BoA
- For other things named Boa, see Boa (disambiguation).
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BoA |
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Boa Kwon (권보아 Kwon Boa, born November 5, 1986 in Kyunggi-Do, South Korea) is an iconic Korean singer who is better known by her artistic name BoA* (Beat of Angel). She has released albums in both South Korea and Japan. Her Korean record label, SM Entertainment, has positioned her to become a cross-cultural idol for all of Asia.
She has released nine full-length albums, three mini-albums, two compilation albums, two remix albums, and over thirty singles in Japan and South Korea. Her albums have also been released as "overseas versions" throughout Asia and her total record sales are quickly approaching the ten million mark. BoA broke records in both Korea and Japan with her top songs, No. 1, Valenti, Listen to My Heart, and My Name. She has also made strides in music and acting with chart-breaking albums released in both Japanese and Korean.
BoA's first language is Korean, but she also speaks fluent Japanese and conversational English, and is also learning Mandarin Chinese. BoA has re-recorded several songs in Mandarin and has composed and written lyrics for several of her songs.
Today, BoA is considered one of the most popular pop artists in both Korea and Japan, and is one of the leading stars of the Korean Wave otherwise known as "Hallyu". She has been credited as helping establish and improve relations between Japan and Korea, where tensions have traditionally existed. She is recognized as the "Queen of Asia" by fans across the globe.
BoA has re-signed an extended contract with SM Entertainment until 2012 for which she will receive 100,000 shares of SM Entertainment.
Biography
The Early Years
BoA grew up in South Korea with two older brothers. At the age of ten, she accompanied one of her brothers to a talent search held by Korean musical conglomerate, SM Entertainment, which at the time was searching for a new international icon. After her parents reluctantly agreed to let her pursue a career in singing rather than finishing her education, BoA received training in singing, dancing, and foreign language in preparation for her Korean debut.
ID; Peace B era - First Korean album
At the age of thirteen, after two years of vigorous training, BoA released her Korean debut album ID; Peace B on August 25, 2000. The album was highly acclaimed and climbed into the top ten chart, going on to sell 218,114 copies. The album and its promotion were dazzling because of BoA's singing and dancing talents, which helped garner interest in her from overseas fans. Meanwhile, her Korean record label SM Entertainment made arrangements with Japanese music giant Avex Trax to launch BoA's music career in Japan.
Jumping into the World era - One-Fifth Korean album
In early 2001, BoA released her first mini album, Jumping into the World, which showcased more of her vocal skills. After this album was released, BoA took a hiatus from the Korean music industry to focus on the Japanese market. The months prior to release of her first Japanese single were spent entirely in Japan, and BoA was only allowed to speak Japanese in order to solidify her mastery of the language.[citation needed] BoA has described this period as one of the loneliest times in her life.
LISTEN TO MY HEART era - First Japanese album
The recording contract that BoA signed with avex trax resulted in her foray into the Japanese music industry. In 2001 she released her first single in the country, which was the Japanese version of ID; Peace B. Although the single debuted at only #20 on the Oricon chart, it received wide-spread publicity as BoA was a young foreigner with phenomenal dancing skills for her age. ID; Peace B was followed by subsequent singles Amazing Kiss (#23), 気持ちはつたわる (Kimochi wa Tsutawaru) (#15), and LISTEN TO MY HEART (#5). The single LISTEN TO MY HEART catapulted BoA into the spotlight (as few foreigners ever break into the top five of Japanese charts) and went on to sell over 180,000 copies. Finally, her much anticipated Japanese debut album, LISTEN TO MY HEART, was released on March 13, 2002. On the shoulders of the lead single, LISTEN TO MY HEART, the album debuted at #1 on the Oricon chart and would chart in the Oricon Top 200 for 91 weeks and go on to sell over 932,000 copies domestically and over 1,300,000 copies worldwide. This was a surprise not only because it was BoA's debut and she was a foreigner in Japan, but also because the album's release was during the 2002 World Cup, where competitive tension existed between Japan and South Korea. On the same day as the album's release, BoA's fifth single Every Heart -ミンナノキモチ- (minna no kimochi, everybody's feelings) was released. The song was the ending theme for the hit anime series InuYasha; the single peaked at #10 on the charts.
