Hwang So-yoon (; born 23 May 1997) is a South Korean singer, songwriter and guitarist. She came to prominence as the lead vocalist of the indie rock band

Se So Neon Se So Neon (, commonly stylized in all caps) is a South Korean indie rock band. The band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Hwang So-yoon. Since its formation in 2016, the band has released the EPs ''Summer Plumage'' (2017) and '' ...

, of which she remains the band's only member. Since 2019, Hwang has performed under the solo moniker So!YoON!, releasing two studio albums and collaborating with artists such as RM of

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Originally a hip hop group, they ...

Silica Gel Silica gel is an amorphous and porosity, porous form of silicon dioxide (silica), consisting of an irregular three-dimensional framework of alternating silicon and oxygen atoms with nanometer-scale voids and pores. The voids may contain wate ...

Phum Viphurit Viphurit Siritip (, born 1995), known by his nickname Phum (), is a Thai singer-songwriter. He achieved international fame in 2018 from his single "Lover Boy". His music demonstrates influences of various genres, especially neo soul. Biography V ...

, Hoshi & Woozi of Seventeen and

Park Ji-yoon Park Ji-yoon (; born January 3, 1982) is a South Korean singer, actress, and model. As a teen model, she gained wide exposure after starring in a Haitai biscuit commercial in 1994, and held a minor role in the television drama ''Dinosaur Teach ...

Career

As a member of Se So Neon

In 2016, at age 18, Hwang founded

with drummer Gangto and bassist Fancy Moon. In 2017, the group had released their first EP ''Summer Plumage'' (여름깃), and won Rookie of the Year and Best Rock Song at the

Korean Music Awards The Korean Music Awards () is an annual South Korean music awards show that honors both mainstream and underground musical artists from a variety of genres. Unlike other major South Korean music awards, which largely rely on record sales to de ...

. By 2018, both members had left to perform their

mandatory military service Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...

, with Hwang recruiting Park Hyun-jin and U-su to take their place. In 2020, Hwang and Se So Neon were named Fender's Global Artist of the Year, and were nominated for three additional Korean Music Awards. In 2021, the group were the only Korean act to be included in

YouTube Music YouTube Music is a music streaming service developed by the American video platform YouTube, a subsidiary of Google. The service is designed with an interface that allows users to simultaneously explore music audios and music videos from YouTu ...

's global foundry program. In 2023, Se So Neon's performance at

Sungkyunkwan University Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU or ''Seongdae'', ) is a private research university with campuses in Seoul and Suwon, South Korea. The institution traces its origins to the historic Sungkyunkwan founded in 1398 in central Seoul.Nth Room scandal in 2020 by sharing an

op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page," is a type of written prose commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They usually represent a writer's strong and focused opinion on an issue of relevance to a targeted a ...

which criticized South Korean society for downplaying

sexual exploitation Sexual slavery and sexual exploitation is an attachment of any ownership rights, right over one or more people with the intent of Coercion, coercing or otherwise forcing them to engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activities. This includ ...

and due to the high number of members in the

Telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...

chats, called for all men to be treated as potential criminals. In 2024, Hwang and Se So Neon performed at

SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

despite a

boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent resistance, nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organisation, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for Morality, moral, society, social, politics, political, or Environmenta ...

by over 100 artists over the festival's sponsorship by the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...

. Two days after the performance, the band released an apology expressing their regret, citing ignorance due the lack of

Gaza Gaza may refer to: Places Palestine * Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea ** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip ** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Mandatory Palestine * Gaza Sub ...

-related coverage in South Korean media and extending condolences to civilians affected by

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

invasion An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory (country subdivision), territory controlled by another similar entity, ...

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

. After the departure of U-su in 2022, and Park Hyun-jin in 2025, Hwang remains the only active member of Se So Neon.

Solo career

In 2018, Hwang began to release music under a solo moniker, So!YoON!. Her name was stylized "to build a new character and deliver the energy that's embedded within the way it's written". In July 2018, Hwang appeared on YB's single "Drifting Free". In October 2018, she appeared on

Prep PowerPC Reference Platform (PReP) was a standard system architecture for PowerPC-based computer systems (as well as a reference implementation) developed at the same time as the PowerPC processor architecture. Published by IBM in 1994, it allow ...

's single "Don't Look Back" alongside

Shownu Son Hyun-woo (, born June 18, 1992), known by his stage name Shownu, is a South Korean singer, dancer, and actor. He is a member of South Korean boy group Monsta X and its sub-unit Shownu X Hyungwon under Starship Entertainment. Career Early ...

