Katie Kim (South Korean singer)

Kim Seo-hyeon (born December 10, 1993), known professionally as Katie Kim, or by the mononym KATIE, is a South Korean-born American singer based in Los Angeles who finished first in K-pop Star 4. Her breakthrough performance of "Where You Need To Be" reached 4 million views on South Korea's leading video-sharing site, Naver TV Cast, in the shortest amount of time in K-pop Star history. After winning the show, she decided to sign with YG Entertainment.[1]

In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.
Katie Kim
Birth nameKim Seo-hyeon
Born (1993-12-10) December 10, 1993
Bucheon, Gyeonggi, South Korea
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer
Instruments
  • Vocal
  • piano
Years active2014–present
Labels
  • AXIS
Korean name
Hangul
김서현
Revised RomanizationGim Seo-hyeon
McCune–ReischauerKim Sŏhyŏn

In May 2018, Katie joined AXIS, a new company founded by former YG creative director SINXITY.[2] With a change of label, YG Entertainment will continue to help with the distribution of her debut album.[3] Her debut extended play, Log, was released on May 22, 2019.

Early life

Katie Kim was born Kim Seo-hyeon on December 10, 1993 in Bucheon. She immigrated to New Jersey at the age of 10.[4][3] Her mother would play classical music when she was a child, and she realized that she wanted to be a singer in her high school years.[5] She studied jazz at the Berklee College of Music, but had to drop out due to financial difficulties burdening her family.[6]

Career

Katie applied for K-pop Star 4 to further her career back in South Korea.[6] She emerged as the winner for the season, and she opted to sign with YG Entertainment, and she became a trainee under the agency.[7] After winning she performed live for the first time with hip-hop duo, Jinusean, with their latest hit, "Tell Me One More Time", which she performed at SBS Inkigayo.[8] She spent three years under YG, where she recorded several songs and produced music videos, and YG noticed her preference for American music. She also visited the United States to participate in songwriting camps, where she wrote most of her songs for her album.[3][5] Despite this, development for her solo album stagnated and was repeatedly delayed.[9]

Producer SJ "SINXITY" Shin, who oversaw Katie's album, eventually left YG to create his own label, AXIS, which complicated the schedule of her debut. SINXITY wanted Katie to join AXIS, and after consulting with YG founder Yang Hyun-suk, she decided to leave YG to join AXIS in May 2018, with YG Plus continuing to distribute her album.[3][10] She became the label's first artist, and she gained more creative control with her music under AXIS.[2][11][6][9]

She debuted with the single "Remember" from her debut extended play, Log, on June 6, 2018.[12] The music video was uploaded on YG's official YouTube channel, and has since received over 10 million views on the platform.[10][13] A second single was supposed to be released on August 8, with the release of Log by October 10.[7] The positive reception to the song resulted in her delaying her EP due to newfound interest from record labels, and she ultimately partnered with AWAL for distribution.[11] She released a Spotify Singles EP in October 2018, which included live versions of "Remember" and a cover of India Arie's "Beautiful Surprise".[9]

She moved to Los Angeles in April 2019.[11] "Remember" was re-released on April 17, with Ty Dolla Sign as a featured artist;[14] her manager previously managed Ty Dolla Sign, and he contacted him for the collaboration.[11] She released her second single, "Thinkin Bout You", on May 21,[15] with Log releasing a day later.[6]

Katie performed at the Seoul Jazz Festival on May 25.[11]

Artistry

Kim's primary influences include jazz, soul, funk, and R&B musicians such as Aaliyah, Frank Sinatra, Lalah Hathaway, Nao, D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, H.E.R., Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker, and Frank Ocean, most of which she listened to as a student in Berklee.[11][6][9][4][13]

Discography

Extended play
Title Details Peak positions Sales
KOR
Log — N/A
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Singles
Title Year Peak positions Album
KOR
"Remember" 2018 — Log
"Echo" — Non-album single
"Future Love" 2019 — Log
"Remember" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign) —
"Thinkin Bout You" —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.
Title Year Peak positions Sales Album
KOR
"Secret" (Bobby featuring Katie Kim & DK) 2017 — N/A Love and Fall
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Other charted songs
Title Year Peak positions Sales Album
KOR
[16]
"Where You Need To Be" 2015 5 K-pop Star Season 4 Top 10
"One Candle" 74 K-pop Star Season 4 Top 6
"Only You" (너뿐이야) 62 K-pop Star Season 4 Top 2
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Music Video
Year Music video Director(s)
2018 "Remember" Paranoid Paradigm (VM Project Architecture)[20]
"ECHO" Un­known

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Result
2015 K-pop Star 4 1st Place (Winner) Won

References
  1. "'K-Pop Star 4' winner Katie Kim chooses YG Entertainment". AsiaToday Press Release. April 13, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  2. "[단독]'K팝스타4' 우승자 케이티김, YG와 결별…현재 데뷔 준비 중". Naver. May 24, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  3. Yang, Hyun-suk (May 25, 2018). "From YG". YG Life. Archived from the original on January 22, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  4. Russell, Erica (August 8, 2018). "Don't Call KATIE A K-Pop Star". Nylon. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  5. McMullen, Chase (July 21, 2019). "A Conversation with KATIE: The rising Korean-American singer dishes on her music as well as her perspective". The 405. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  6. Singh, Lavanya (May 22, 2019). "Katie Kim on Dropping the K-Pop Label and Finding Herself on Debut Album 'Log' (Interview)". Popcrush. Townsquare Media. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  7. Yoon, Min-sik (May 31, 2018). "'K-pop Star' winner Katie to release debut single". The Korea Herald. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  8. "JINUSEAN - 'Tell Me One More Time' (feat.KATIE KIM) 0510 SBS Inkigayo". May 10, 2015.
  9. Real, Evan (October 9, 2018). "Meet the Singer Poised to Shake Up South Korea's Entertainment Industry". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  10. Herman, Tamar (June 29, 2018). "Not Quite A Korean Entertainment Company, AXIS Is Hoping To Create A New Platform For Creatives". Forbes. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  11. Kelley, Caitlin (May 22, 2019). "KATIE Branches Out Of The Korean Music Industry With Her Debut EP 'Log'". Forbes. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  12. Herman, Tamar (June 6, 2018). "KATIE Releases Debut Single 'Remember': Watch the Video". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  13. Yim, Hyun-su (May 22, 2019). "[INTERVIEW] R&B Singer Katie is ready to step back into the spotlight". The Korea Herald. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  14. "케이티, 빌보드 1위 Ty Dolla 컬래버…17일 '리멤버' 피처링ver. 발매 [공식입장]" [Billboard Hitmaker Ty Dolla Sign to Feature in Katie's Re-Release]. Naver (in Korean). April 8, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  15. Herman, Tamar (May 22, 2019). "Katie Releases 'Log' Album Fronted by Lush 'Thinkin Bout You': Watch the Music Video". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  16. "Gaon Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  17. Cumulative Sales for Where you Need to be:
  18. "2017 Download Chart – Week 14". Gaon Chart. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  19. "2017 Download Chart – Week 17". Gaon Chart. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  20. "Remember - Katie". Vimeo. 2018-06-07. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
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