No.1 era - Second Korean album
Less than a month after BoA's chart-topping performance in Japan, she released her second full studio Korean album, NO.1. This album catapulted BoA to the top of the charts in Korea and became her biggest selling Korean album, with over 572,000 copies (excluding overseas sales). At this time BoA's popularity was soaring all across Asia.[citation needed] The album was also released in Japan and peaked at #15 on the charts—a very strong performance, considering it was neither English or Japanese album. Later in the year she would win a Daesang (Korean Music Award) award for this album, making her the youngest artist to ever receive the honor.
Miracle era - Two-Fifth Korean album
In September 2002, BoA released her second Korean mini-album which featured some Korean renditions of her Japanese songs and several original songs. This album was hailed as one of BoA's best Korean releases[citation needed] and it also erased the label that had characterized her career in Korea up to that point.
VALENTI era - Second Japanese album
After stellar album sales in both South Korea and Japan, BoA continued releasing singles in anticipation for her second Japanese album, including Don't Start Now (#17), a "special single" featuring a Japanese edition of the promotional track of her Korean mini album, Don't Start Now, and her biggest hit single Valenti. It peaked at #2 on the charts, her highest showing on the singles chart at the time, and would go on to sell over 200,000 copies. Valenti was quickly followed by two more hit singles: 奇蹟 (kiseki)/ NO.1 (#3), JEWEL SONG / BESIDE YOU –僕を呼ぶ声–(boku wo yobu koe) (#3). On January 29, 2003, her second full studio album VALENTI was released which combined the success of her previous Japanese album and hit #1 on the charts (with over 615,000 copies sold in the first week of release [these high first week debut sales were ranked as the 83rd highest of all time in Japan in a list compiled in January of 2006]). It became BoA's best selling Japanese album, selling over 1,250,000 copies domestically (making her the highest and fastest selling Asian foreigner in Japanese history) and 1,400,000 copies worldwide. After topping the album charts for two weeks in a row, VALENTI put BoA in the spotlight of the Japanese music scene with other superstars such as Ayumi Hamasaki and Utada Hikaru. The album's live tour was sold out in Osaka and Nagoya within 15 minutes while Tokyo sold out within a day.[citation needed] The album would go on to become one of the top five selling albums of the year in Japan.
BoA's VALENTI was also featured on Andamiro's popular dance simulation game, Pump It Up.
Atlantis Princess era - Third Korean album
This highly anticipated album again topped the charts in Korea. Released on May 30, 2003, Atlantis Princess would go on to sell over 340,000 copies. This album was well received throughout Korea and would receive multiple awards later in the year.
Shine we are! - Three-Fifth Korean album
BoA released her third mini-album Shine We Are!. This album again showcased Korean renditions of her Japanese songs, but later received criticism for the darker, more mature image portrayed on the cover and thus sold just 80,000 copies. This was her last Korean-translated Japanese album since 2004 to be released in South Korea.
LOVE & HONESTY era - Third Japanese album
After the release of her hit albums VALENTI and Atlantis Princess and her first country-wide tour LIVE TOUR 2003 -VALENTI- (in Japan; she has never done a full scale country-wide tour in Korea), BoA continued her career in Japan. She released several hit singles for her upcoming album: Shine We Are! / Earthsong (#2), DOUBLE/Midnight Parade/Milky Way - 君の歌 (#2), and Rock With You (#5). Then on January 15, 2004 her highly anticipated third Japanese album, LOVE & HONESTY, was released. It also reached #1 on the Oricon chart and would go on to sell over 650,000 copies domestically and over 800,000 copies worldwide. Although it did not sell as well as her VALENTI album, it was still among the top sellers in 2004. Another single from the album, Be the one (#15), was released a month later. Later, the album's live tour would prove to be a huge success (in some venues, with arenas filled to one thousand above capacity due to the high demand for seats).