Monsta X Monsta X (; stylized as MONSTA X) is a South Korean boy group formed through the reality survival program ''No.Mercy'' under Starship Entertainment. The group is currently composed of six members: Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Jooho ...

. Hwang's debut solo album ''So!YoON!'' was released on May 21, 2019 and includes features from SUMIN,

Mid-Air Thief Mid-Air Thief () is a pseudonymous South Korean folktronica musician. They have released three albums: '' Gongjoong Doduk'' (2015), '' Crumbling'' (2018) and '' Flood Format'' (2022). ''Crumbling'' won Best Dance & Electronic Album at the 2019 K ...

and

Sam Kim Sam Kim () is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and guitarist based in South Korea. He signed to Antenna Music after finishing as the runner-up on the talent show ''K-pop Star 3'' in 2014. He made his official debut on April 10, 2016, wit ...

. The album is a blend of indie rock, electronic and dream pop, and alternative R&B and was designed to show Hwang's musical ability to expand into different genres. In choosing an album cover, Hwang sent a handwritten letter to Australian artist

Patricia Piccinini Patricia Piccinini (born 1965 in Freetown, Sierra Leone) is an Australian artist who works in a variety of media, including painting, video, sound, installation, digital prints, and sculpture. Her works focus on "unexpected consequences", conv ...

to use her sculpture "The Rookie" as a basis for the artwork. To promote the album, Hwang appeared on the covers of Marie Claire Korea and GQ Korea. From 2019 to 2022, Hwang had a string of appearances as a featured artist for various Korean indie artists. She appeared on Avin's studio album ''TRANCE'' (2019) in the song "OMW" with Dbo. In August 2020, Hwang featured on "Do Not Disturb" by Woo. In April 2022, Hwang appeared on "Fort" by Kim Doeon. In August 2019, Hwang expressed an interest in collaborating with Thai songwriter

during an interview with GQ Korea. A year later, in October 2020, Hwang released the single "Wings" with Viphurit. The same month,

Vogue Korea ''Vogue'' (stylized in all caps), also known as American ''Vogue'', is a monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine that covers style news, including haute couture fashion, beauty, culture, living, and runway. It is part of the global collection of ...

named her as one of the biggest female musicians in South Korea. In June 2022, Hwang performed the official Korean version of " Be Sweet" by

Japanese Breakfast Japanese Breakfast is an American indie pop band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 2013. The project is fronted by vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter Michelle Zauner; she is joined in its current iteration by long-serving music ...

. On March 14, 2023, Hwang released her sophomore studio album '' Episode1 : Love.'' The album includes lead single " Smoke Sprite" featuring RM of

, who Hwang met without intending to spark a collaboration with. After sharing their music to each other, they decided to write "Smoke Sprite" together. The album also features guest contributions from Jibin and

. In the music video for "Bad", Hwang portrayed a

same-sex relationship A same-sex relationship is a romantic or sexual relationship between people of the same sex. ''Same-sex marriage'' refers to the institutionalized recognition of such relationships in the form of a marriage; civil unions may exist in countries ...

, telling

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

"there are many shapes and forms of love, and I just wanted to best visualize it. I wasn't particularly focused on it being the same-sex relationship, utI knew that gender shouldn't hold importance when representing love". On August 19, 2023, Hwang co-wrote and featured on " Tik Tak Tok" by indie rock band

. The song was nominated for multiple awards at the

, including Song of the Year. In December 2023, Hwang performed a concert for Tiny Desk Korea, the international version of

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

's Tiny Desk series. In September 2024, Hwang appeared at

Alexander McQueen Lee Alexander McQueen (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier. He founded his own Alexander McQueen (brand), Alexander McQueen label in 1992 and was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. His ac ...

's 2025 Spring/Summer show. On March 10, 2025, Hwang collaborated with

Hoshi X Woozi Hoshi X Woozi (), also known as HxW, is the third sub-unit of South Korean boy band Seventeen, after BSS and JxW. Formed by Pledis Entertainment in 2025, the duo consists of members Hoshi and Woozi. Initially formed in 2017 with the release o ...

to release "Pinocchio" on the duo's debut single album ''

Beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Radio beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially lo ...

''.

Personal life

Since 2025, Hwang has resided in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Songwriting and production credits

Awards and accolades

References

{{reflist South Korean singer-songwriters Korean Music Award winners Living people Indie rock musicians 21st-century South Korean singer-songwriters Korean musicians 1997 births Acoustic guitarists South Korean guitarists English-language singers from South Korea Melon Music Award winners 21st-century women guitarists 21st-century South Korean women singers 21st-century South Korean women musicians South Korean women singer-songwriters South Korean women musicians 21st-century women singers