Kim Hyo-yeon (born September 22, 1989), referred to as Hyoyeon or DJ Hyo, is a South Korean singer, dancer, DJ, and television personality. She debuted as a member of the girl group
Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece e ...
in August 2007, which went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and one of the most popular
K-pop
K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, g ...
groups worldwide. She has since participated in other
SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
projects, including
Girls' Generation-Oh!GG and
Got the Beat. Since 2016, she has also released singles as a solo artist.
Early life
Hyoyeon was born in
Incheon,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
on September 22, 1989.
She grew up with her parents and her younger brother, Kim Min-gu. Hyoyeon's formal dance training started in elementary school. At her neighborhood's small hip-hop school,
[ Girls' Generation UCC Story, July 19, 2007.] she learned
hip hop,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...
and
Latin dance
Latin dance is a general label, and a term in partner dance competition jargon. It refers to types of ballroom dance and folk dance that mainly originated in Latin America.
The category of Latin dances in the international dancesport compet ...
. In 1999, she enrolled in Winners Dance School, a famous dance school in South Korea specializing in popping, locking, animation and various other hip-hop styles. At the school she met
Miss A
Miss A (stylized as "MISS A" or "miss A", Hangul: ) was a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group debuted in July 2010 with the single " Bad Girl Good Girl" as a quartet consisting of Fei, Jia, Min, and Suzy. Their d ...
's
Min, with whom she formed the dance team Little Winners (). The duo performed at various showcases and was spotlighted by HipHoper.com in 2004.
Hyoyeon auditioned for
SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
at the age of 11 through the SM 2000 Casting System. Hyoyeon said she auditioned because her mother brought her to the offices of S.M. Entertainment in the hopes of meeting
H.O.T. Hyoyeon then danced in an audition show. In 2004, along with
Super Junior
Super Junior (; stylized in all caps), also known as SJ or SuJu, is a South Korean boy band formed by Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM Entertainment in 2005. They are also dubbed by the media as the "King of Hallyu Wave" due to their promine ...
's
Siwon
Choi Si-won (; born 7 April 1986), known mononymously as Siwon, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, model, and actor known for his work as a member of South Korean boy group Super Junior. Choi committed as special representative of UNICEF K ...
, she was sent to study Chinese in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. She received dance instruction from the
Electric Boogaloos and top choreographers such as Kim Hye-rang, Poppin Seen, Kwang Hoo (aka Crazy Monkey), Poppin DS, Kwon Seok-jin (aka Locking Khan) and
Black Beat's
Shim Jae-won.
She also worked with one of
Justin Timberlake's choreographers and a few foreign teachers.
Before debuting with Girls' Generation, she worked with a choreographer for
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
and was
BoA's silhouette dancer during a performance at
M.net KM Music Festival 2005. In 2007, she teamed up with Jae Won for a dance collaboration to "
Anonymous". Hyoyeon was also picked as Korea's No. 1 idol dancer on Star News.
Career
2007–2014: Career beginnings

Hyoyeon officially debuted as a member of
Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece e ...
, a South Korean
girl group
A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...
formed by
SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
, in August 2007.
[SM Entertainment Girls' Generation Profile](_blank)
SMTown.com. Retrieved on January 30, 2013.
On March 7, 2010, Hyoyeon and fellow Girls' Generation members
Jessica and
Sooyoung played cameo roles in episode 7 of the
SBS television mini-series ''
Oh! My Lady
''Oh! My Lady'' () is a 2010 South Korean television series starring Chae Rim and Choi Siwon. It aired on SBS from March 22 to May 11, 2010. It is a romantic comedy about a top star who finds himself living with his manager, a 35-year-old woma ...
'', starring
Chae Rim and labelmate
Choi Siwon
Choi Si-won (; born 7 April 1986), known mononymously as Siwon, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, model, and actor known for his work as a member of South Korean boy group Super Junior. Choi committed as special representative of UNICEF K ...
. In November 2011, Hyoyeon and fellow Girls' Generation member
Sunny became cast members for the second season of ''
Invincible Youth
''Invincible Youth'' () is a South Korean variety show which aired its first season on KBS2 from October 23, 2009 to December 24, 2010. Season 1 featured seven girls (collectively known as G7) from K-pop idol groups wherein they experience how it i ...
'', a South Korean reality television show.
In April 2012, Hyoyeon became a contestant in the second season of ''
Dancing with the Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series ''Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the form ...
'', a competitive
ballroom dancing
Ballroom dance is a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television.
...
television show. Hyoyeon and her partner, Kim Hyung-seok, ended up winning second place. In October 2012, Hyoyeon participated in S.M. Entertainment's special dance group Younique. The group released a single titled "
Maxstep" as part of the collaboration between S.M. and
Hyundai Hyundai is a South Korean industrial conglomerate ("chaebol"), which was restructured into the following groups:
* Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested
** Hyundai Mobis, Korean car parts company
** Hyundai As ...
.
