Kang Seul-gi was born on February 10, 1994,[citation needed] inAnsan, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.[citation needed] Her family consists of her parents and an older brother.[2]
Seulgi began training atSM Entertainment in 2007.[citation needed] On December 2, 2013, she was one of the first three trainees introduced to the public through SM Entertainment's pre-debut project,SM Rookies, alongside now-NCT membersJeno andTaeyong.[4][5] Various pre-debut clips of Seulgi were released by SM Entertainment, one of which was a dance performance of "Be Natural" byS.E.S. withIrene.[6] In July 2014, Seulgi was featured onHenry Lau's song "Butterfly" from his second EPFantastic. She also appeared in the music video of his single "Fantastic".[7]
2014–2018: Debut with Red Velvet and solo activities
On August 1, 2014, Seulgi made her official debut as a member ofRed Velvet.[8]
In January 2015, Seulgi starred in the musicalSchool Oz, playing the lead role of Dorothy.[9] From April to May, she was part of the variety showOff to School.[10]
In July 2016, Seulgi released "Don't Push Me" with bandmateWendy as part of the soundtrack of the television seriesUncontrollably Fond.[11] In October, Seulgi competed onKing of Mask Singer under the alias Cinema Heaven.[12] On November 18, she sang the theme song of theMMORPGBlade & Soul, "You, Just Like That" (그대는 그렇게), although it was not officially released as a digital single until 2017. On December 30, Seulgi released the digital single "Sound of Your Heart" with Wendy and other SM artists for the digital music projectSM Station.[13]
In January 2017, Seulgi released "You're the Only One I See" with Wendy as part of the soundtrack of the dramaHwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth.[14] As part of SM Station, she also released the duet "Darling U" with labelmateYesung on January 22.[15] In February, Seulgi andHwang Chi-yeul collaborated on the song "Our Story", which served as the final track for Hwang's duet projectFall, in girl.[16] In March, Seulgi featured on labelmateMark's "Drop", an original song performed onHigh School Rapper.[17] Seulgi was cast alongside six other female idols in the variety showIdol Drama Operation Team, wherein they had to create their own television series, titledLet's Only Walk the Flower Road, as scriptwriters and play fictional versions of themselves, who are part of a fictional music group.[18] The group, called Girls Next Door, released the song "Deep Blue Eyes" and held their debut stage atMusic Bank on July 14.[18] On October 27, Seulgi released a remake of the 2001 song "Doll (인형)", originally byShin Hye-sung andLee Ji-hoon, along withKangta and Wendy as part of the second season of SM Station. An accompanying music video featuring footage from their live performance of the song at the SM Town Live Tour V in Japan was released on the same day.[19] That same month, Seulgi featured on labelmateTaemin's song "Heart Stop" from his second studio albumMove.[20]
Seulgi in 2018
In February 2018, Seulgi was confirmed as part of the cast ofLaw of the Jungle in Mexico.[21] In April, she was confirmed as part of the cast of the variety showSecret Unnie.[22] She featured onMoonbyul's debut single "Selfish", which was released on May 23.[23] Seulgi and Wendy starred in the special 100th episode ofBattle Trip, which aired for the first time on July 21.[24][25] In September, Seulgi released the digital single "Wow Thing" withSoyeon,SinB, andChungha.[26] In October, it was announced that Seulgi had been cast in the television showCool Kids.[27] On October 15, she featured onZion.T's "Hello Tutorial", which reached number two on theGaon Digital Chart.[28][unreliable source?]
