Hong Jin-young is a South Korean trot singer and entertainer. She was a member of the short-lived South Korean girl group SWAN, who debuted in 2007. In 2009, she returned to the music scene debuting as a trot singer. She is known for her vocal ability, signature aegyo, appearances on many variety programs and prevalence at events throughout South Korea all year round.
Education
In 2012, Hong Jin-young completed her PhD at the Chosun University in Business Administration. She also holds the Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Trade program from the same university.
Career
2006–2008: Career beginnings
Hong made her debut in small film and television roles. In 2006, she had a small part in the movie Who Slept With Her? and she also played a role in Yeon Gaesomun, a historical Korean drama that takes place in the seventh century. Hong began her music career in 2007, with SWAN, a Korean girl group consisting of members, Han Ji-na, Hong Jin-young, Heo Yoon-mi and Kim Yeon-ji, with their debut song "Call Me When You Hear This Song", featuring Coolapika.
2009–present: Solo career
In 2009, her agency CEO suggested her to switch to become a solo trot singer, a suggestion she initially resisted given her young age, as trot is regarded as an "older" genre of music in Korea. Nonetheless, she released her first digital single, "Love Battery". On August 6, 2010, she returned with a new digital single entitled, "My Love". On June 30, 2011, Hong along with many of South Korea's rising stars sang at the Changwon Sports Complex in a concert called "Changwon's First Anniversary Hope Concert, We Are". On March 22, 2013, she returned with the release of the digital single, "Boogie Man". During the year of 2014 she had parted ways from Core Contents Media alongside Davichi. Hong is well known for her multiple appearances on popular music variety shows like and King of Mask Singer. In 2014, she was a panelist and also in a virtual marriage with Namkoong Min on a popular variety show, We Got Married. In November of that year, Hong released her first EP, Life Note with the title song “Cheer Up”. Her virtual husband, Namkoong Min, appeared as her love interest in the music video in a cameo role. In 2016, she released her second EP, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, with title song “Thumb Up” and “Love Wifi”. She also released a cover of a well-known Chinese song called “The Moon Represents My Heart”. For the Korean remake, Hong wrote the lyrics herself. In February 2017, Hong released a digital single called “Loves Me, Loves Me Not” from “A Fabricated City” OST. In 2017, Hong was cast as a regular member of Sister's Slam Dunk. She was assigned as a rapper by the producers as it has been Hong's dream to become a rapper for a group, and she received direction from group leader Minzy and Jeon So-mi wrote the rap lyrics for their single, "Right?". Hong collaborated with comedian Kim Young-chul to release the electrot single "Ring Ring" on April 20, 2017, for which they won Best Trot at the 2017 MelOn Music Awards. In 2018, Hong released a retro trot style digital single, "Good Bye", composed by her long-time collaborator Jo Young-soo and well-known K-pop lyricist Kim Eana. She wrote and composed a second electrot single "I Kicked My Luck Off" for Kang Ho-dong, which was released through SM Station. In December 2018, Hong released a trot single about people and experiences in Seoul, entitled "Seoul", a collaboration with rapper Bray which she produced with Park Keun-tae. In January 2019, Hong released a digital single, a ballad titled "Love Is…". On 12 January 2019, Hong made her U.S. concert debut at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in California, to an audience of over 3,000. In March, 2019, Hong finally released her first studio album, titled Lots of Love.
