Song Yuqi (
Chinese: 宋雨琦,
Korean: 송우기; born September 23, 1999), known
mononymously as Yuqi (
Korean: 우기), is a Chinese singer-songwriter, dancer and record producer. She is a member of the South Korean girl group
(G)I-dle, which debuted under Cube Entertainment in May 2018. She has been a cast member of the Chinese variety show
Keep Running since 2019 and hosted the
KakaoTV reality show Learn Way (2020–2021). In May 2021, Yuqi made her solo debut with single album A Page.
Life and career
1999–2018: Early life and pre-debut activities
Song Yuqi was born on September 23, 1999, in
Beijing, China. She attended
Beijing 101 Middle School.[3] In 2015, Song attended the Cube Star World Audition Beijing Station, performing
CLC's "High Heels" and
G.E.M.'s "
Bubble".[4] She passed her audition and became a trainee of Cube Entertainment. In February 2018, Song appeared in a YouTube video where she introduced herself as an idol trainee and asked passersby to listen to her singing.[5] The video received attention after she made her debut with (G)I-dle.
On April 8, 2018, Yuqi was revealed to be an upcoming member of
Cube Entertainment's new girl group, (G)I-dle.[6] She debuted with the group on May 2, 2018, with the lead single titled "
Latata" of their debut album, I Am.[7]
In 2019, Song became a cast member for the seventh season of the Chinese TV show Keep Running.[8]
In May 2020, Song debuted as a songwriter and composer with "
I'm the Trend," a song dedicated to (G)I-dle's fanbase.[14] On May 29, Song was cast alongside
WJSN's
Exy and Yeoreum in
1theK Originals' game show The First Date.[15] For (G)I-dle's
first single album, Song was credited for "
Dumdi Dumdi" Chinese lyrics and guide alongside Z King.[16] On September 17,
KakaoTV launched an original entertainment program hosted by Song, Learn Way.[17] In October, Song was cast in
tvN's I'm a Survivor, a reality show where entertainers undergo survival training for natural disasters.[18] On November 9, it was announced that Song would participate in G-Star 2020 with
Krafton, an
e-sports reality show where celebrities and streamers entered a special school for
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Series 3.[19] On November 22, Song appeared on Play Seoul, a program produced by the
Seoul Tourism Foundation and
KBS with the aim of promoting safe post-COVID-19 tourism in Seoul.[20] On November 30, Song also appeared in Seoul Connects U, a variety travel show jointly planned and produced by
MBC and Seoul Tourism Foundation.[21]
On January 11, 2021, (G)I-dle released their fourth extended play I Burn, on which Song co-wrote and co-composed the song "Lost."[22] Later that month, the group released a Chinese version of their lead single "
Hwaa," with Chinese lyrics written by Song.[23][24]
2021–present: Solo debut, China's activities, international collaborations
For most of 2021, Song focused on promoting as a soloist in China.[25] On May 6, 2021,
Cube Entertainment announced that Song would debut as a solo artist with single album A Page on May 13, which includes the lead singles "Giant" and "Bonnie & Clyde".[26] In August, she became a contestant in the music talent survival show Stage Boom.[27] On October 27, Song participated in the
Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and
Paralympic Games theme song "Salute to the Heroes".[28] Throughout 2021, Song also participated in multiple Chinese variety shows including Keep Running, Let's Fall In Love 3 [
zh], 2060 [
zh], and Shine! Super Brothers [
zh].[29]
In late 2021, Song returned to South Korea to prepare for (G)I-dle's comeback.[25] On March 14, 2022, the group released their first studio album I Never Die, on which Song participated in writing and composing the tracks "Polaroid" and "Liar."[30] In April, she was cast as a panelist in the
TVING web series Zero-Sum Game.[31] Later that month, Song's (G)I-dle groupmate
Cho Mi-yeon released her debut extended play My on which Song co-composed the track "Rain."[22] In October, (G)I-dle released their fifth extended play I Love, on which Song co-composed the tracks "Reset" and "
Dark (X-File)."[32]
In February 2023, Song and groupmate Miyeon released the song "Sweet Dream" as part of the soundtrack for the
Netflix romantic comedy series Love to Hate You.[33] Later in February, she collaborated with EDM producer team HypeerTime on the song "Not Cinderella" for the
