Taeyeon is so legendary that she doesn’t even need a spotlight, but I’ll give her one anyway. The 31-year-old singer is the self-proclaimed King (not Queen, mind) of Kpop, and if you’ve ever heard her sing, you’ll know why.
Taeyeon has been in the industry since 2006, first as the leader of the legendary GIRLS’ GENERATION, and then as the nation’s treasured solo singer. Taeyeon’s discography is impressive, and today we’ll whizz through some highlights.
Taeyeon’s solo career officially launched in 2015, with the release of her mini album “I”. This record took the Kpop world by storm, with the music video for the eponymous title track gaining huge fame. Taeyeon’s music is deeply moving, and no matter what concept she tries, you can always feel the heart wrenching pathos in her voice.
Let’s skip forward to 2016, when Taeyeon released the single “11:11”. This song was a game changer; it got huge critical and commercial success. Billboard ranked “11:11” at number seven on their top twenty K-pop songs of 2016, and by the end of 2017, “11:11” had sold over 1.4 million digital copies in South Korea.
The following year, Taeyeon launched her first full studio album “My Voice”. This colossus of an album featured seventeen songs, a repackaged version and several stunning music videos.
The most exciting title song in this album was “I Got Love”, which was sexy, mature and jazzy – a bold move, which Taeyeon definitely rocked. I’d also like to give a shout out to the B-side track “Time Lapse”, which was composed by K-rock legend Kim Jong Wan. That song was hard hitting, and to this day, hearing it makes me cry.
With “Something New”, the 2018 mini album, Taeyeon signposted a shift in her musical career. From here onwards, her music broke away from traditional pop rules and became something experimental, indie and entirely unique. I recommend the track “Four Seasons”.
Taeyeon’s voice is best appreciated live. Thankfully for her fans, she embarked on a street performance tour around Europe last year with a live band. Those performances were incredible, and the European touch made the experience all the more exciting.
Taeyeon is a musical powerhouse, and through 2019 and 2020, she released several tracks in both Korean and Japanese. With her fourth mini album, “What Do I Call You”, Taeyeon even tried her hand at composing; she was credited as a composer for the B-side “To the moon”. This was a chirpy trap tune, with a catchy melody and edgy lyrics.
From catchy upbeat pop songs like “Why” to rock-inspired ballads like “My Voice”, Taeyong has it all. She is the gift that keeps on giving, and I can’t wait to see what she’ll do next.
