Song So-hee

Song So-hee (; born 20 October 1997 ), widely known as the "Traditional Music Girl" , is a South Korean Gyeonggi minyo or traditional folk singer. She rose to fame after winning the KBS National Singing Contest in 2008 at the age of 11, earning her a reputation as a gugak prodigy. The South Korean government honored Song with the title "Best Korean of the Year" in 2010.

Early life and education Song was born in Yesan, Chungcheongnam-do on 20 October 1997. She is the eldest daughter of Song Geun-yeong and Yang Bok-rye. She has one younger sister, Song So-yeong.

Song displayed her talent for music at a very young age, which she later attributed to her father's habit of singing minyo, a genre of Korean folk songs, to her. When she was five years old, her parents enrolled her in a gugak academy to develop her singing skills. She studied under Gyeonggi folk singers Park Seok-sun and Lee Ho-yeon, the latter of whom is classified as a "Living National Treasure" by the South Korean government. She learned to play traditional Korean percussion instruments under samul nori master Lee Gwang-su.

Song attended Deoksan Elementary School, Imseong Middle School, and Hoseo High School, all in Chungcheongnam-do.

Career Song became famous nationwide after she performed "Changbu Taryeong" at the 2008 KBS National Singing Contest. Her performance left a deep impression upon the viewers. She won the grand prize in the contest and became the youngest grand prize winner in the 29 years of the contest's history.

Since then she performed on several popular Korean TV programs such as Star King, KBS , and . She sang songs such as "Changbu Taryeong", "Taepyongga", "Arirang", "Batnori", "Gunbam Taryeong", and "Battuiwara" on these programs and became more famous.

Her appearance on Star King in 2008 led her to another important training opportunity from Master Lee Ho-yeon, who is a specialist in Gyeonggi minyo. Having been impressed by So-hee's talent, Master Lee volunteered to provide training for her on a regular basis. Minyo (Korean folk song) literally means "song of folklore" and is the traditional music sung most frequently by Koreans. Minyo is broadly classified into five styles according to region: Gyeonggi, Namdo, Seodo, Dongbu and Jeju Minyo. Gyeonggi Minyo is traditionally popular in the central area around Seoul.

"She was born with a gift for singing Minyo. She has high-pitched voice tone and it's a clear, ringing voice (which is essential for singing minyo). She also has an extraordinary sense of pitch which enables her to learn new songs with ease. Also, her Bangulmok, a singing technique of Korean traditional music is exquisite"

Since 2008, she has been invited to perform at various events, both at home and abroad. Her main domestic events are Celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Republic of Korea in 2008, Baekje International Cultural Festival in 2010, Jeonju International Sori Festival in 2010, and Public Broadcasters International Seoul Meeting in 2011.

Song's popularity rapidly spread around the world due to her online videos and also the online replay services of South Korean TV programs she performed at, allowing people around the world to watch her performances. Many of them were stunned by her performances and fell in love with her and minyo.

Such international recognition provided her with opportunities to perform abroad. Since 2009, she has been invited to perform at official events and a variety of culture exchange events in various countries including Japan, Russia, and the United States. Some of those are the Korea-Japan Culture Exchange in 2009, the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Russia in 2010, the Korean Festival in 2011, and the opening events of the Korean Cultural Center India in 2012. In 2010, the government chose her as "Best Korean of the Year", a yearly award for someone who has graced and enriched the nation.

In 2014, Song sang "Arirang" at the closing ceremony of the Sochi Winter Paralympics on 10 March, and also won first place on the 26 July installment of "Immortal Song 2".

In 2014, she prematurely terminated her exclusive contract with Deokin Media following the sexual assault of a fellow singer under the label by the CEO's brother. The following lawsuit for breach of contract concluded after 6 years in 2019, setting a legal precedent for entertainers terminating their contracts ahead of time.

After signing with Warner Music Korea, Song So-hee has released two mini-albums and one single: 2015's New Song, 2016's "Love, Seasons" single, and 2018's Modern Folk Songs (a collaboration with traditional fusion band Second Moon).

She signed an exclusive contract with Magic Strawberry Sound in 2022 and released the single album Journey to Utopia in 2022 and the single Infodemics in collaboration with Jambinai's Lee Ilwoo in 2023.

On December 31, 2025, Song left Magic Strawberry Sound, after the end of her contract with the label.

Discography Extended plays Title EP details Peak chart positions Sales KOR New SongReleased: 23 April 2015 Label: SH Foundation, Warner Music Korea Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 8KOR: 1,461 Modern Minyo (모던민요)Released: 21 March 2018 Label: SH Foundation, Warner Music Korea Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 65 GangGangSullaeReleased: 4 April 2024 Label: Magic Strawberry Sound Formats: digital download, streaming — Re:5Released: 21 October 2025 Label: Magic Strawberry Sound Formats: CD, digital download, streaming —

Singles Title Details Peak chart positions KOR "Love, Seasons"Released: 25 July 2016 Label: SH Foundation, Warner Music Korea Formats: Digital download, streaming —"Odolttogi"(with Second Moon)Released: 24 December 2017 Label: SH Foundation, Warner Music Korea Formats: Digital download, streaming —"Arirari"Released: 18 November 2019 Label: SH Foundation, Warner Music Korea Formats: Digital download, streaming —"Miryang Arirang: A Precious Flower"Released: 12 December 2019 Label: SH Foundation, Miryang Cultural Foundation Formats: Digital download, streaming —"Moon Halo"Released: 29 February 2020 Label: SH Foundation, Warner Music Korea Formats: Digital download, streaming —"My Country, Korea"Released: 6 June 2021 Label: SH Foundation, Warner Music Korea Formats: Digital download, streaming —"구름곶 여행 : Journey to Utopia"Released: 25 November 2023 Label: Magic Strawberry Sound, Kakao Entertainment Formats: Digital download, streaming —"Infodemics"With: Ilwoo Lee from Jambinai Released: 27 May 2023 Label: Magic Strawberry Sound, Kakao Entertainment Formats: Digital download, streaming —"Asurajang" Released: 9 October 2023 Label: Magic Strawberry Sound, Kakao Entertainment Formats: Digital download, streaming —"Not a Dream" Released: 21 March 2025 Label: Magic Strawberry Sound, Kakao Entertainment Formats: Digital download, streaming 146"Dreamy walk (The Haunted Palace : Original Television Soundtrack)"Released: 30 May 2025 Label: Magic Strawberry Sound, Kakao Entertainment Formats: digital download, streaming —"SUZUME"Released: 28 August 2025 Label: Magic Strawberry Sound Formats: Digital download, streaming —

Compilation appearances Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales KOR Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend - Jo Young-nam (Part 1)Released: 26 July 2014 Label: KBS Media, LOEN Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download 98KOR: 18,289

Filmography

Variety shows

Television shows

Ambassadorship Korean hanbok ambassador (2022)