My Name era - Fourth Korean album
In 2004, BoA's fourth full Korean album, My Name was released. This album ignited controversy because it showcased a complete style shift from the "young and cute" perfomer to a more mature one. (BoA was turning 19 in Korean age reckoning; 17 going 18 in non-Korean reckoning.) It would again top the charts in Korea and go on to sell over 200,000 copies. These sales, though slightly lower than that of her debut album's, was still very strong considering the heavy recession in the music industry of South Korea. Some point to this album as the beginning of BoA's decrease in popularity in Korea, while some suggest My Name is arguably her best album. Nevertheless, she concluded the year with victory by winning her second Daesang award at the 2004 MKMF Awards for the music video of the album's title track, My Name. The album was consequently followed by more focus on the Japanese market.
In June 2006, the music video for "My Name" became the first music video ever shown on MTV K, an MTV music channel directed at Korean-Americans.[1]
BEST OF SOUL era - First Japanese compilation album
After the release of LOVE & HONESTY and her highly acclaimed second live arena tour LIVE TOUR 2004 LOVE & HONESTY, several more singles were released: QUINCY / コノヨノシルシ (Kono Yo no Shirushi) (#4) and メリクリ (Merikuri) (#5). However, instead of releasing her expected fourth Japanese language studio album, BoA released her first "Best of" compilation album for her Japanese singles (plus a bonus track: "La La La Love Song" featuring Japanese hip-hop group SOUL'd Out) on February 2, 2005. This album catapulted BoA again to the #1 position on the charts and went on to sell over 1,090,000 copies domestically, and over 1,250,000 copies worldwide. BEST OF SOUL made BoA the first non-Japanese Asian singer to have two albums sell over a million copies domestically: VALENTI and BEST OF SOUL. [2] It reaffirmed BoA's position as one of the top singers in Japan; her third live tour would again sell out, and this album would be the ninth highest selling album of 2005.
Also, during this period BoA was rumoured to have gone on a date with a friend of her hairdresser after several pictures of their outing apparently showed the two as being intimate (holding hands and walking close to each other).[citation needed] However, BoA and Avex Trax both deny that the excursion was romantic at all and claim that the two are just friends. Further suspicions arose after the release of her 16th Japanese single, make a secret, which featured songs about keeping a relationship secret; however, no further pictures have surfaced since the outing in March, nor have any comments (or further details) from the man in question been released, which simply lead to more speculation and rumours.
Girls on Top era - Fifth Korean album
In 2005, BoA released her highly anticipated fifth album, Girls on Top. It reached #3 on the monthly charts, and so far has sold approximately 115,000 copies. Although the sales were disappointing to many, one should note that Korean album sales have dropped by over 50% from 2004 alone, so sales of over 100,000 copies are very respectable. This album also featured BoA's foray into a more "hip-hop" feel, following the trend of many other Korean artists who left the pure pop music sound. BoA also sported a "ragged" mullet for the first few weeks of promotion before switching back to a more feminine look during the promotion of the second leading track of the album, "MOTO". The album also hit #1 in Taiwan, showcasing BoA's popularity outside of South Korea and Japan. Also, for the album BoA would win the "Best Female Artist" award at the m.net music festival at the end of the year.
BoA celebrated the five year anniversary of her Korean debut with fans on August 25, 2005 and to advertise for the special event, a new limited edition "MOTO" repackaging for the Girls on Top album was released. It is rumoured that BoA's sixth Korean album may be pushed back from the expected release of summer 2006 to as late as early 2007 due to BoA's entrance into the Chinese market this year.
OUTGROW era - Fourth Japanese album
Capitalizing on the success of BEST OF SOUL, BoA's 15th single DO THE MOTION hit #1 on the Oricon chart, making her just the fifth non-Japanese singer to have a single hit #1, and the first in over 21 years. In September, BoA went on to release her 16th single, make a secret (#3. However due to the miniscule amount of promotion by avex, the single would end up as a huge flop, barely selling 55,000 copies. Her 17th single, 抱きしめる (Dakishimeru) (#9), was released on November 23, 2005 and was met with equally dismal sales. Her 18th single, a ballads Everlasting (#4), was released on January 18, 2006 and was also met with low debut sales (approximately 33,000 copies) due in great part to the proximity of its release to that of OUTGROW; however, the single's long chart life in the Top 20 allowed for it to break her mini-trend of flops, and gave BoA her first commercially successful single since 2005's DO THE MOTION. Everlasting was also released as her fourth Korean single, with the title track redone in Korean and a different B-side track, People say....