In January 2013, Hyoyeon made a guest appearance on the television show ''Blind Test Show 180 Degrees'', where she took on the challenge of dancing to various types of club music. In May 2013, Hyoyeon was chosen as an Asian ambassador for the Hong Kong branch of
Topshop
TOPSHOP (originally Top Shop) is a British fashion brand for women's clothing, shoes and accessories. It was part of the Arcadia Group, controlled by Sir Philip Green, but went into administration in late 2020 before being purchased by ASOS on ...
. In June 2013, Hyoyeon and fellow Girls' Generation member
Yuri Yuri may refer to:
People and fictional characters
Given name
*Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc.
*Yuri (Japanese name), also Yūri, feminine Jap ...
became coaches for the contestants on ''
Dancing 9'', a competitive dancing television show.
2015–2017: Television roles and solo music

On February 12, 2015, Hyoyeon was featured in labelmate
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In M ...
's "
Shake That Brass" music video, in which she plays a trumpet. On March 14, 2015, Hyoyeon was featured as the rapper in a performance by boyband
S on ''
Immortal Songs 2'', with which they won with 423 points. In June 2015, Hyoyeon began hosting her own reality television show, ''Hyoyeon's One Million Likes'', broadcast on
OnStyle
tvN STORY is a South Korean cable and satellite television channel owned by CJ ENM E&M Division. The channel is targeted to women, originate from OnStyle.
Programs
* '' Project Runway Korea'' (February 7, 2009 – May 18, 2015)
* ''Korea ...
. Before the show was officially announced, an Instagram account was created where Hyoyeon posted pictures and videos with the goal of receiving one million likes from fans. On July 1, 2015, Hyoyeon became the first Girls' Generation member to publish a book with ''Hyo Style'', in which she shares tips on beauty, fashion and lifestyle. The book contains 142 pages and comes with a DVD. In September 2015, Hyoyeon became a contestant alongside
Seo In Young, MBLAQ member
Mir and AOA member
Hyejeong
Shin Hye-jeong, better known mononymously as Hyejeong, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is best known as a member of the South Korean girl group AOA.
Early life
Hyejeong competed in a supermodel pageant until the 3rd preliminary rou ...
, among others, in a television show titled ''Mash Up'', where they competed in DJing. On September 11, 2015, Hyoyeon was featured in rapper
Vasco's "Whoa Ha!" music video, where guest stars lip-sync along to the song.
On February 3, 2016, Hyoyeon was a special MC on the
OnStyle
tvN STORY is a South Korean cable and satellite television channel owned by CJ ENM E&M Division. The channel is targeted to women, originate from OnStyle.
Programs
* '' Project Runway Korea'' (February 7, 2009 – May 18, 2015)
* ''Korea ...
television show ''Get It Beauty''. In May 2015, she became a cast member of the Korean-Chinese reality television show ''Star Advent''. The show followed 12 Korean and Chinese celebrities tasked with working as office workers in foreign countries and premiered on July 9. In June 2016, she became a contestant alongside
Shinee
Shinee ( ; ko, 샤이니, Syaini; ja, シャイニー, Shainī; stylized as SHINee) is a South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment in 2008. The group's musical impact in their native country has earned them numerous accolades and the ...
member
Taemin
Lee Tae-min (born July 18, 1993), better known mononymously as Taemin, is a South Korean singer, actor and dancer. He debuted as a member of the boy band Shinee in May 2008 and the supergroup SuperM in 2019, both under SM Entertainment, and ...
,
Sistar
Sistar (, often stylized as SISTAR) was a South Korean girl group formed in 2010 by Starship Entertainment. The group consisted of Hyolyn, Bora, Soyou and Dasom. They made their official debut with the song " Push Push" on 3 June 2010. The ...
member
Bora and
Infinite
Infinite may refer to:
Mathematics
*Infinite set, a set that is not a finite set
*Infinity, an abstract concept describing something without any limit
Music
*Infinite (group)
Infinite ( ko, 인피니트; stylized as INFINITE) is a South Ko ...
member
Hoya Hoya may refer to:
Places
*Hoya, Germany, a city in Lower Saxony, Germany
*County of Hoya, a former state in present Germany
* Hoya, Tokyo, now incorporated within Nishi-tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
* Hoya, Hpruso, a place in Hpruso Township, Kayah, Myanma ...
, among others, in the
Mnet television show ''Hit The Stage'', where they collaborate with professional dancers to compete in different genres of dancing under a given theme.
Later in June 2016, Hyoyeon was featured in the song "Up & Down" from fellow Girls' Generation member
Taeyeon
Kim Tae-yeon (; born March 9, 1989), known mononymously as Taeyeon, is a South Korean singer. She debuted as a member of girl group Girls' Generation in August 2007, which went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and on ...
's second mini-album ''
Why''. In August 2016, she collaborated with
miss A
Miss A (stylized as "MISS A" or "miss A", Hangul: ) was a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group debuted in July 2010 with the single " Bad Girl Good Girl" as a quartet consisting of Fei, Jia, Min, and Suzy. Their d ...
member
Min and
2AM member
Jo Kwon
Jo Kwon ( born on August 28, 1989) is a South Korean singer, television host, actor, entertainer and the leader of South Korean boy band 2AM. He has starred in multiple musicals such as ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' playing the role of King Hero ...
to form a special group named
Triple T and release a single titled "Born to Be Wild", featuring
Park Jin-young
Park Jin-young (Hangul: 박진영; born December 13, 1971), also known by his stage names J. Y. Park and The Asiansoul or the initials JYP, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, record executive, and reality television show ju ...
