Kim Yu-bin, referred to as Yubin, is a South Korean singer, rapper, songwriter and actress. She was a member of the South Korean girl group Wonder Girls.
Life and career
1988–2007: Early life
Kim Yu-bin was born in Gwangju, on October 4, 1988. She lived in Korea until high school, attending Anyang High School for a while before moving to San Jose, California, where she studied at and graduated from Leland High School. Yubin graduated from Myongji University with a degree in Film and Musical. She was originally set to debut as a member of Five Girls under Good Entertainment, along with G.NA, After School's Uee, Secret's Jun Hyo-seong. and Spica's Yang Ji-won. However, the group disbanded shortly before their scheduled debut in 2007 due to Good Entertainment's financial troubles and the members all left for separate South Korean entertainment companies.
2007–2017: Wonder Girls
Yubin made her debut as a new member of the Wonder Girls on September 7, 2007. She was introduced as the main rapper of the group, replacing Hyuna. Although she is known mostly as the rapper of the Wonder Girls, Yubin occasionally acts as an additional vocalist to the group. Examples of which include, "This Time" and "Wishing on a Star". Aside from performing with the group, she has appeared in several music videos including labelmate 2PM's "10 Out of 10" and Shinhwa's "Once in a Life Time". Yubin has also featured in several different artists' singles, i.e. Shinhwa's Andy Lee, Lee Min-woo, Kim Bum-soo, and Chun G. In 2008, she made a short cameo in MBC's popular sitcom, Here He Comes. Yubin showcased her written lyrics for the first time in Kim Bum-soo's song "Do You Know That?". Since then, Yubin has written her own raps for several other songs. In 2011, she wrote the lyrics for "Girls Girls", "Me, In", and "Sweet Dreams" from the Wonder Girls' second studio albumWonder World. Yubin also wrote the song "Hey Boy" for the group's mini album Wonder Party released on June 3, 2012. In 2013, she made her official acting debut in OCN's drama, The Virus, where she played the role of Lee Joo-yeong, a genius hacker and an IT specialist. On June 24, 2015, it was announced that the Wonder Girls will be making comeback after two-year hiatus as a band. On August 17, 2015, Yubin was confirmed to join Unpretty Rapstar second season. Her popularity exploded and as a consequence, her makeup and hairstyle became popular in South Korea. On January 26, 2017, it was announced that the Wonder Girls were to disband after their contracts had expired. Yubin was one of two members who chose to remain with JYP Entertainment as solo artists and renewed her contract. The group released their final single, "Draw Me", on February 10.
2018–present: Solo career
In April 2018, Yubin announced that she is preparing her solo debut through a Cosmopolitan magazine interview. On May 15, JYP Entertainment announced that she has finished filming the music video for the lead single, which is planned to be released alongside her album in early June. Yubin's first single album City Woman was released digitally on June 5, 2018 with the retro lead single "Lady". The B-side track, "City Lover", was not released due to copyrights after previously announcing the track would be delayed, due to similarities with Mariya Takeuchi's 1984 Japanese city pop song "Plastic Love". On November 27, 2018, Yubin's first EP #TUSM was released digitally alongside the title track "Thank U Soooo Much". The song’s lyrics tell off a former boyfriend for providing “too much information” during a breakup, sarcastically thanking him for his unnecessary revelations. Yubin co-wrote all three tracks on the EP and also co-composed the third track "Game Over". "Thank U Sooo Much" charted at number 21 on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart, marking her first appearance on the chart. In April 2019, Yubin served as a judge for the JTBC dance competition television showStage K. On October 30, Yubin released her third single album, Start of the End, alongside lead single "Silent Movie" featuring Yoon Mi-rae. She co-wrote "Silent Movie" and wrote the B-side track "Not Yours". Yubin left JYP Entertainment on January 25, 2020, with her departure announced three days later. In February 2020, Yubin founded her own music label, RRR Entertainment. In May 2020, Yubin released her single "Yaya ", her first released under her own music label "RRR Entertainment".
