Sunny (singer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sunny
Sunny in July 2022
Born	Susan Soonkyu Lee (1989-05-15) May 15, 1989 (age 36) Orange County, California, U.S.
Other names	Lee Soon-kyu
Citizenship	United States South Korea
Occupation	Singer entertainer
Agent	A2O
Relatives	Lee Soo-man (uncle)
Musical career
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2007–present
Labels	SM A2O
Korean name
Hangul	이순규
RR	I Sungyu
MR	I Sun'gyu
Stage name
Hangul	써니
RR	Sseoni
MR	Ssŏni

Susan Soonkyu Lee (born May 15, 1989), known as Sunny, is a singer and entertainer from South Korea and the United States. She became famous as a member of the girl group Girls' Generation in August 2007. This group became one of the most popular and best-selling music groups in South Korea and around the world. Besides her group activities, Sunny has worked on many other projects. She has sung for movie soundtracks, appeared on TV shows, acted in musicals, and hosted radio programs.

Sunny's Journey: Life and Career Highlights

Early Life and Becoming a Star (1989–2007)

Sunny was born on May 15, 1989, in Orange County, California, in the United States. She has two older sisters, and all three share the same birthday! Her uncle, Lee Soo-man, is the person who started SM Entertainment, a very big entertainment company.

When Sunny was a baby, her family moved to Kuwait. But because of the Gulf War, they soon moved back to South Korea. They settled in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Sunny went to elementary, middle, and high school there. Her father was in a college band, which inspired Sunny to become a singer too.

In 1998, Sunny joined SM Entertainment as a trainee, which means she trained to become an idol. She trained there for five years. Later, she moved to another agency where her father worked. She was supposed to join a music duo called Sugar, but it didn't happen. In early 2007, another singer, Ayumi Lee, encouraged Sunny to rejoin SM Entertainment. She continued her training and officially debuted with Girls' Generation in August 2007. The group became very popular, especially after their hit song "Gee" came out in 2009.

Solo Adventures and Other Projects (2008–Present)

Besides her work with Girls' Generation, Sunny has done many exciting things on her own.

Radio and TV Appearances

In early 2008, Sunny co-hosted a radio show called Melon Chunji Radio. She also sang a solo song, "You Don't Know About Love," for a TV drama called Working Mom. In 2009, she released two more songs: "Finally Now" for the movie Story of Wine and "It's Love" with Taeyeon from Girls' Generation for the drama Heading to the Ground.

From 2009 to 2010, Sunny was a co-host for a TV music show called The M. She also joined the TV show Invincible Youth with Yuri, another Girls' Generation member. This show was about celebrities experiencing farm life. In March 2010, Sunny recorded "Your Doll" for the drama Oh! My Lady. This was her first song to appear on a music chart, reaching number 88.

Sunny performing at Angel Price Music Festival in 2011

Sunny continued on Invincible Youth 2 from 2011 to 2012. The show's director praised her for being smart and good at helping everyone get along.

Voice Acting and Musicals

In January 2012, Sunny tried voice acting for the first time. She voiced a koala named Miranda in the Korean version of the animated movie The Outback. She found it challenging at first because Miranda was a strong character, but she learned to express her with just her voice. In March 2012, Sunny became a host for the TV show Music Island. That year, she also recorded two duets: "I Love You, I Love You" with Brown Eyed Girls' Miryo and "It's Me" with f(x)'s Luna for the drama To the Beautiful You. These songs were popular on the music charts.

From 2012 to 2013, Sunny acted in her first musical, Catch Me If You Can. It was based on the true story of a con man. Sunny played Brenda, the main character's girlfriend. Critics liked her performance, especially her singing. She was even nominated for "Best New Actress" at the 6th Musical Awards. In June 2013, Sunny released "The 2nd Drawer" for the drama The Queen's Classroom, which also charted.

In March 2014, Sunny did more voice acting for the Korean version of the animated film Rio 2. She voiced Jewel, a blue macaw. The director was impressed with her ability to make different sounds for the character. Sunny enjoyed voice acting because it felt like going back to her childhood. In June 2014, she starred in her second musical, Singin' in the Rain, playing an aspiring actress named Kathy Selden. In November 2014, her solo song "First Kiss" was released.

Sunny at Style Icon Asia on March 15, 2016.

Between 2014 and 2015, Sunny was a cast member on the TV reality show Roommate, where celebrities lived together. During this time, she also hosted the MBC radio show FM Date. She even wrote the theme song for her show and won the "Rookie Radio DJ Award" for her work. In April 2015, Sunny sang on the indie band Roof Top House's song "Heart Throbbing," which also appeared on music charts. From August to October 2015, she co-hosted the TV show Serial Shopping Family.

In March 2016, Sunny became a judge on the show Vocal War: God's Voice, where professional singers battled against talented amateur singers. Starting in June 2016, she joined the TV show Cheonhajangsa, which explored traditional markets.

In August 2023, Sunny left SM Entertainment after her contract ended. In April 2025, A2O Entertainment announced that Sunny signed a contract to be a special trainer for their trainees. This new agency was started by her uncle, Lee Soo-man.

Music Sunny Has Released

Sunny's Acting Roles

Movies Sunny Appeared In

TV Shows Sunny Acted In

TV Shows Sunny Hosted or Appeared On

Web Shows Sunny Hosted

Radio Shows Sunny Hosted

Sunny's Musical Theatre Roles

Awards Sunny Has Won

See also

In Spanish: Sunny (cantante) para niños