, as part of S.M. Entertainment's
Station music project. In December 2016, Hyoyeon released her first solo song since debut titled "Mystery" as another single for SM Station. To accompany her solo release, she performed the song on various Korean music shows and starred in her reality show, ''Hyoyeon's 10 Million Likes 2''.
In June 2017, Hyoyeon released her second single "Wannabe", a pop dance song featuring rapper
San E
Jung San (; born ), more commonly known by his stage name San E (), is a South Korean rapper. He debuted in 2010 under JYP Entertainment, where he was the label's first solo rapper. He left the company in 2013 to sign with hip hop label Brand Ne ...
.
2018–present: DJ career and solo activities
On April 12, 2018, SM Entertainment announced that Hyoyeon would return with a new single titled "Sober" on April 18, with new stage name Hyo (stylized in all
uppercase
Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...
), under SM's electronic dance music label Scream Records. The new single is a tropical-future house song characterized by electric guitar riffs and
hook
A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...
. It was also revealed that she would also be promoting actively as a DJ in domestic club tours and EDM festivals under her new stage name.
In August 2018, Hyoyeon was announced to be part of Girls' Generation's second sub-unit,
Oh!GG, which consists of the five members of the group who remained under SM Entertainment.
The group released their debut single, "Lil' Touch", in September.
On November 7, 2018, SM Entertainment revealed teaser images with the announcement that Hyoyeon would be releasing her second official track as DJ Hyo with a new single titled "Punk Right Now", which features American DJ
3LAU
Justin David Blau (born January 9, 1991), better known by his stage name 3LAU (pronounced "Blau"), is an American DJ and electronic dance music producer. Raised in New York and Las Vegas, 3LAU left Washington University in St. Louis, where he s ...
, on November 13.
On July 20, 2019, Hyoyeon released a new single, "Badster", which is a
psychedelic trance
Psychedelic Trance, Psytrance or Psy is a subgenre of trance music characterized by arrangements of rhythms and layered melodies created by high tempo riffs. The genre offers variety in terms of mood, tempo, and style. Some examples include full ...
song she co-produced and co-wrote; an animated music video was released on the same day. It has Korean and English versions.
In May 2020, Hyoyeon joined the competitive reality show ''Good Girl''. Several singles were released as a part of the program.
On July 22, Hyoyeon released a new single, "Dessert", alongside rappers Loopy and
(G)I-DLE
(G)I-dle (), stylized in all caps, is a South Korean girl group formed by Cube Entertainment in 2018. The group consists of five members: Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi and Shuhua. Originally a sextet, Soojin left the lineup on August 14, 2 ...
's
Soyeon. It marked her return to music shows after debuting as a DJ.
On August 9, 2021, Hyoyeon released the new single "
Second", featuring
BIBI
Bibi is a given name, nickname and surname.
Notable people with this name As a nickname or stage name
* Bibi Andersson (1935-2019), Swedish actress
* Bibi (artist) (born 1964), French visual artist Fabrice Cahoreau
* Bibi Baskin (born 195 ...
. The song debuted at position 17 on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
World Digital Songs
The World Digital Song Sales chart (formerly World Digital Songs) is a weekly record chart compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Established in 2010—with the issue dated January 23—as one of 21 genre-specific so ...
in the chart issue dated August 21, 2021.
0
On December 27, 2021, Hyoyeon was revealed as a member of supergroup
Got the Beat, alongside Girls' Generation groupmate
Taeyeon
Kim Tae-yeon (; born March 9, 1989), known mononymously as Taeyeon, is a South Korean singer. She debuted as a member of girl group Girls' Generation in August 2007, which went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and on ...
and other labelmates. The group debuted on January 3, 2022 with single "Step Back".
On May 2, 2022, SM Entertainment announced that Hyoyeon would be releasing her first extended play titled ''
Deep'' on May 16. It includes the lead single of the same name, an original B-side, and several previous singles, in a total of seven tracks.
On May 17, SM Entertainment announced that Girls' Generation will have a full-group comeback for their fifteenth anniversary in August, ending their five-year hiatus, which will include Hyoyeon.
Discography
Extended plays
Singles
Other appearances
Filmography
Film
Television drama
Television shows
Web shows
Music videos
Concerts
Concert participation
*
SM Town Live 2022: SMCU Express at Kwangya (2022)
*
SM Town Live 2022: SMCU Express (2022)
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Hyo-yeon
1989 births
Living people
Girls' Generation members
English-language singers from South Korea
Japanese-language singers of South Korea
Mandarin-language singers of South Korea
Musicians from Incheon
SM Entertainment artists
South Korean dance musicians
South Korean women pop singers
South Korean female idols
South Korean television personalities
South Korean women in electronic music
South Korean DJs