Wendy (singer)
South Korean singer (born 1994)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shon Seung-wan[2][3] (Korean: 손승완; born February 21, 1994), known professionally as Wendy (웬디), is a South Korean singer. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Red Velvet. In 2021, she made her solo debut with the EP Like Water. In 2022, she became a member of SM Entertainment's supergroup Got the Beat.
February 21, 1994
- Singer
Apart from her music career, Wendy has made various television appearances, including as a panelist on the reality show We Got Married (2015–2016), Trick & True (2016–2017), being cast on comedy show Saturday Night Live Korea (2021), and hosting Mysterious Record Shop (2021). From 2021 to 2023, Wendy hosted the radio program Wendy's Youngstreet. She made her theatrical debut in the musical Rebecca in 2023[4] and in 2025, started the web show Today is Wendy.[5]
Early life and education
Wendy was born on February 21, 1994, in Seongbuk-dong, a neighborhood in Seongbuk District in Seoul, South Korea.[6][7] Coming from a family of music lovers, Wendy showed interest in becoming a singer when she was only six years old.[8] Besides her passion for singing, she is also able to play several instruments, including the piano, guitar, flute, and saxophone.[9]
She lived with her family in Jecheon until her fifth year of elementary school, when she moved to Canada with her older sister, Shon Seung-hee,[10] to study abroad.[11][12] She lived in Brockville, Ontario[13] before moving to the United States to attend Shattuck-Saint Mary's in Faribault, Minnesota, where she was an honor student and athlete, and earned various awards for academics and music-related activities. There, she started using her English name 'Wendy Shon'.[2][3][14] Returning to Canada, she later studied at Richmond Hill High School in Richmond Hill, Ontario, where she participated in the school's show choir called Vocal Fusion.[15] While living in both countries, she became fluent in English.[16]
Her parents were initially against her pursuing a career in music and wanted her to focus on her studies, but while she was still in high school, they eventually allowed her to audition to become a singer in South Korea.[8]
Career
2010–2014: Pre-debut
In 2010, she submitted an online audition for Koreaboo's Global Auditions in 2011 with Cube Entertainment.[citation needed] Though she was not the final winner, she was one of fifteen finalists personally picked by Korean singer G.NA and Koreaboo from over 5,000 videos to continue to the final round in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and open for G.NA's first solo showcase.[17][unreliable source?][18] In 2018, YG Entertainment founder Yang Hyun-suk revealed Wendy once auditioned for the company but was not accepted.[19]
Wendy originally did not intend to audition for SM Entertainment, but was cast by the company when she accompanied a friend to the SM Global Audition in Canada in 2012.[citation needed] She recalled singing Kim Gun-mo's "Moon of Seoul" and passed.[20] She trained for less than two years before she was introduced as a member of S.M. Entertainment's predebut group SM Rookies on March 14, 2014.[21] As part of SM Rookies, Wendy released the song "Because I Love You" for the soundtrack of the Mnet drama Mimi and appeared in the song's music video.[21][22][23]
2014–2019: Debut with Red Velvet and solo activities
On August 1, 2014, Wendy made her official debut as a member of Red Velvet.[24]
Wendy collaborated with rapper Yuk Jidam for the song "Return", part of the OST of KBS2's Who Are You: School 2015. The song was released on June 8, 2015, and debuted at number 31 on the Gaon Digital Chart.[25][26][27] She released another song "Let You Know" for the soundtrack of the JTBC drama D-Day on October 16.[28]
