Hyoyeon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hyoyeon
Hyoyeon in October 2024
Born	Kim Hyo-yeon (1989-09-22) September 22, 1989 (age 35) Incheon, South Korea
Occupation	Singer dancer DJ
Musical career
Genres	K-pop EDM
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2007–present
Labels	SM ScreaM Records
Korean name
Hangul	김효연
Hanja	金孝淵
Revised Romanization	Gim Hyo-yeon
McCune–Reischauer	Kim Hyoyŏn
Stage name
Hangul	효연
Hanja	孝淵
Revised Romanization	Hyo-yeon
McCune–Reischauer	Hyoyŏn
Signature

Kim Hyo-yeon (Hangul: 김효연; born September 22, 1989), known as Hyoyeon or DJ Hyo, is a famous South Korean singer, dancer, and DJ. She first became known as a member of the girl group Girls' Generation in August 2007. This group became one of the most popular K-pop groups around the world.

Hyoyeon has also worked on other projects with SM Entertainment. These include the groups Girls' Generation-Oh!GG and Got the Beat. She also started a solo career, releasing songs like "Mystery" (2016) and "Wannabe" (2017). In 2018, she made her solo debut as HYO with the song "Sober."

On South Korean TV, Hyoyeon has been in many shows. She was a main cast member in Invincible Youth 2 (2011–2012) and My English Puberty (2017–2018). She also competed in shows like Dancing with the Stars: Season 2 (2012) and Good Girl (2020). Hyoyeon even had her own reality shows, Hyoyeon's One Million Likes (2015) and Hyoyeon's 10 Million Likes (2016).

Hyoyeon's Early Life and Dance Training

Hyoyeon was born in Incheon, South Korea, on September 22, 1989. She grew up with her parents and her younger brother, Kim Min-gu.

Hyoyeon started learning to dance when she was in elementary school. She took hip-hop, jazz, and Latin dance classes at a small school in her neighborhood. In 1999, she joined Winners Dance School, a famous dance school in South Korea. There, she learned many hip-hop styles like popping and locking. She even formed a dance team called Little Winners with her friend Min, who later became a member of the group Miss A.

Hyoyeon auditioned for SM Entertainment when she was 11 years old. She said her mother took her to the audition because she wanted to meet the group H.O.T. In 2004, Hyoyeon went to Beijing to study Chinese, along with Siwon from Super Junior. She also received dance lessons from famous choreographers and even worked with one of Justin Timberlake's choreographers. Before she debuted with Girls' Generation, she was a silhouette dancer for BoA at a music festival in 2005.

Hyoyeon's Amazing Career Journey

Becoming a Star with Girls' Generation (2007–2017)

Hyoyeon officially joined Girls' Generation, a South Korean girl group created by SM Entertainment, in August 2007. Before their official debut, the group performed their first song, "Into the New World," on a TV show called School of Rock. On August 5, 2007, Girls' Generation officially debuted on the TV show Inkigayo.

In November 2007, Girls' Generation released their first studio album. Then, in January 2009, they released their popular mini-album Gee. The song "Gee" was number one on the TV show Music Bank for a record-breaking nine weeks!

Their second studio album, Oh!, came out in January 2010. Hyoyeon and other Girls' Generation members even made a short appearance in the TV show Oh! My Lady. In September 2010, Girls' Generation started their career in Japan by releasing the Japanese version of their song "Genie."

Their first Japanese album was released in June 2011 and was a huge success. Girls' Generation's third Korean album, The Boys, came out in October 2011. This album was even released in the United States! In November 2011, Hyoyeon and Sunny, another Girls' Generation member, joined the TV reality show Invincible Youth.

Hyoyeon performing at the Diet Look Concert in 2012

In April 2012, Hyoyeon competed in the second season of Dancing with the Stars. She and her partner, Kim Hyung-seok, won second place. In October 2012, Hyoyeon was part of a special dance group called Younique. They released a song called "Maxstep."