KakaoPage webtoon I Wasn't the Cinderella.[34] In March, she was confirmed to return as a main cast member in season 11 of Keep Running.[35] In May, (G)I-dle returned with their sixth extended play I Feel, on which Song participated in writing and composing the tracks "All Night" and "Peter Pan."[22] In June, Song was a featured artist on
Choi Ye-na's "Hate Rodrigo," the lead single from Choi's second single album Hate XX.[36] The following month, she made her acting debut in the
Netflix original seriesCelebrity as Zhang Wei, a Chinese influencer.[37] On September 5, Song and Miyeon released the single "How to Twerk" as part of the soundtrack of the
Mnet dance competition show Street Woman Fighter 2.[38] Six days later, she was cast alongside
Chuu and
Billlie's Tsuki in the
Studio X+U entertainment show Star of Star Girls.[39]
On December 14, Song collaborated with
Alan Walker and
Jvke on the single "Fire!" off of Walker's fourth studio album Walkerworld.[40] On January 29, 2024, (G)I-dle released their second studio album 2, on which Song co-wrote and co-composed the tracks "Doll" and "Rollie".[41] On February 27, Song released "Bad Liar", a special track from the
tvN series Marry My Husband.[42]
On March 22, 2024, it was announced that Song would be making her Korean solo debut in April.[43] On April 2, it was officially confirmed that she would be releasing her first
EPYuq1 on April 23, with the pre-release single "Could It Be" released on April 5.[44]
Personal life
Song came to South Korea in 2016[45] and is known to have high-level
Korean proficiency.[46] Her Korean Proficiency level was certified in 2020 when she gained Level 5 out of 6 overall in the
TOPIK test (222, 8 points below the level 6 score of 230). When asked about her language skills in
KBS2's Happy Together 3, she answered, "
Kim Soo-hyun was my Korean teacher. I fell in love with him after watching the drama My Love from the Star. I studied Korean with my mother with the drama."[47]
She has appeared on various South Korean entertainment shows such as
KBS2Happy Together 3,
JTBCKnowing Bros,
MBC Every 1Korean Foreigners, and
SBSRunning Man. She was a special MC on
SBS MTV's The Show and hosted her own show on
KakaoTV, Learn Way. Song was praised for her sense of entertainment and fluent Korean. Korean media has complimented her "Yoo Jae-seok-class sense of entertainment" and praised her "outstanding Korean skills that are different from those from other idol groups".[46]
Other ventures
Fashion and endorsements
Aside from various endorsements with her group, Yuqi has promoted various products and featured in numerous advertisements. During her trainee years, she was a model for the local South Korean skin care line Rising Star Cosmetics.[49][50][51] On April 28, 2019, Song was introduced as Vivlas new beauty brand model.[52]
In 2021, Song become one of the most in-demand endorsers among young consumers for her outstanding performance skills.[citation needed] In June, Song endorsed Momenten, a sugar-free sparkling alcohol brand,[53][54] and Limeflare, a fashion and jewelry brand.[55] On August 6, she was chosen to become the face of luxury sunglasses and eyeglasses
Ray-Ban in Greater China due to her "brave[ness] in expressing her true self and full of positive energy."[56][57]
In February 2023, Song was announced as a brand spokesperson for Chinese cosmetics brand Into You.[58] On January 8, 2024, Song was announced as a brand ambassador for
Fendi.[59][60] Later that month, she became a brand ambassador for the online clothing brand Dekavv.[61] In April 2024, she became a brand ambassador for Anessa, a Japanese sunscreen brand owned by
Shiseido.[62]
Ambassadorship
In 2021, Song was appointed as the ambassador for the International Day of the Deaf, jointly organized by
Baidu and Listening Foundation.[63]
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^"INTO YOU官宣宋雨琦为色彩代言人线上线下引爆话题!" [Hot discussion on the whole network! INTO YOU officially announces that Song Yuqi will be the spokesperson of the color and ignites the topic online and offline!]. Sina (in Chinese). February 28, 2023.
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^安热沙携手品牌大使宋雨琦,开启防晒「日防夜修」新时代 [Anessa joins hands with brand ambassador Song Yuqi to usher in a new era of sun protection "Day Protection and Night Repair"]. Tom.com (in Chinese). April 8, 2024.
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