In January 2016, Wendy became a long-term panelist on We Got Married and participated in King of Mask Singer as a contestant under the alias "Space Beauty Maetel".[29][30] In March 2016, she collaborated with Eric Nam on a duet titled "Spring Love", as part of SM Entertainment's SM Station project.[31] The song peaked at number 7 on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. In July 2016, Wendy and her Red Velvet bandmate Seulgi released an original soundtrack titled "Don't Push Me" for the TV drama series Uncontrollably Fond. In October 2016, she became a fixed panelist for the KBS show Trick & True together with her bandmate Irene.[32] In December 2016, Wendy participated in two other singles for the SM Station project, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", featuring pianist Moon Jung-jae and violinist Nile Lee, and "Sound of Your Heart", a collaboration with several SM Entertainment artists.[33][34] In the same month, she was featured in the English version of Latin pop star Ricky Martin's single "Vente Pa' Ca".[35]
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Wendy released the song "I Can Only See You" with Seulgi in January 2017 for the OST of the KBS2 TV series, Hwarang.[36] In February, she sang the Korean version of "My Time", part of Disney Channel's Elena of Avalor's official soundtrack.[37] In the same month, she became the host of the KBS World show K-Rush.[38] On October 27, she, along with Kangta and Seulgi, released a remake of the 2001 song "인형 (Doll)" by Shinhwa's Shin Hye-sung and Lee Ji-hoon as part of the second season of the SM Station project. Its music video used footage from their live performance of the song at the SM Town Live Tour V in Japan and was released on the same day.[39] She released a duet with Baek A-yeon on December 2, called "The Little Match Girl".[40] In February 2018, Wendy was chosen as the interactive holographic avatar of SK Telecom's new voice assistant speaker, 'Holobox'.[41]
In June 2018, Wendy was featured with Seulgi for Battle Trip's special episode themed 'The Country I Want to Live in', in which the pair visited Austria.[42][43] In July 2018, Wendy collaborated with Yang Da-il for the single "One Summer" which was released on July 2.[44] In October, it was announced that Wendy was set to release an English duet with American singer John Legend entitled "Written in the Stars" as part of the third season of SM Station, Station x 0.[45][46] The music video for the duet was released on October 19, 2018, on YouTube.[47] In November 2018, Wendy released the song "Goodbye" for the soundtrack of JTBC drama The Beauty Inside.[48]
On February 22, 2019, Wendy released the solo soundtrack, "What If Love", for tvN's drama Touch Your Heart.[49] In October, Wendy participated once again in King of Mask Singer, under the alias "Green Witch".[50]
2019–2020: Stage incident and hiatus
On December 25, 2019, Wendy was involved in a stage accident during her solo rehearsal at the 2019 SBS Gayo Daejeon. Due to an alleged lack of common safety measures by the show's crew members in the stage design, in addition to the lift stairs not being in place for the performance, she fell approximately 2.5 metres (8.2 ft). Her injuries included a pelvic fracture, a broken wrist and several facial injuries including a cracked cheekbone, with all injuries on the right side of her body.[51][52] The accident and subsequent hospitalization led to cancellation of all her planned activities.[53] In February 2020, Wendy was discharged from the hospital after spending two months recovering, and began outpatient treatment.[54]
2020–2023: Solo debut with Like Water, Wendy's Youngstreet, and Got the Beat
In March 2020, Wendy had her first public appearance since her accident, with an appearance on MBC Standard FM's Listen To Books.[55] In the same month, Wendy was confirmed to take part as main voice actress for the Korean release of DreamWorks animated film Trolls: World Tour. It was released in April.[56] In May, she collaborated with Zico for the OST of The King: Eternal Monarch titled "My Day Is Full Of You".[57]
In November 2020, aside from Red Velvet's OST "Future" for the drama Start-Up, Wendy also had a solo OST named "Two Words".[58] In the same month, Wendy featured in labelmate Taemin's "Be Your Enemy", which was in included in his studio album Never Gonna Dance Again.[59]
