| Seo In-young | |||||||
| Native Name: | 서인영 | ||||||
| Birth Name: | Seo In-young | ||||||
| Alias: | Elly | ||||||
| Birth Date: | 3 September 1984 | ||||||
| Spouse: | Unknown (2023) | ||||||
| Module: |
| ||||||
| Korean name | |
| Color: | khaki |
| Hangul: | 서인영 |
| Hanja: | 徐寅永 |
| Rr: | Seo In-yeong |
| Mr: | Sŏ Inyŏng |
Seo In-young (; born on September 3, 1984), also known as Elly, is a South Korean singer, dancer, model, television host, and actress. She was a member of girl group Jewelry and featured on the reality show We Got Married with Crown J. In May 2012, Seo established her own private entertainment company, IY Company.[1] Seo also hosted the beauty program Star Beauty Show (2012).[2]
On February 26, 2007, Seo In-young released her first solo album, Elly Is So Hot. Despite being known as the 'sexy dancer' of Jewelry, she stated she wanted to move away from her strong dance image and become a softer, elegant and more sensual entertainer. The first single from the album was "I Want You" ("너를 원해"), which was written, composed, and produced by Jung Yeon-joon of Uptown.
The song, which has a mix of Latin and R&B styles, was promoted as a dance remix near the end of her promotional activities.
In February 2008, it was announced that the singer would be participating in the popular MBC variety show We Got Married. She was paired with Korean urban artist Crown J. The couple was later coined as the 'Ant Couple'. The couple later released a digital single titled Too Much, which was eventually used as the theme song for the show. A club remix version was released on her second solo album.
On July 23, 2008, Seo In-young released her second solo album, Elly Is Cinderella. The music video of the lead single, Cinderella, was composed by PSY. The song continued her success as solo artist.[3]
On December 11, 2009, it was announced that Seo In-young, as well as fellow Jewelry member Park Jung-ah, would be leaving the group to fully commit to their solo careers.[4] Both members left the group after finishing promotional activities for the song Sophisticated.
On May 12, 2010, Seo In-young pre-released, "Goodbye Romance", the lead single from her upcoming album.[5] On June 6, 2010, her third album, Lov-Elly, was released. (This was her first release since leaving Jewelry.) The album, which consists of all ballads, showed a soft, but powerful side to the singer.
"Goodbye Romance" experienced enormous chart success and eventually peaked at No. 1 on the music program M! Countdown, earning the singer her first solo award.
In July 2010, the singer joined the SBS reality show Heroes. She received a lot of negative press for her feisty and headstrong persona.
On December 12, 2010, Seo In-young released her first single album, Ellythm. It includes the lead single Into The Rhythm.[6]
In early 2011, the Jongno branch of Cheil Industries named Seo In-young as the creative director of their imports division. She worked with French luxury brand 'Nina Ricci' to design a limited edition handbag line named 'Nine Ricci x Seo In-young'.
On May 6, 2011, Seo In-young released her second single album Wash. The emotional song showcased her exceptionally powerful vocals. The music video was said to be filmed in Thailand, with a concept of multiple emotions, such as an elegant woman underwater and a sad woman in front of a mirror. Star Empire Entertainment released a music video teaser and a behind the scenes video, however, no official music video was released.
On August 20, 2011, the singer participated in the popular television show Immortal Songs 2. The episode, dubbed 'female vocalist special', showcased seven of South Korea's top female vocalists. Seo In-Young's rendition of Just Like The First Time won the hearts of viewers and was declared as the best performance of the episode.
On October 4, 2011, two comeback photos of the singer were released ahead of her official comeback. In early November, she pre-released the song Loser. On November 13, 2011, the singer officially released her third album, Brand New Elly, with the lead single Oh My Gosh.
On May 18, 2012, it was announced that Seo In-young would be establishing her own private entertainment company, IY Company. She is no longer associated or under contract with Star Empire Entertainment.
On August 13, 2012, Seo In-young became the main MC of 'SBS E! – Star Beauty Show'. The show focuses on beauty and fashion tips.
On August 13, 2012, a music video teaser for Seo In-young's digital single, ANYMORE, was released. It was later revealed the song was produced by popular producer Kush. The single was officially released on August 19, 2012.[7] The full-length music video was released two days later. The single quickly experienced enormous success, securing the No. 1 spot on every single Korean music chart, achieving the coveted 'all-kill'.[8]
On October 15, 2012, Seo In-young revealed a music video teaser for Let's Dance. The song, which was digitally released on October 17, 2012, is a dance track combining elements of electronic disco as well as post disco, further showing the musical style changes Seo In-young has been going through.[9] On October 18, 2012, Seo In-young took to the stage and began promotions on M! Countdown, where she performed ANYMORE and Let's Dance.[10]
In early 2013, Seo In-young became a main voice coach for Voice Korea Kids, a spin-off of The Voice of Korea. The show aired from January 4, 2013, to February 1, 2013.
