Song So-hee

Song So-hee (Korean: 송소희; born 20 October 1997^[2]), widely known as the "Traditional Music Girl" (Korean: 국악소녀), is a South Korean Gyeonggi minyo (Korean: 경기민요) or traditional folk singer.^[3] She rose to fame after winning the KBS National Singing Contest in 2008 at the age of 11, earning her a reputation as a gugak prodigy. The South Korean government honored Song with the title "Best Korean of the Year" in 2010.^[4]

Early life and education

Song was born in Yesan, Chungcheongnam-do on 20 October 1997. She is the eldest daughter of Song Geun-yeong and Yang Bok-rye. She has one younger sister, Song So-yeong.^[5]

Song displayed her talent for music at a very young age, which she later attributed to her father's habit of singing minyo, a genre of Korean folk songs, to her. When she was five years old, her parents enrolled her in a gugak academy to develop her singing skills.^[6] She studied under Gyeonggi folk singers Park Seok-sun and Lee Ho-yeon, the latter of whom is classified as a "Living National Treasure" by the South Korean government. She learned to play traditional Korean percussion instruments under samul nori master Lee Gwang-su.^[7]

Song attended Deoksan Elementary School, Imseong Middle School, and Hoseo High School, all in Chungcheongnam-do.^[2] In 2016, she enrolled in Dankook University's School of Music to study traditional music.^[8]

Career

Song became famous nationwide after she performed "Changbu Taryeong" at the 2008 KBS National Singing Contest. Her performance left a deep impression upon the viewers. She won the grand prize in the contest and became the youngest grand prize winner in the 29 years of the contest's history.^{[citation needed]}

Since then she performed on several popular Korean TV programs such as Star King, KBS Open Concert, and Yoondohyun's Love Letter. She sang songs such as "Changbu Taryeong", "Taepyongga", "Arirang", "Batnori", "Gunbam Taryeong", and "Battuiwara" on these programs and became more famous.^{[citation needed]}

Her appearance on Star King in 2008 led her to another important training opportunity from Master Lee Ho-yeon, who is a specialist in Gyeonggi minyo. Having been impressed by So-hee's talent, Master Lee volunteered to provide training for her on a regular basis. Minyo (Korean folk song) literally means "song of folklore" and is the traditional music sung most frequently by Koreans. Minyo is broadly classified into five styles according to region: Gyeonggi, Namdo, Seodo, Dongbu and Jeju Minyo. Gyeonggi Minyo is traditionally popular in the central area around Seoul.^{[citation needed]}

"She was born with a gift for singing Minyo. She has high-pitched voice tone and it's a clear, ringing voice (which is essential for singing minyo). She also has an extraordinary sense of pitch which enables her to learn new songs with ease. Also, her Bangulmok, a singing technique of Korean traditional music is exquisite"^[9]

Since 2008, she has been invited to perform at various events, both at home and abroad. Her main domestic events are Celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Republic of Korea in 2008, Baekje International Cultural Festival in 2010, Jeonju International Sori Festival in 2010, and Public Broadcasters International Seoul Meeting in 2011.

Song's popularity rapidly spread around the world due to her online videos and also the online replay services of South Korean TV programs she performed at, allowing people around the world to watch her performances. Many of them were stunned by her performances and fell in love with her and minyo.^[10]

Such international recognition provided her with opportunities to perform abroad. Since 2009, she has been invited to perform at official events and a variety of culture exchange events in various countries including Japan, Russia, and the United States. Some of those are the Korea-Japan Culture Exchange in 2009, the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Russia in 2010, the Korean Festival in 2011, and the opening events of the Korean Cultural Center India in 2012. In 2010, the government chose her as "Best Korean of the Year", a yearly award for someone who has graced and enriched the nation.^[11]

In 2014, Song sang "Arirang" at the closing ceremony of the Sochi Winter Paralympics on 10 March, and also won first place on the 26 July installment of "Immortal Song 2".

In 2014, she prematurely terminated her exclusive contract with Deokin Media following the sexual assault of a fellow singer under the label by the CEO's brother. The following lawsuit for breach of contract concluded after 6 years in 2019, setting a legal precedent for entertainers terminating their contracts ahead of time.^[12][13]

After signing with Warner Music Korea, Song So-hee has released two mini-albums and one single: 2015's New Song, 2016's "Love, Seasons" single, and 2018's Modern Folk Songs (a collaboration with traditional fusion band Second Moon).^[14][15][16]

She signed an exclusive contract with Magic Strawberry Sound in 2022 and released the single album Journey to Utopia in 2022 and the single Infodemics in collaboration with Jambinai's Lee Ilwoo in 2023.^[17]

On December 31, 2025, Song left Magic Strawberry Sound, after the end of her contract with the label.^[18]

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Compilation appearances

Filmography

Variety shows

Television shows

Ambassadorship

• Korean hanbok ambassador (2022)^[27]

