| Background: | person |
| Ali | |
| Birth Name: | Cho Yong-jin |
| Birth Date: | November 20, 1984 |
| Birth Place: | Seoul, South Korea |
| Label: | Soul Sting |
| Years Active: | 2005–present |
Cho Yong-jin[1] (; born November 20, 1984),[2] known professionally as Ali, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, pianist, musical artist, radio host and professor in applied musical arts at the Seoul Technical Arts College. Following her debut in 2009, she was primarily recognized for her time as a contestant on the KBS program Immortal Songs 2.
ALi debuted as a singer in 2009, and gained fame for her appearances on music shows, most notably Immortal Songs 2 on KBS2 and King of Mask Singer on MBC. Currently, ALi has the highest score and most wins for a female artist on Immortal Songs 2, hence her being known as the "madam of Immortal Songs". She also worked as a professor in applied musical arts at the Seoul Technical Arts College.[3] As a professor, ALi has taught BtoB members, Changsub and Hyunsik, as well as renowned singer Kim Feel.
ALi released her first album SOULri in December 2011,[4] two years after her official debut. One released track, "Na Young", garnered immediate controversy as it referenced a sexual assault case that had become publicly known in South Korea. Many detractors criticized the song for being insensitive to the subject of its lyrics. ALi later addressed this controversy by revealing that she herself was a survivor of sexual assault.[5] Following the release of her album, she held her first independent concert.[6] She was also a vocalist on several Leessang songs, including "Ballerino" and "I'm Not Laughing". She has also released several OSTs for Korean dramas, including "Hurt" ("상처") from "Rooftop Prince", "The Vow" from "Golden Rainbow" and "In My Dream" from "Empire of Gold".
Recently, Ali has made her musical debut in the Korean rendition of the musical Rebecca and started working on her own label, Soul Sting, and radio station. From her label, she produced her first duo group, Am:Pm, consisting of two of her students.
Ali's father is newspaper publisher Jo Myung-shik. She has one younger brother and one younger sister.[7]
Ali married an office worker on May 11, 2019 in Seoul.[8] She gave birth to a son in September 2019.[9]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [10] | |||
| Soul-Ri: A Village With Soul (영혼이 있는 마을) |
| 23 |
|
| ALi Immortal Songs (ALi 불후의 명곡) |
| 20 |
|
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | |||
| After The Love Has Gone |
| ||
| Eraser (지우개) |
| 20 |
|
| Turning Point |
| 14 |
|
| White Hole |
| 23 |
|
| Expand |
| 72 | |
| O Esca Viatorum (나그네의 양식) |
| ||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [16] | |||
| "365 Days" (365일) | 2009 | 43 | After The Love Has Gone |
| "Hey Mr." (Hey 미스터) | 2010 | 81 | |
| "The Unwritten Legend" (전설속의 누군가처럼) | 95 | 20th Anniversary Shin Seung Hun | |
| "I Tried Everything" (별 짓 다해봤는데) | 2011 | 23 | rowspan="3" |
| "Rice Bowl" (밥그릇) | 89 | ||
| "If I Confess, You'll be Surprised" (내가 고백을 하면 깜짝 놀랄거야) | 75 | ||
| "I'll Be Damned" (뭐 이런게 다 있어) | 11 | Soul-Ri: A Village With Soul | |
| "Don't Act Countrified" (촌스럽게 굴지마) | 4 | ||
| "Selfish" (이기적이야) | 2013 | 33 | Eraser |
| "Eraser" (지우개) | 11 | ||
| "Rainy Gomoryeong" (비 내리는 고모령) | 88 | ||
| "Do You Remember?" (그땐 그랬지) | 25 | Shaking Heart | |
| "I Love You" | 8 | rowspan="5" | |
| "Because of Me" (나 때문에) | 2014 | 14 | |
| "Tears Keep Falling" (자꾸 눈물이 납니다) | 33 | ||
| "What Is Luv" | 54 | ||
| "Let Me Say First" (여자가 먼저) | 69 | ||
| "Song Can't Lie" (노래는 거짓말을 못해요) | 90 | Turning Point | |
| "Pung Pung" (펑펑) | 22 | ||
| "As If Nothing Happened" (아무일 없었다는 듯) | 14 | rowspan="2" | |
| "Goodbye Mr. Kim" (잘가요 Mr. Kim) | 2015 | — | |
| "Heaven's Song" | — | The Message Part 2 | |
| "Shining Is Blue" | — | White Hole | |
| "I, Me" (내가, 나에게) | — | ||
| "Say Say Say" | — | rowspan="8" | |
| "Poom" (품) | 2016 | — | |
| "Suddenly" (또 생각이 나서) | 22 | ||
| "Winter Wonderland" | — | ||
| "You Are Not Here" (너만 없다) | 2017 | 95 | |
| "Cherry Blossom Road" (벚꽃 길) | — | ||
| "Don't Speak" | — | ||
| "For Less Than a Month" (한 달을 못 가서) | — | ||
| "No Way" (말이 되니) | — | Expand | |
| "Only You" (너만) | 2018 | — | rowspan="5" |
| "Proposal" (청혼) | — | ||
| "It Was You" (너였나 봐) | — | ||
| "Love Did Not End Yet" (사랑은 아직도 끝나지 않았네) | 2019 | — | |
| "On My Way Back" (회로) | 2020 | — | |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [17] | |||
| "All of a Sudden" (울컥) | 2009 | Terroir OST | |
| "Come On, Antique | " | Antique OST | |
| "A Dream Comes True" (돌멩이의 꿈) | A Dream Comes True OST | ||
| "Hurt" (상처) | 2012 | — | Rooftop Prince OST |
| "Carry On" | 16 | Faith OST | |
| "In My Dream" | 2013 | 45 | Empire of Gold OST |
| "The Vow" (서약) | 2014 | 46 | Golden Rainbow OST |
| "A Flower in the Rock" (돌 틈 꽃) | 88 | Gunman in Joseon OST | |
| "Give Me One Day" (하루만 내게 줘) | 2018 | — | My Only One OST |
| "Just Say" | 2019 | — | Kill It OST |
| Year | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–2015 | Immortal Songs 2 | Contestant | |
| 2014 | Mnet 100 Second War | Contestant | |
| 2016 | King of Mask Singer | Contestant (Episodes 79–80, 82, 84, 86) | |
| 2022 | Goal Girls | Cast Member; Season 2[18] |
| Year | Title | Role | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Turandot (musical adaptation) | Turandot | [19] | |
| 2019 | [20] |
| Year | Award | Category | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Female Newcomer of the Year | [21] | ||
| 2012 | Hong Kong Asian-Pop Music Festival | Best Vocal Performance | [22] | |
| Super Nova Award | ||||
23. "[종합] '불후의명곡' 알리, '골든걸스' 1부 우승...'" "[Summary<nowiki>] Ali of 'Immortal Songs' Wins Part 1 of 'Golden Girls'..."] Joynews (in Korean) January 27, 2024 Retrieved January 29th 2024.