On May 2, 2013, Seo In-young announced that she would be making her first comeback of the year with the release of concept photos and a music video teaser. Her company, IY Company, stated, "With her talents, this will be an album that showcases her new potential."[11] On May 14, 2013, Seo In-young released her first mini-album in two years, titled Forever Young. The album is considered Seo In-young's return to ballads and contains the promotional single "Let's Break Up."[12]
On September 23, 2013, it was announced that Seo In-young would be returning to the music scene with a digital single titled "Love Me". According to Seo In-young, the song is "an upbeat dance track through which she puts aside her previous ballad concept".[13] On October 3, 2013, Seo In-young debuted her new song, "Love Me", through a pre-release performance on Mnet's M! Countdown.[14] The single and music video were officially released the following day.[15] "Love Me" was instantly met with positive reviews and quickly climbed digital charts.[16]
Seo in Young returned to Star Empire after 4 years, stating it was a "move of loyalty".[17] [18]
On December 26, 2022, Seo announced that she will hold a wedding ceremony with her boyfriend on February 26, 2023.[19]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [20] | ||||
| Elly Is So Hot |
| — |
| |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. Note – The Gaon Chart was established in February 2010. Releases before this date have no chart data. | ||||
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | ||||
| Elly Is Cinderella |
| — |
| |
| Lov-Elly |
| 11 | — | |
| Brand New Elly |
| 23 |
| |
| Forever Young |
| 14 |
| |
| Re Birth |
| 17 |
| |
| SIY |
| 15 |
| |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. Note – The Gaon Chart was established in February 2010. Releases before this date have no chart data. | ||||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [26] | ||||
| "Into the Rhythm" | 2010 | 17 | Ellythm | |
| "Wash" | 2011 | 14 | ||
| "Loser" | 25 | Brand New Elly | ||
| "In Your Arms" | 2016 | — | In Your Arms | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | ||||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | ||||
| "I Want You" | 2007 | — | Elly Is So Hot | |
| "Cinderella" | 2008 | — | Elly Is Cinderella | |
| "Written As Love, Sung As Pain" | 2010 | 23 | Lov-Elly | |
| "Oh My Gosh" | 2011 | 33 | Brand New Elly | |
| "Anymore" | 2012 | 4 | Forever Young | |
| "Let's Dance" | 39 | |||
| "Let's Break Up" | 2013 | 13 | ||
| "Love Me" | 10 | Love Me | ||
| "Thinking of You" (featuring Zion.T) | 2014 | 49 | ||
| "Lie" (featuring Kanto of TROY) | 2015 | 33 | ReBirth | |
| "Scream" | 92 | SIY | ||
| "Hugged By You" | 2016 | 109 | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. Note – The Gaon Chart was established in February 2010. Releases before this date have no chart data. | ||||
| Year | Song | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Naughty Girl" | 원투 (ONE TWO) | Digital single |
| 2010 | "Give Me" | Nine Muses | Prosecutor Princess OST PT. 2 |
| 2011 | "Making a Lover" | Kyun Woo | rowspan="2" |
| "Shooting Star" | Park Jung-ah,, Jewelry & Nine Muses | ||
| Year | Title | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Can't I Love?" | Iris OST PT. 6 | |
| 2010 | "Give Me (feat. Nine Muses)" | Prosecutor Princess OST PT. 2 | |
| 2013 | "You Are the Love" | Incarnation of Money OST PT. 6 |
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work / nominee | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Korea Fashion & Design Awards | 2008 | Fashion Icon of the Year | Seo In-young | [28] | ||
| MBC Entertainment Awards | 2008 | Excellence Award in Variety Show | Seo In-young | [29] | ||
| Mnet 20's Choice Awards | 2008 | Hot Couple Award | Seo In-young and Crown J | [30] | ||
| 2010 | Most Influential Star | Seo In-young | [31] | |||
| Mnet Asian Music Awards | 2007 | Best Dance Performance | "I Want You" | |||
| 2008 | Best Female Artist | "Cinderella" | ||||
| 2010 | "Written as Love, Sung as Pain" | |||||
| Best Vocal Performance (Solo) | ||||||
| 2011 | Best Female Artist | "Into The Rhythm" | ||||
| Style in Music Award | Seo In-young | [32] | ||||
| 2012 | Best Dance Performance | "Let's Dance" | [33] | |||
| 2013 | "Please Love Me" | |||||
| Style Icon Awards | 2008 | Female Singer Award | Seo In-young | [34] |