Her fourth Japanese studio album, OUTGROW, was released on February 15, 2006 and comes in two formats: a limited edition CD+DVD with the music videos from DO THE MOTION to Everlasting, and a normal CD version. People who bought the CD+DVD version also received a secret password to unlock a special version of BoA's official website. During that time, BoA's record label stated that with the worldwide release of OUTGROW, BoA's total record sales will most likely pass the ten-million mark, marking a major landmark in her career. After topping the charts in pre-orders from several online providers, OUTGROW hit number one on the Oricon chart for its first week of release, making it her fifth Japanese album to do so. This achievement also ties her with Namie Amuro, Kuraki Mai and MISIA for second place behind Ayumi Hamasaki (among female Japanese artists) in having her first four original studio albums hit number one; however, the album had relatively low debut sales (220,000 copies sold) making it her lowest-selling first-week debut for an original album. It is projected that Outgrow may become her lowest-selling Japanese studio album to date if the album does not manage to maintain a long chartlife in the Top 20.
BoA also released her first digital single, Merry Christmas from BoA, on December 7, 2005 (and online distribution came to a close on December 25th) and performed in NHK Best Singers contest for the fourth year in a row, making her the only foreigner to ever perform in the event for that many years) with other top Japanese artists such as SMAP and Ayumi Hamasaki.
BoA in SMTOWN
BoA has also gathered with the hottest K-pop artists in Korea to make compilation albums entitled "SMTOWN". BoA has been featured in the following songs:
- Winter Vacation In SMTOWN.com released in December 2000
- "Waiting For White Christmas" - SM Town
- "Christmas Time" - BoA
- "Merry Christmas" - BoA
- Winter Vacation in SMtown.com - Angel Eyes released in December 2001
- "Angel Eyes" - SM Town
- "Feliz Navidad" - BoA
- "겨울바람" (Winter Wind) - BoA
- Summer Vacation In SMTown.com released in June 2002
- "Summer Vacation" - SM Town
- "My Boy" - BoA
- "Amazing Kiss" - BoA
- 2002 Winter Vacation in SMTOWN.com - My Angel My Light released in December 2002
- "My Angel, My Light" - SM Town
- "Snow in My Mind" - Shoo, BoA, M.I.L.K, Isak N Jiyeon
- "Dear My Family" - SM Town
- "Jewel Song" - BoA
- 2003 Summer Vacation in SMTOWN.com released in June 2003
- "Hello! Summer!" - SM Town
- "Summer in Dream" - 희준 (Hee Jun), Shoo, BoA, 재원 (Jae Won), 현진 (Hyun Jin), 재영 (Jae Young)
- "Romeo" - BoA
- 2003 Winter Vacation In SMTOWN.com released in December 2003
- "두번째 겨울" (SnowFlake) - Kang Ta, Moon Hee Jun, Shoo, Fly to the Sky, BoA, 진영 (Jin Young), 지연 (Ji Yeon) & Dana
- "Feel the Same" - BoA
- 2004 Summer Vacation in SMTOWN.com released in July 2004
- "여름편지" (Hot Mail) - SM Town
- "Lollipop" - BoA
- "Midnight Parade" - BoA
- '06 SUMMER SMTOWN released in June 2006
- "태양은 가득히" (Red Sun) - SMTown
- "TOUCH" - BoA
Current career developments in Japan
On April 4 2006, BoA released her 19th single Nanairo no Ashita~brand new beat~/Your Color. The other A-Side (The single was a double A-side single)Your Color was used as the ending theme song for for the Xbox 360 Japanese release of Ninety-Nine Nights. This was the first BoA single to be released in the CD+DVD format.
BoA released a new single titled "KEY OF HEART / DOTCH" on August 8 2006 . The titular track is the Over the Hedge ending theme in Japan. She also released an English version of "KEY OF HEART", which was only be available on the first press edition of the single (BoA recorded her last English version of her single DOUBLE back in 2003). The single debuted at #4 on the Oricon charts but continued to drop each day. As of September 9, 2006, it has disappeared from the Oricon chart and has sold disappointing 39,552 copies. "KEY OF HEART / DOTCH" has the lowest first week debut sales of BoA's Japanese career since becoming a key player in the Japanese music industry, excluding her three 2001 singles and "Be the One," which was recut from a previously released album.