Wendy made her return to live performances on January 1, 2021, at SM Town Live Culture Humanity.[60] She then made her official return to television as a co-host of Mysterious Record Shop.[61] In March 2021, it was announced that Wendy would be making her debut as a solo artist with an album releasing in April.[62] Her first EP Like Water was released on April 5, containing a total of five songs including its lead single of the same name.[63]
On July 12, 2021, Wendy became the permanent nightly DJ host for SBS Power FM's radio show Wendy's Youngstreet, where she had been a special DJ for in 2018.[64][65] On December 27, 2021, Wendy was revealed as a member of supergroup Got the Beat alongside Red Velvet groupmate Seulgi. The group debuted on January 3, 2022.[66]
In June 2023, it was announced that Wendy would step down as the host of Wendy's Youngstreet.[67] In the same month, Wendy was cast as 'I' in the 10th Anniversary production of the musical Rebecca, marking her official theatre debut.[4]
2024–present: Wish You Hell and departure from SM Entertainment
On March 12, 2024, Wendy released her second EP Wish You Hell and its lead single of the same name.[68] In November 2024, she featured on BTS Jin's song "Heart on the Window" from his EP Happy.[69]
On April 4, 2025, SM Entertainment announced that its exclusive contract with Wendy had ended, but she will remain in Red Velvet and be involved in all future group activities.[70] On April 25, 2025, it was announced that Wendy signed an exclusive contract with Asnd.[71] On August 25, it was announced that Wendy would be releasing her third extended play Cerulean Verge on September 10.[72][73] On September 20, Wendy held her first stop of her world tour 'W:ealive' at Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul, the tour is set to have 17 shows and conclude in Manila on January 17. [74]
Other activities
Endorsements
Aside from endorsements with Red Velvet as a group, Wendy, in November 2018, became an endorser of Dongwon Yangban Rice Porridge with Irene.[75]
On December 31, 2020, L'Occitane Korea launched their new campaign, "Be Happy, Smile Again", with Wendy as a muse to commemorate the launch of their Happy Shea 2021 edition.[76] Later in February 2021, they launched another campaign for the new Pink Essence product with Wendy.[77] In March 2021, Wendy became the new presenter of Pond's.[78]
Philanthropy
In February 2020, Wendy donated ₩100 million through the Community Chest of Korea to help those affected by COVID-19 and became a member of its Honor Society in 2021.[79]
In March 2025, Wendy donated ₩50 million through the Community Chest of Korea to help with recovery efforts from wildfires that have occurred in the Ulsan, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam regions.[79]
Discography
Extended plays
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [80] |
JPN [81] |
JPN Hot [82] | |||
| Like Water | 4 | 35 | 71 | ||
| Wish You Hell |
|
2 | 33 | 28 | |
| Cerulean Verge |
|
8 | — | — |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [88] |
KOR Hot [89] | ||||
| As lead artist | |||||
| "Like Water" | 2021 | 54 | 85 | N/a | Like Water |
| "When This Rain Stops" | 91 | — | |||
| "Wish You Hell" | 2024 | 106 | — | Wish You Hell | |
| "Sunkiss" | 2025 | 187 | — | Cerulean Verge | |
| Collaborations | |||||
| "One Dream One Korea" (with various artists) |
2015 | — | — | N/a | Charity single |
| "Spring Love" (봄인가 봐) (with Eric Nam) |
2016 | 7 | — |
|
SM Station Season 1 |
| "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (with Moon Jung-jae and Nile Lee) |
— | — | N/a | ||
| "Sound of Your Heart" (너의 목소리) (with Yesung, Sunny, Luna, Seulgi, Taeil, Doyoung, and Steve Barakatt) |
— | — | |||
| "Doll" (인형) (with Kangta and Seulgi) |
2017 | — | — | SM Station Season 2 | |
| "The Little Match Girl" (성냥팔이 소녀) (with Baek A-yeon) |
55 | — |
| ||
| "One Summer" (그해 여름) (with Yang Da-il) |
2018 | 40 | — | N/a | Non-album single |
