Moonbyul

Moon Byul-yi (Korean: 문별이, born December 22, 1992), known professionally by her stage name Moonbyul (문별; stylized as Moon Byul), is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter and talk show host currently signed to RBW. She is the rapper and performer of the South Korean girl group Mamamoo and its sub-unit Mamamoo+.

She made her debut as a solo artist in May 2018, releasing the digital single "Selfish". According to the Korea Music Copyright Association, Moonbyul has songwriting credits on over 100 songs, making her one of the most credited female artists in the Korean music industry. She is also known for winning first place on JTBC's survival show The Second World.

Early life and education
Moon Byul-yi was born on December 22, 1992, in Bucheon, South Korea. The oldest of three daughters, she has two younger sisters who are four and twelve years apart from her in age. Her dream before discovering music was to become a police officer or teacher.

During her middle school years, she became interested in singing after watching TVXQ's performance of "Rising Sun". She found her passion for performing and decided to become a singer after being applauded for a performance she gave at her school's Christmas caroling contest. She also admired the girl group Girls' Generation, especially their leader Taeyeon, and attended SM Entertainment's academy in an attempt to follow in her footsteps. She graduated from Wonmi High School, and later from the Paekche Institute of the Arts majoring in media, music and vocals.

Name
Her stage name Moonbyul is derived from a combination of her surname "Moon" and her birth name "Byul-yi". A rare name, her name originates from her father who looked up at the sky on the night of her birth as he was wondering what to name her – when he saw more stars twinkling than usual, he decided on the name "Byul" which means 'star' in Korean. It also has the message that he wanted her to become person who sparkles and shines. She is often nicknamed "Byul" or "Byulie" by acquaintances and fans.

She adopts the alias Moonstar as her rap name, as it is what her name symbolizes in English. Since her debut, she has included it as a signature sound and incorporated it in various forms in her lyrics, as well as when she provides a featuring in songs by other artists. The motifs of the moon and stars are often associated with her as well.

2011–2014: Career beginnings
In pursuing her path to become a singer, Moonbyul attended 11 auditions, signed trainee contracts with at least three agencies, and also fell victim to scams by fake entertainment companies. It is said that among all the Mamamoo members, she underwent the most colorful and event-filled journey during her trainee days until she was finally able to successfully make her debut.

She joined her present label RBW in 2011. Despite originally passing her audition as a vocalist and training as one, it was suggested to her by their record producer that she switch to becoming a rapper, as the group needed a rapper. Although she was rather unfamiliar with the genre and was only informed six months prior, she would go on to successfully debut as a member of Mamamoo on June 19, 2014. According to the group's WAW documentary, Moonbyul also specialized in freestyle dance and hip-hop, and would show up to monthly evaluations with self-made routines she choreographed herself.

2014–present: Mamamoo
Moonbyul debuted as a member of the girl group Mamamoo on June 19, 2014, with the release of their first extended play (EP) Hello. As one of the members in charge of performance, she was responsible for creating the choreography for the group's debut track, the lead single "Mr. Ambiguous".

Since the release of their second extended play Piano Man in November 2014, Moonbyul has co-written almost all lead singles released in Mamamoo's discography, including the entirety of her own raps.

In November 2016, Mamamoo performed at the 37th annual Blue Dragon Film Awards, one of the most prestigious film awards in South Korean entertainment industry. They put a creative twist on their song "Decalcomanie" by including adlibs that referenced famous quotes and well-known lines from popular movies that year. In particular, Moonbyul's line "Jung Woo-sung, if I drink this in one shot, will you go out with me?" towards the actor garnered the most attention, along with his reaction that was captured on screen. The moment went viral in South Korea, garnering 1.5 million views within a day. As a result, the group and their song "Decalcomanie" gained a surge in popularity and rose to the top of real-time music charts, becoming a hit domestically.

