Healing Camp, becoming the youngest guest on the show.
In May 2014, Bae was cast in the film The Sound of a Flower as Jin Chae-seon, Korea's first female pansori singer. The film, which was released in 2015, depicts the struggle of a singer who is not allowed to perform in the public because of her gender during the Joseon era. To prepare herself for the role, Bae received training in pansori for a year.The same year, she collaborated with Taiwanese singer-actor Show Lo in the single "Together In Love", featured in his album Reality Show.
2017–present: Solo debut and new agency
In early 2017, Bae made her debut as a solo artist with the EP Yes? No?. Her pre-release single "Pretend" was released on January 17 and achieved an all-kill on music charts. The title track "Yes, No, Maybe" was released a week after, on January 24. In February 2017, Bae released a duet with singer Park Won, titled "Don't Wait for Your Love". She then returned to television, starring alongside Lee Jong-suk in the fantasy romance While You Were Sleeping, which premiered in September 2017. On December 27, following the announcement of Min's departure, JYP Entertainment announced that Miss A had disbanded.Bae renewed her contract with JYP Entertainment.
On January 22, 2018, Bae's pre-release single "In Love with Someone Else" was released and achieved a real-time all-kill. Her second EP, titled Faces of Love, was released on January 29, with the title track "Holiday".On February 14, the music video for her b-side track, "Sober", was released. On March 9, Bae released her fourth music video for the single "Midnight", featuring a piano ensemble by Yiruma.
On March 31, 2019, Bae left JYP Entertainment following the expiration of her contract. She then signed a contract with acting agency Management SOOP. She then starred in the spy-action drama Vagabond, playing a secret agent; and action film Ashfall, playing the role of Ha Jung-woo's wife.
In 2020, Bae starred in the romantic drama Start-Up as an aspiring entrepreneur who dreams of becoming Korea's Steve Jobs.
Suzy in June 2021
On February 17, 2022, she made her comeback as a singer after 4 years with a single titled "Satellite". Three months later, she joined musician Kang Seung-won's 2nd album project, singing the fifth track "Because I Love You", a ballad about shy love feelings. The same year, she starred in Coupang Play's psychological thriller Anna, playing the title role of Lee Anna/Lee Yu-mi, and was praised for her acting skills and expression of Anna's emotions by audiences and critics alike. On October 6, Bae released the digital single "Cape" and its music video.
In October 2023, Suzy starred in the Netflix series Doona! as the titular character, who is a retired idol having a romantic relationship with an university student portrayed by Yang Se-jong.
Public image and impact
Suzy modeling for Bean Pole's F/W 2014 collection
After starting her acting career, Bae became one of South Korea's hottest stars, and following the success of Architecture 101 in 2012 she was nicknamed "The Nation's First Love" (국민첫사랑; Gungmin Cheotsarang) thanks to the innocent charm of her character. Writing for magazine Ize, journalist Kim Na-ra named Bae, Im Yoon-ah and IU the most in-demand troika of all-round entertainers of the 2020s in the fields of television, film, and advertising in South Korea, identifying them as successors to Kim Tae-hee, Song Hye-kyo, and Jun Ji-hyun.
Bae became one of the most in-demand endorsers in her home country, and has been hailed as a "CF Queen" due to numerous endorsement deals ranging from cosmetics, apparel, up to basic commodities like sugar. She made more than ₩10 billion in 2013 with more than 14 endorsement deals. The term "Suzy power" was coined to describe the surge in sales experienced by the companies she promoted. Some products were named after her, such as a perfume by The Face Shop, contact lenses by Clalen, a line of Guess jeans, and two lipsticks by Lancôme. In fall 2015, she designed the Bonnie Bag for Bean Pole.
In 2020, Bae was nicknamed "Human Dior" as fans noticed her always wearing and promoting the brand. In 2021, South China Morning Post listed her estimated net worth as US$25 million. In April 2022, she has been announced as house ambassador for French luxury fashion house Dior after attending the Dior Fall 2022 show at South Korea's Ewha Womans University. In May 2022, she was the first South Korean female artist to become ambassador of elegance for Swiss luxury watch brand Longines. In 2023, she collaborated with six fashion houses to create and promote hanboks around the world through a campaign sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism together with the Korea Craft & Design Culture Promotion Agency.
Idols who have cited Bae as an influence or role model include WJSN's Bona, Oh My Girl's Arin, Jung Chae-yeon, Secret Number's Soodam, Berry Good's Johyun, GFriend's Yerin, Momoland's Nayun, and Melody Day's Yoomin.
Philanthropy
In April 2014, Bae donated ₩50 million to the victims of the Sewol ferry sinking, to be used for the relief work of the Sewol ferry missing and survivors and for the families of the victims. The same year, she registered herself for the organ and tissue donation. In April 2015, Bae joined the Social Welfare Community Chest as the 791st member of the Honor Society, a group of major donors with more than ₩100 million.
In June 2016, Bae donated ₩10 million to the low-income families in her hometown of Gwangju. In March 2017, she donated ₩100 million to the Life Sharing Practice Headquarters to be used for patient treatment expenses. On her birthday in 2018, Bae donated ₩100 million to the Life Sharing Practice Headquarters to be used for the treatment of children with cancer and leukemia.
In April 2019, Bae donated ₩100 million to the Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association to help the victims of the large-scale wildfires in Gangwon Province. On her birthday in 2019, she made a ₩100 million donation for children with incurable diseases.
In February 2020, Bae donated ₩100 million to Good Neighbors (International Humanitarian Development NGO) to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and support the low-income class. In August, she donated ₩100 million to the victims who were affected by the recent floods, through Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association. In September, she donated ₩50 million to the "Dreams of Eunbyul" campaign to support the dreams of children from low-income families and marginalized groups. In October 2020, Bae made a donation of ₩100 million through Life Sharing Practice Headquarters to support patients with incurable diseases and pediatric cancer.
In May 2021, Bae donated ₩100 million to Happiness Sharing Association ahead of Children's Day and her donation was used to support children at orphanages and support the livelihoods of children who have ended protection. In July 2021, she donated ₩100 million through Life Sharing Practice Headquarters to support heart surgeries of premature infants.
In March 2022, Bae made a donation of ₩100 million to the Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association to help the victims of the massive Uljin forest fire. In August, Bae donated ₩100 million to help those affected by the Seoul floods through the Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association.
In February 2023, Bae donated ₩100 million to help in the Turkey–Syria earthquakes through UNICEF Korea. In July, she made a donation of ₩100 million to the Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association to help the victims of the floods in Chungcheong and North Gyeongsang Provinces.
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