| "Written in the Stars" (with John Legend) |
—[A] | — | SM Station X 0 | ||
| "This Is Your Day (for every child, UNICEF)" (with various artists) |
2019 | — | — | SM Station X | |
| "Be Deep" (깊어지네) (with Son Tae-jin) |
2021 | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Airport Goodbyes" (공항로) (with the production of The Black Skirts) |
—[B] | — | |||
| "Miracle" (안부) (with MeloMance) |
2023 | 170 | — | SM Station Season 4 | |
| As featured artist | |||||
| "Vente Pa' Ca" (English Version) (Ricky Martin feat. Wendy) |
2016 | — | — | N/a | Non-album single |
| "Be Your Enemy" (Taemin feat. Wendy) |
2020 | —[C] | — | Never Gonna Dance Again: Act 2 | |
| "Move Mood Mode" (Taeyong feat. Wendy) |
2023 | —[D] | — | Shalala | |
| "55" (Code Kunst feat. Wendy, Baek Ye-rin) |
99 | — | Remember Archive | ||
| "Cheese" (Suho feat. Wendy) |
2024 | —[E] | — | 1 to 3 | |
| "Your Lips" (Jun. K feat. Wendy) |
2026 | —[F] | — | Non-album single | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | |||||
Soundtrack appearances
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions |
Sales | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [98] | ||||
| "Because I Love You" (슬픔 속에 그댈 지워야만 해) | 2014 | — |
|
Mimi OST |
| "Return" (with Yuk Jidam) |
2015 | 31 |
|
Who Are You: School 2015 OST |
| "Let You Know" (아나요) | 139 |
|
D-Day OST | |
| "Don't Push Me" (밀지마) (with Seulgi) |
2016 | 25 |
|
Uncontrollably Fond OST |
| "I Can Only See You" (너만보여) (with Seulgi) |
2017 | 80 |
|
Hwarang OST |
| "My Time" (Korean Version) | — | N/a | Elena of Avalor OST | |
| "Goodbye" | 2018 | 31 | The Beauty Inside OST | |
| "What If Love" | 2019 | 158 | Touch Your Heart OST | |
| "My Day Is Full of You" (나의 하루는 다 너로 가득해) (with Zico) |
2020 | 148 | The King: Eternal Monarch OST | |
| "Two Words" (두 글자) | 143 | Start-Up OST | ||
| "If I Could Read Your Mind" (나를 신경 쓰고 있는 건가) | 2021 | —[G] | Yumi's Cells OST Part 1 | |
| "Girls" | 2022 | —[H] | Seoul Check-in OST Part 1 | |
| "Noblesse" | —[I] | Adele OST | ||
| "Blazing Steps" | 2025 | — | Marry My Husband Japan OST | |
| "Daydream" | 2026 | 76 | Can This Love Be Translated? OST | |
| "My Everything" | —[J] | No Tail to Tell OST | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | ||||
Other charted songs
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [111] | |||
| "Why Can't You Love Me?" | 2021 | 200 | Like Water |
| "The Road" (초행길) | —[K] | ||
| "Best Friend" (with Seulgi) |
—[L] | ||
| "That Place in Between" (그 사이) | —[M] | Morning Dew 50th Anniversary Tribute to Kim Min-Gi, Vol. 3 | |
| "His Car Isn’t Yours" | 2024 | —[N] | Wish You Hell |
| "Best Ever" | —[O] | ||
| "Better Judgment" | —[P] | ||
| "Queen Of The Party" | —[Q] | ||
| "Vermilion" | —[R] | ||
| "Heart on the Window" (with Jin) |
139 | Happy | |
| "Fireproof" | 2025 | —[S] | Cerulean Verge |
| "Existential Crisis" | —[T] | ||
| "Hate²" | —[U] | ||
| "Chapter You" | —[V] | ||
| "Believe" | —[W] | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | |||
Composition credits
All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database unless stated otherwise.[116]
| Song | Year | Artist | Album | Credited | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyricist | Composition | |||||
| "Close to Me (Remix)" | 2019 | Ellie Goulding, Diplo & Red Velvet | Non-album single |  |
 |
[117] |
| "Existential Crisis" | 2025 | Herself | Cerulean Verge | |
|
— |
| "Hate²" | |
| ||||
Videography
Music videos
| Title | Year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| "Because I Love You" (OST of Mimi) |
2014 | [118] |
| "My Time" (Kor. version OST of Elena of Avalor) |
2017 | [119] |
| "Like Water" | 2021 | [120] |
| "Wish You Hell" | 2024 | [121] |
| "Sunkiss" | 2025 | [122] |
| Collaborations | ||
| "Spring Love" (with Eric Nam) |
2016 | [123] |
| "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (with Moon Jung-jae and Nile Lee) |
[124] | |
| "The Little Match Girl" (with Baek A-yeon) |
2017 | [125] |
| "Written in the Stars" (with John Legend) |
2018 | [126] |