In June 2017, Moonbyul released her first solo track, "Love & Hate", as part of Mamamoo's fifth EP, Purple. She wrote the song based on her own past relationship, conveying the heartbreak of feeling alone even while the other person was there. Her interpretation of the bittersweetness of first love, is reflected in her dancing in the performance video as well.

2018–2020: Launch of solo career and Dark Side of the Moon
On May 23, 2018, Moonbyul made her debut as a solo artist with the EP Selfish, headed by the lead single of the same name. The song and music video featured her close friend, Seulgi of Red Velvet. The mini album also contains hip-hop R&B track "In My Room" and the acoustic version of her formerly released "Love & Hate".

Almost two years later, Moonbyul released her second EP, Dark Side of the Moon, on February 14, 2020. Rolling Stone described the album as "surprisingly expansive in the genres it explores", experimenting with a range of genres including jazz, blues, ballads and hip-hop, while the lead single "Eclipse" is described as a "powerful blend of rock, synth and trap". Billboard commended the release for continuing Mamamoo's legacy of relaying different ideas of feminine strength through their music, adding praise to Moonbyul for being "bold in both sound and style, showing off her fierce duality as both a singer and rapper". Upon release, the album charted at number one on the iTunes Top Album Chart in four countries, and ranked within the Top 5 in ten regions worldwide. Its lead single "Eclipse" also peaked at number fourteen on Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart for the week of February 14, 2020. Dark Side of the Moon sold 66,000 copies in the first week of its release alone and ranked first on Gaon Chart's Retail Album Chart for the 7th week of 2020, achieving the fourth highest-selling album by a South Korean female solo artist at the time.

Moonbyul's third EP, 門OON, was released as a repackaged version of Dark Side of the Moon, on May 29, 2020. Its lead single "Absence" is described as an "emotional ballad that captures precarious emotions with sincere lyrics written by Moonbyul and conveyed through her heart-wrenching vocals". The album marked a transformation as she "took off the girl crush image she is known for and returned with a nostalgic, dreamy sensibility". Moonbyul stated her inspiration for the song came from the South Korean television series The World of the Married which was based on the BBC One drama series Doctor Foster, specifically the character played by actress Han So-Hee.

On May 30, 2020, she held her first solo concert titled “門OON”. It was made available online worldwide via the streaming platform VLIVE, and fellow member Wheein appeared as a special guest. The concert was a commercial success, generating ₩400 million in revenue from online sales alone.

2020–2021: Venturing beyond music and successful hosting debut
On June 11, 2020, she opened her personal TikTok account. As of May 2023, she has 3 million followers and 19.7 million likes on her videos.

From July 2020 onwards, Moonbyul was appointed as a host for the weekly radio program Avengirls on Naver NOW., the streaming platform owned by the Naver Corporation that operates South Korea's largest search engine. Upon garnering high broadcast ratings, she launched Studio Moon Night, her own flagship talk show, on February 15, 2021. With this live broadcast program that aired thrice weekly with new guests appearing each episode, she became the first Mamamoo member to venture into hosting and having a program named after her. She also composed and wrote the theme song for the show herself.

Studio Moon Night was renewed for a second season in March 2022 after marking its first anniversary of being on air. In May of the same year, Moonbyul was awarded at 2022 Korea Brand Customer Loyalty Index for her work as a host in the live broadcasting category. The Brand Customer Loyalty Awards is held annually by the Korean Consumers Council to recognize the brands and personalities that have the most influence on popular culture and society, as determined through consumer research in association with the U.S. consulting firm Brand Keys.

In October 2021, she joined the cast of SBS entertainment program Kick a Goal, a variety show in which female cast members of various ages (ranging from twenty to over forty years old) form teams and compete against each other in amateur football matches. Moonbyul scored her first ever goal on the August 24th, 2022 episode to help her team FC Top Girl advance to the Super League, which recorded the highest viewership ratings of 9.6% per minute.

