Byul

The name Byul is shared by two South Korean artists. One is a KPop singer.the other one an underground electronica/dreampop project, KPop Singer: Kim Go Eun (김고은), better known as Byul (별, the Korean word for "star") is a female Korean singer. Byul is yet another pupil of Park Jin Young (JYP), who produces for G.O.D., Bi, Lim Jung Hee, Park Ji Yoon, etc. In sharp contrast to JYP's other female artist Lim Jung Hee, Byul has a soft and smooth voice so it is not surprising she is good at singing ballads. She debuted in late 2002 with the song "December 32nd", a song about a girl who is waiting for her lover - instead of getting into the new year, she waited past December 31 into December 32. This catchy song title and its touching melody captured the hearts of many audiences. The song became No. 1 on MBC's Music Camp late in 2002 - a rare feat for a new female singer. At 2002 year end award shows, Byul won the SBS New Artist award. Many think that her career is really going to take off. However, after her debut album, she disappeared from the music industry for more than 3 years. Rumors had that JYP wanted to fine tune her vocal skills and she also wanted to concentrate on school at that time. Finally in March 2005, Byul came back to release her 2nd album. The title song "안부" (How are you) featured new R&B artist Na Yoon Kwon. Their vocals matched very well and this duet hit the top 3 on most of the music charts. Even though Byul had hit songs on both of her first 2 albums, perhaps her most well known song is "I think I" from the hit TV drama "Full House" starring Bi and Song Hye Kyo. Because of this song, many fans from other Asian countries are starting to know Byul, and her 1st and 2nd albums are re-released in the Chinese market. She also appeared on Bi's "Asian Tour" as the opening act. Buyl's fans don't need to wait another 3 years for her new album. In May 2006, Byul released her 3rd album. This time her image is a lot more matured. At the age of 22, she wants to tell us that she is no longer a little girl. The title song "눈물샘" (Lachrymal Glands) is again storming up the charts. It is a ballad with a latin rhythm and an orchestral arrangement. Electronica Project: The electro project Byul is relatively unknown, but gained some attention with their song "2" on the "Take Care Of My Cat" soundtrack in 2001. The group consists of the five members 가네샤 (Ganesha), 허유 (Hur Yu), 박창용 (Park Chang-yong), 별 (Byul) and 이윤이 (Yi Yun-yi). Their sound varies from experimental electronica to very emotional and catchy dreampop. Their latest album "To Forget" is a more guitar-driven piece, bordering on the indie rock-gerne. So far, they have released some single-EPs and five albums of which most are already out of print. Yet, more work is in the making. Songs can be downloaded of their official website byul.org.