Born Choi Jun-hee in 1993, she’s better known by her stage name, “Juniel”. The young and talented South Korean singer-songwriter began her career in Japan before eventually debuting in South Korea. Thus, her official introduction kicked off with the release of her first EP, “Ready Go” in Japan in 2011. In July 2011, she cinched the role of F.T. Island’s “Messenger” tour’s opening act.
Without skipping a beat, Juniel released her second EP, “Dream & Hope”. Just three months after “Ready Go”.
Juniel wrote and released the single, “Forever” which was one of the songs in “Dream & Hope”. “Forever” was written to give support to those who suffered from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The single was later selected as a monthly recommendation by stores in Japan. Its whirlwind success was followed by being picked as the ending theme song for Gamers Yoasabi Sanshimai.
Slightly more than half a year later, on 7th June 2012, her debut Korean single, “illa illa” was released. “illa illa” consists of her self-composed songs which were previously released in Japan. Juniel’s Korean debut was said to be highly anticipated and it garnered the attention of eager fans almost immediately. “illa illa” was later chosen as the theme song for the character Im Mae-ari (played by Yoon Ji-ni) in the popular Korean drama series, “A Gentleman’s Dignity”:
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In 2012 alone, Juniel has won two awards, Cyworld Digital Music Awards’ “Rookie of the Month” and 19th Korean Entertainment Arts Awards’ “Rookie Singer”, alongside numerous award nominations for Mnet Asian Music Awards, MelOn Music Awards, and Seoul Music Awards. She is also currently in the running to bag the “Song of The Year” award for “illa illa” and the “New Rising K-Pop Star Award” at “Samsung GALAXY The 27th Golden Disk Awards in Kuala Lumpur”!
Other facts about Juniel as follows:
- She was first known as “Junie”, but eventually changed her name to “Juniel” (derived from combining her name, Junie, and L for “love”)
- As a child, she began dancing and singing, with popular female artiste BoA being her inspiration.
- Juniel wrote her first song entitled, “Boy” when she was only sixteen years old.
- While studying in Japan, she won the Japanese audition program “Niji Iro Supernova”, beating out many other singers and songwriters from all over the country.
- She auditioned at FNC Entertainment where she was signed on as a trainee on the same day as CN Blue’s Jung Yong-hwa.
- As a matter of fact, she was actually featured in F.T. Island’s “Jump Up” mini album, where she sang the chorus of “Magic”.
- Juniel made a cameo appearance on the series, “A Gentleman’s Dignity” (in which her song “illa illa” is featured) as a street performer in Hongdae.
Here’s another fact: Juniel is slated to make an appearance at “Samsung GALAXY The 27th Golden Disk Awards in Kuala Lumpur” (GDA).
To purchase tickets, hit up TicketPro or any of their participating outlets right now! Tickets to the event are available in three tiers, priced at RM999 (Samsung GALAXY Zone), RM688 (Rockpit), and RM199 (Hallyu Zone). We hear that tickets are going to go fast so hurry!
For more information, visit their official website.
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