On December 20, 2021, Moonbyul launched her YouTube channel, "moonbyul2da". She uploads song covers, special choreography, camping videos and her various experiences trying new sports or hobbies. In the lead-up to her third EP, Moonbyul pre-released two tracks; the hip-hop single "G999", featuring fellow female rapper Mirani, on December 13, 2021, and sensual R&B single "Shutdown", featuring Seori, on December 30, 2021.

2022: 6equence, solo concerts, and C.I.T.T (Cheese in the Trap)
On January 19, 2022, Moonbyul released her third EP, 6equence. The album depicts a chronological sequence of six scenes of a romantic relationship from meeting to parting through its six tracks, reaching the climax of obsession with house-based title track "Lunatic", and is designed to be enjoyed "as if watching a short film". Moonbyul stated in the run-up to 6equence's release that she hopes to challenge the binary view of gender through her music, reflected in her androgynous musical style and gender-neutral lyrics. From March 5–6, 2022, Moonbyul held her second solo concerts Director's Cut: 6equence over two days.

On April 28, 2022, she released her fifth EP, C.I.T.T (Cheese in the Trap), containing punk rock lead single of the same name, as well as acoustic R&B track "My Moon", self-composed by Moonbyul as a song for her fans. C.I.T.T (Cheese in the Trap) largely overwhelmed her previous album's sales and she became the sixth female solo K-pop artist of all-time to surpass 100,000 records sold with a single album.

Moonbyul held two shows from her first overseas solo concert Director's Cut: Japan Special Live in Osaka, Japan on 20 August 2022.

From August to November 2022, Moonbyul participated in and won the JTBC survival program The Second World, in which rappers from leading K-pop girl groups competed in a full-scale vocal battle. In the first round, she gave a universally praised performance with her own arrangement of Day 6's "Congratulations", ranking first with a perfect 2,000 points. Mentioned as a strong contender to win the competition from the start, she continued to display her formidability, winning two more rounds with full scores. Ultimately, she took first place in the finale and the phrase "어우문" (acronym of "Moonbyul is going to win anyway") was coined to describe her unbeatable dominance throughout the show's run.

Moonbyul released the special single album The Present accompanied by the 'funk-based R&B' lead single "Present" on her birthday December 22, 2022, her sixth release in her body of work as a solo artist. Participating in the writing and composing of all the tracks, she incorporated messages to convey warm music to her fans who are always with her from the cold winter when she was born, through spring, summer, fall, and back to winter again. The album contains a collection of songs including "A Miracle 3 Days Ago" and "Chemistry". The songs were first released on December 22 of previous years, in keeping with her tradition since debut of gifting her fans with a song every year on her birthday.

2023–present: First studio album and solo world tour
On January 7, 2023, Moonbyul performed her first solo award show stage at the 37th Golden Disc Awards as part of her prize for winning The Second World, performing her prologue rap "On My Way" and finale winning song "Comma". Moonbyul joined the judging panel of JTBC's boy group survival program Peak Time in February 2023, replacing Mino of Winner. On April 29, Moonbyul was invited to perform at the Japanese edition of the Chimac Festival, held at the Expo Commemoration Park in Osaka, Japan. This marked her debut appearance as a solo artist in a music festival.

On February 20, 2024, Moonbyul released her first studio album Starlit of Muse with the lead singles "Touchin&Movin" and "Think About". The 12-track album reached first place on the iTunes Top Albums Chart in ten different regions and sold over 100,000 copies in its first week. Moonbyul will embark on her first solo world tour, Museum : An Epic of Starlit.

Philanthropy
In April 2023, Moonbyul donated ₩10 million to Miral Welfare Foundation to sponsor emergency medical expenses for children with disabilities in urgent need of treatment and surgery. She also lent her voice to the narration of MBC's documentary program Miracle in Spring, which highlights the struggles of these children who suffer from illness and financial difficulty.

Headlining tours

 * Museum : An Epic of Starlit (2024)