Younha facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Younha
Younha in 2023
Background information
Birth name	Go Youn-ha
Born	(1988-04-29) April 29, 1988 (age 37) Cheongju, South Korea
Genres	Rock pop
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter record producer
Instruments	Vocals piano guitar
Years active	2004–present
Labels	MEPLUS C9
Korean name
Hangul	고윤하
Hanja	高潤荷
Revised Romanization	Go Yunha
McCune–Reischauer	Ko Yunha

Go Youn-ha (Hangul: 고윤하; Hanja: 高潤荷), known as Younha, is a talented singer, songwriter, and music producer from South Korea. She was born on April 29, 1988. Younha started her music journey in 2004 in Japan. There, people called her the "Oricon Comet" because her songs did very well on the Japanese music charts. In 2006, she also started her career in South Korea. Many people think she is one of the best singer-songwriters in her home country.

Early Life and Music Start

Younha was born in South Korea on April 29, 1988. She started playing the piano when she was just 5 years old. In elementary school, she began singing. Later, she taught herself Japanese by watching a popular Japanese TV show called Gokusen.

As a teenager, Younha tried out for about 20 different music companies in South Korea. However, she was turned down because they said she wasn't "pretty enough to become a star." Because of this, she left high school at 16 to follow her dream of singing in Japan. Younha later went to Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and studied Japanese.

Music Career Highlights

Starting in Japan (2004–2005)

Younha moved to Japan in January 2004. Her first song, "Yubikiri," came out in September that year. Even though it was part of a TV show, it wasn't a big hit.

Her second Japanese song, "Houkiboshi" (meaning "Comet"), became very popular. It was used in the anime series Bleach. This song reached #18 on the Oricon Singles Chart daily chart and went up to #12. This made Younha only the second South Korean artist, after BoA, to get into the Oricon Top 20.

After "Houkiboshi" became a success, she released "Motto Futari de" and "Touch / Yume no Tsuzuki". "Touch / Yume no Tsuzuki" was linked to the Touch movie and also did well, reaching #11 on the daily chart. After releasing four songs, Younha put out her first album, Go! Younha. It reached #10 on the Oricon daily charts.

Challenges and Korean Debut (2006–2007)

Younha's next three songs in Japan didn't do as well. They were "My Lover," "Te wo Tsunaide," and "Ima ga Daisuki". Even with links to shows like Bleach GC: Tasogare Ni Mamieru Shinigami and Jyu Oh Sei, they didn't make it into the top 50.

During this time, Younha started her music career in Korea. She released a digital song called "Audition." This song was played a lot on Korean TV and stayed popular on the charts for over three months.

Younha was chosen to sing an opening song for the anime Kiba. The song, "Hakanaku Tsuyoku," came out in January 2007. It did better than her previous Japanese songs, reaching #36. This was her last song with Epic Records in Japan.

Success in Korea (2007–2009)

Younha during a concert in 2008

Two months after "Hakanaku Tsuyoku," Younha released her first Korean album, The Perfect Day to Say I Love You. The album was a big hit, reaching #1 on the charts. Her song "Password 486" from this album won the SBS Inkigayo Mutizen award twice.

At the 2007 MKMF awards, Younha won the Best New Solo Artist award. Because of her growing success, she released a Korean version of her Japanese album Go! Younha. This new album was called Comet and came out in October. It had two popular songs: "혜성 (Hyeseong)" and "At First Sight."

In August 2008, Younha released her second Korean album, Someday. This album had two hit songs, "Telepathy" and "Gossip Boy." It also included a song called "Memory" which she worked on with Tablo.

In early 2009, Younha returned to the Japanese music scene. She released a Japanese version of "Memory" called "Kioku." It was used as the ending song for the Rideback anime. She also acted in a Japanese movie called On Next Sunday and sang its theme song.

Her third Korean album, Part A: Peace Love & Ice Cream, came out in April 2009. The main song, "1, 2, 3," showed a new, cuter style for Younha. Her music also changed from her usual piano rock sound to more pop music.

Comeback and New Albums (2012–Present)

Younha in 2012

After some challenges, Younha made a comeback with a new music company, wealive (now C9 Entertainment). She released her fourth album, Supersonic, in July 2012. This album featured other artists like Jay Park and Tiger JK. It had two popular songs, "Would We Have Changed?" and "Run." The album was praised for its rock style.

In May 2013, Younha released her second mini-album, Just Listen. This album brought her back to commercial success. "아니야 (Unacceptable)" became her first Top 5 song since 2009. In December 2013, she released her third mini-album, Subsonic. This year, she had three songs in the Top 10, which was a first for her.

In May 2014, Younha worked with rock singer Jung Joon-young on a song called "Just The Way You Are." It reached #11 on the Billboard K-pop Hot 100 chart. She achieved her first #1 song on the Gaon Charts with her solo version of "Umbrella," a song she originally sang with Epik High in 2008.

In November 2015, Younha released "Thinking About You," produced by Lee Chan-hyuk of Akdong Musician. Her fifth album, RescuE, came out in December 2017. Billboard magazine called it one of the best K-Pop albums of the 2010s.

She then released two mini-albums, Stable Mindset in 2019 and Unstable Mindset in January 2020. The song "Winter Flower" from Unstable Mindset was a collaboration with RM from BTS. Billboard described it as a "comforting power ballad." This song also made Younha the first Korean female solo artist to reach #1 on the US iTunes chart.

Younha released her sixth album, End Theory, in November 2021. A new version with three extra songs, End Theory: Final Edition, came out in March 2022. In June 2022, she released a digital song called "Rain Song," which was a new version of Epik High's song.

"Event Horizon," a song from End Theory: Final Edition, became very popular about six months after it was first released. This happened as Younha performed at many universities and festivals in late 2022. The song reached #1 on the Circle Digital Chart.

Younha released her seventh album, Growth Theory, in September 2024. The main song was "Sunfish." A new version, Growth Theory: Final Edition, was released in November.

Discography

Filmography

Films

Television Shows

Awards and Achievements

Younha has won many awards for her music. Here are some of them:

See Also

In Spanish: Younha para niños