Nicole Jung facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nicole Jung
Jung in 2022
Born	Nicole Yongju Jung (1991-10-07) October 7, 1991 (age 33) Glendale, California, U.S
Other names	Jung Yong-ju
Occupation	Singer
Musical career
Genres	K-pop
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2007–present
Labels	iNKODE Dreamusic
Korean name
Hangul	정용주
Hanja	鄭龍珠
RR	Jeong Yongju
MR	Chŏng Yongju

Nicole Yongju Jung (Hangul: 정용주), known simply as Nicole, is a singer from South Korea and America. She was born on October 7, 1991. Nicole is a member of the popular South Korean girl group called Kara. She also released her own music, with her first solo album, First Romance, coming out on November 19, 2014.

Early Life and Education

Nicole Jung was born in Glendale, California, on October 7, 1991. Her parents are from Korea. She went to Mark Keppel Elementary School and Toll Middle School in Glendale. Nicole was very active in school. She sang in the choir, was part of the drill team, and played the violin for four years. She also took many dance classes.

Nicole decided to try out for a music company called DSP Media. She sent them a video of herself singing songs by Ivy and the Black Eyed Peas. After being accepted, Nicole moved to South Korea. It was a big change for her to get used to a new culture and be away from her friends. Her mom moved with her and opened a Korean BBQ restaurant.

Nicole also appeared on a TV show called "KAIST". The show was later renamed "Nicole The Entertainer's Introduction to Veterinary Science" and was filmed at Konkuk University. She finished her studies on the show in January 2010.

Music Career Highlights

Starting with Kara (2007–2013)

Nicole joined the girl group Kara and made her debut on March 29, 2007. She was the youngest member at the time. The group started with a song called "Break It." The original members were Park Gyuri, Han Seungyeon, and Kim Sunghee. Later, Kim Sunghee left the group. In July, two new members, Goo Hara and Kang Jiyoung, joined Kara.

Kara became very popular. On December 4, 2008, they released their second mini-album, "Pretty Girl." In February 2009, they released "Honey." The song "Honey" became their first number one hit on music shows. In July 2009, Kara released their second album, "Revolution." Songs like "Wanna" and "Mister" made them even more famous. They then released their third mini-album, "Lupin."

In August 2010, Kara started performing in Japan. They released a Japanese version of their song "Mister." After that, they released their fourth mini-album, "Jumping," in South Korea in November 2010.

Jung at an event in April 2011

On January 19, 2011, Nicole, along with Kang Jiyoung and Han Seung-yeon, announced they wanted to end their contract with DSP Media. However, the issue was resolved on April 28, 2011.

During Kara's first concert in Korea on February 18, 2012, Nicole hurt her ankle. She was performing a solo dance to Michael Jackson's "Beat It" when she got injured. Even though she was hurt, she finished the concert. She later received treatment and continued to perform the next day. Photos showed her in a wheelchair at airports, which revealed her injury to the public. Despite her ankle injury, Nicole still hosted the SBS "Inkigayo" music show with a cast on her leg. Because of her injury, she could not do the full dance routines during Kara's "Speed Up" promotions in Japan in March and April 2012.

In 2012, Kara released "Kara Collection," an album with solo songs from each member. Nicole's song was "Lost," and it featured her friend Jinwoon.

Nicole performed with Kara for the last time at the 2013 MBC Gayo Daejejeon on December 31, 2013. They sang a mix of their hit songs and "Damaged Lady" from their album Full Bloom.

Solo Music and New Beginnings (2014–Present)

On January 13, 2014, it was announced that Nicole would leave Kara. Her contract with DSP Media had ended. She then went to the United States for two months to improve her singing and dancing skills. She wanted to prepare for her solo music career.

On October 14, 2014, Nicole signed a contract with B2M Entertainment. This company was started by Gil Jong Hwa, who had worked with Kara since their beginning. They stayed in touch, and he helped Nicole with her solo debut.

Jung performing in December 2014

Nicole's first solo mini-album, First Romance, was released on November 19, 2014. The main song from the album was "MAMA." By the end of 2014, First Romance had sold over 10,000 copies.

In 2015, Nicole started her solo career in Japan. On June 24, she released her first Japanese single, "Something Special." She performed this song at 'KCON 2015 Japan X M! Countdown' before its official release. In December 2015, she announced her second Japanese single, "Don't Stop," which came out on February 17, 2016.

On March 2, 2016, Nicole shared on Instagram that she would release her first solo Japanese album, Bliss, on April 27, 2016. The main song from this album was "HAPPY." She also held her first solo concerts, "2016 Nicole The 1st Live," on April 29 and May 1, 2016. She later joined Diamond Music for her Japanese activities. In 2020, Nicole started her own YouTube channel.

In July 2022, Nicole signed with a new company called JWK Entertainment. She released a new digital song called "You.F.O" on July 27, 2022. In February 2023, her agency announced another new digital song, "Mysterious," which was released on March 9, 2023.

Jung at a music show in June 2024

Other Music Projects

Nicole has worked with other artists too. In 2008, she was featured on Sunha's album Fahrenheit in a song called "String." In April 2009, she sang a duet with Kang Kyun-seong called "Happy And." She also joined a TV show called Nodaji in August 2009.

In September 2009, Nicole performed live with Mighty Mouth for their song "Love Class." In July 2010, she sang a duet with Park Myung Soo for his song "Whale."

Nicole was part of a special group called "Dazzling Red" for the 2012 SBS Korean Music Festival. This group included other famous idols like Nana from After School, Hyuna from 4Minute, Hyoseong from Secret, and Hyorin from SISTAR. Dazzling Red released a song called "This Person" in December 2012.

On June 22, 2013, Nicole was the only Korean artist invited to the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards Japan. She performed her solo song "Lost" from Kara Collection.

Discography

Studio Albums

Extended Plays

Singles

As Lead Artist

As Featured Artist

Other Appearances

Video Albums

Film and Television Appearances

Films

TV Dramas

Variety and Reality Shows

Hosting Events

Awards and Recognition

See also

In Spanish: Nicole Jung para niños