Hyoyeon at Dancing 9 Special Live on August 24, 2013

In January 2013, Hyoyeon appeared on the TV show Blind Test Show 180 Degrees, where she danced to different types of club music. In June 2013, Hyoyeon and Yuri, another Girls' Generation member, became coaches on the dancing TV show Dancing 9.

In 2015, Hyoyeon was featured in Amber's music video "Shake That Brass." On July 1, Hyoyeon released her own book called Hyo Style. The book shares her tips on beauty, fashion, and lifestyle. In May 2015, she joined a Korean-Chinese reality TV show called Star Advent. In June 2015, Hyoyeon started her own reality show, Hyoyeon's One Million Likes. Girls' Generation released their fifth Korean album, Lion Heart, in August 2015.

In 2016, Hyoyeon was a special host on the TV show Get It Beauty. In June 2016, she competed in the TV show Hit The Stage, where she worked with professional dancers. In the same month, Hyoyeon was featured in the song "Up & Down" from Taeyeon's album Why. In August 2016, she formed a special group called Triple T with Min and Jo Kwon. They released a song called "Born to Be Wild." In December 2016, Hyoyeon released her first solo song, "Mystery," as part of SM Station.

Hyoyeon performing at MBC 2017 DMZ Peace Concert in 2017

In June 2017, Hyoyeon released her second solo song, "Wannabe." A month later, Girls' Generation announced their sixth Korean album, Holiday Night, to celebrate their tenth anniversary.

DJ Hyo and New Groups (2018–Present)

On April 12, 2018, SM Entertainment announced that Hyoyeon would release a new song called "Sober" on April 18. She would use the new stage name Hyo (written as HYO) and focus on electronic dance music (EDM). She also started performing as a DJ in clubs and at EDM festivals.

In August 2018, Hyoyeon became part of Girls' Generation's second sub-unit, Oh!GG. This group includes five members of Girls' Generation who stayed with SM Entertainment. They released their first song, "Lil' Touch," in September. In November 2018, Hyoyeon released her second song as DJ Hyo, called "Punk Right Now," featuring American DJ 3lau.

On July 20, 2019, Hyoyeon released a new song, "Badster," which she helped create. It came out in both Korean and English versions. On July 22, 2020, Hyoyeon released another song, "Dessert," with rappers Loopy and Soyeon.

In May 2020, Hyoyeon joined the competition reality show Good Girl.

On August 9, 2021, Hyoyeon released the song "Second," featuring BIBI. This song reached number 17 on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart. On December 27, Hyoyeon was announced as a member of the supergroup Got the Beat. This group also includes Taeyeon from Girls' Generation and other artists. The group debuted on January 3, 2022, with the song "Step Back."

On May 2, 2022, SM Entertainment announced that Hyoyeon would release her first mini-album (EP) called Deep on May 16. It includes the main song "Deep" and other songs. On May 17, it was announced that Girls' Generation would make a full group comeback in August for their fifteenth anniversary. Their seventh Korean album, Forever 1, was released in August 2022.

On September 26, 2024, Hyoyeon announced she would release a new song called "Retro Romance."

Hyoyeon's Music (Discography)

Extended Plays (Mini-Albums)

Singles (Songs)

Other Songs and Appearances

Hyoyeon's Acting and TV Shows

Movies

TV Dramas

Television Shows

Web Shows

Music Videos

Hyoyeon's Concerts and Tours

Tours as DJ HYO

• DJ HYO Tour 2023 in North America (2023)
• DJ HYO 2024 Spring USA Tour "CHERRY BLOSSOM" (2024)
• DJ HYO 2024 USA Summer Tour (2024)

Concert Participation

• SM Town Live 2022: SMCU Express at Kwangya (2022)
• SM Town Live 2022: SMCU Express (2022)
• SM Town Live 2023: SMCU Palace at Kwangya (2023)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Hyoyeon para niños