2019–present: Red Velvet sub-unit, Got the Beat and solo debut
On February 12, 2019, Seulgi released "Always", a ballad about eternal love, for the soundtrack ofThe Crowned Clown.[29]
On April 20, 2020, SM Entertainment confirmed that Seulgi would be part of Red Velvet's first sub-unit, alongside bandmateIrene.[30]Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi debuted on July 6 with the extended play (EP)Monster. The EP contained the studio version of Seulgi's solo song "Uncover", which was first revealed during Red Velvet's third concert tourLa Rouge.[31] She and Irene starred in the spin-off of Red Velvet's reality showLevel Up Project!.[32] On November 23, it was announced that Seulgi would translate the series of art essaysArt Gallery By My Side: Love, Happiness, Sleep.[33]
On January 25, 2021, Seulgi featured in the music video for labelmateYunho's "Eeny Meeny".[34] On February 1, Seulgi and rapperBewhy released a music video for the song "Born Confident" for a Volkswagen campaign.[35] On March 30, it was announced that Seulgi would feature on Wendy's song "Best Friend" from her debut EPLike Water.[36] On April 2, it was announced that Seulgi would host a web music program,The Wise Music Encyclopedia.[37] On June 1, she started hosting her own live show,Seulgi.zip, onNaver Now.[38] On June 7, Seulgi teamed up with NCT's Taeyong on the release of the demo song "Rose" onSoundCloud.[39] The duo co-composed the song with producer SQUAR.[40] On December 28, Seulgi featured onBamBam's song "Who Are You" from his second EPB.[41] On December 27, Seulgi was revealed as a member of thesupergroupGot the Beat, alongside bandmate Wendy. The group debuted on January 3, 2022.[42]
On September 13, 2022, it was announced that Seulgi would debut as a soloist with the release of her first EP, titled28 Reasons, on October 4, led by thesingle of the same name.[43]
On August 22, 2023, SM Entertainment announced it had "renewed an exclusive contract with Red Velvet's Seulgi".[44][45] In December 2023, Seulgi sung the OST "Polaroid" for the Season 3 of the reality tv showUnexpected Business.[46]
In January 2024, she sung another OST titled "In My Memory" for the drama Doctor Slump.[47] On February 6, she officially launched her own YouTube channelHi Seulgi, mirroring the username of her instagram account. The channel is set to showcase her trendy lifestyle through engaging content on fashion, beauty, and her favorite hobbies.[48] On April 3, another OST sung by Seulgi was released and dedicated to the famous Fu Bao panda, titled "You're My Joy and Luck (넌 기쁨이자 행운이야)".[49] On May 4, she performed as a special guest for BamBam at his Area 52: The 1st World Tour Encore concert in Bangkok, Thailand – their first performance together after they recorded "Who Are You".[50]
On January 15, 2025, the legend divaKim Wan-sun collaborated with Seulgi for the digital release of the single "Lucky" produced by JYP.[51] Seulgi previously worked with her on a performance of "Tonight" and "Dance in the Rhythm" during theLevel Up Project! with Irene, and they also later performed together on the showDancing Queens on the Road.[52] On February 18, SM Entertainment announced that Seulgi would be releasing her second EPAccidentally on Purpose on March 10, with the lead single "Baby, Not Baby".[53]
From performance to visual media, Seulgi is an all-rounder artist.[54][55] Brands often cite her positivity, creativity, passion for her craft, unique sensibility and style and cultural influence (especially among young Koreans) as reasons for why they choose her to represent them.[56][57][58][59]
InGallup Korea's Idol Preference poll, before its discontinuation in 2020, Seulgi ranked as one of the most popular idols.[60][61] She topped the monthly "Individual Girl Group Members Brand Power Ranking" published by the Korean Corporate Reputation Research Institute several times.[62][63][64] In a survey among soldiers doingmandatory military service in South Korea in 2019, Seulgi ranked as the fourth most popular female K-pop idol.[65] She has also consistently placed high in the Korea Queer Women Community's annual poll due to admiration for her "girl crush" image.[66][67]
Seulgi has also been recognized for her fashion sense.[68] Her casual, chic and trendy style has made her an emerging leader in casual fashion and a reference for the MZ generation in South Korea.[68][69] In particular, her influence on the rise of minimalist fashion among Koreans in their 20s and 30s has been highlighted.[70] In her showSeulgi.zip, a mainly fashion-themed program, Seulgi discussed fashion items, style points and favorite trends with her guests and gave advice to her listeners.[38] Seulgi became the first K-pop act to be selected as global ambassador for Italian luxury brandSalvatore Ferragamo, with the brand representative stating that they selected Seulgi for her popularity as a fashion icon, a successful performer, and an influential entertainer.[71]
