Tzuyu

Chou Tzu-yu (Chinese: 周子瑜; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chiu Chú-jû, born 1999), known mononymously as Tzuyu (Korean: 쯔위, Korean pronunciation: [t͈sɯ.ɥi]), is a Taiwanese singer based in South Korea. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Twice, formed by JYP Entertainment in 2015.[1][2][3]

Tzuyu
Tzuyu in August 2023
Born
Chou Tzu-yu

(1999-06-14) 14 June 1999
OccupationSinger
Musical career
OriginSouth Korea
Genres
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active2015–present
Labels
Member ofTwice
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese
Hanyu PinyinZhōu Zǐyú
Bopomofoㄓㄡ ㄗˇ ㄩˊ
Wade–GilesChou1 Tzŭ3-yü2
Hokkien POJChiu Chú-jû
Korean name
Hangul
Revised RomanizationJeou Jjeuwi
McCune–ReischauerChŏu Tchŭwi
Signature

Life and career

Early life and pre-debut activities

Tzuyu was born on June 14, 1999, in the East District of Tainan, Taiwan.[4][5][6] She started dancing from a young age and trained at a dance academy.[7]

In 2012, Tzuyu was discovered by talent scouts at the Muse Performing Arts Workshop in Tainan, and moved to South Korea in November of that year to begin training.[8][9] In 2015, Tzuyu participated in the South Korean reality television show Sixteen, created by JYP Entertainment and co-produced by Mnet.[1][10] As one of nine successful participants, she went on to join the newly formed girl group Twice.[1]

2015–present: Debut with Twice and solo activities

Tzuyu at Like Ooh-Ahh debut showcase in 2015

In October 2015, Tzuyu officially debuted as a member of Twice with the release of their first extended play, The Story Begins.[11] Its lead single "Like Ooh-Ahh" was the first K-pop debut song to reach 100 million views on YouTube.[12] Since then, she has worked as a presenter on multiple South Korean music television shows.[13] As a soloist, Tzuyu released covers of "Me!" by Taylor Swift and "Christmas Without You" by Ava Max as part of the Melody Project series.[14][15]

Other ventures

Endorsements

Tzuyu has featured alone in various advertisements, including those for LG U+[16] and Crocs Korea.[17] She covered the October 2021 issue of L'Officiel Malaysia[18] as a model for the Coach Fall/Winter 2021 collection.[19] In January 2022, Tzuyu was chosen as the new muse of South Korean clothing brand Zooc.[20][21] In October 2022, she was announced as the muse of Visée, one of Japan's most popular cosmetics brands.[22][23]

Philanthropy

On February 29, 2020, Tzuyu donated 50 million (US$43,708.2) to the South Korean Community Chest, for helping prevent the spread of COVID-19.[24]

Public image and influence

Public image

Tzuyu in 2018

Since her debut with Twice she received attention for her beauty,[1][13][25][26] and was nicknamed "Light of Taiwan"[upper-alpha 1] by the Taiwanese media due to her popularity.[28][29][30][31]

Influence

After the flag controversy in 2016, Tzuyu was credited with increasing Taiwanese votes by up to 1-2% in favor of President Tsai Ing-wen.[32][33] According to Gallup Korea's annual music survey, Tzuyu was the third most popular idol among South Koreans in 2016.[34] She ranked ninth in the 2017 survey[35] and twelfth in 2018.[36] In 2019, Tzuyu was ranked as the second most popular female K-pop idol in a survey of soldiers completing mandatory military service in South Korea.[37] In 2023, Tzuyu surpassed Jay Chou and became the most followed Taiwanese on Instagram with over 10 million followers.[38]

Personal life

In 2016, she passed an exam at Tainan Municipal Fusing Junior High School to certify her middle school education. She attended high school at Hanlim Multi Art School in South Korea, and graduated in February 2019 along with bandmate Chaeyoung.[39][40][41][42][43]

Flag controversy

In November 2015, Tzuyu appeared with bandmates Sana, Momo, and Mina on the Korean variety show My Little Television. She introduced herself as Taiwanese and held the flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan) alongside that of South Korea.[44] Mainland Chinese internet users reacted angrily towards Tzuyu's actions due to the political rift between the two countries.[45] Soon after, Twice was barred from Chinese television[46] and Tzuyu was pulled out of her endorsement with Chinese communications company Huawei.[47] Meanwhile, her agency, JYP Entertainment, released a video showing Tzuyu reading an apology, which said in part:

There is only one China, the two sides of the strait are one, and I have always felt proud to be Chinese. I feel extremely apologetic to my company and to Internet friends on both sides of the strait for the hurt that I have caused, and I also feel very guilty.[48]

Tzuyu's apology sparked a furor among the Taiwanese public on election day.[49][50] The incident gained international attention, as it was believed to have affected the 2016 Taiwanese general election.[48][33] A survey found that Tzuyu's video apology affected the decision of about 1.34 million young voters.[51]

In response to criticism, JYP Entertainment announced that it would be adopting new procedures concerning its exports and overseas activities in order to protect employees from future controversies. This included the implementation of cultural sensitivity training for its artists and staff members. In an interview with The Korea Times, a JYP representative stated that the training would include issues pertaining to political conflicts between countries.[52]

Discography

Collaborations

Title Year Album
Daring Woman (당돌한 여자)
(with Nayeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung)
2015 TwoYoo Project – Sugar Man Part.11

Songwriting credits

All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database unless stated otherwise.[53]

List of songs, showing year released, artist name, and name of the album
Title Year Artist Album Notes
"21:29" 2019 Twice Feel Special As lyricist
"Celebrate" 2022 Celebrate

Filmography

Television shows

Year Title Role Note Ref.
2015 Sixteen Contestant A survival show designed to select the members of Twice [10]
2016 Inkigayo Special MC with Nayeon, Minhyuk, and Kihyun [54]
2019 Battle Trip Cast with Chaeyoung and Dahyun, Ep. 141–142 [55]

Bibliography

Photobooks

Title Release date Publisher Ref.
Yes, I am Tzuyu. April 28, 2020 JYP Entertainment [56][57]

Notes

  1. (Chinese: 台灣之光) The light of Taiwan is a term commonly used by Taiwanese news media to refer to internationally famous Taiwanese, people of Taiwanese descent, or Taiwanese products. It is also a term used by Taiwanese to be proud of their local culture.[27]

References

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