References

1. ^ Kim, Na-yul (2 September 2022). "송소희, 새 가족 찾은 후 근황..개미허리 노출한 국악 여신" [Song So-hee, after finding a new family... Goddess of Korean music who exposed her ant waist] (in Korean). Herald POP. Retrieved 3 September 2022. – via Naver.
2. ^ "송소희" [Song So-hee] (in Korean). Daum 100. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
3. ^ Park, Jeong-ho (2014-02-20). "Song So-hee, a gugak prodigy". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
4. ^ Sohn, Ji Ae (2014-03-19). "Gugak star Song So-hee: 'Gugak is my destiny'". Korea.net. Korean Culture and Information Service. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
5. ^ Jeong, Eun-chae (2017-09-09). "송소희, '불후의 명곡' 여신 등극" (in Korean). Korea Daily. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
6. ^ Yun, Jin (2009). "[만나고싶었습니다] '민요신동' 송소희(충남 예산군 덕산초등 5)양" (in Korean). Hankook Kids. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
7. ^ Jang, Eun-ju (2015-06-14). "[톱클래스] 새로운 국악으로의 초대 국악소녀 송소희의 'New Song'" (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
8. ^ Choe, In-jin (2016-02-16). "'국악 소녀' 송소희, 단국대 국악과 합격" (in Korean). The Kyunghyang Shinmun. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
9. ^ "[만나고싶었습니다] '민요신동' 송소희(충남 예산군 덕산초등 5)양" (in Korean). 2009-01-21. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
10. ^ "[영상] "폭포 밑 트레이닝" 송소희 공연…해외 누리꾼도 극찬" (in Korean). MT.co.ko. 2014-04-11. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
11. ^ Sohn, JiAe (19 Mar 2014). "Gugak star Song So-hee: 'Gugak is my destiny'". Korea.net. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
12. ^ Bae, Seung-hoon (2017-08-21). "Song So-hee sued by former music agency". Korea JoongAng Daily
13. ^ 임순현 (2019-09-17). "기획사대표 동생이 가수 성폭행…"다른 연예인도 전속해지 가능"(종합)" (in Korean). 연합뉴스. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
14. ^ "송소희 So Hee Song - 아침의 노래 [Teaser]" (in Korean). 워너뮤직코리아 (Warner Music Korea). 19 April 2015. 4월 23일, 젊은 국악의 아이콘 송소희의 첫 미니앨범 "New Song" 발매!
15. ^ "Album details- Love, Seasons". Dynamic Range Database. Retrieved 21 March 2018. Album: Love, Seasons. Year: 2016 . Label: Warner Music Korea
16. ^ "Apple Music 미리보기 - 모던민요. 송소희 & 두번째 달" (in Korean). iTunes. Retrieved 21 March 2018. 모던민요 송소희 & 두번째 달 . 2018년 3월 21일
17. ^ "송소희" [Song Sohee] (in Korean). msbsound.com. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
18. ^ 정지원 (30 December 2025). "송소희, 매직스트로베리사운드 떠난다 "전속계약 종료"" (in Korean). Joy News 24. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
19. ^ "Gaon Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. * "New Song charting" * "Modern Minyo charting"
20. ^ "April 2015 Gaon Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved 2018-05-07.
21. ^ "Love, Seasons by So Hee Song on Apple Music". apple.com. Retrieved 18 May 2018. 25 Jul 2016
22. ^ "Digital Chart – Week 13 of 2025" (in Korean). Circle Chart. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
23. ^ "[Mnet] 불후의 명곡 - 전설을 노래하다 (조영남 1편) - Various Artists" (in Korean). mnet.com. Retrieved 18 May 2018. 아티스트 : Various Artists. 발매일 : 2014.07.26. 앨범종류 : 컴필레이션/1CD. 음악장르 : 가요 > 발라드. 기획사 : KBS 유통사 : 로엔엔터테인먼트.
24. ^ "gaon chart" (in Korean). 27 July 2014. Ranking: 98 (new). Title Track/Artist: 사랑 없인 못 살아요 / 송소희 불후의 명곡 - 전설을 노래하다 - 조영남 1편. Download Count: 18,239. (제작)KBS미디어 (유통) 로엔엔터테인먼트
25. ^ Kim Min-ji (2 August 2021). "송소희, '조선팝 드랍더비트' MC 합류…깜짝 진행 능력" [Song So-hee joins 'Chosun Pop Drop the Beat' MC... amazing progress ability] (in Korean). News1. Retrieved 2 August 2021. – via Naver.
26. ^ Yoo Kyung-sang (14 October 2021). "골때녀' 송소희, 새 팀 FC 원더우먼 합류 "매주 풋살한지 8개월" [결정적장면]" [‘Goal Girl’ Song So-hee joins new team FC Wonder Woman "It’s been 8 months since I played futsal every week" [Decisive Scene]] (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved 14 October 2021. – via Naver.
27. ^ Son Bong-seok (28 July 2022). "대한민국 한복 홍보대사 ' 국악인 송소희 선정" [Selected as ‘Korea Hanbok Ambassador’ Song So-hee, a traditional musician] (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Retrieved 30 July 2022. – via Naver.

External links

• Official website (in Korean)