Moonbyul facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Moonbyul
Moonbyul in February 2024
Born	Moon Byul-yi (1992-12-22) December 22, 1992 (age 32) Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Occupation	Rapper songwriter
Musical career
Genres	K-pop Jazz R&B
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2014–present
Labels	RBW
Korean name
Hangul	문별이
Hanja	文星伊
Revised Romanization	Mun Byeol-i
McCune–Reischauer	Mun Pyŏli
Stage name
Hangul	문별
Hanja	玟星
Revised Romanization	Munbyeol
McCune–Reischauer	Munpyŏl
Signature

Moon Byul-yi (Hangul: 문별이, born December 22, 1992), known as Moonbyul (Hangul: 문별), is a South Korean rapper and songwriter. She works with the company RBW. Moonbyul is a member of the popular South Korean girl group Mamamoo and its special group Mamamoo+.

She started her solo music career in May 2018 with the song "Selfish." Moonbyul has helped write over 100 songs. This makes her one of the female artists with the most songwriting credits in the Korean music industry. She also won first place on the TV show The Second World on JTBC.

Moonbyul's Early Life and School

Moon Byul-yi was born on December 22, 1992, in Bucheon, South Korea. She is the oldest of three sisters. Her two younger sisters are four and twelve years younger than her. Before she found music, Moonbyul dreamed of becoming a police officer or a teacher.

In middle school, she became interested in singing. This happened after she saw TVXQ perform their song "Rising Sun." She loved performing and decided to become a singer. This decision came after people cheered for her at her school's Christmas caroling show. She also looked up to the girl group Girls' Generation, especially their leader Taeyeon. Moonbyul even went to SM Entertainment's academy to follow her dream. She finished high school at Wonmi High School. Later, she studied media, music, and vocals at Paekche Institute of the Arts.

Understanding Moonbyul's Name

Moonbyul's stage name comes from her family name "Moon" and her birth name "Byul-yi." Her father chose her unique name. On the night she was born, he looked at the sky. He saw more stars than usual. So, he named her "Byul," which means 'star' in Korean. He wanted her to be a person who shines brightly.

She also uses the rap name Moonstar. This name means the same thing as her Korean name in English. Since she started her career, she has used "Moonstar" in her songs. She also uses it when she sings with other artists. The moon and stars are often linked to her.

Moonbyul's Music Career Journey

Starting Out: 2011 to 2014

Moonbyul worked hard to become a singer. She went to 11 auditions and signed contracts with at least three companies. She also faced problems with fake entertainment companies. People say that among all the Mamamoo members, she had the most interesting journey before she finally debuted.

She joined her current company, RBW, in 2011. She first passed her audition as a singer and trained for that. But her producer suggested she become a rapper because the group needed one. Even though she didn't know much about rap and only had six months to learn, she became a successful rapper. She debuted with Mamamoo on June 19, 2014. In the group's WAW documentary, it was shared that Moonbyul was also good at freestyle dance and hip-hop. She would create her own dance routines for monthly evaluations.

Mamamoo's Success: 2014 to 2017

Moonbyul performing in 2015

Moonbyul officially started as a member of the girl group Mamamoo on June 19, 2014. They released their first mini-album, Hello. Moonbyul helped create the dance moves for their first song, "Mr. Ambiguous."

Since their second mini-album, Piano Man, in November 2014, Moonbyul has helped write almost all of Mamamoo's main songs. This includes all of her own rap parts.

In November 2016, Mamamoo performed at the 37th annual Blue Dragon Film Awards. This is a very important film award show in South Korea. They added a fun twist to their song "Decalcomanie." They included lines from famous movies of that year. Moonbyul's line to actor Jung Woo-sung, "If I drink this in one shot, will you go out with me?" got a lot of attention. His reaction was also shown on screen. This moment became very popular in South Korea. It got 1.5 million views in just one day. Because of this, Mamamoo and their song "Decalcomanie" became much more popular. The song quickly rose to the top of music charts.

In June 2017, Moonbyul released her first solo song, "Love & Hate." It was part of Mamamoo's fifth mini-album, Purple. She wrote the song about a past relationship. It talks about feeling alone even when someone is there. Her dance in the music video also shows the mixed feelings of a first love.

Solo Career Begins: 2018 to 2020

Moonbyul performing at a festival in 2018

On May 23, 2018, Moonbyul started her solo career with the mini-album Selfish. The main song was also called "Selfish." Her close friend, Seulgi from Red Velvet, was featured in the song and music video. The album also had the hip-hop R&B song "In My Room" and an acoustic version of "Love & Hate."

On February 14, 2020, Moonbyul released her second mini-album, Dark Side of the Moon. Rolling Stone magazine said the album explored many different music styles. It included jazz, blues, ballads, and hip-hop. The main song "Eclipse" was described as a strong mix of rock, synth, and trap music. Billboard praised the album for continuing Mamamoo's message of strong female power. They also praised Moonbyul for being "bold in both sound and style." This showed her amazing ability to be both a singer and a rapper. When it was released, the album reached number one on the iTunes Top Album Chart in four countries. It was also in the Top 5 in ten places around the world. Its main song "Eclipse" reached number fourteen on Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart. Dark Side of the Moon sold 66,000 copies in its first week. It was the fourth highest-selling album by a South Korean female solo artist at that time.