BoA's 2006 live Japanese tour, BoA THE LIVE, kicked off on September 29, 2006 in Nagoya, Japan. It will continue until October 29th with a total of 12 shows, two in each city (Nagoya, Fukuoka, Osaka, Tokyo, Sendai, and Sapporo).[3]
It was announced September 21, 2006 that BoA's 21st Japanese single will be titled "Winter Love". The release date is November 1, 2006 and will be available in CD and CD+DVD formats. The tracks include: "Winter Love", "Candle Lights", "LAST CHRISTMAS", "Winter Love (TV MIX)", "Candle Lights (TV MIX)", and a "Winter Love" video clip (CD+DVD version only).[4]
Her 2007 calendar has a scheduled release of October 27, 2006. [1]
BoA has a contract with avex trax until 2007, and is expected to renew her contract with the record company.
Current career developments in Korea
BoA has recently made her debut in the film industry as dubbing actress for the voice of "Heather" the Opossum in the Korean version of Over the Hedge, also her b-side track "People say...." was used as the ending theme for the film. It has been recently stated that BoA will push back a sixth Korean album in order for her to prepare her debut in the Chinese market. BoA released a new song on the "'06 SUMMER SMTOWN" album entitled "TOUCH".
On September 21, 2006, BoA released her first digital single in Korea - a Korean version of KEY OF HEART. It is also the background music of BoA's first Olympus commercial.
BoA is the most favoured artist in SM entertainment and has a contract with SM Entertainment until 2012.
Worldwide career developments
BoA appeared in the Korean Music Festival held in the Sydney Opera House on June 21, 2004 and in the Volvo "Hallyu" Concert in Universal City, California (outside of Los Angeles) on June 11, 2005. Most recently, she performed her song NO.1 before world leaders at the 2005 APEC conference in Busan, South Korea.
Chinese activity
BoA is planning on entering the Chinese market sometime in 2006 (most likely in the summer after her fourth Japanese live tour). She has released several overseas versions of her albums in Taiwan and China already, so she is reasonably well known in both countries (e.g Girls on Top hit #1 in Taiwan in September 2005). Her Korean record label plans to have her in acting roles in China in order to become more familiar to Chinese fans, before moving into the Chinese music scene.[5] She has already made appearance overseas this year through Levi's advertisements with Edison Chen.
Entrance into the U.S. market
Official SM representative and SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo Man stated in an interview, "BoA has no plans in the near future to establish a presence in the U.S. Market for several reasons"; however, she has once been quoted saying she wanted to enter the U.S. market before she turns 20. Lee Soo Man has said that there would not be a need to enter the U.S. market because "China will soon become the U.S.", hence creating the constant push for BoA to begin her acting career in China.
On the May 17, 2006, she attended the 59th Cannes Film Festival where she walked the red carpet with the original cast for Over the Hedge. She was the first Korean artist to attend such an event.
BoA's My Name music video became first premiere music video for opening of MTV K channel in the U.S. [2]
Other appearances
BoA has appeared on numerous advertisements, including KOSÉ, DoubleUDot, MISSHÀ, Lipton, Ting, Pantech Curitel, Elite, Lotte, Maybelline, Wired XYZ, Levi's, Nike, Olympus, and Skechers.
BoA has also been in several magazines across South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and occasionally in Brazil, France, and other non-Asian countries[citation needed]. Few notable ones include Popteen, ORICON STYLE, ELLEgirl, Walker series (Tokyo, Kansai, Tokai, Kyūshū, Yokohama, Chiba, Kobe, Hokkaidō, Taipei, and many more), GiRLPOP, Non-No, Seventeen Singapore, Seventeen Malaysia, Sweet, ELLE Korea, KIKI, Cawaii!, YOUNG SONG, Yomiuri, ZAPPY, WHAT's IN?, Melon, Esquire magazine, Vogue Korea, and 52 Street.