Beyond collaborating on various endorsements with her bandmates, Seulgi has also shined as an individualbrand ambassador. In March 2018, she was selected to modelNike's collection for theSouth Korea national football team, the Red Devils 2018 Collection.[72] From 2018 to 2021, Seulgi served as the face ofConverse Korea, becoming their first female brand ambassador.[73] Started with the "One Star" campaign under the slogan "no one can evaluate me", Seulgi and Converse campaigned for support on one's own values and standards.[73]
On December 23, 2019, Seulgi was announced as the face ofCoca-Cola's 2020 campaign "Little Big Moments" along with actorPark Bo-gum.[58] Several days later, French retailerL'Occitane launched a new campaign featuring Seulgi as the ambassador for their OMY "City Palette" shea butter hand cream.[74]
In January 2021, Seulgi became the new ambassador ofVolkswagen Korea. She served as the face of a new campaign for their new T-Roc model and helped promote it with original music and video for their slogan "Born Confident".[35] In February, Seulgi was officially named as the South Korean brand ambassador for the Italian luxury brandFerragamo through a photoshoot withHarper's Bazaar, and was later announced on June 29 as global brand ambassador through their shoe capsule collection campaign "Let's Dance".[75] In April, Seulgi was announced as the newest model for cosmetics brand AMUSE.[59] In December, she became the muse of Istkünst, a Koreanunisex streetwear brand.[76]
In September 2022, Seulgi became a muse ofUnder Armour Korea and modeled on various collections of the brand.[77]
In June 2023,Adobe Korea launched the "With Photoshop, Anyone Can" campaign CF with Seulgi.[78]
Alongside her work as a dancer and vocalist, Seulgi is also recognized for her art and photography skills.[79][80][81] In 2016, she was chosen as the honorary ambassador for the 18thBucheon International Fantastic Film Festival to spread public awareness on animated films and to help students and lesser known artists in the field gain more opportunities.[82] In 2019, she voiced an audio guide inM. Chat exhibit's of world class graffiti artists at Seoul Arts Center.[83]
French company L'Occitane collaborated with Seulgi in 2019 for their "City Palette" campaign, where she designed a city map for eco bags to convey the beauty of nature in cities that are heavily affected by pollution.[84][85]
Due to Seulgi's love for the arts, Maronie Books asked her to translate theirArt Museum By My Side project in 2020.[86][33] The series is a collection of 35 artworks for each theme of Love, Happiness and Sleep, aiming to serve as guide to those who find it difficult to enjoy art due to lack of professional knowledge.[87][88][33] Seulgi's translation of the book, originally written in English by Shana Gozansky, presented both the text and Seulgi's interpretations and featured notes on her personal favorites.[33]
In November 2021, Seulgi joined theLacoste andPeanuts "We Play Collective" campaign that aimed to promote harmony among diverse people, wherein participants selected famousPeanuts quotes and expressed them through drawings with motifs that symbolize Lacoste.[89]
On February 10, 2022, Seulgi published a poster book with her very own artworks that convey personal moments of happiness.[90] In August, the luxury jewelry brandFred Paris collaborated with Seulgi on their first emoji brand campaign, named "Seulggomi", inspired by her bear nickname from fans.[91] From production planning to final design of the character and Kakaotalk stickers, she personally participated to help demonstrate Fred's brand identity through representative collections worn by her and the character itself.[91]
Seulgi's 2023 campaign with Adobe Photoshop Korea featured quick tutorials using her travel photos and drawings, and launched a contest for users to create their own album covers using photoshop tools.[78]
In October 2024, Seulgi launched her first film exhibit titledNothing Special, But Special. It showcased photographs taken by herself over time, along with glimpses of her private life as captured by photographer Rie.[92] She also released a complementary photobook that narrates what film photography means to her, and how she got started.[92]
^Includes theBillboardK-pop Hot 100 (defunct as of 2022), and South Korea Songs (part ofBillboard'sHits of the World (defunct as of 2025)).