| "This Is Your Day (for every child, UNICEF)" (with various artist) |
2019 | [127] |
| As featured artist | ||
| "Cheese" (Suho feat. Wendy) |
2024 | [128] |
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | SMTown: The Stage | Herself | Documentary film | [129] |
| 2020 | Trolls World Tour | Wani (voice) | Animated film | [130] |
| Queen Poppy (voice) | Korean-dubbed version of the Animated film | [131] | ||
| 2023 | Trolls Band Together | [132] |
Television drama
| Year | Title | Role | Note | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Descendants of the Sun | Herself | Cameo (Episode 16) | [133] |
Television shows
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 People, 100 Songs | Contestant | With Seulgi | [134] |
| Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend | Goodbye with Seulgi and Joy (Episodes 223–224) | [135][136] | ||
| 2015–2016 | We Got Married | Panelist | [29] | |
| 2016 | King of Mask Singer | Contestant | As "Space Beauty Maetel" (Episode 43) | [137] |
| 2016–2017 | Trick & True | Panelist | [32][138] | |
| 2017 | Girl Group Battle | Contestant | With Seulgi and Joy (Korean New Year Special) | [139] |
| Raid the Convenience Store | Host | Pilot episode | [140] | |
| K-Rush | Episodes 1–4 | [38] | ||
| 2018 | Battle Trip | Cast | With Seulgi (Episodes 100–103) | [141] |
| 2019 | King of Mask Singer | Contestant | As "Green Witch" (Episodes 225–226) | [50] |
| 2021 | Mysterious Record Shop | Host | with Yoon Jong-shin, Jang Yoon-jeong and Kyuhyun | [142] |
| 2022 | Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend | Contestant | Living in the Same Time by Naul (Episode 578) | [143] |
| 2024 | Build Up: Vocal Boy Group Survival | Judge | [144] | |
| Song Stealer | Contestant | New year's pilot episode | [145] | |
| The Ddandara | Mentor | With Park Jin-Young, Cha Tae-hyun, Kim Ha-neul | [146] | |
| 2025 | Bangpan Music: Wherever You Go | Performer | With Lee Chan-Won, Han-hae, Danny-Goo | [147] |
Web shows
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Saturday Night Live Korea | Cast member | [148] |
Radio shows
| Year | Title | Role | Note | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Kiss the Radio | Special DJ | With Seulgi | [149] |
| 2018 | NCT Night Night | [150] | ||
| Youngstreet | [151] | |||
| 2020 | Listen to Books | [55] | ||
| 2021–2023; 2024–present |
Wendy's Youngstreet | DJ | First hosting from July 2021 – July 2023 Return hosting in August 2024 |
[64][65][152] |
Theatre
| Year | Production | Role | Venue | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Rebecca das Musical | Ich | Shinhan Card Hall in Blue Square, Seoul | Korean Premiere Production | [4] |
Concerts and tours
Headlining
- W:ealive (2025–2026)
Awards and nominations
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Pop Music Awards | 2024 | Best Female Artist (Overseas) | "Wish You Hell" | Won | [153] |
| People's Choice Award (Overseas) | Won | ||||
| Song of the Year (Overseas) | "Cheese" | Won | |||
| Top 20 Albums of the Year (Overseas) | Wish You Hell | Won | |||
| Brand of the Year Awards | 2022 | Radio DJ of the Year | Wendy's Youngstreet | Won | [154] |
| 2025 | Female Radio DJ of the Year | Won | [155] | ||
| D Awards | 2025 | Best Female Solo Popularity Award | Wendy | Won | [156] |
| Korea First Brand Awards | 2022 | Radio DJ | Wendy's Youngstreet | Won | [157] |
| Korean Music Awards | 2022 | Best Pop Song | "When This Rain Stops" | Nominated | [158] |
| Mnet Asian Music Awards | 2016 | Best Collaboration | "Spring Love" (with Eric Nam) | Nominated | [159] |
| SBS Entertainment Awards | 2022 | Radio DJ Award – Power FM | Wendy's Youngstreet | Won | [160] |
| SEC Awards | 2026 | Asian Artist of the Year | Wendy | Pending | [161] |
| Seoul Music Awards | 2022 | Ballad Award | Won | [162] | |
| 2025 | Main Prize (Bonsang) | Nominated | [163] | ||
| Popularity Award | Nominated | ||||
| K-Wave Special Award | Nominated | ||||
| K-pop World Choice – Solo | Nominated | ||||
| MAMA Awards | 2025 | Fans' Choice Female Top 10 | Nominated | [164] |