Moonbyul's third mini-album, 門OON, was a new version of Dark Side of the Moon. It came out on May 29, 2020. Its main song "Absence" is a sad song with honest lyrics written by Moonbyul. The album showed a change in her style. She moved from her usual strong "girl crush" image to a more dreamy and nostalgic feeling. Moonbyul said she was inspired by the South Korean TV show The World of the Married for the song.

On May 30, 2020, she held her first solo concert called "門OON." It was streamed online around the world through VLIVE. Her fellow Mamamoo member Wheein was a special guest. The concert was very successful. It made ₩400 million (about $300,000 USD) just from online ticket sales.

Beyond Music: Hosting and TV Shows (2020-2021)

In July 2020, Moonbyul became a host for the radio show Avengirls on Naver NOW. The show was very popular. So, she started her own talk show called Studio Moon Night on February 15, 2021. This live show aired three times a week with new guests. Moonbyul was the first Mamamoo member to host her own show. She also wrote the theme song for her show.

Studio Moon Night started its second season in March 2022 after being on air for a year. In May 2022, Moonbyul won an award at the 2022 Korea Brand Customer Loyalty Index. She was recognized for her work as a host in live broadcasting.

In October 2021, she joined the TV show Kick a Goal. Moonbyul scored her first goal on August 24, 2022. This helped her team, FC Top Girl, move to the Super League. That episode had the highest viewership ratings of 9.6%.

On December 20, 2021, Moonbyul started her YouTube channel, "moonbyul2da." Before her third mini-album, she released two songs early. "G999," featuring rapper Mirani, came out on December 13, 2021. "Shutdown," featuring Seori, was released on December 30, 2021.

New Albums and Concerts: 2022

On January 19, 2022, Moonbyul released her third mini-album, 6equence. The album tells the story of a romantic relationship through six songs. It goes from meeting to breaking up. The main song, "Lunatic," is about obsession. Moonbyul said she wanted to challenge old ideas about gender through her music. This is shown in her gender-neutral lyrics and musical style. From March 5-6, 2022, Moonbyul held her second solo concerts, Director's Cut: 6equence, over two days.

On April 28, 2022, she released her fifth mini-album, C.I.T.T (Cheese in the Trap). It has a punk rock main song of the same name. It also includes "My Moon," an acoustic R&B song she wrote for her fans. C.I.T.T (Cheese in the Trap) sold much more than her previous album. Moonbyul became the sixth female K-pop solo artist to sell over 100,000 copies of a single album.

Moonbyul held two shows for her first overseas solo concert, Director's Cut: Japan Special Live, in Osaka, Japan, on August 20, 2022.

From August to November 2022, Moonbyul took part in the JTBC show The Second World. This was a singing competition for rappers from popular K-pop girl groups. In the first round, she performed her own version of Day 6's "Congratulations." Everyone loved her performance, and she got a perfect score. She was expected to win from the start. She continued to show her strong skills, winning two more rounds with perfect scores. In the end, she won first place. People even made a saying, "어우문" (eoumun), which means "Moonbyul is going to win anyway." This showed how dominant she was on the show.

Moonbyul released the special album The Present on her birthday, December 22, 2022. It included the funk-based R&B song "Present." This was her sixth solo release. She helped write and compose all the songs. She wanted to share warm music with her fans who have been with her through all seasons. The album also has "A Miracle 3 Days Ago" and "Chemistry." These songs were first released on her birthday in previous years. It's a tradition for her to give a song to her fans every year on her birthday.

First Studio Album and World Tour: 2023-Present

Moonbyul performing at 'MUSEUM: An Epic of Starlit' world tour.

On January 7, 2023, Moonbyul performed at the 37th Golden Disc Awards. This was her prize for winning The Second World. She performed her rap "On My Way" and her winning song "Comma." In February 2023, Moonbyul became a judge on JTBC's boy group survival show Peak Time. On April 29, Moonbyul performed at the Japanese Chimac Festival in Osaka, Japan. This was her first time performing as a solo artist at a music festival.

On February 20, 2024, Moonbyul released her first full-length album, Starlit of Muse. It included the main songs "Touchin&Movin" and "Think About." The album has 12 songs. It reached first place on the iTunes Top Albums Chart in ten different regions. It sold over 100,000 copies in its first week. Moonbyul then started her first solo world tour, Museum: An Epic of Starlit. She performed in Seoul, Taipei, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kaohsiung, Osaka, Tokyo, and Macau.

Moonbyul's Philanthropy and Giving Back

In April 2023, Moonbyul gave ₩10 million (about $7,500 USD) to the Miral Welfare Foundation. This money helped pay for emergency medical care and surgeries for children with disabilities. She also narrated the MBC documentary Miracle in Spring. This show talks about the challenges faced by children who are sick and have money problems.

Moonbyul's Discography

Studio Albums

Extended Plays (Mini-Albums)

Reissues

Single Albums

Singles

As the Main Artist

Collaborations

As a Featured Artist

Soundtrack Appearances

Other Charted Songs

Moonbyul's Filmography

Web Series

Television Shows

Radio Shows

Moonbyul's Concerts and Tours

Moonbyul's Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Moonbyul para niños