^"Best Friend" did not enter the Gaon Digital Chart but peaked at position 34 on the component Download Chart.[102]
^"Who Are You" did not enter the Gaon Digital Chart but peaked at position 28 on the component Download Chart.[103]
^"Bad Boy, Sad Girl" did not enter Circle Digital Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 57 on Circle Download Chart.[110]
^"Dead Man Runnin'" did not enter Circle Digital Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 60 on Circle Download Chart.[110]
^"Anywhere But Home" did not enter Circle Digital Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 63 on Circle Download Chart.[110]
^"Crown" did not enter Circle Digital Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 66 on Circle Download Chart.[110]
^"Los Angeles did not enter Circle Digital Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 68 on Circle Download Chart.[110]
^Hosted by the Hong Kong Asia Pacific International Group and Sunway Records, the Asian Pop Music Awards bases its winners on the "Asian Pop Music Chart" which opened in September 2019.[139]
^Jointly hosted by fashion magazine Celeb's Pick and Naver Fashion Beauty, the Fashionista Awards is an online awards ceremony that selects the best style icons based on surveys conducted throughNaver.[144]
^abcKim, Yang-soo (March 28, 2017).레드벨벳 슬기X전소미, '아이돌 드라마 공작단' 합류.Joy News 24 (in Korean).Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. RetrievedOctober 29, 2020.
^Go, Seung-a (February 18, 2025).레드벨벳 슬기, 3월 10일 솔로 컴백...미니 2집 발표 [Red Velvet's Seulgi to make solo comeback on March 10th... 2nd mini album to be released] (in Korean).News1 [ko]. RetrievedFebruary 18, 2025 – viaNaver.
^abSong, Su-min (August 14, 2018).걸크러쉬, 파워 업"...슬기, 강렬한 카리스마.Dispatch (in Korean).Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. RetrievedSeptember 11, 2020.
^Peak chart positions for singles on theGaon Digital Chart, now the Circle Digital Chart:
"Gaon Chart".Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. RetrievedOctober 29, 2016.
"28 Reasons".Circle Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. RetrievedOctober 13, 2022.
^2021년 15주차 Download Chart [2021, Week 15 Download Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. April 4–10, 2021.Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. RetrievedJanuary 6, 2022.
^2022년 01주차 Download Chart [2022, Week 1 Download Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. December 26, 2021 – January 1, 2022.Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. RetrievedJanuary 6, 2022.
^*2017년 24주차 Download Chart [24th week of 2017 Download Chart (Domestic)].Gaon Chart.Archived from the original on June 27, 2017. RetrievedJune 22, 2017.
^AAA 인기상 후보100 사전투표 - 가수 [AAA Popularity Award Candidate 100 Advance Voting - Singer].Star News (in Korean). September 5, 2023.Archived from the original on September 11, 2023. RetrievedSeptember 11, 2023.
^[APMA 2022] 亚洲流行音乐大奖2022年度获奖名单 [[APMA 2022] Asian Pop Music Awards 2022 Winners List] (in Chinese). Asian Pop Music Awards. December 28, 2022.Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. RetrievedDecember 28, 2022 – via Weibo.
^[APMA 2022] 亚洲流行音乐大奖2022年度入围名单 [[APMA 2022] Asian Pop Music Awards 2022 Nominees List] (in Chinese). Asian Pop Music Awards. December 14, 2022.Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. RetrievedFebruary 26, 2023 – via Weibo.
^Jeon, Hye-jin (October 12, 2017)."올해는 누구?" 2017 패셔니스타 어워즈, 더욱 뜨겁게 돌아온다 ["Who is this year?" 2017 Fashionista Awards, come back even hotter].Sports Chosun (in Korean).Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. RetrievedSeptember 6, 2022.
^@kcforum (November 7, 2022).2023 대한민국 퍼스트브랜드 대상 – 여자솔로가수 [2023 Korea First Brand Awards – Female Solo Artist] (Tweet) (in Korean). RetrievedFebruary 27, 2023 – viaTwitter.
^32nd Seoul Music Awards – 모바일 투표 현황 [32nd High1 Seoul Music Awards – Mobile Voting Status].Seoul Music Awards (in Korean). RetrievedFebruary 26, 2023.
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