It was announced on August 23rd, 2006 that BoA has replaced Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun as the new face of Olympus Korea. BoA will be featured in their advertisements beginning in September 2006.[6]
Recently BoA was also featured in the Levi's Lady Style Commercial
Acting career
BoA made her debut in the film industry as a dubbing actress for the voice of Heather the Opossum in the Korean and Japanese versions of Over the Hedge, which was released on May 31, 2006 in Korea. It is rumoured that after this initial foray onto the "big screen" that BoA will star in a drama later this year.
It was rumored in 2002 that BoA might play Cho Chang in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" but in the end the role went to Scottish actress Katie Leung.
In 2005, BoA was given the main lead as Shin Chae Gyung in the rags to riches drama, Goong (Palace)[7], but due to her busy schedule, the role was passed on to former Baby V.O.X member, Yoon Eun Hye.
On June 28, 2006 it was rumored that BoA may star in her first movie role alongside Chinese superstars, Jay Chou and Yao Ming, in the highly anticipated film, Slam Dunk (Guan Lan), due to be released March, 2007. However in the midst of rampart rumors and speculation, SM Entertainment confirmed that BoA has refused the offer to star as the heroine in the upcoming film. "In order to participate in the filming, BoA would have to dedicate at least three months, and with her extremely busy schedule both in Korea and Japan, such a dedication is virtually impossible at the moment," explained a source at SM Entertainment, "therefore, BoA had no choice but to refuse the offer."[8]
It is quite likely that BoA’s first step as an actress will be in Korea, where there is no language barrier, and from there, will move onto the international stage.
Trivia
- BoA passed out after performing "Over The Top" at the 2005 KM Music Video Festival - BoA later complained of chest pains and was rushed to a nearby hospital to recover. [3]
- She is Catholic. [4]
- BoA once stated that she would like to perform with Justin Timberlake, but said, "He probably won't though. He would probably say, 'Who's BoA?'" [5]
- Her nickname is "Bosik". [6]
- BoA has met Hilary Duff, Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Howie Dorough (of the Backstreet Boys), Westlife, and Bruce Willis.
- Tablo of Epik High admitted on a Korean variety show that he joined BoA's fan club under the name "BoAJjang Cutie~". [7]
- BoA attended Yangjung Elementary School, Sahmyook Middle School, and Korean Kent Foreign School. [8]
- When she was in kindergarten, BoA buried a time capsule with a note inside saying she wished to become a singer. [9]
- BoA wants to someday perform in Pyongyang, North Korea. [10]
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | South Korea | ||||
| 2000 | ID; Peace B | — | 10 | ||
| 2002 | LISTEN TO MY HEART | 1 | — | ||
| 2002 | NO.1 | — | 1 | ||
| 2003 | VALENTI | 1 | — | ||
| 2003 | Atlantis Princess | — | 1 | ||
| 2004 | LOVE & HONESTY | 1 | — | ||
| 2004 | My Name | — | 1 | ||
| 2005 | Girls on Top | — | 3 | ||
| 2006 | OUTGROW | 1 | — | ||
Filmography
- Over the Hedge (Japanese and Korean version)
Books
DVD
Korean DVDs
- History of BoA
Japanese DVDs
- 8 films and More – 85,938 copies
- FIRST LIVE TOUR 2003 -VALENTI- – 56,261 copies
- LIVE TOUR 2004 LOVE & HONESTY – 46,795 copies
- ARENA TOUR 2005 BEST OF SOUL – 52,831 copies
Awards
| Years | Awards |
|---|---|
| 2000 |
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| 2001 |
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| 2002 |
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| 2003 |
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| 2004 |
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| 2005 |
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| 2006 |
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References
See also
- List of Koreans
- Contemporary culture of South Korea
- List of Korea-related topics
- K-pop
- J-pop
- List of Japan-related topics
- Japanese Culture
- Japanese music
- AVEX Records
- SM Entertainment
External links
- BoA's Official Korean Website
- BoA's Official Japanese Website
- BoA's Official Chinese Website
- BARKS Global Music Explorer
- Excite
- Oricon Style
- BoAjjang (English Fansite)
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